On behalf of your union, Adjunct Coordinator Kim Ng Southard wishes you a joyous holiday season. (photo by Cynthia Eaton)

December greetings, colleagues.

I hope you are all well. This update covers information on technology and ADA compliance, assignments and important upcoming dates.

Tech help and ADA compliance

I draw your attention to two articles in this issue of The WORD that you might find helpful in your work in the coming semesters. Adjunct colleagues often indicate that they use the breaks between semesters to make these kinds of changes to their courses or other work-related materials so we are highlighting this now.

• 2026 ADA compliance regulations: What, why and who — This article explains the new federal and state regulations mandating that we all ensure our digital and electronic materials meet required ADA compliance measures by April 2026, then in 2026 ADA compliance regulations: How to, two fellow FA members in our Center for Teaching and Learning share the resources available to you to meet these regulations.
  
  

• What's new in technology and how ITS can support you and your students — This piece is filled with information and resources available to you from the college Information Technology Services (ITS) department. College Assistant Director of Instructional Technology Operations Johanna Boutcher and our fellow FA member Christina Johnston-Eustace want you to know how to find all the tech support that you need and that your students need.

Assignments reminders

Assignments were posted on November 24, and the accept/decline form is due this Friday, December 12. If your availability changes after the acceptance of a course, you must contact your chair or supervisor immediately in writing if your availability changes from what you listed on you NORA.

While chairs and supervisors might be able to accommodate changes, they are under no contractual obligation to do so. And faculty members lose seniority rights for assignments in the semester they decline an assignment.

Members are eligible for available assignments within their certifications and NORA preferences. They cannot choose specific assignments. Faculty can certainly request specific courses and times, but the chair/supervisor is not obligated to grant the request. The chair/supervisor is obligated to assign faculty available assignments within their certifications and NORA preferences.

Adjunct seniority is collegewide in the assignment process, which means campus preference does not trump collegewide seniority. For example, an A-list adjunct selects Ammerman as their first choice and Grant as their second choice. If Ammerman does not have an assignment to offer, the adjunct should receive an assignment at Grant before anyone junior does—again, taking into consideration certifications and NORA availabilities.

It is not uncommon for our members to confuse the assignment process with the bumping process. These are two different things. The bumping process is followed only when a member loses a course, typically due to low enrollment. According to the bumping process document, which can be found on the FA website:

For adjuncts, the bottom bumping process is followed. A more senior adjunct who has lost a course may bump the least senior adjunct in the discipline on the campus(es) that they designated in the NORA form and for courses/assignments for which they are certified. The guiding principle for adjunct bumping is the same as for full-time overload bumping, namely no adjunct faculty member on the A list gets two courses or assignments in the discipline before another adjunct faculty member in the discipline gets one.

Contact me if you have any questions regarding your assignments or if you are involved in the bumping process in the spring.

Upcoming important dates

Below are important dates from the FA wall calendar to help you organize your semester.

• Dec. 12 — Adjunct accept/decline due for winter/spring 2026
• Dec. 19 — Last day of classes for fall 2026
• Dec. 29 — Wintersession classes begin
• Jan. 16 — Wintersession classes end
• Jan. 26 — Spring classes begin

Don’t hesitate to contact me at kimn@fascc.org if you have questions regarding the above or other union-related issues. I am happy to arrange an in-person, Zoom or phone meeting to listen to your concerns.

Enjoy the holiday season.

Best,

Kim