November 2014
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Upcoming observations deadlines
Remember that newly hired adjuncts should be observed by the fall 2014 deadline, which is November 28.
Adjuncts up for promotion must have an observation by December 8.
If either of the above applies to you, contact your chair or supervisor right away if you don’t already have an observation scheduled or completed.
College-wide seniority and assignments
Confusion seems to persist about whether or not adjunct seniority really is college wide. The answer is simple: yes. SCCC has three campuses but we are one college. Adjunct seniority absolutely carries college wide.
This means that, while you certainly should indicate in your NORA forms on which campus(es) you prefer to work, you cannot be denied an assignment on a particular campus simply because the chair or supervisor there didn’t hire you or does not deem you “qualified enough.”
That said, you might legitimately not receive an assignment on a campus other than your home campus if it’s your second choice and all of the available sections were assigned to those who marked as their first or only preference. As long as you receive your full complement of courses, then there has been no violation of your contractual rights.
Keep in mind that assignments are based on several factors, not seniority alone. The assignments you may be offered, of course, are profoundly shaped by the number of courses and sections that the college decides to offer in any given term.
Then, assignments are made based on seniority plus your course certifications, your official NORA availabilities and your campus preferences.
If you request assignments on a campus other than your home campus and are told no for a reason other than the above, please contact me.
Promotions update
Correction: The list of adjunct promotions in the September WORD was incomplete. TheSeptember promotions article now correctly identifies all of our adjunct colleagues who have been promoted. Congratulations, one and all!