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Cynthia Eaton
"Joining hands with other faculty unions to negotiate for better contracts in these challenging times and hearing the evening keynote speakers' enthusiasm for teaching and service and being tough negotiators with local legislators and elected officials." — Sharadha Sambasivan, professor of chemistry "Attending the Women in Education workshop. Going in, I thought other men would be there but to my surprise I was the only one. I wanted to learn more about the female perspective, and this workshop did just that." — Carl Coulanges, instructor of TV/Radio/Film "The Labor History of Education Unions workshop laid the foundation for understanding how unions were formed and why they are needed today. This conference was a great steppingstone for me to have a better comprehension of why unions are so important." — Lorraine De Leon, professional assistant in campus activities "This conference was very valuable as a first-time attendee not just as a chance to get to know some people from outside my department but also as a way to see the interest and passion of community college faculty and staff from around the state. Each session provided a different view on our jobs and how we do them." — Tom Flesher, instructor of economics Each of these first-time attendees at this year's NYSUT Community College Conference came away with concrete lessons to apply to their everyday work as well as a greater appreciation for the central role of community college faculty in higher ed and in unions today. They say bigger isn't always better. But sometimes it is. The FA was a standout at this year's NYSUT Community College Conference, held on November 5-7 in Saratoga Springs. We were the local with the most members in attendance, including the most first-time attendees, and we were the local with the most officers who presented and/or moderated sessions. We certainly also learned a lot and made the most of our networking time together. First-time attendees
First-time attendees at the NYSUT Community College Conference invariably bring terrific perspectives to the event, especially since some of us (cough cough) have been attending this conference for almost a quarter of a century. This year, in addition to the four first-time attendees quoted above, we were joined by Debra Handel, adjunct professor of counseling, and Caitlyn Parzych, assistant professor of human services. Caitlyn reflected on the event, "In addition to getting to know some of my colleagues from different departments at SCCC, I felt like I got an inside look at the various ways the FA supports the college." Like Lorraine, Caitlyn assured us, "I'm looking forward to getting more involved in the FA!" During the conference, there's always a little bit of time built in for exploring the local area. For example, Sharadha explored the natural beauty of Saratoga Springs. "It's a geological treasure," she enthused. "I didn't know this area has so many natural springs and geysers. I now call it the mini-Yellowstone of the East Coast." We're always looking for new members to join us each year. Get in touch if you're interested in joining next year's Community College Conference. The networking with colleagues at SCCC and across the state, the workshops, the local explorations... it's one of our favorite annual events. Officers' presentations
The FA was also well represented in terms of workshop and plenary presentations, with four of our officers presenting and moderating a total of seven sessions. FA President Dante Morelli was one of the lead presenters for the session titled Organizing During a Crisis. In this workshop, participants learned strategies for organizing and communicating with members during a crisis. Times of uncertainty tend to bring people together, and Dante shared some of the FA's good work during the pandemic that not only brought in new members but also helped keep our membership informed about their workplace. FA Executive Vice President Courtney Brewer was featured during the Sunday morning town hall, as she taught conference attendees about the FA new member program and the successful approach she's been taking to help encourage nonmembers to sign up with the FA (and we thank Fabio Montella for assisting Courtney with that critical project). Courtney made plain that we know faculty at SCCC are no longer required to pay union dues or agency fees, but it's clear that faculty here truly understand the value of union membership, since—unlike other locals—we have a 99.5% membership rate with full-time faculty and an 88% membership rate with adjunct faculty. As FA secretary I co-presented the workshop titled OER and Online Learning: Best Practices, sharing my 40-page draft of a collaborative, union-focused distance education document, "Grassroots Guide to Distance Education Courses in the NYSUT Community Colleges." This provides information and advice about a range of effective practices spanning course design, pedagogy, cool tools and OER as well as policies that apply to distance ed classes. I also presented during the Sunday morning town hall with a focus on the FA's internal and external communication efforts. FA Adjunct Coordinator Kim Ng Southard was busy as well, as she moderated two of the adjunct workshops: Adjunct and Contingent Employee National Trends and Adjunct Organizing: Getting the Card Signed. The former offered national statistics on the employment of adjuncts at community colleges across the nation as well as their union membership rates, and the latter helped participants make the case for why adjunct faculty need to belong to their unions and remain actively involved. For members who might consider attending next year, other workshops focused on negotiations, certified safe zone training, labor history, health and safety on post-Covid campuses, job security for adjuncts, the grievance and arbitration process, challenges and opportunities for women members, financial trends and challenges to organized labor today.
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