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Volume IX |
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Number Six |
On December 19, 1994, U. Mass. President Michael Hooker sent the university's contracts for its four campuses to the governor for his approval. In a three-page letter dated January 5, 1995, to President Michael Hooker from Secretary of Finance and Administration Secretary, Charles Baker, the governor, through the secretary, declined to file a request for an appropriation from the legislature. This decision "...was generated out of our support for and commitment to excellence in the Commonwealth's public university system." Baker proceeded to draw comparisons between U. Mass. and other comparable institutions with regard to salary and workload and then added insult by pointing to student SAT scores, a factor unrelated to faculty compensation.
On January 17, 1995, the Massachusetts Society of Professors (MSP) sent a three-page letter to the governor rebutting Baker's letter. The MSP focused first on their dismay at the tone and attitude of Baker's letter. "...we are shocked by the Secretary's cavalier treatment of the University Trustees and President, who negotiated the terms of our contract in good faith. These are Trustees who were appointed by you to oversee the University system. As Trustees they reviewed and approved the University administration's proposals in bargaining, proposals that were based on careful research and deliberation. Nonetheless, Secretary Baker substitutes his 'facts' and judgment for theirs, implying that he knows more about how to manage a university than do the Governor's own appointees, the President, the Chancellors, and their administrative staffs."
The remainder of the letter addresses Baker's "inaccuracies and distortions and little evidence of careful research." The MSP concludes by asking the governor "to keep the interests of the Commonwealth at the forefront of your thoughts and actions by adequately supporting the university and its faculty."
on January 10, 1995, President Scibelli (STCC), and the presidents' chief spokesperson, Attorney Henry Stewart, met with Chancellor Koplik and Higher Education Coordinating Council (HECC) chair, Richard Wiley to discuss our economic package. Though Wiley advised President Scibelli that our economic package and backup information looked fine, HECC needed information on productivity for their meeting with Administration and Finance (A&F) two days later. Working ten hours straight, MCCC President Tom Parsons prepared a summary based on workload data he had compiled for factfinding for the 1990-1993 contract. The data was given to Attorney Stewart the next day, and MCCC Team Chair Dennis Fitzgerald was told that portions of the data were incorporated into the report submitted to A&F.
A meeting between both teams is scheduled for January 30 to discuss our next joint strategy.
Both the university contracts and the community college contracts are completed--economic and language. The state colleges remained at the bargaining table as the presidents still want major language take backs. The University Staff Association (USA) and the Association of Professional Administrators (APA) in the state colleges are still bargaining and have not settled either language or economic issues.
At the Higher Education Coordinating Council meeting on January 17, 1995, nearly 100 faculty and staff from the state colleges picketed outside prior to attending the HECC meeting. For the first time, Koplik responded in a less general manner than previous meetings, but still without any commitment to passing the state and community college economic proposals onto the governor. The following are the comments he made at the meeting concerning collective bargaining.
"Today, and over the past several months, a number of people have expressed their concerns and frustrations over working many months without a contract more eloquently than I could attempt to summarized today. We have received hundreds of letters and have heard directly from dozens of faculty in various form about this issue. Let me assure you that we have read every letter and heard each and every spoken work [sic]. We understand your concerns, are somewhat [ed. note. Koplik added the word "somewhat" in his oral comments, but that word did not appear in the written text.] sympathetic to your situation, and respect your sincerity.
While we appreciate the work of our employees in public higher education, all of us realize that the faculty form the heart and soul of our institutions. There is absolutely no benefit to any of us with a management responsibility for higher education -- whether myself, the Presidents, campus administrators, Trustees, or members of the Council--to prolong a period where teaching and learning is carried out without executed contracts. Let me assure you that we want signed contracts as much as you do.
No one realizes the importance of rectifying the present situation more than those of us with management responsibility for the system. Over the past few weeks, we have worked intensively to discuss a salary package that is fair, responsible, and able to [be] funded. During that process, we have studied and considered proposals presented on behalf of the Community Colleges and State Colleges. That review process is now completed. We are now holding meetings with the appropriate parties in an attempt to move this process to the table.
Our immediately goal is to conclude negotiation[s] of fair, equitable, and responsible agreements with our employees and to resolve all outstanding issues between the parties as expeditiously as possible. Ultimately, we want negotiated agreements that are reasonable and competitive within the context of the needs and requirements of our campuses and the Commonwealth. As you know, the process of negotiation[s] cannot take place at Council meetings, in Board rooms, classrooms, or laboratories, but will best be carried out at the bargaining table."
On January 17, 1995, a meeting was held with MTA Higher Education Staff and MTA leadership to discuss a multilevel strategy on how to best get our con tracts funded.
Also, an emergency meeting of MTA's Higher Education Leadership Council (HELC) is scheduled for January 25 to discuss strategic and political action plans.
The statewide Political Action Strategy Committee (PASC) is
scheduled to meet February 13, 1995. This is a committee made up of
representatives of all campuses (community colleges are very well
represented.). PASC has two components to it--legislative and crises
committees. These members will be working with MTA and HELC to
organize each campus to implement the plans and activities to get our
contracts funded.
Last year, the MCCC won an arbitration which dealt with DCE administrators teaching in DCE in violation of the contract. The arbitrator awarded damages to the MCCC of approximately $29,000. The college presidents challenged the means used to calculate that amount. In a supplementary award, the arbitrator has clarified the calculation of the damages due the MCCC from the original decision. The way is now clear for final resolution of this matter.
In addition, the MCCC Board voted that these monies should be
disbursed to the DCE unit members in the work areas where the
administrators taught during the semester used to determine damages.
Therefore, certain faculty at Bristol, Massasoit, and No. Essex will
be contacted regarding the disbursement of this settlement. Although
the amount per person will be small, it will nonetheless compensate
the individuals for the work wrongfully taken by their supervisors.
Assuming that management has no other means to further obstruct
payment, this awarded amount should be received by the unit members
this semester.
Another example of the difficulties in dealing with college presidents can be illustrated with a recent case from Mt. Wachusett Community College. A grievance and a charge of prohibited practice were filed by the MCCC when President Asquino declared that the courses his college offered in various prisons did not constitute unit work. As such the college did not allow the faculty teaching these courses to enjoy collective bargaining rights as provided for in the contract.
Prior to the arbitration hearing, a settlement was negotiated and
agreed to in principle the day before the case was to be heard. With
a written agreement needing only to be signed, the hearing was
canceled. The settlement language stated, "...the College courses
offered within prisons are considered unit work within the meaning of
Article 1.02 of the collective bargaining agreement...." However, now
President Asquino refuses to sign the agreement. He claims he never
meant that the prison courses were to be considered unit work! The
case has to be rescheduled for a hearing.
Five more unemployment cases that hinged on reasonable assurance
of future employment in DCE have been won on appeal with MTA legal
assistance. Two came from Middlesex and one each from Greenfield, No.
Shore, and Cape Cod. One of the cases, however, was denied again on
the grounds that the faculty member was also a graduate student in a
doctoral program. This case will be pursued further. Despite
tremendous success in these cases, members who have no other
employment should be ready to ask for MCCC/MTA assistance if their
claim is denied. At the same time, it is important to note that each
case is somewhat unique, and the laws and policies that govern
unemployment compensation are complex. Unit members should feel free
to contact Joe Rizzo, DCE Grievance Coordinator if they have any
questions.
This year elections will be held for delegates to the MTA and NEA annual meetings.
Attached to this newsletter is a nomination-form page which must be filled out for each position. If anyone is running for both MTA and NEA, then two forms must be completed. This form will be included in the December and January issues of the Newsletter.
The deadline for filing nomination papers is Friday,
February 10, 1995, at 5 p.m. No nomination papers will be
accepted after that time regardless of postmark or fax time stamp.
Papers must be in the hands of Elections Committee Chair, Allan
Peck, Springfield Technical Community College, One Armory Square,
Springfield, MA 01105. If you are interested in faxing, send
papers with a cover sheet to the college's fax.
The second mailing to all unit members was a letter and an enclosed card. The letter asked that each unit member sign his or her name and send the card to his or her college president. The card, however, was inadvertently addressed to the MTA creating confusion as to what members should do. Please fill out card and send to MTA. We will then sort, count, and send the cards to the college presidents.
Everyone should have received a DCE survey. Please fill out the
survey and return it immediately. This information will be very
helpful to the DCE Negotiating Team.
The last issue of the Newsletter reported that at the higher
education members left the meeting singing "Have Yourself a Merry
Little Christmas." They sang, "We Wish You a Merry Christmas."
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Changing Lives Through Literature, a program of literature study and probation, is an alternative to a jail sentence for some women. This program has brought national attention to Jean Trounstine and Middlesex Community College for its innovative way of using literature as a vehicle for rehabilitation.
This innovative, three-year old program has its roots in a similar course developed four years ago for male offenders in the New Bedford area by Judge Robert Kane and taught by Robert Waxier, English Department chair at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Judge Joseph Dever of the Lynn court system fashioned his alternative sentencing program for women after the New Bedford program. The Lowell District Court is now involved with the program in Lynn. The women who participate must be drug free, be able to read, and have gone through the district court system. Sex offenders and those charged with violent crimes are excluded.
Jean Trounstine is an Associate Professor at Middlesex. She teaches English Composition, Introduction to Literature, Prison and Literature, and Acting. Before she came to the college in 1989, she was at Mt. Wachusett for three years where she taught DCE courses in Composition, Acting, and Literature at Framingham Women's Prison. The Changing Lives Through Literature program and her Prison Drama Program have been recognized both locally and nationally, including an extensive article she wrote about the Prison Drama Program in the March 14, 1993, issue of the Boston Globe Magazine.
Trounstine comes to this program with a strong background in acting and theater. She was graduated from Beloit College in Wisconsin with a B.A. in Theater Arts and English and from Brandeis University with an M.F.A. in Arts Administration with an acting focus. She was an actress-in-residence at Central State University in Ohio as well as an actress in Hollywood. Her teaching experience in English and Drama, including public relations and journalistic activities, extends from high school students, college students, to a range of nontraditional students.
The Changing Lives Through Literature program was first funded through the Gardner Howland Shaw Foundation and the Massachusetts Foundation for Humanities. In the Fiscal 1995 budget, however, the Massachusetts legislature saw fit to appropriate $100,000 to the Changing Lives Through Literature program itself with the intent of expanding the program statewide. Presently, Lynn, Lowell, and New Bedford District Courts are participating in this alternative sentencing program. Now, with monies from the legislature, Trounstine and three other directors will be providing training for judges, probation officers, and teachers who are willing to start one of these programs in their district courts (Anyone interested should contact Trounstine at the College).
The actual program is three months long and is conducted by Trounstine in the college presidents' office with volunteers from the Lynn and Lowell District Courts. It most resembles a seminar on Modern American Literature. There are no tests or quizzes; there are discussions of text and the relationship that the text has to do with these women and their lives. It addresses a variety of domestic and interpersonal issues, especially those of self-esteem. There are an average of eight students per session, and there are two sessions a year. The goal of the program is to instill in the women a sense that there is hope and that they can redirect their lives. Though this program was not developed to be held specifically at a school or college, Trounstine says she, "strongly suggests that this type of program be held at a school because of the environment a campus creates in this type of alternative education program."
But this is just one of the prison programs Trounstine is involved with. In 1988-1990 she received a Massachusetts Foundation for Humanities Grant which was the foundation for the current, credit-bearing program, Prison Drama Program, at Framingham MCI. This humanities-based theater arts program that is jointly co-funded by Middlesex and Mt. Wachusett community colleges offers courses at the prison which are open to any female inmate. Trounstine's goal is to use classic literature as a means of getting women to not only learn and appreciate literature but to let the women adapt classic text to their individual lives and situations. Once a year, usually in June, the students adapt a play and put on the play for the inmates and family members. Even inmates who are not enrolled in the course volunteer to work backstage. All components of the production are done by the inmates, right down to the costumes, makeup and sets. Jean has directed The Merchant of Venice, Lysistrata, Waiting for Lefty, The Scarlet Letter, Rapshrew, Simply Maria, Madwoman of the Modular, and this year she will direct an adaptation of Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurton.
Over the past twenty years, Trounstine has published a number of articles, trained teachers, given papers, produced and directed plays, acted, and taught courses which contribute to the community and to the welfare of women. She is currently writing When Mercy Seasons Justice: Theater with Women in Prison (25 articles written about the Framingham Drama Program and Changing Lives Through Literature which have appeared on the AP Wire, international coverage, and in the Boston Globe, Lowell Sun, Sojourner, C.C. Week.) In 1991 she was honored by Women in Philanthropy for her outstanding contribution to the community. She received a national fellowship from the Council for Basic Education for an independent summer study project in the humanities: Shakespeare 's Women, Voices Our of Prison, and a National Endowment for the Humanities grant to study Shakespeare, Text & Theater in Stratford England. She won the Schwarz award for the Best Massachusetts Foundation for Humanities project in 1988. In 1990-1992 she received the Teacher of the Year award from Middlesex, and in 1991 she received the College's Faculty Award for professional achievement. She is also a consultant to the Women's Legislative Caucus Committee on Women Offenders and has traveled the country speaking at collegiate and correctional conferences.
We need your help in compiling the first issue of the MCCC interdisciplinary journal, the MCCC Scholar!
Any MCCC member, full or part-time, may submit an article for consideration. The articles need to be submitted in APA style and should be from 1,000 to 3,000 words in length. The first issue will cover various disciplines and interests. We would like it to be a true academic sampler. We would like to include topics such as classroom research, pedagogy, assessment, productivity, cooperative learning, an analysis of various issues in particular disciplines, and other topics. Graphic may be included if they enhance the article. Opinion articles are not acceptable, and we are not considering fiction or poetry at this time. Book reviews, not to exceed 500 worlds, may be submitted. Book reviews should relate to general topics that would be of interest to all community college faculty and staff. Later issues of the Scholar may be thematic.
A review board has been established which will read and assess each of the articles submitted. If you have any questions, please call Dr. Peter Meggison, Chair of the Review Board, Massasoit Community College. Five copies of the article along with a 3.5 inch disk containing the article should be submitted to Catherine Boudreau, Editor.
We are enthusiastic about providing this forum for our colleagues
who teach and work in the state's community colleges. Why not plan to
spend a couple of hours over semester break at this professionally
rewarding activity? You will be glad you did--guaranteed!
Have you or a colleague published a book, coordinated a national conference, received widespread recognition for an accomplishment?
Send it in to the Editor. A regular column will focus on areas like publications and/or adoption of books, awards (national or local), publication of articles, coordination of national or statewide conferences, or any accomplishment that is of note. Information should be as specific as possible and include college, home address, and phone number. Send to:
Anyone having a complaint or concern about the Blue Cross Dental plan and coverage should direct his or her comments to
Abe Sherf,
North Shore Community College.
He is the community college representative on the Health and
Welfare Trust Fund.
The vacancies within the community colleges are easily accessible on the MTA Bulletin Board System (BBS) (1-800-523- 8883) You can read, download, and/or print these vacancies at your terminal. If you do not have access to a modem, a printout can be faxed to you. Fax your request to the Communications Coordinator at 617- 236-0448. You must include the name of the college(s) where you work.
For the first time user. When you call into the BBS, you will need to provide some information to the systems operator. You can get on the BBS immediately and choose your password. Once you get on the BBS, follow these steps to get to the vacancy area. Enter your name and password, Select F(ile); 6(Vacancies in community colleges); (F)files in this area; (V)iew and type in the first two numbers of the last dated entry e.g., 42-11-1996 (You would type 42).
Only questions specific to the MTA BBS should be directed to the
systems Operator (SYSop) Ron Miller, preferably through the BBS. If
you have specific questions about a vacancy, call the college.
On December 12, 1994, the MSCA and state college presidents reached a tentative agreement for a successor contract for the continuing education unit. The contract covers the period September 1, 1994, to August 31, 1997. Though the state college contract has ranks, they established minimums for each rank. In addition to the percentage increases listed below, approximately one-half of the unit were receiving a $200 longevity increase. The contract expands that additional $200 to all unit members, regardless of how long they have been teaching. Therefore, a signification portion of the membership will receive an additional increase beyond the across-the- board amounts.
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September 1, 1994 |
6% |
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September 1, 1995 |
5% |
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January 1, 1996 |
5% |
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September 1, 1996 |
5% |
The new minimum salaries (within a few dollars) per credit will be:
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Credit |
Credit |
Credit |
Credit |
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Instructor |
$672 |
$705 |
$740 |
$777 |
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Assistant |
707 |
742 |
779 |
817 |
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Associate |
746 |
783 |
822 |
863 |
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Full |
778 |
816 |
856 |
898 |
The contract also establishes a joint labor/management study committee to review and make recommendations regarding the pension program required by federal mandate (OBRA).
All reference to personnel actions is eliminated. Evaluation procedure culminates with the Dean by eliminating roles of Vice President or President.
All reference to limitation on the number of courses a unit member may teach in the unit is eliminated.
Our question still lingers. Why do the community college
presidents refuse to put a sound economic proposal on the table,
especially when the community college faculty teach more students and
generate more revenue than the state colleges? Let your president
know that you are unsatisfied with the current state of DCE
negotiations, today!
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Jan. 23 |
Earliest spring semester can begin |
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Jan. 23 |
Faculty submit office hours |
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Jan. 23 |
Faculty receive College Service/Student Advisement evaluation |
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Jan. 23 |
Faculty receive student evaluation summary |
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Jan. 27 |
Full-time schedule changes to chapter president |
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Jan. 27 |
Faculty post office hours |
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Jan. 29 |
First year professional staff post- evaluation conference |
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Jan. 31 |
Faculty receive summary evaluation |
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Jan. 31 |
First year professional staff receive summary evaluation |
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Feb. 3 |
Faculty submit course materials |
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Feb. 5 |
Fall sabbatical proposals due |
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Feb. 5 |
Sabbatical Leave Committee appointed |
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Feb. 15 |
Reappointment notices to first to third year members |
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Feb. 21 |
New full-time and part-time hires list due to MCCC |
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Feb. 24 |
Course materials evaluated |
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Catherine A. Boudreau MCCC/MTA Newsletter |
The MCCC Newsletter is a publication of the Massachusetts Community College Council. The Newsletter is intended to be an information source for the members of the MCCC and for other interested parties. The material in this publication may be reprinted with the acknowledgment of its source. For further information on issues discussed in this publication, contact Catherine Boudreau, Massasoit Community College, Brockton, MA 02402. |
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