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By Martin M. Goldstein The First Annual Spring Part-time Faculty and Andrew Going Away Party was a rousing success, a joyous occasion in which both full and part-time faculty shared moments ranging from collegial to sentimental to gastronomic and musical. Held at the lovely Palisades home of Becky Curtis, recently appointed co-chair of the FA Hourly Committee, Friday afternoon into the evening of May 11, the party began with food and drink and an introduction to many new faces, and for them, an introduction to the SMCFA in the form of Lantz Simpson, president, Ken Mason, VP, Kathy Sucher, Secretary, and Janet Kretschmer, our estimable office manager. After the crowd gathered and gobbled some delicious sushi and shrimp and other assorted goodies, Becky drew us together and read one of Andrew Walzer’s articles printed last year in the Advocate, “Leap of Faith,” as a testimonial to him and all the wonderful work he’s done for the FA and part-timers in general. Andrew has gone on to a full time job at LACCD, and he will be missed. I then gave a brief overview of the Associate Faculty issues, with some Q & A leading to a discussion of medical benefits. Lantz then led the discussion of this highly volatile issue, which will doubtless be discussed in future issues of the Advocate. So far the current system for PTers, the first in the state and still one of the best, seems solid, but promises broken at the state level tend to resonate down, and nothing is certain but our collective resolve to protect our members in this vital area. But rather than dwell in our loss, we chose to celebrate his success, and appreciate once again the full and wonderful diversity of our faculty here at SMC. The traditional class distinctions between FT and PT are really melting at our school, the fulfillment, one might hope, of Jim Prickett's dreams years ago. We have all hung together, rather than separately, and expunged a President and elected a new Board of Trustees. We have done a lot of hard work together, in sum, and it was time to party. Which we did. Becky's son, J.T., and his fellow musicians started it off in rousing fashion with an electric blues rock thing that was loud enough rattle your eyeballs, then Becky herself gave the best Aretha Franklin rendition I have ever heard from an SMC faculty, and finally Lantz was persuaded to sit down behind the electric piano and he simply wailed. It was beautiful. We are clearly an interesting and talented group of people, the faculty of SMC, and the only thing I would change about this party is that I would make a point of inviting more full-timers -- why should part-timers have all the fun? Actually, there was quite a mix, equal friends and colleagues, and as we bade farewell to Andrew, and saw Becky step up so beautifully, I could feel the spirit of Jim Prickett smiling down on us. I think we are fulfilling his legacy.
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A Joyous Occasion |
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Where’s the Loyalty? |
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By Melissa Michelson I consider myself a loyal instructor -- loyal to my students and loyal to my employers. But sometimes I’m forced turn my back on my students and employers. Teaching part-time at various campuses under the 60% law has forced this upon me, and recently has cost me one of my jobs. I used to teach at three colleges. Every semester I had to play the scheduling game with all three. This was harrowing, as I try to patch together a full-time teaching load -- this is my full-time occupation and not a part-time side job -- while not aggravating my employers whose understanding and consideration I need to construct this schedule. This year was especially harrowing when I had to back out of a class that I promised to teach because I was offered a class elsewhere at the last minute that was a sure thing. I accepted it, since the first school had canceled my class several times before at the last minute, and I didn’t want to be left without an income. But when I took the class at the other school, the first school accused me of being disloyal and told me I won’t be offered any more classes there in the future. Where’s
the loyalty? It’s okay for them to offer me a job, then withdraw it at the
last minute if the class doesn’t make, but if I take a sure thing job and
can’t take their offer, then I am being disloyal? It’s a no-win situation,
and under the current laws, one that is inevitable for part-times such as
myself. It is no wonder that the life-expectancy of a part-timer in the field
is seven years. There can be no loyalty to a system that treats us so badly,
no matter how |