I hope this update finds that all of you are healthy and well. All of us have had to make considerable adjustments to our daily lives and the students appreciate all that we are doing to support them during this most difficult time.
This year the Executive Committee is planning to host faculty meetings several times during the academic year. We would like to use these meetings as an opportunity for you, the members, to check in with us. You can ask questions about issues that concern you and you can give us information about any issues you would like us to know about.
One issue we will be focusing on this year is succession planning. Many of us on the Executive Committee and the Negotiating Team have been involved in Chapter leadership for a long time. As with any organization, succession planning is an important issue that needs to be addressed. We look forward to meeting with members of the Chapter and hope that many of you will consider taking on a role in leading the Chapter in the years to come.
Contract 101 Seminars:
As a service to our membership, the AAUP Negotiating Team will be sponsoring two virtual discussions this semester on the AAUP contract.
The first session will be held on Wednesday November 11, at 7:30pm and will cover the contract
- Article 2 – Management functions,
- Article 4- Faculty appointments,
- Article 5 -Workload.
The second session will be held on Wednesday December 9 (time TBA) and will cover
- Article 6- Leaves of Absence,
- Article 7- Chapter Rights and
- Article 8- Salaries.
We will try to schedule these sessions during times that will allow for maximum attendance. Zoom links and other information will be sent in a separate e-mail at the beginning of November.
Update on Negotiations:
Negotiations started on Monday, October 19, 2020. In this initial meeting with Management, we discussed ground rules and AAUP interests. Financials (salary, EAP and overload) are on the table for this round of negotiations.
Tito Baca, Ginger Robinson, Robin Flanary and Sharon Piper (lead negotiator) are representing the Chapter as members of the Negotiating Team.
All activities that take place at the negotiating table are confidential until both sides agree to the release of information. We will provide you with updates as best we can while negotiations are taking place.
The Winter Session:
This is just a reminder that if you are teaching during the 5-week winter session, your winter session ESH counts towards your spring load.
Important Reminders:
- The maximum workload you are allowed in any given semester is 20ESH.
- The maximum workload you are allowed in any academic year, August to May, is 36ESH.
- The minimum workload you need to carry in any academic year, August to May, is 30ESH.
Spring Scheduling:
The spring schedule has been posted and spring registration for students who have earned at least 30 credits began on November 2. Registration for all other students begins on November 9.
Like it or not, this year’s spring schedule is like none we have ever seen before. The number of 15-week classes has been drastically reduced and the number of accelerated classes (primarily 7-week classes) has been dramatically increased. The link to the Spring 2021 FAQ that was previously published is below. Please refer to this FAQ for information on what changes were made to the spring schedule and the why.
Many of us have been meeting with students to help them figure out which classes they should take in the spring. It is very important that all of us work with the students to help them understand the ramifications of the new schedule. Many of the students I have met with do not understand the schedule and the implications of trying to complete a class in 7-weeks. Please encourage them to carefully consider the combination of classes they take and how many credits they plan on taking prior to actually registering for classes.
Academic Planning Sessions:
The Academic Affairs Division will be conducting academic planning sessions on Nov 5 and 6. During these sessions, extensive discussions will be held on the shape of future academic semesters at MC. College leadership, including Dr. Pollard, the Senior Vice Presidents, Chairs of major College-wide committees, AAUP leadership, and Faculty Council chairs have been invited to attend these planning sessions. We hope these sessions will give us a forum to talk about what a post-pandemic MC will look like. I will be representing the Chapter at these academic planning sessions.
Parking Fees:
A number of inquiries have come to several members of the Chapter’s Executive Committee regarding parking fee assessments. Faculty want to know if they should or could cancel their parking fee assessment. Considering that we are all working remotely this question makes sense.
I had a private meeting and subsequent conversations with Donna Schena, Vice President for Administrative and Fiscal Services regarding this issue. She said that she would issue a statement to the College community on this subject and she did so on October 8. In her memorandum, she provided all of us with information about why the parking fee exists and how the revenue is used. With that information in mind, she stated the following regarding cancelling your parking fee assessment:
”I ask you to consider what the parking revenue covers and the context of the College’s fiscal circumstances, when making your decision about whether to cancel your parking pass and the fee associated with the pass. If you wish to stop your payroll deduction for the upcoming year, you should send an email to: parking@montgomerycollege.edu. The effective date of the cancellation will be the first payroll period after receipt of the notification. “
You are free to request that your parking fee assessment be cancelled by following the directions Ms. Schena provided in her memorandum. In addition, you need to return your parking placard to the Central Administration building.
Open Enrollment has started:
The following is a message from the Benefits Office.
“Open Enrollment for benefits has started and runs through 5 pm on Monday, November 16th. There are no changes to any of the benefit structures (with the exception of specialty drugs on the Cigna POS plan), and no increases to any of the paycheck deduction amounts for 2021. Just a reminder that if you are not making any changes, then no action is required. The one exception would be if you are electing a flexible spending account for 2021. This requires re-enrollment in Workday every year. Please log into Workday through My MC and click on your inbox (envelope in top right corner) to view and open your Open Enrollment event. You must review all the pages, read the disclaimer, and click “I agree” at the end and submit. Please save and print a copy of your changes as proof. If you wish to change a Supplemental Retirement Annuity deduction amount (pre-tax money going to TIAA, Voya, Equitable, and/or Valic), this must be done in a separate event (Change Retirement Savings), also through Workday. HRSTM will be offering both pre-recorded and live sessions on the different benefits, as well as virtual office hours. Please watch for the email blasts, visit the Open Enrollment website, and visit Alex, your virtual benefit advisor, while on the site.”
Please stay healthy and well during these difficult times and take the time to take care of your own physical, emotional, and mental health. Also, remember that if you need to take sick leave for a COVID related reason, you may be able to take COVID sick leave which will not deduct from your regular sick leave. Please click on the link below for more information on COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave.
On behalf of the Chapter,
Harry Z.
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