FA President's Update
By Mary Gross, FA President
What We've Been Up To!
To say the fall semester and my first as FA President has flown by would be an understatement! We have accomplished much this semester, and it would not have been possible without the support of a strong Executive Committee and FA Council.
MOU and Negotiations Updates
Most notably, we have negotiated many MOUs to assist us with our work and working conditions. The Online Peer Mentoring program has been expanded and extended; the Joyful Teacher will extend for the 23/24 academic year; we negotiated to allow for up to 15 hours remote of the 30 hour on-ground requirement for counselors and librarians through June 2025; classroom faculty can now meet their one fully on-ground class obligation in the spring by teaching two hybrid classes; we are negotiating improved working conditions for our Nursing colleagues who have had additional burdens due to the lack of an Associate Dean of Nursing as well as increased workload due to more extensive clinical onboarding requirements and coordination; and most critically, we reached a settlement agreement on the Faculty Director positions which settles the District’s PERB petition to have these positions removed from our unit. Fortunately, all our current Faculty Directors will remain as Faculty Coordinators with some modifications to their positions and removal of any alleged supervisory work with adjustments to their reassigned time accordingly. As MOUs are reached with the District, they are attached in our FA Council agendas and then posted to our FA Website.
FA Contract and Education Committee
Our new committee structure is up and running. The FA Contract/Education committee has worked to develop contract spotlights during our council meetings, in our faculty-wide education events, and in the new Ask Annie newsletter articles. The group has also worked to create a new Media Communications Coordinator position to increase our outreach and communication to all our members with exciting new venues coming soon.
FA Operations Committee
The FA Operations committee has been busy organizing and executing several education events, including the on-campus luncheon event in October and the off-site get together in mid-November. They have also worked to represent our interests on the District Fringe Benefits Committee, increase full dues-paying membership, created a new budget, and retained the services of a CPA to assist with our accounting and reporting requirements.
FA Professional Relations Committee
Our Professional Relations committee has been creating a number of connections and have been working closely with Academic Senate liaison Curry Mitchell on many overlapping issues. Some upcoming joint efforts include working collaboratively on a Calendar committee as well as launching a faculty survey about Hyflex.
Finally, the Faculty Assembly was proud to sponsor $2500 to CARE’s first Hunger & Homeless Awareness Week at MiraCosta. The funds were used to provide a variety of gift cards to our students throughout the weeklong event and proved to be a highly appreciated donation.
Wrap-Up for 2022
As we come to the conclusion of 2022, I wish you all a relaxing break and hope it is one filled with peace and joy. I look forward to seeing you all in 2023 as we continue our collective work of supporting all who come to our college seeking renewed or continuing education.
Mary
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