http://www.grccfaculty.com
September 7, 2007

 Call to Order:  F. van Hartesveldt called the meeting to order at 6:30 a.m., 120 ATC.

 Present:  W. Acevedo-Ferrer, N. Alexander, R. Barnhart, J. Batten, J. Berlin, L. Burris, M. Campo, F. Conner, A. Cook, D. Cope, L. Crossman, K. Danko, M. DeVivo, J. Doane, B. Foster, F. Garbowitz, D. Godfrey, J. Hayes, H. Hoare, B. Keelean, S. Knoppers, P. Laureto, B. Manker, R. Monaldo, R. Montes-Sutton, B. Morris (for K. Doebreff), J. Neumann, M. Parsons, R. Ralya, J. Russell, J. Spoelman, D. Terhune, F. van Hartesveldt, D. Wabeke, T. Walwood, G. Zeeff, F. Zomer.

Absent:  A. Saldivar.

Approval of Agenda:  Approved with the addition of the Treasurer’s report and a financial request from the ESP group.

Approval of Minutes from August 30, 2007:  Approved with a change under Negotiations report and discussion.  F. van Hartesveldt, not J. Spoelman, stated that administrative salaries and increases are higher than reported to The Press.    

Recognition of new and substitute representatives:  Introductions of faculty council representatives were made.  New representatives are as follows:  H. Hoare, Lab Coordinators and Technicians; S. Knoppers, Nursing; D. Cope, English; P. Laureto, Biological Sciences; A. Saldivar, Mathematics; K. Dobreff, Music; F. Zomer, Counseling; M. DeVivo, Social Sciences.

Faculty presentations from the floor: 

• Representative obligations are to speak for department and communicate information.  Also, in the event of an illness or death of a faculty member or their spouse, the Faculty Association has a flower/fruit basket fund.  Information should be reported to N. Alexander via email (nalexand@grcc.edu), phone (x 4272), or web (http://www.grccfaculty.com/flower.htm).
• Misty McClure is the new president of the ESP bargaining group.
• Kevin Dobreff, Music department, was recently hospitalized with a stroke, but has since returned to work. 
• Tim Hoving, Lab Coordinator/Tech, and his wife recently had a baby girl.

 Treasurer’s report:  D. Godfrey distributed the annual Treasurer’s report (attached) from September 1, 2006, to August 31, 2007.  Total expenses for the year were $200,213.12.  August 31 checking account balance was $10,967.15, and the money market/savings balance was $139,564.02.  Discussion on the Treasurer’s report included the following:

• Large expenses this year resulted in a low checking account balance, but money can easily be transferred from the savings/money market account.   
• Special Events category was the Fieldhouse rental fee for the Board of Trustees Community Forum and the donations to the Friends of GRCC for the first millage campaign.
• Public Relations category was the donation to the ESP group to offset their MEA dues increase.   

 President’s report:

• J. Berlin is the adjunct representative for Workforce Development.  H. Hoare’s move to a full time position resulted in an opening for adjunct representative for Arts and Sciences.
• Adjunct Advisory Committee, consisting of the two adjunct representatives, F. van Hartesveldt, N. Alexander, and several administrators, spent much time during the 06-07 year discussing adjunct concerns.  The group recommended a year long adjunct contract to the contract negotiation teams.  Assistant deans later sent a memo to the provost not recommending year long contracts.
• Grievance 156 states that both parties agree to negotiate in good faith the issue of benefits for adjunct faculty members during the collective bargaining process.  Administration current contract offer is falling heavily on adjuncts. 
• Adjunct faculty members are reminded to check paychecks, especially if pay rate is moving from third to fourth year.  Several adjuncts pay rate did not change automatically. 
• Step changes for full time faculty should have occurred on the 9-7-07 paycheck.  Faculty members are reminded to check longevity training and credit pay.  Also, September 30 is the deadline for salary changes due to education or training credits. 
• Previous contract will continue during mediation. 
• Faculty evaluations from last year resulted in six faculty members receiving notification that the process was not complete.  Those being evaluated this year should have received a letter of the process and deadlines.
• There are 20 administrative staff members teaching this semester.
• Faculty members are reminded that they should ask their colleagues if they want to use those colleagues’ course materials.   
• A table agreement has been made that would allow the Faculty Association 15 contact hours per semester to be used as release time.  In the past, up to ten contact hours could be used by the Association President, but now 15 hours can be assigned at the discretion of the Association President.  This item will be up for discussion at a future council meeting. 
• Over the summer members of the Nursing, Biological Sciences, and English departments have discussed flexible scheduling of base loads to include summer session.  The goal is to implement a pilot program in 2008-09. 
• A meeting for new faculty members is scheduled for September 14. 
• New faculty members who were previous adjunct are encouraged to immediately investigate their longevity service credits by contacting Jim Fox in Human Resources. 
• F. van Hartesveldt has asked to attend department meetings this year. 
• A. Cook has been working very hard this summer as the Association Archivist, spending much time on organizing the office and archiving records. 
• Concerned Citizens for GRCC, the Faculty Association’s PAC, has a balance of $722.75. 
• The Foundation Board donated $40,000 to the Friends of GRCC for the second millage campaign. 
• The Board of Trustees’ (BOT) July meeting focused on millage endorsements and tax recapture information.  BOT August meeting focused on state aid and budget issues. 
• An outside financial audit of the Association will be performed this year.

 Discussion and action items:

1. Start up issues?
• Some adjunct faculty members had to complete a criminal background check even after working at GRCC for several years. 
• Room assignments are a problem for many faculty members.  Problems include rooms without technology when needed, rooms with technology when not needed, rooms being assigned across campus, room rearrangements, and unbearable heat in the Main building.  Primary issue is with Resource 25, the software program that assigns classrooms. 
• Faculty members have issues with IT – not having proper access to what they need to teach, primarily the ability to download software. 
2. Millage
• Discussion took place about whether more money spent on campaign would have changed the result.  Some faculty suggested that we should have done our own campaign to promote the millage.
• Some faculty members have expressed a sense of betrayal from Administration for linking the millage loss to contract negotiations. 
• Learning Day energy was focused on monetary items, not on teaching and learning. 
• Issue of no growth within the college is a problem.  No new faculty and no new courses cause concern about the future of the College and the commitment to provide the community with education. 
• Questioning took place about what the Administration wanted to spend additional money on.
• Many faculty members saw the millage as an administrative goal, not money going into the classroom. 

 Negotiations report:

• Mediation dates are pending; the first meeting will likely occur on September 13.
• There have been no changes or discussions with Administration since the Association meeting on August 31.
• Discussion took place about the Administration’s stance on adjunct faculty, specifically the elimination of the higher adjunct pay rate, offering no benefits, and the possibility of assigning adjunct classes prior to full time overload selection in the event of a one year adjunct contract. 

 Grievance report:  F. Garbowitz reported that there are a number of issues to address at the next meeting.  An arbitration dealing with the overload cap is scheduled for October for grievance 169 to retain the semester workload at 28.5 contact hours per semester.

RCC report:  B. Foster and A. Cook reported on the following for May and June RCC meetings:

• Several bills were introduced related to retiree health care fund, retirement employment in public schools, and a one time increase in pensions for older school and state retirees. 
• HB 4512 and 4530, which will reduce employer contributions by a total of $275 million to SERS and MPSSERS, will likely pass. 
• Pension reform is on the forefront as a means to balance the 2008 budget. 
• SB 546 and 547 would create a graded scale premium for future school retirees, eliminate vesting in five years for older hires, and require members to serve ten years before they can purchase service credits.   

New Business:  Items for the next Faculty Council meeting should be submitted to F. van Hartesveldt.

Next Meeting:  Faculty Council meeting, Friday, September 21, 2007, at 6:30 a.m. in 120 ATC.

Adjournment:  Motion to adjourn J. Hayes, M. DeVivo seconded.  Adjournment at 8:09 a.m.

Submitted by K. Danko, Secretary.

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Treasurer’s Annual Report

September 1, 2006 to August 31, 2007

Assets September 1, 2006………………………………………………..…...$182,881.41

Revenue:  Dues…………………………………………………………….....$162,139.59

                 Interest………………………………………………………….....…..5,723.29 

Expenses:  Conferences……………………………………………….…..$     0.00

                  Donations/Flowers/Fruit…………………………………...…..1932.88

                  Food………………………………………...……………........5,123.78

                  Grievances………………………………………………...…...2,279.73

                  Insurance……………………………………………………....1,378.14

                  Legal………………………………………………………...…6,771.60

                  Negotiations/JCC……………………………….……….……37,025.71

                  Office:  Archivist……………………………………...……….3,931.37

                               Postage……………………………………....…...……… 40.14

                               Printing……………………………………………………14.41

                               Supplies……………………………………………...…..217.40

                               Telephone……………………………………….……………93

                               Website…………………………………………..………106.51

                 Public Relations…………………………………….…….……..3,500.00

                 Retirement Coordinating Co. …………………..………………1,926.59

                 Salary:  Officers………………………………..………………66,026.00

                 Special Events……………………………...………….……….30,299.00

                 Subscriptions…………...…………………………………………….0.00

                 Taxes and Retirement…………………….…………………….39,647.93

                 Total Expenses…………………………..………………….………$200,213.12

Net Assets August 31, 2007……………………………………………....…..$150,531.17*

*Checking Account = $10,967.15

*Money Market/Savings = $139,564.02

 Submitted September 7, 2007, by Dick Godfrey, Treasurer