By Lin Fraser

May 4-6, 2007

    Lin Fraser was a founding member of CPFA, the California Part-time Faculty Association back in 1998, which first met in El Chorro State Park near Santa Maria. Over the years, writing on CPFA’s  El Chorro listserve, she has proudly earned her self-proclaimed sobriquet, “Evil-Lin, Curmudgeon at Large.” However, in this report from the recent CPFA conference, she has -- momentarily -- changed her tune.

    Those of you who could not manage to attend this year's CPFA Plenary missed a very informative and very good time (thanks to our hosts at Butte College.) While some may argue that the plenaries cover the S.O.S. year after year--to a certain extent that might
be considered true--but only for those of us who attend year after year. New faces need
educating, and we did indeed have new faces.

But this year, the plenary was not the S.O.S. Sure, we had the usual updates and many of the presenters were some of the same old faces--not

by age, certainly, but by how often we see them. But we also had new faces as well, new people with energy and hope.

    Indeed, what was really different this year was the energy in the room, the light at the end of the tunnel, and a well-deserved sense of accomplishment.

    Discussions about what we should do to get AB 591 passed included information that some of us had not considered before, such as helping/advising our sponsor on other issues in which we or he have a stake.

    And, those of us at the plenary can now start humming "I'm just a bill up on Capitol Hill" as we reflect on just what it takes to get a bill through all the processes in order to get it passed.

    The mind-boggling process of what happens when we get someone to carry a bill at times seems overwhelming. But thanks to the tireless efforts of Peg McCormick, Robert Yoshioka, David Milroy, Stacey Burks, and the dedicated others who in one way or another have enthusiastically offered their time and energy, CPFA is increasingly influential and certainly more savvy than ever.

    When we began at El Chorro Park lo these many years ago, we were called upstarts and a "wannabe" union. But, we lit a lot of fires under the seats of other organizations purportedly representing part-timers, and one by one, they s-l-o-w-l-y began to respond to part-timer needs. Frankly, I believe that CPFA embarrassed them.
    Today, CPFA has become very visible and respected, and has become a force to be reckoned with.

    Folks, this is not a small accomplishment. We are not a large union or professional organization. We don't have the luxury of big bucks.  We simply have dedicated individuals.

     CPFA has always operated on what is less than a shoestring budget. But to sustain the momentum, what we really need is for the less involved members of CPFA to become more active.

    If being up front in political activities is not your cup of tea, start recruiting more CPFA members. Who knows? You may be recruiting the next Peg or Robert or David or Stacy.
    Our present go-getters cannot be leading forever. (Heck, one of them just might land a fulltime position.) We need new blood to carry on the work of CPFA, so talk to your part-time colleagues.

    Get your fellow sufferers to join CPFA. The lowest membership fee is only $35.00 a year, and that should not break the bank. Omitting just ten or so trips so to Starbucks would just about cover the membership dues.

    As for what else you may have missed at this year's plenary, you missed some REALLY good food. I don't know which was better, the Cinco de Mayo luncheon or the evening's dinner. And the continental breakfast was far grander than any I have experienced.
    Also, one of the guest speakers, David Danielson was a pure joy--and an administrator to boot. Having come from the ranks of part-timers, he has definitely not forgotten his roots, and the part-timers at Butte College are lucky to have him.

    I guess that's about it for now.