PSC/
Lehman College
Newsletter
Volume 6, Issue 2 February, 2001
Executive Board
|
Helene
Silverman, Chapter Chair |
Alicia
Georges, Delegate |
Ms. Clarissa Gilbert Weiss, Director of Pension and Benefits will present the changes in the benefits negotiated through the New York City Municipal Labor Council, benefits through the Welfare Fund, and retirement plans. Following her presentation, there will time for questions. The meeting will take place on March 7, 2001, from 1:30 – 3:30 PM. in the Apex 234. Refreshments will be served. For additional information, contact Helene Silverman (8176) or hjsilverma@aol.com
Contractual
Meetings
Draft
annual evaluation forms for members of the instructional faculty in SEEK and the
Library are under discussion, following years of uneven application of terms of
the Contract. Also under discussion
is a set of guidelines for evaluation of individuals serving in HEO titles.
It was agreed that contractual guidelines for student evaluation,
classroom observation, and annual evaluation would be regularly monitored at all
levels. In particular, discussion
of how to document service and teaching, as well as scholarship and creative
works was carefully considered. It
was also agreed that further discussion was needed in FP&B sessions.
Many
of the problems in the working environment, subjects of earlier contractual
meetings, have been corrected including installation of better lighting, public
safety patrolling through buildings in a non-fixed schedule, removal of debris
from stairwells, pest removal, correction of leaks, upgrading of lavoratory
facilities, installation of blinds, repair of broken floors, roof repairs,
removal of broken furniture, replacement of chalkboards, repair of windows, and
installation of new heating and ventillation systems.
In several areas, space heaters and fans were installed to accommodate
different preferences for comfort. The
air filtration system in Carman Hall has been upgraded. In progress, is work to further regulate the temperature in
Carman Hall. Ms. Renee Rotulo and
the staff in Campus Facilities and Buildings and Grounds have been very
responsive to our requests.
Payroll
is now up to date on all claims for outstanding checks that were filed by the
local chapter, working with the PSC Central Office.
This includes all late-filed, adjunct PAF’s from departments for the
Fall, 2000 semester. Claims for
payment for work under the auspices of the Research Foundation must be settled
directly with the Research Foundation.
There
was agreement on the need for all to advocate new lines at salaries that could
attract talented individuals for both administrative and faculty positions.
Clear
guidelines for the use of the upgraded B16 facility were also established.
In
early January, the administration announced a budget shortfall of 3.25 million
dollars. The text of the formal announcements can be found on the Chapter web
site, www.geocities.com/psc.lehman
During
much of January and early February, the administration held consultative
meetings with the officers of the local chapter.
Out of these discussions grew the agreement that there would NOT be cuts
in teaching faculty, except for those individuals serving on temporary lines. It
was agreed that the OTPS budget would be cut "across the board".
The
administration announced that temporary services would be cut “across the
board”. Where possible, positions
would be saved if individuals could be paid from resources other than the tax
levy budget. Some temporary
faculty positions were “saved” through Research Foundation, Income Fee
Recoverable, and SEEK accounts. Eighteen
substitutes were not rehired.
Additional
cuts were made in faculty reassigned time that was NOT protected by the Contract
and Bylaws or paid for by non-tax levy funds.
These cuts included advisement time in many departments.
Additional non-teaching “temporary services” were cut. The Library and Information Technology Centers were particularly hard-hit because of their reliance on temporary services for evening and weekend services. Many members of Local 2054 of DC 37 were cut from the payroll; others, had their hours reduced. Because of lack of consultation with DC 37, the cuts were delayed, but not preventented
Teach CUNY, March 28, 2001
Articles,
lesson plans, and web site information is needed on the defunding of CUNY, the
importance and role of public education, and the effect of defunding of public
higher education for a Teach CUNY information day, March 28, 2001, sponsored
by the PSC. Information should be
sent to Jackie DiSalvo@gc.cuny.edu.
__________________________________________________________________________
In order to distribute information rapidly, the PSC is using its web site, www.psc-cuny.org, as a major vehicle for communication and as a link to important documents. You will find the PSC Budget analysis for CUNY, including charts and graphs, formats for a letter writing campaign for CUNY.
Funding,
the Agreement on Distance Learning, information on the new agreement through
the Municipal Labor Coalition for City Health Benefits, the revised dues and
fees structure, the Contract, the Bylaws of the Board of Higher Education and
links to many useful CUNY, labor and higher education web sites.
Through
the PSC Web Site, you can link to the
Lehman College Chapter web site, developed by Professor Manfred Philipp
of Chemistry.
From the home page, select PSC
Chapters. Scroll
to Web Sites. Select
Lehman College.
You can also go directly to the PSC Lehman College Chapter site,
www.geocities.com/psc.lehman. Fred
posts information as soon as possible, including announcements of meetings.
The
Lehman College Web Site has links to many Lehman College documents and web
sites. It
is intended to supplement the PSC Web Site.
For additional information, contact Fred at philipp@lehman.cuny.edu.
In
addition to posting material on the web site, Fred and Helene send out material
that they feel may be of interest to the Lehman College Community.
If you do not presently receive this information, please contact Fred at philipp@lehman.cuny.edu
or Helene
at silverma@lehman.cuny.edu or hjsilverman@aol.com.
If
you currently receive this information and do not want to receive it, please
contact Fred or Helene. ( Please note that we cannot pre-select material on the
“loop”.)
Reappointments
Acccording to the Contract, instructional staff members working in tenure- bearing and certificate-bearing titles, adjunct and instructor titles, shall receive written notice of reappointment or non-reappointment on the following schedule:
*Persons hired on an annual basis in their first year of service shall receive notice as follows:
Persons hired on September 1, on or before April 1
Persons hired on February 1, on or before May 1
*Persons hired on an annual basis in their second or later years of continuous service shall receive such notice on or before Decemeber 1, except that lecturers in their second year, on or before April 1.
*Persons hired in adjunct titles on a semester by semester basis, should receive notice by December 1, for the Spring semester or May 1, for the Fall semester.
If you feel that there has been an irregularity in your reappointment, please contact Professor Orhan Kayaalp, Grievance Counselor, at Kayaalp@lehman.cuny.edu. You may also contact the Central PSC Office at 212-354-1252. Ask for a Central Grievance Counselor. There is a team of counselors available to assist you.
This newsletter was published at the specific request of several faculty members who do not have access to either the internet or e-mail.