September 2013 • page 1 •

FASC

C •

The

WO

RD

1 The same, but different 5 Welcome new members 12 The FA breast cancer quilt2 What’s not to “like”? 7 FA demographics: by title and by age 13 Adjunct update: Assignments plus3 FYI and other news of note 8 Ellen’s retirement celebration 14 Member pay and dues for 2013-144 Celebrating promotions 10 Failing fast: Math MOOCs in CA 15 Retirement workshop: save the date

The same, but different by Kevin Peterman

September 2013Vol. 40 • No. 1

continued on page 6

As we begin a new academic year, the Faculty Association is at a place it has not been for 34 years: a new president with a new team of at-large officers. As your new FA president, I

bring thirty years of FA involvement to my new position. I will work with my fellow officers to ensure we have a smooth transition. As you know, Marie Hanna as

secretary, Joyce Gabriele as treasurer and Cynthia Eaton as adjunct coordinator maintain the positions that they have held for many years. This continuity will help as the FA meets our upcoming

The current slate of FA officers was certified by the Executive Council in June: from left, adjunct coordinator Cynthia Eaton, secretary Marie Hanna, executive vice president Sean Tvelia, president Kevin Peterman, treasurer Joyce Gabriele and grievance officer Pete DiGregorio.

phot

o by

Joan

Woz

niak

• September 2013 • page 2 FAS

CC •

The

WO

RD

Cynthia Eaton.................Editor-in-Chief

Kevin Peterman..................PR Director

William Burns...............................Writer

Susan Rubenstein DeMasi.........Writer

It’s past midnight. You know you should be asleep,

preparing for bedtime, or doing somethinganythingproductive. There are papers to grade, minutes to write up, a few unopened books on the night stand.

But you’re tired and your ability to perform intellectual activities is long gone. You’re too wired for sleep, though. Many of you are on Facebook (according to the Pew Research Center, “two-thirds of online adults say that they are Facebook users”) and will head to the social media site before calling it a night. Just a quick look: watch some stupid cat video, post a photo (or stupid cat video), see what your friends and relatives are up to.

To help alleviate your Facebook guilt, here is a way to take a late night stroll through the land of social media and be at least a little productive. It’s as easy as clicking the “like” button on the Facebook pages of any number of labor advocacy groups.

Yes, educating yourself and then sharing the information with your Facebook friends is more productive than watching stupid cat videos.

Having a Facebook presence is becoming more and more essential to unions and labor organizations. Here are just a few pages for you to consider. “Like” them and you’ll get regular

newsfeed updates about important labor union news and perspectives.

• Bread and Roses 1912-2012 works to both commemorate the famous textile strike in Lawrence Massachusetts and educate the public about the issuessuch as low wages, long hours and dangerous working conditionswhich led workers to strike.

The daily news feed also includes other historical and current events, so a typical update might include an historical profile on labor organizer Lucy Parsons (called “more dangerous than a thousand rioters” by the Chicago Police Department), photographs by Lewis Hine of young children working in factories and international coverage of the recent factory collapse in Bangladesh.

• Labor 411, Labor/ProgressivePoliticalPosters and LaborNotes are pro-union Facebook pages to like. Labor 411 promotes the “Buy Union! Buy American!” movement.The political posters page is great for those interested in the visual art of the labor movement. Labor Notes is a media and organizing project that presents labor news from the point of view of labor.

• The American Federation ofTeachers (AFT), along with the more locally-grown New YorkState United Teachers (NYSUT)Action Center and the NewYorkStateAFL-CIO, all provide content which promotes unions, social justice and related topics that are relevant locally, nationally and around the world.

The pages deal with general labor concerns and information more specific to each organization.

For instance, the AFT page represents and supports its member-ship while also advocating for issues such as high-quality public education and public services for students.

NYSUT offers an Action Center page, a grassroots community of activists interested in education, healthcare, and other issues affecting working people as well as a NYSUT United page that shares news pertinent to NYSUT locals.

Most of these pages will offer satirical cartoons and items commending union members for their activities.

• And of course there’s one special group you should be sure to like: the Faculty Association page (www.facebook.com/fascc).

Remember, giving these groups the thumbs up and sharing widely to your Facebook friends helps spread the word about the issues that affect not just union members, but everyone.

Like our students (get it, like?), you may be addicted to Facebook, but at least you can come away from it knowing you are supporting the labor movement, spreading the good word and learning a little about the struggles that continue today.

What’s not to “like”by Susan Rubenstein DeMasi

www.facebook.com/fascc

September 2013 • page 3 •

FASC

C •

The

WO

RD

The FA prefers to communicate with members using their personal email addresses. Please send yours to the FA office in Southampton 224J or to info@fascc.org.

FYI: Highlights from the Executive Counciland other news of note

• Adjunct/overload checks and promotion bonus checks: There will be seven adjunct/overload paychecks on the following dates:

October 3October 17October 31November 14November 28December 12December 26

Full-time faculty promoted on September 1, 2013, will receive their promotion bonuses (5% of base salary) in a separate check on October 10.

• Adjunct/overload pay rates: The current pay rates for adjunct/overload courses are as follows:

instructor $1,116assistant professor $1,210associate professor $1,298professor $1,423

• Sabbatical deadline: Applications for the 2013-14 year are due October 15. Contact FA secretary Marie Hanna with questions.

• How your adjunct/overload salary is calculated: The contact hour value of your course is multiplied by the credit/contact hour rate for your rank.

Divide your total by the number of payrolls in the semester (usually 7) to calculate the biweekly gross amount you will receive per paycheck, e.g., an instructor teaching one three-credit class: 3 x $1,094 = $3,282, divided by 7 = $468.86 gross per paycheck.

• FA wall calendars: Get this year’s wall calendar from your EC rep (see page 15) or in one of the adjunct offices. Due to popular demand, we ask that you take only one!

• Technology update: The college has decided to transition to the course management system Blackboard beginning in fall 2014. This will be the last year that we use Desire2Learn (D2L).

Plans are currently being developed regarding how faculty will transition from D2L to Blackboard.

Rest assured that training will be available to all faculty and that the college will not only have the usual four distance education mentors but an additional set of mentors on hand to assist with the transition.

In the meantime, to web enhance your class using the D2L course management system, provide your chair with your section’s name and CRN, and within a day you’ll have a D2L class website already populated with your current class roster.

Member BenefitsFA members: Check out the benefits available to you from our state and national union affiliates!

Follow the links on each page:

www.nysut.orgwww.aft.org

• September 2013 • page 4 FAS

CC •

The

WO

RD

com

mitt

ees

confer

ence

prese

ntatio

ns

colle

ge

serv

ice

com

mun

ity

cont

ribut

ions

profe

ssional

develo

pmen

t

lead

ersh

ip

rese

arch

volu

ntee

rwor

k

publ

icatio

ns

educ

atio

n

mer

it

Celebrating members’ promotionsby Sean Tvelia

Given the results of last spring’s elections, I will now be handling promotions in my new position as executive vice president.

It’s never too early to think about promotion! If you have any questions about the process itself or about the various elements of promotion (e.g., educational requirements, college and community service, professional development, credit substitutions, etc.), do not hesitate to contact me at sean@fascc.org.

I’m happy to help. And, on behalf of the FA, I would like to congratulate the following members on their recent promotions.

Full-time faculty

to assistant professor

• Glick, Andrea (E)• Gudelinis, Gregg (A)• Jones, Kimberly (A)• Leo-Rowett, Meridith (A)• Levitt, Wren (A)• Okerblom, Matthew (E)• Seger, Bruce (G)• Silberstein, Eugene (G)• Taliefero, Shiverne (G)• VanNostrand, Julie (E)

to associate professor

• Caulfield, Thomas (A)• Dujmovic, Davorin (G)• Hill, Robin (C)• Kinney, Martha (G)• Laderian, Ali (G)• Linker, Daniel (A)• Macari, Andrea (G)• Nhotsoubanh, Toni-Anne (G)• Niemann, Natalie (A)• Sasway, Hope (G)• Thornton, Jill (A)• Wright, Richard (A)

to adjunct associate professor

• Buzash-Pollert, Elizabeth (A)• Cantiello, Anthony (A) • Chakraborty, Sanjoy (G) • Davis, Robert (A)• Harper, Candida (A)• Honey, Sangeet (A)• Kahanda, Chandrakanthi (A)

to adjunct professor

• Freed,Michelle (A)• Lombardo, Joseph (A)• Wenz, Suzanne (G)

to adjunct professional assistant 2

• Arcidiacono, Silin (E) • Bonanno, Justine (A)• Cianciulli, Aimee (A)• Montes, Dina (A)• Nocera, Maryann (A)• Prugar, Evelyn (A)• Tierney, Janet (E) • Toro-Ledesma, Carolina (G)• Werner, Kimberly (A)

to professor

• Basileo, Paul (A)• Fowler, Michelle (C)• Gushue, JoAnn (G)• Inglis, Michael (A)• Keener, Allen (G)• Lester, Jo (A)• Li, Wenxin (A)• Wolf, Karen (E)

Adjunct faculty

to adjunct assistant professor

• Abelson, Joseph (G)• Amato, Vincent (G)• Armenti-Kotarba, Annmarie

(E) • Badia, Leonard (A) • Bolger, Joy (A)• Chakraborty, Sanjoy (G) • Chang, Rosie (A)• D’Angelo, Rose (E) • Esposito, Frances (A)• Feeley, Christine (G)• Herrick, Mary (E) • Magaro, Jennie (E) • Mitchell, Claire Ann (G) • LaBarbera, Michael (A)• Normandin, Olivia (A)• Olsen, Amanda (G) • Pearson, Rebecca (A)• Powers, Mary Anne (A)• Ridinger-Dotterman,

Angela (A)• Schwartz, Eric (A)• Schwartz, Mark (A)• Scott, Kerry (A)• Simpson, Robert (A)• Stein, Marshal (A)• Visbal, Robert (G)• Wong Sing-Snowden,

Yolande

September 2013 • page 5 •

FASC

C •

The

WO

RD

Welcome new membersby Sarah Gutowski

Spring 2013

• Laura Alberts, Theater (A)• Christopher Kavander, ETU (A)• Joan Wozniak, Library (G)

Fall 2013

• Melissa Adeyeye, Communications (A)• Kathleen Ayers-Lanzillotta, Natural & Allied Health/

Chemical Dependency (G)• Kimberly Coluccio, Communications/Lang Arts (G)• Misty Curreli, Sociology (E)• Raymond DiSanza, English (A)• Todd Gardner, Marine Biology (E)• Nicholas Giordano, Political Science/Geography (A)• Elizabeth Harris McCormick, English (A)• Hsaiofang (Sharon) Huang, Computer Science (A)• Margaret Kennedy, English (G)• Brian Koralewski, Economics (A)• Richard Mack, Graphic Design (E)• Rachael Millings, Mathematics (E)• Jason Ramirez, Communications (G)• Gregory Ryan, Social Science (G)• Rachel Schmidt, Criminal Justice (A)• Meredith Starr, Visual Arts (E)

As college-wide coordinator of the FA’s new member program, I’d like to thank Theresa Dereme for serving as the new Eastern campus new member coordinator and Glenda Denicolo as the Ammerman campus coordinator alongside Liz Foley who will continue as our Grant campus coordinator. This year, the FA will be assisting our new members through the addition of a blog, The Undercurrent. All new members will remain on the blog’s mailing list for the academic year, receiving blog posts every Monday (beginning September 9, 2013) that explain different facets of the college and provide ongoing advice for navigating their first year at SCCC. On behalf of the FA, we would like to welcome the latest additions to our full-time classroom faculty and specialists, librarians, counselors and PAs. Please share a friendly hello and offers of assistance to help our newest colleagues acclimate to the college.

Sarah Gutowski greets new FA membersboth classroom and nonclassroom facultyat the new faculty orientation on Friday, August 23. Gutowski serves as the FA’s college-wide coordinator of the new member program.

phot

o by

Joan

Woz

niak

• September 2013 • page 6 FAS

CC •

The

WO

RD

Same but differentcont. from page 1

challenges. Sean Tvelia, as executive vice president, will be chairing the college personnel committee and will now be the go-to person for promotions. I will be working with Sean as he transitions from grievance officer to executive vice president. Similarly, Sean, as former grievance officer, will be assisting our new grievance officer, Pete DiGregorio. This team approach will allow us to move forward as we deal with the opportunities and challenges we face this year. As many of you know, we have two years left on our current contract. This year all faculty will get a 2% raise as most faculty also receive a step increase. In September 2014, there will be a similar raise as per our contact. There will also be many new faces as a result of the college hiring more than 20 new faculty to replace our retirees. There have been some administrative changes over the summer, and the FA leadership is ready to work with the

administration to improve our funding allocations from both the state and Suffolk County. I also want to work with the governance leaders to address SUNY’s seamless transfer requirements. Our first and most important challenge is the November elections. The eighteen county legislative seats are on the ballot, and we need to support those who have supported this union and the college’s budget and capital projects. Yes, I will be asking for help from you so we can get active. More on this as we approach November 5. There is one pressing matter involving a Primary election occurring September 10. Legislator Rick Montano in the 9th LD is facing a challenge, and we need to help him win the primary. Why? Because we support those who support us, and Rick is a great supporter of SCCC, education, labor and social issues. As I mentioned earlier we have many new faculty that will keep our new member program busy this year. I want to thank Sarah Gutowski, college-wide coordinator, and campus coordinators Glenda Denicolo (Ammerman), Liz Foley (Grant) and Theresa Dereme

(Eastern) for their leadership in this worthy program. I also want to thank community outreach coordinator Tim McHeffey for his ambitious plans to be more active in the community. As you saw in the last issue of The WORD, Dan Linker continues to improve our Professors on Wheels program. And yes, we are still looking for more faculty to engage in this outstanding effort. Finally, I will be working closely with the FA’s Executive Council to solicit your ideas and concerns as we move ahead. I will continue the FA’s political involvement with our state and county elected officials. The outcome of county elections this fall will impact us. As I say to our brothers and sisters in the K-12 locals, the county legislature is like your school board: they vote on our college budget and have final approval of our collective bargaining agreements. So when an officer or your EC rep asks you to get involved, please consider how strong we become when we work together. As you know, I firmly believe activism works! I wish you all an exciting, productive academic year as we begin again.

J o i nP r o f e s s o r so n W h e e l s

Volunteer to do educational

lectures and workshops in area senior facilities.

Contact DanLinker:

dan@fascc.org

September 2013 • page 7 •

FASC

C •

The

WO

RD

assistant professor

106

instructor32

specialist 214

PA 5

specialist 127

associateprofessor

115

professor106

PA1 25

PA2 22

Faculty demographics: Full time faculty by job titleby Joyce Gabriele

Faculty demographics: Full time faculty by ageby Joyce Gabriele

140

120

100

80

60

40

20

070 and over 60-69 50-59 40-49 30-39 under 30

• September 2013 • page 8 FAS

CC •

The

WO

RD

You are cordially invited to celebrate the retirement of

ellen schuler maukThursday, the third of October

two thousand thirteenat six o’clock in the evening

Land’s End, Sayville

All proceeds to benefit student scholarships

esmthe end crowns all.

~ Shakespeare

September 2013 • page 9 •

FASC

C •

The

WO

RD

esm Scholarships & DonationsDonate to student scholarships or contribute to Ellen’s journal; all proceeds benefit student scholarships

as a way to honor Ellen’s decades of labor to benefit the membership of the Faculty Association.

Advocacy Donation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$2,000

• seating for 10 guests plus a full page in Ellen’s journal; prominent recognition as Advocacy Donor in all event materials, sponsorship signs, website, newsletter, and social media placements

Individual Ticket (table seats 10) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $125

• individual ticket reservation ~ $125 per person x_________

Open Donation: I cannot attend but please accept my donation of $___________________

Full Page (7.25” w x 9.75” h) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,000Half Page (7.25” w x 4.625” h) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $500Quarter Page (3.375” w x 4.625” h) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $250

• All journal contributions should be designed in portrait orientation. Eletronic artwork preferable in psd/tiff/jpeg file 300 DPI flattened. Please submit before September 26, 2013, to Cynthia Eaton: cynthia@fascc.org.

Ellen’s Journal

I am contributing the following total in honor of Ellen: $________________

contact information

• name: _______________________________________________________________________

• address: ____________________________________________________________________

• city/state/zip: ______________________________________________________________

• phone: ______________________________________________________________________

• email: _______________________________________________________________________

payment (check payable to SCC Foundation, Inc., or credit card)

• account number: __________________________________________________________

• today’s date: _______________________________________________________________

• expiration date: ____________________________________________________________

• name on card: _____________________________________________________________

• cardholder signature: ____________________________________________________

Please return this page by September 26, 2013, to

Faculty Association Suffolk Community College224J Southampton Building

533 College RoadSelden, NY 11784

Suffolk Community College Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization (11-2983422). Contributions are tax deductible as allowed by law.

Method of Payment• name: ____________________________________________________________________

• name: ____________________________________________________________________

• name: ____________________________________________________________________

• name: ____________________________________________________________________

• name: ____________________________________________________________________

• name: ____________________________________________________________________

• name: ____________________________________________________________________

• name: ____________________________________________________________________

• name: ____________________________________________________________________

• name: ____________________________________________________________________

Guest Names

• September 2013 • page 10 FAS

CC •

The

WO

RD

Editor’s note: The following article is from an adjunct instructor of mathematics. The WORD welcomes submissions from members; see page 15 for our editorial policy.

Looks like a major MOOC provider just got a taste of its own medicine. They don’t seem to care when it’s the students who might have to risk “failing fast,” but when they themselves “fail fast” it’s a different matter.

In January Udacity, a Silicon Valley start up with millions in venture capital to offer massive open online courses (MOOCs), arranged to offer three math courses at San Jose State University (SJSU). This deal was interesting because it brought an outside, for-profit company directly into the curriculum process and would give them 51% of the college’s profits on these courses. The deal received a lot of positive press.

I, however, was skeptical. I’m still early in my career but having taught and tutored students in these three

Failing fast: Is this what’s needed in math? by Joseph Bernat (Mathematics)

particular courses—developmental math, college algebra and elementary statistics—the project seemed to fly in the face of everything I learned in graduate school and from teaching experience about how to help students learn math.

No big surprise: The students failed. The courses failed.

And these weren’t even true MOOCs, enrolling tens of thousands of students across the globe who teach themselves and each other. These math courses were more like modified MOOCs. The technology was still doing most of the teaching, but the students had faculty along the way plus mentors. The courses were limited to 100 students: 50 students from SJSU and 50 non-students, mostly students from area high schools and a local military academy.

“All students will earn college credit,” said the SJSU press release. Sure. If the courses were any good and the students passed them.

But they didn’t.

• In the developmental math class, there was only a 29 percent pass rate of C or better compared to an 80 percent pass rate in the on-campus courses. The San Jose Mercury News reports that only 12 percent of the non-SJSU students passed, including students from the Oakland Military Institute, a college-prep school.

• In the algebra course, only 44 percent of the SJSU students passed compared with 74 percent in the on-campus courses. Again, only 12 percent of the non-SJSU students passed.

• In the statistics class, only 51 percent of the students passed, compared with 74 percent in the on-campus courses.

Of course Udacity and SJSU are offering all kinds of excuses for why these MOOC math classes failed. The project is now officially “on pause,” but only until the spring.

I think faculty should be paying close attention to projects like this. When questioned about the failure of this experiment, SJSU president Mohammed Qayoumi said, “We want to fail fast, learn from it and move on.” This is serious when college presidents take on such an attitude. In colleges we are not making widgets. We are not making the next cool Apple product. We are dealing with students’ lives.

I know as a math teacher that students feel vulnerable about their lack of math knowledge. They come to our college already having “failed” at math. The majority test into developmental math, so they come to us not even having mastered junior high math.

continued on page 11

“But MOOCs offer personalized, individualized learning!”

graphic by Cynthia Eaton

September 2013 • page 11 •

FASC

C •

The

WO

RD

We cannot make them fail more just because we want to experiment on them (they are not guinea pigs) to figure out the next cool technology that’s going to help them teach themselves.

Our students don’t need more technology. What they need is more time interacting with their professors and their tutors to think through the concepts and understand why problems are solved the way they are, to understand why equations work the way they doincreasing the level of higher order thinking, thus bettering the students’ mastery of the content.

Especially the developmental math students. Students cannot be passive learners at the developmental level. A cooler technology program is not what these students need to help them learn basic math. Watching a video and completing multiple choice tests just cannot reach the level of thinking necessary to achieve mastery of the material.

I’m not opposed to technology helping students, but it has to be done very carefully.

I can’t say it any better than a July

Failing fast cont. from page 10

28 op-ed in The Los Angeles Times about the SJSU experiment:

Though they were in necessary math subjects, it’s also troubling that one of the factors that went into selecting these particular courses was that Bill Gates wanted math courses. Gates is a supporter of Udacity and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation helped fund the pilot.

…Online courses should be developed thoughtfully, from within colleges, not as a result of top-down directives from the governor. The subjects that are offered should be based on student demand and faculty analysis of which would work best online. The preferences of even the best-intentioned billionaires should not be part of the equation. Nor should online

The WORD Editorial Policy

The WORD is the voice of our local. This is our primary vehicle for bringing members, on a regular basis, the views and actions of the leaders. Throughout the publication will be descriptions and reports on the union’s programs, positions and politics as well as showing the variety of ways dues are expended. It is our intent to publish 8 to 10 issues per year on a monthly basis.

This newsletter, unlike a newspaper, is not designed to have a “Letters to the Editor” column nor does it accept an advertisement unless it has been screened and approved as a member benefit by NYSUT or AFT. The FA will receive a rebate for each NYSUT/AFT ad it runs in an issue of The WORD.

The WORD is also the voice of its members. Articles about the Faculty Association, its members and their concerns are welcome. All articles should contribute positively to the welfare of the Faculty Association and its members. We will not accept partisan articles or articles which attack any union leader or member. We will accept a thoughtful discussion of all related issues of concern to FA members. We reserve the right to edit articles not only for space and content but also those that seem to reflect a misunderstanding of the union and its policies or those which contain misinformation. The editors are the final authority for all editorial decisions.

In the event of any inadvertent misstatement or factual error, the correction will be made in the next issue of The WORD.

courses be viewed as major money-savers, as [Governor] Brown has pitched them.

It still takes well-educated people, interacting with those who need an education, to provide high-quality courses, whether that’s via the Internet or in a classroom.

Community college students already have too many work, family and educational obligations that they are dealing with. We all know that SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher is a big proponent of MOOCs and that Stony Brook, my alma mater, is working on developing MOOCs. We faculty need to be very careful about the impact of these projects on our students.

“Failing fast” might be a great philosophy in Silicon Valley but it’s downright dangerous in education.

It still takes well-educated people, inter-acting with those who need an education, to provide high-quality courses, whether that’s via the Internet or in a classroom.

• September 2013 • page 12 FAS

CC •

The

WO

RD

continued on page 11

October 20 at 8 a.m. Jones Beach

Parking Fields 4 & 51 Ocean Parkway

Wantagh

TEAMis making

stridesFA

Join us as we proudly carry the unique FA quilthonoring those in our college community who have been impacted by breast cancer.

September 2013 • page 13 •

FASC

C •

The

WO

RD

The four factors of assignments

Adjunct faculty regularly call me prior to the start of each semester to inquire about perceived misassignments. In the cases in which there was no misassignment, often the confusion surrounds the fact that assignments are based on three factors in addition to seniority.

The four factors affecting your work assignments are as follows:

•

When you complete your NORA form, you are asked to identify your interest in working during the upcoming semester, the days and times you are available for an assignment and your first/second/third choice of campus. All of these factors, in addition to your official certifications and college-wide seniority status, affect which assignments you may be offered.

Two additional notes to keep in mind:

• A perennial source of confusion and frustration for adjuncts is the fact that no faculty membersneither full time nor part timehas the right to a specific assignment at a specific time.

That is, our contract gives us the right to an assignment, not your “favorite” or your “usual” Tuesday night (or Mon/Wed morning, or Tue/Thu afternoon) class.

The college’s obligation is met when you are offered assignments that fall within your stated NORA availabilities, certifications and campus preferences and that adhere to the seniority list.

• Your campus preferences should never trump your college-wide seniority.

For example: Say you are an A-list adjunct and you select Ammerman as your first choice and Grant as your second choice. If Ammerman doesn’t have an assignment to offer you, you should receive an assignment at Grant before anyone junior to you does (again, taking into consideration your certifications and NORA availabilities).

NORA deadlines

You know from the adjunct faculty orientation that meeting the NORA deadlines is critical to ensure future assignments.

The NORA dates for wintersession and spring 2014 are listed below.

Adjunct update: Four factors, NORA dates and certification requestsby Cynthia Eaton

Wintersession 2014

• NORA available: 9/27• NORA requests due: 10/30• Assignments posted: 11/11• Accept/decline due: 11/29

Spring 2014

• NORA available: 9/27• NORA requests due: 10/30• Assignments posted: 12/3• Accept/decline due: 12/16

Cha... cha... cha... changes

Sometimes faculty indicate dates and times on their NORA requests submitted in late October, but later discover that they are no longer available at those times.

In these cases, you should contact your department chair immediately to notify him or her of these changes. While we cannot guarantee that your new availabilities will be accommodated, you should at least notify your chair of any changes.

Certification requests

The deadline for fall certification requests is November 1.

When you are first hired at the college, your academic chair or area supervisor certifies you for a specific assignment(s) or course(s).

After that, your chair may opt to certify you for other assignments or courses based on departmental needs and your professional training. These certification requests should be put on file in the Office of Faculty and Professional Advancement.

More often, however, adjuncts make their own requests to be certified for additional assignments or courses.

To do so, you should write a letter to your academic chair or area supervisor indicating the specific assignments/courses for which you’d like to be certified. Provide a rationale for each one, citing for example specific graduate coursework or relevant professional training.

An administrative committee deter-mines certifications based on an analysis of college needs. This means that you may not be certified despite being qualified if the college has a sufficient supply of faculty in that area already.

seniority

NORA availabilities

certifications

campus preferences

• September 2013 • page 14 FAS

CC •

The

WO

RD

Dues deductions for academic year 2013-14by Joyce Gabriele

Dues for full-time members of Unit III are $559.36 plus ½% of the annual contract salary for 2013-14.

Deductions for adjunct classroom and non-classroom faculty are the $34.96 plus ½% of contract salary received, for earnings less than $3,999 per semester. For earnings between $4,000 and $7,999 per semester, dues will be $69.92 plus ½% of contract salary received. Earnings over $8,000 will be $139.84 plus ½% of contract salary received.

Those working under continuing and term appointments will have 19 deductions starting with the September 5, 2013, payday. Adjuncts will have four (4) deductions beginning with checks distributed on October 17, 2013.

Those having 19 deductions can find the amounts to be withheld by entering the table in Column A at their 2013-14 steps. Find your annual dues/agency fee in Column B and your biweekly deduction in Column C. For special cases or questions, please contact Anita Greifenstein at the FA office (451-4151).

Column A: 2013-14 Contract Salary ($) Column B: 2013-14 Dues/Agency Fee ($559.36 plus ½% of annual salary) Column C: Deduction ($) on each of 19 checks

STATEMENT REQUIRED BY FEDERAL REGULATION

Dues, contributions, or gifts to the Faculty Association of Suffolk Community College are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. Dues paid to the Faculty Association, however, may qualify as business expenses, and may be deductible in limited circumstances subject to various restrictions imposed by the Internal Revenue Code.

Classroom Faculty, Librarians and Counselors

STEP A B C1 $51,668 $817.57 $43.032 $53,822 $828.40 $43.603 $56,065 $839.61 $44.194 $58,402 $851.39 $44.815 $60,837 $863.55 $45.456 $63,372 $876.09 $46.117 $66,014 $889.39 $46.818 $68,763 $903.07 $47.539 $71,628 $917.51 $48.2910 $74,614 $932.33 $49.0711 $77,719 $947.91 $49.8912 $80,959 $964.06 $50.7413 $84,332 $980.97 $51.6314 $87,845 $998.64 $52.5615 $91,505 $1,016.88 $53.5216 $95,318 $1,035.88 $54.5217 $99,287 $1,055.83 $55.5718 $103,426 $1,076.54 $56.6619 $107,734 $1,098.01 $57.7920 $112,044 $1,119.48 $58.92

P, P1, and P2

STEP A B C1 $36,476 $741.76 $39.042 $37,996 $749.36 $39.443 $39,580 $757.15 $39.854 $41,226 $765.51 $40.295 $42,880 $773.68 $40.726 $44,594 $782.23 $41.177 $46,378 $791.16 $41.648 $48,233 $800.47 $42.139 $50,162 $810.16 $42.6410 $52,170 $820.23 $43.1711 $54,256 $830.68 $43.7212 $56,426 $841.51 $44.2913 $58,685 $852.72 $44.8814 $61,033 $864.50 $45.5015 $63,473 $876.66 $46.1416 $66,014 $889.39 $46.81

Specialists

STEP A B C1 $54,256 $830.68 $43.722 $56,426 $841.51 $44.293 $58,685 $852.72 $44.884 $61,033 $864.50 $45.505 $63,473 $876.66 $46.146 $66,014 $889.39 $46.817 $68,650 $902.69 $47.518 $71,399 $916.37 $48.239 $75,325 $935.94 $49.2610 $78,338 $950.95 $50.0511 $81,470 $966.72 $50.8812 $84,729 $983.06 $51.7413 $88,119 $999.97 $52.63

September 2013 • page 15 •

FASC

C •

The

WO

RD

Faculty Association 2013-14 Executive CouncilOfficers

• Kevin Peterman — President• Sean Tvelia — Executive Vice President• Marie Hanna — Secretary • Joyce Gabriele — Treasurer• Pete DiGregorio — Grievance Officer• Cynthia Eaton — Adjunct Coordinator

EC Reps: Ammerman Full-time

• Kevin McNamara — Accounting, Business Administration, Business Information Systems, Legal Studies

• Matt Pappas — Biology, Physical Sciences• Dante Morelli — Communications,

Languages, Reading, TV/Radio/Film• Matt Zisel — Counseling, Cooperative

Education • Mike Simon — Engineering, Computer

Science/Industrial Technology• Maria Kranidis — English• Michelle Fowler — Library, Central• Jane-Marie Wright — Math • Alex Nohai-Seaman — Music, Visual Arts,

Theatre, Philosophy, Women’s Studies• Lisa Aymong — Nursing, Health and

Human Services, Physical Education • Denise Haggerty — Social Sciences,

Behavioral Sciences

EC Reps: Eastern Full-time

• Louise Johnston — Library, Humanities, Counseling

• Nicolas Pestieau — Science, Math, Social Science, Business, Nursing, Culinary, Physical Education

EC Reps: Grant Full-time

• Ali Laderian — Business, HVAC, CIS, Technology, ETU Coordinator

• vacant — Humanities• Mohini Ratna — Library, Counseling, Media• Deborah Wolfson — Natural Sciences• Al Heraghty — Nursing, Health Science,

Physical Education, Veterinary Science• Andrea Macari — Social Sciences

EC Reps: Professional Assistants Full-time

• Maureen Arma — Programmatic• Deb Kiesel — Instructional Labs• Steve Ortiz-Rios — Technical Areas/

Instructional Centers

EC Reps: Collegewide Adjuncts

• vacant— Business, Accounting, Communications, Telecom

• Leslie Derenfeld — Counseling, Education, Freshman & College Seminar

• Priscilla Pratt — Culinary, Fire Protection Technology, Library, Electrical Tech, Drafting, Interior Design

• Angela Ridinger-Dotterman — English

• Marshal Stein — Foreign Languages, ESL, ASL, Reading

• Chris Gherardi — Guild, Retiree, PAs/Specialists in Programmatic Areas

• Michelle LaPorte — Humanities• Russell David — Math• Sarahjeanne Goldstein — Nursing,

Physical Education, Health Sciences• Maureen Sandford — PAs/Specialists in

Academic Skills Centers• MaryAnne Ellinger — PAs/Specialists in

Instructional Labs• Doug Cody — Science, Engineering, Auto• Frank DiGregorio — Social Sciences

New York State United Teachers

• Jonathan Rubin — Labor Relations Specialist

The FA Retirement WorkshopPut more gold in

your golden years!

Are you ready to retire? Join us to learn what you need to do and consider before retirement. Topics include tips on financial planning, medical benefits, FA Benefit Fund coverage, NYSUT retiree services, and more! Workshop held on Friday, October 25, 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Montauk Point Room, Babylon Student Center (Ammerman campus). Continental breakfast will be served. Please RSVP to anita@fascc.org.

• September 2013 • page 16 FAS

CC •

The

WO

RD

Faculty AssociationSuffolk Community CollegeSouthampton Building 224J533 College RoadSelden, New York 11784-2899631-451-4151

Gutowski revises and re-energizes new member program

phot

o by

Joan

Woz

niak

The FA college-wide new member coordinator Sarah Gutowski, right, shares information about the newly revised program with campus coordinators Liz Foley (Grant campus) and Glenda Denicolo (Ammerman campus). Not pictured is Eastern campus coordinator Theresa Dereme.