Tuesday, May 12, 1998

PART-TIMERS ATTEMPT TO ORGANIZE by Red Emma


From DISSENT 7, 5/12/98 
Originally entitled: 

WHERE WE’VE BEEN, WHERE WE’RE KOAN by Red Emma 

First, good news: Revolutionary adjunct mega-congratulations to unfailing AOG organizer MARIE ("No Bull") CONNORS on being chosen IVC PART-TIME TEACHER OF THE YEAR! We're proud of you, Marie. 
 * * * 
Q: A tree falls in the woods. There’s no one around. Does it make a sound? 

A: Red Emma, opponent of deforestation, has no idea, but suspects Faculty Association council member Prof. Ken Woodward is putting away his power saw just now, a satisfied smirk on his face. Woodward was, you may recall, lone taker of Red's plea for a union visit to our AOG meeting. Woody failed to attend the Friday, May 8 meeting. He called to cancel, offering no substitute representative (who else would come?) from the F.A. 

This is hardly the stuff of solidarity building, union comrades, illustrating the esteem with which part-time faculty are held by the union which (mis)represents them. 

 * * * 
"A spectre is haunting Irvine Valley College...the spectre of adjunct faculty organizing." 

The Academic Senate informs us that Adjunct Assembly members Tamiko Washington (Fine Arts), Harry Mersmann (Social Sciences), Michelle Mitchell-Foust (Humanities), Bruce Anderson (Bus sci), Helen Maughan (Phys Sci/Tech), Jo Anne Noyes (Math), Mikel Bistany (Phys Ed) and Valerie Gold-Neil (Guidance and Counseling) can VOTE in this week's Senate elections. R.E. suggests they vote NO CONFIDENCE in El Presidente. Why? Faithfully mimicking the F.A. and the board it elected, Mathur shows woefully little interest in part-time faculty, allying himself with the cadre of F.A. full-timers which recently counselled adjunct instructors to form their own bargaining unit. 

Q: What is the sound of one hand clapping? 

A: A union dominated by a majority of part-timers, but represented by a minority of full-timers.  

* * * 
A.A. Senate rep Harry Mersmann has agreed to organize a part-time presence during orientation week activities in Fall. Red Emma will produce the requisite commercial tie-in. Look for a stick-on lapel tag you can wear proudly: "Part-time Faculty are Full-time Professionals." A.A. rep Bruce Anderson pledges to explore building an adjunct Web site. 

 * * * 
Misfortune: Trustee Dorothy Fortune, doing her part to build goodwill between part- and full-timers, took a moment from her busy schedule to attack Saddleback College adjunct organizer Richard Lewis, expressing concern over Saddleback's "irregular Senate representation." Lewis serves as the singular adjunct officer on SB's Senate, a position for which he is meant to receive, not reassigned time (hard enough for full-timers), but a stipend. P/T participation in academic governance should of course be rewarded and encouraged, but Ms. Fortune apparently thinks otherwise. 

 * * * 
Finally, as that great union organizer Joe Hill wrote in Emma's high school yearbook: "Don't mourn, organize. And have a bitchin'‘ summer." --RE

Andrew Tonkovich

Roy's obituary in LA Times and Register: "we were lucky to have you while we did"

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