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What's Really Happening - 2003/10/10

Posted On: 10/10/2003


What's Really Happening

Columbus State Education Association Newsletter of October 10, 2003

CSEA'S FIRST MEET-AND-GREET A HUGE SUCCESS

Thanks to all those faculty who attended our first ever "Meet-and-Greet" on September 4. More than 40 full-time faculty attended the event, which provided an opportunity for those in attendance to renew old acquaintances, meet one another for the first time, and welcome new faculty to Columbus State. Special thanks to Nancy Kephart and Frankie Hale for coordinating (and hosting) this event. We are planning other Meet-and-Greet events.

UPCOMING CSEA MEETING

CSEA will be holding a members-only meeting on Thursday, October 23, from 3-5 p.m. in a campus location to be determined (follow-up notification/reminder will come by email). At this meeting, we will hold elections for the positions of Vice-President and Parliamentarian. If you are interested in serving in one of these capacities, you may let CSEA President Steve Abbott (x5096) or Secretary Amy Brubaker (x5068) know in advance; nominations will also be taken from the floor at the meeting.

We also hope to announce the membership of, and appointments to, various committees established by the contract. These committees include ones that will be studying Lead Instructor/Program Coordinator positions and Intellectual Property/Distance Learning issues. Opportunities are also available for members to serve on one of several CSEA standing committees.

A CONTRACT IN HAND

Final formatting problems have been overcome, and the contract is being printed. Association representatives will distribute a copy to each faculty member.

PROTECTING FACULTY RAISES

CSEA and Columbus State have agreed to proceed to mediation in an attempt to resolve a grievance filed by CSEA on behalf of more than 30 faculty who did not receive their full raises in July as required by the contract. The mediation hearing is scheduled for October 27.

When CSEA first notified the College about the possibility of an error, administrators responded that these faculty were "at the top of their pay ranges." However, the contract contains no language about pay ranges, only that each rank has a base salary and that each faculty member will receive a 2% increase in current salary and a 2% stratification increase on top of that in each year of the contract.

CSEA is representing both members and non-members in this grievance. We hope that our protection of all faculty's incomes (and retirements) will result in greater appreciation of our contract's value and a sense of honor in supporting the union's efforts.

PERSONAL TIME FOR DEPARTMENT OR DIVISION MEETINGS

Faculty have reported that at least two department chairs have claimed that faculty must start taking personal time if they miss a department or a division meeting, even if the faculty member is not normally scheduled to be on campus at the time of the meeting. This is absolutely false, and there is no such stipulation in the contract.

CSEA is proud of how active its members are throughout the College. CSEA encourages faculty to remain active on committees and encourages their attendance at department and division meetings. However, it remains up to each individual faculty member as to how s/he spends the Mission and Learning Support time component of workload, which was formulated by the College in 2000 and is now incorporated into the contract.

CAMPUS EQUITY WEEK

October 27 - 31 is Campus Equity Week for adjunct faculty. Adjunct faculty at Columbus State (there are over 1,200 this quarter) teach about 70% of all classes. They spend countless hours preparing instruction, grading papers, meeting with students outside of class - and have been rewarded with annual raises of less than 3%. Many of them are long-term adjuncts, having taught at Columbus State for 20 years or more - and have no guarantee of a contract for next quarter.

Our adjunct faculty have concerns in several areas. They seek improvement of pay to bring their compensation in line with other central Ohio colleges. They seek a reasonable pay schedule (they go a month without a paycheck at the beginning of each quarter). They seek multiple-quarter contracts in any departments where enrollments can be reasonably projected. They seek an increase in full-time positions to remedy the growing imbalance between student enrollment and full-time instructors.

CSEA supports the adjunct faculty in their efforts to be treated as professionals. We encourage you to speak out on their behalf whenever you can.

CSEA POLO SHIRTS AVAILABLE

Our lightweight white polo shirts with the "CSEA/Columbus State Education Association" logo stitched in blue on the left breast are in! As part of promoting CSEA on campus, we're marketing these 100% cotton shirts to all Association members at the remarkable price of only $5 each, a cost made possible by a grant from Central OEA/NEA to help us increase visibility among faculty and the campus community at large. Association representatives within your division or department have the shirts, or you can email Frankie Hale (x5184) or Steve Abbott (x5096) to get more information.

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

Even if you missed the deadline for signing up for payroll deduction of dues, you can still receive the benefits of this option. Although your payments will not begin with the first pay of this quarter, you can still sign up for payroll deduction for the balance of the academic year. Contact any officer or your Association representative for more information. Those who have decided to pay their dues in full but not yet paid should submit their membership forms and payment as soon as possible.


What's Really Happening is produced by the Communications Committee of the Columbus State Education Association. We welcome your comments, news, and insights.

Steve Abbott, President / x5096
Karl Rieppel, Vice President / x2500
Amy Brubaker, Secretary and Association Representative / x5068
Greg Goodhart, Treasurer / x5431
Darrell Minor, Parliamentarian / x5310
Bill Mundy, Association Representative / x5176
Dr. Jane McDowell, Association Representative / x2656 
Dave Busch, Association Representative / x5079
Dr. Charlie Gallucci, Association Representative / x5499
Leslie Smith, Association Representative / x5302
Dr. Wendy McCullen-Vermillion, Association Representative / x2693
Lisa Schneider, Association Representative / x5124


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