PAnorama: October 2001
From the President's Desk
by Ellis Gage Searles
October. Beginning a new month seems especially welcome right now. The horror, the disorientation, and the numbness are gradually being tempered by time, as the days since our national tragedy slowly turn into weeks. Like nothing else in our recent history, the events of September tested our resilience.
At the same time, they served as the most vivid reminder of the heroism of our fellow citizens, those who died helping others in the planes and on the ground, the firefighters, police, teachers, and workers of every kind whose selfless acts kept bringing our focus back to the priceless gift of our common humanity. Even as the extent of the tragedy continues to unfold today, as we learn of nearby families who have been devastated by their losses, we are sustained by our interconnectedness, and it gives us hope.
Since September 11th, communities large and small across the country have been reaching out to help. Individual members of the PA, in the many communities to which we belong, have of course been among those giving blood, volunteering time, serving in the armed forces, and making financial contributions. Collectively, too, the Professional Association will be joining the effort.
First, the Executive Board has approved a donation of $500. from our Community Outreach budget to NYSUT's 9-11 Disaster Relief Fund. As you may have read in the last issue of New York Teacher, NYSUT's Board of Directors established this fund to assist NYSUT members and other public union members affected by the terrorist attacks of September 11th. We are hoping that members will add their own contributions to the amount being given on behalf of all in the PA. Many have already given substantially to other funds benefiting the victims of September's attacks, but if you have not yet made such a contribution, or if you can add a few more dollars to those you've already given, please consider this. If each member gave only $5., our total donation would be over $1,500.
PA Treasurer Mike Donaruma and I will be accepting donations for the 9-11 Fund until October 31st. If you are writing a check, please make it payable to the MVCC Professional Association, with the notation that it is to be included in the 9-11 Fund donation. I know that our colleagues and their families in New York City will very much appreciate your generosity.
The second thing we can do to help is to respond to Mayor Guiliani's request that people "come to New York City and spend money." In a way that affirms our sense of community both as a union and as citizens of New York State, we can do just that. The PA is organizing a bus trip to New York City for the weekend of December 8th and 9th. The $180. per person cost will include transportation and hotel. Theater, museums, dinner, holiday shopping--all fine ways to support New York City's struggling economy and to lighten our spirits by having fun with fellow PA members. Details appear elsewhere in PAnorama. Sign up early! We expect this to be a popular first-ever PA event. (Thanks go to Past President Perrotti for this wonderful idea.)
Just as the education of our students went on during the trying days of the last month, so did the work of the Professional Association. New members were welcomed. Committee meetings were held. Letters and faxes were sent to state and local legislators in support of state funding for community colleges. (Thank you!) Members stepped up to fill open PA positions. Special balloting took place. Plans for two October NYSUT conferences were made. And we continued raising the PA's visibility.
Our union was represented at two local political events last month. On September 13th, Political Action Chair Mike Sewall, Greg Sydoriw, and I attended a fundraiser for County Executive Ralph Eannace. Then, the following Thursday, Mike, Bill Perrotti, and I represented the PA at a similar Oneida County Republican Party event. We took these opportunities (both made possible by VOTE-COPE funds) to speak to current and prospective lawmakers about the need for increased funding for MVCC and how under-funding has affected our membership. One lawmaker pointed out that we need to make ourselves known not only at budget time, but throughout the year. It's a very good point. And we intend to use every chance we have to get our message out: MVCC provides a vital service to the community and funding its programs must be a high priority. Underfunding jeopardizes our ability to attract and retain the high-quality faculty and professional staff essential to the College's ability to fulfill its mission.
Further, the PA continues to be part of the NYSUT and local labor communities. During September, I attended a regular monthly meeting of the NYSUT Local Presidents' Council, and I joined Mike Donaruma and Bill Perrotti as an official delegate to the AFL-CIO Central New York Labor Council, an organization that brings together all the union locals in Oneida and Herkimer counties. An update on the Labor Council meeting is in this issue of PAnorama.
The rest of October promises to be busy as well. Members are being surveyed in preparation for up-coming negotiations. Our new negotiating team will begin work. Eighteen PA members will attend two NYSUT conferences--the Regional Leadership Conference at Alexandria Bay and the Community College Conference in Cooperstown. And PA officers, committees, and area reps
will continue their work on behalf of us all.
Have you gotten involved yet? If not, the PA has a place for you. October would be a good time to offer your help.
Donations to NYSUT 9-11 Fund most welcome
Members who wish to add their own contributions to the PA's donation to NYSUT's 9-11 Disaster Relief Fund may do so until October 31st. Our goal is to send a sizable check to the 9-11 fund from the PA. If every member contributes just $5.00, we'll be sending over $1,500! Cash or a check made payable to the MVCC Professional Association should be directed to PA Treasurer Mike Donaruma (Business Office).
New Members Feature: Paul Angerosa and Jessica Basi
by Cynthia Villanti
A new feature about new members! With the help of the Member Services Committee, PAnorama will feature two new members each month. In each edition, we'll introduce you to one of our newest PA members and a member who has joined within the past two or three years.
Paul Angerosa
Paul Angerosa is an Educational Applications Assistant in Information Technology. He holds an A.A.S. degree in Computer Information Systems from Mohawk Valley Community College and graduated from the program with a 4.0 GPA. In addition to being a computer whiz, Paul has been a professional musician all of his life. I've heard him. He's good. A CD on which Paul played was nominated for a Grammy last year.
He moved from Utica, where he was born, to Los Angeles in 1980 and moved back to the area (he wasn't able to articulate why...) in 1990. After enrolling at MVCC in 1998, Paul started working as a student assistant in the Computer Services Dept. in 1999 and was readily hired as a full-time employee in September 2000. Paul lives in Deerfield with his wife, Pattie, and his two sons, Vinny, 12, and Jon, 9. Paul's oldest son, Jason, 29, lives in Washington, D.C., and is an Oracle database administrator. Of course, Paul's love of music continues and, if you'd like to hear his CD, I have a copy in my office.
Jessica Basi
Jessica Basi is the Program Coordinator for the Ready, Set, College! program. She holds a B.S. in General Studies from Nova Southeastern University in South Florida and is currently in hot pursuit of a M.S. in Sociology.
Jessica has worked in the human services field since college, first as a special education teacher at a large child abuse agency in Fort Lauderdale, then as a Florida State child abuse investigator until she moved to NYC with her husband Joe, where she worked as a Treatment Coordinator for adults with developmental disabilities.
After moving to this area, Jessica worked for Catholic Charities as a Case Manager for a runaway and homeless youth program. She loves working in both academic and human services environments and finds the people at MVCC extraordinarily kind and often quite interesting.
When I asked her about joining the PA, she responded, "I strongly believe in bringing about positive social change and have always been active in causes that are important to me (animal rights, environmental issues). I did not think twice about joining the union; I knew it was the right choice based on the people I spoke to on my first day at MVCC! So far I have witnessed an organized, cause- and results-orientated PA that I am honored to be a member of."
Jessica and Joe reside in Deerfield and enjoy hiking and cycling. To join their dog JoJo and cat Betty, the Basis recently adopted Molly, a terrier, from the Humane Society.
AFL-CIO Central New York Labor Council update
Representatives of several AFL-CIO locals meet on the third Thursday of each month to share their common concerns and support each other's initiatives through the Central New York Labor Council. Mike Donaruma, Bill Perrotti, and Ellis Gage Searles are the MVCC PA's delegates.
Highlights of the September meeting:
- COPE, the Labor Council's legislative committee interviewed candidates for local political offices and made endorsements based on the candidate's postions on labor issues. Complete list available.
- A monument to honor working men and women is being planned. Donations are being solicited. More about that next month.
- Funding for Central New York Labor Agency's Occupational Safety and Health Training and Education Program was denied. Letters to state and county legislators are being sent in protest. Ellis will send one on behalf of the MVCC PA.
- A conference on healthcare cost containment is being planned for February. It will be co-sponsored by the Labor Council and MVCC. Details to follow.
- The Central New York Labor Council urges our support of the United Way.
The next meeting will be held on October 25th at 7:00 pm.
PA members to be honored at Hall of Fame banquet
As part of the ceremony at the Hall of Fame banquet to be held later this month, three PA members will be recognized for excellence.
Last spring, PA members Professor Bob Dell, of the Engineering, Computer and Physical Sciences Department, and Professor George Strong, who recently retired from the Psychology, Human Services, and Elementary Education Department, received the MVCC 2000-2001 Awards for Excellence in Teaching.
At the same time, the MVCC Award for Excellence in Service was presented to long-time PA stalwart Kathleen Salsbury, formerly of Learning Resources.
Those to be inducted into the MVCC Hall of Fame this year include former Director of Counseling Gerry Brophy, former Registrar John Hollinger, alumnus Marshall G. Jones, and Virginia and Ed Juergensen, former members of the Advertising Design and Production Department.
The MVCC Hall of Fame Banquet will be held at Hart's Hill Inn on October 26th beginning at 6:00 p.m. Tickets are available from the Public Information Office until October 12th. A check for $25.00 should be made payable to the MVCC Foundation.
New committee formed: Member Support and Recognition
Cyndi Busic-Snyder, Patti Hirsch, and Carolyn West-Pace have become the first members of the new PA Committee for Member Support and Recognition.
When we have personal triumphs or tragedies, it's comforting for us to know our colleagues are thinking of us, wishing us well. While we may each send personal cards or notes, messages of sympathy or congratulations from the Professional Association as a whole express these thoughts on behalf of all of us. Our newest PA committee places this important communication in very good hands.
Another set of bleachers: Lessons from the NYSUT/Cornell Leadership Institute
by Cynthia Villanti
This summer, I was fortunate enough to attend two special events: the opening ceremonies for the Empire State Games in Rome and the NYSUT/Cornell Leadership Institute in Ithaca. While seemingly unconnected, together these events created for me the perfect frame for my feelings about unionism. The former raised fundamental questions about the meaning and purpose of unions; the latter provided many answers.
On July 25th, my husband and I attended the opening ceremonies of the Empire State Games at RFA Stadium. Awaiting the opening ceremonies, we noticed a small plane flying towards the stadium, towing a banner. Curious, my husband and I squinted into the sun. We assumed that it was an advertisement sent aloft regarding the Games, but couldn't make out the letters.
As the plane drew closer, we finally read the message: "Boycott HCT!" the banner urged and offered a toll-free number to call for details. The plane had been sponsored by a union local from a paper mill in the South, also owned by the owner of Herkimer County Trust.
The plane circled overhead again and again, attracting more attention and questions. Ironically, I happened to be sitting with several individuals from the HCT management team. The initial reaction of these HCT employees was sudden, shocked laughter. They couldn't believe what they were seeing. More and more people pointed to the plane. "Look! Look! Can you believe that?" The laughing and joking stopped. Someone called the toll-free number and listened to the message. Then the grumbling about those unions started to gain momentum.
I sat quietly on those hard bleachers in the setting sun, with the drone of the plane circling overhead, listening to the comments of those around me. It was not a little disconcerting to listen to intelligent adults making broad, sweeping generalizations about all unions, to watch logical fallacies get tossed about so casually, so easily.
As a proud unionist, I was clearly outnumbered. My initial reaction was, "Wow. Things must be pretty bad at the paper mill for the union to take this action." I thought long and hard about the union's tactic and the response it had generated. If they wanted to attract attention, they certainly had succeeded.
However, that attention was largely negative. With every sweep of the plane overhead, I heard yet another anecdote about some despicable act by a union member. By far, most of the people on the bleachers saw the lane and its banner as Exhibit Z in a long list of evidence that unionists are bad, unproductive, petty trouble-makers. It was such a surreal moment, a defining moment, of feeling alone amidst sudden and intense anti-union fervor, something I'm not entirely unused to in kind, but certainly in degree.
Fortunately, it was perfectly timed before my participation in the NYSUT/Cornell Leadership Institute. As I traveled to Ithaca for the Institute on the following Sunday, it was as if that small, banner-toting plane followed me along 90 West and 81 South. Its drone hummed many questions about unionism, about the function and purpose and activities of unions, about the public perception of unions.
At the Leadership Institute, I met and worked with staff from all ranks of NYSUT; professors at the Cornell School of Industrial & Labor Relations; and numerous faculty and staff members of NYSUT locals, large and small.
In the workshop sessions throughout the week, I received answers to many of the questions raised by the presence of that plane at the Empire State Games. I learned how economic philosophy informs the labor movement and how that, in turn, shapes public attitudes about organized labor. I learned much about labor history, about how the labor movement has brought dignity
and pride to America's workers for generations. I learned about the history of NYSUT and how it has developed strength and unity within its own ranks. I learned about the current state of education unions in New York State, including trends and statistics and forecasts for the future.
Mostly, though, I learned from fellow Institute members who shared their experiences. I heard many individuals express that they feel empowered by having a say in the conditions of their own employment, that they believe in working together to affect positive changes, that their local works hard to improve education, that their local supports and encourages them in their professional lives, that they enjoy doing good things in their communities, that they appreciate the security afforded by a strong grievance team.
It was as if I was on another set of bleachers, at a different stadium. Sure, from time to time, the tone turned negative. Someone would begin venting about their working conditions or ranting about an individual at their school. I swear at those times I heard a twin-engine hum in the room.
But then another Institute participant would say, "You're in a tough position. So what can you do to make that situation better?" and the person would pause, the tone would lighten, and everyone would contribute ideas as we talked through the situation. The hum subsided.
I better understand the plane's banner now. In its own way, that union local was making a call for solidarity and a plea for genuine, good-faith efforts at collective bargaining.
After I drove home from Ithaca, I called that toll-free number to ask what I could do to help.
Grievance Committee update
by Dennis Rahn
This is an update on recent Grievance Committee activities:
- A new date has been established for an arbitration hearing involving a unit member who was not promoted.
- The committee has been actively pursuing the question of changes in Coordinator Agreements. A Step One has been filed. We are awaiting the College's response.
- There have been many questions raised about evaluation of on-line courses. Several questions have been raised with Human Resources, but as of this writing have not been answered.
- The Association continues to seek a resolution as to what retirement tier a unit member should belong to.
Our new Negotations Committee
The Negotiations Committee election process is complete, and we now have a new team in place:
Marie Czarnecki
Sam Drogo, Chair
Paul Halko
Dennis Rahn
Cynthia Villanti
We're sure that they'll do a fine job representing our membership in the upcoming negotiations.
Reminder: Applications for Promotion due October 29th
Applications for promotion are due on Monday, October 29, as follows: Applications for promotion in academic rank go to Vice President Bolton's office; applications for promotion in level go to Human Resources. Applications are still available in the respective offices.
Sauquoit Teachers Association holds fundraiser
Sauquoit Valley Teachers Association will be holding a fundraising barbeque at the Sauquoit Town Park on October 20th from 3:00 to 5:00 pm. Food must be ordered in advance: $7.50 for chicken and $11.50 for baby back ribs. Tickets are being sold in each building of the Sauquoit School District.
PA sponsors weekend trip to New York City December 8th-9th
GET ON THE BUS!
PA Sponsors Weekend Trip to New York City December 8th-9th
The Details:
- Open to PA members and their guests.
- $180 per person includes motor coach transportation and double-occupancy room at Marriott Renaissance/New York in Times Square (714 7th Ave at 48th).
- Bus leaves campus 6 a.m. Saturday & returns 9 p.m. Sunday.
- Reservations to Debbie Otis (x5551). $50 per person deposit at time of reservation; balance due November 21st. Cash or check made payable to MVCC Professional Association.
Attention PA Retirees!
A Message from the PA
The PA asks that you verify your mailing addresses so that we can update our lists and you can continue to receive communications on PA events and activities.
If you would like to be added to our email list, please send your email address (along with any mailing address updates) to our PA Secretary:
Marie Czarnecki
317 Payne Hall
Mohawk Valley Community College
1101 Sherman Drive
Utica, NY 13501-5349
A Message from NYSUT
Don't forget to vote!
NYSUT is urging retirees to vote for incumbent Josephine Davenport and alternate Tom McKeever for the retiree seat on the New York State Retirement System Board. Please consider these candidates when you cast your ballot.
