The Word from CSEA
Columbus State Education Association Newsletter of June 21, 2012
WORD CONTENTS:
- Faculty Credentials
- Wellness Initiative Extension
- ACF Semester Summer Teaching Load
- Waiver of Overload Cap for One Year
- Voluntary Cash Separation Incentive
- Pay Schedule for Summer2012
- OAA Committees Update
- Preparing for the Switch
- Textbook Sticker Shock
- Promotion and Tenure Changes
- Who Am I? Trivia
- CSEA Contact List
WORD CONTRIBUTORS:
Judy Anderson, Don Bruce, James DeMonte, Darrell Minor, and Catherine Ritterbusch
I. FACULTY CREDENTIALS
Many of you are aware that the Ohio Board of Regents (OBOR) is revising the document "Operating Manual for Two-Year Campus Programs", which had not been revised since 1998. It appears that they are moving in the direction of requiring that all faculty (full-time and part-time) who teach general education courses must have a Master's degree "in the discipline", with OBOR's and/or the CSCC administration's interpretation of "the discipline" being more narrowly defined than many departments and professional organizations have defined it. Specifically, faculty who have been hired at the College, who have been granted tenure, and who have been promoted at the College are now being told that a Master's degree in Education is not considered as part of "the discipline".
Previously, the OBOR guidelines indicated that faculty "should generally" hold a master's degree in the subject matter discipline, allowing colleges some flexibility in determining what is best for its own situation. The language in the draft revision of this document appears to remove that flexibility. Faculty are being told that they have until August 1, 2016 to meet this requirement (or else…?). It is also possible that the credentials for other faculty who do not teach general education courses will be reviewed and/or changed in the coming years, although at present it seems that the focus is on faculty teaching general education courses that transfer to four-year universities.
At present, it appears that faculty in Business, Developmental Education, Mathematics, Modern Languages, Nursing, and Social Sciences will be among the first ones impacted by this change in credentials, or interpretation of credentials, that is developing. CSEA's current position, which we have stated in various meetings in which this has been discussed but which all faculty should be aware of, is the two-fold:
- An employer cannot "credential" an employee out of employment. Thus, if an employee was hired with the understanding that he/she held the proper credentials, then the employer cannot change the credentials in a way that the employee would no longer be employed; and
- If an external agency mandates a change in credentials, which the employer is obligated by law to follow, then the employer must engage in impact bargaining to determine an appropriate manner of allowing the affected employees to obtain the necessary credentials. This conversation would likely include the need for sabbaticals and/or release time to complete coursework, tuition reimbursement at a rate that covers the entire expenses of taking courses, etc.
At this time, CSEA is reviewing documentation obtained from OBOR via a public records request made on behalf of faculty across the state by the Ohio Education Association (OEA). We also have been assured that the College will fully support faculty who may need to take additional coursework to meet OBOR and/or the College's expectations. We will keep you informed as we continue to have discussions about this matter.
It is not clear if the credentialing requirement will be a "soft standard" (i.e., unenforceable) or not, but we do note that the credentialing language in this document is immediately preceded by the section regarding full-time/part-time faculty ratios, and states that "A minimum of sixty percent of the curriculum generally should be taught by faculty members who devote full time to the teaching and administrative responsibilities of the two-year campus." This part of the OBOR Operating Guidelines has been ignored by the College for years.
II. WELLNESS INITIATIVE EXTENSION
The College has agreed to extend the deadline for faculty to complete the wellness activities untilAUGUST 31 (from May 15) for this year only. Employees are expected to participate in order for the college to pay 80% of their health insurance next year. Those who don’t participate will have only 70% of their premiums paid next year. All will need 8 out of the following 12 possible points to remain at 80%:
- 1 pt – ANNUAL VISIT WITH PHYSICIAN
Should include: biometric screening, cholesterol test with Full Lipid Panel and hemoglobin A1c test, blood pressure check, and a Body Mass Index calculation (BMI can be done online at myuhc.com).
- 2 pts – BIOMETRIC SCREENING
Can be completed during annual visit.
- 2 pts – DENTAL CLEANING
Documented when dentist submits insurance claim.
- 2 pts – HEALTH RISK ASSESSMENT
Can be done online at myuhc.com.
- 2 pts – CONDITION MANAGEMENT
May include enrolling in disease management program.
- 2 pts– AGE-APPROPRIATE PREVENTIVE CARE (1 pt for each; 2 pts maximum)
May include: mammography, cervical cancer screening, colon cancer screening, prostate cancer screening, etc.
- 1 pt – ONLINE COACHING PROGRAM
If age-appropriate preventive care is unnecessary.
III. ACF SUMMER TEACHING LOAD UNDER SEMESTERS (SUMMER 2013)
CSEA and the College have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding summer teaching loads for ACF under semesters. Per the MOU, effective Summer 2013, ACF may teach a minimum of 80% of their academic year load during the summer semester.
Since the minimum ACF semester teaching load is 18 hours, the minimum for ACF members teaching on a summer contract will be 14 teaching hours plus an additional 2 office hours (16 total hours). The maximum summer contract load for ACF members will remain 22 teaching hours plus an additional 2 office hours (24 total hours).
IV. WAIVER OF OVERLOAD CAP FOR ONE YEAR
One additional MOU that has been agreed to is the waiver of the reduction in the maximum overload for one year. With the conversion to semesters, the maximum allowable overload that a tenure-track faculty member would be able to teach was scheduled to be reduced to 10 hours per semester this year (2012-2013), and then 9 hours per semester during the 2013-2014 academic year. The College and CSEA have agreed that the maximum allowable overload for the 2012-2013 academic year will remain at 12 hours per semester, and is then scheduled to be reduced to 9 hours per semester for the 2013-2014 academic year. CSEA appreciates the College's willingness to waive the first year of this overload cap, and to revisit the matter prior to Autumn Semester 2013.
V. YEAR TWO OF VOLUNTARY CASH SEPARATION INCENTIVE
At its March 15 meeting, the Columbus State Board of Trustees approved the second year of a Voluntary Cash Separation Incentive for faculty, staff, and administrators. The first year of the VCSI was guaranteed per the terms of the faculty contract, and the second year was subject to Board approval of funds for the incentive.
Faculty who meet the eligibility requirements (outlined on pages 64-65 of the faculty contract) and volunteer to separate from the college (not necessarily retire into STRS) shall be given a cash incentive of their current three-quarter salary, up to a maximum of $50,000. If you are interested in exploring this option, contact Human Resources for more information. To participate, faculty must notify the College of their intent between July 1 and August 31 of this year.
VI. PAY SCHEDULE FOR SUMMER 2012
A reminder that, due to the conversion to semesters, and the fact that autumn semester will begin earlier and the spring semester will end earlier, the corresponding pay periods for both the academic year and for summer terms will be changing to align with the calendar period that each semester spans.
For this summer only (Summer Quarter 2012), faculty will be paid their regular pay over four pay periods on July 13, July 31, August 15, and August 31. This means that each pay will be significantly higher than if it were paid out over the usual six pay periods.
Then, beginning this autumn (Autumn Semester 2012) and each academic year after that, faculty will be paid their regular annual salary over eighteen pay periods (2 per month from September through May).
Beginning next summer (Summer Semester 2013) and each summer after that, faculty will be paid their regular pay over six pay periods (2 per month during June, July, and August).
Overload pay for full-time faculty (as well as pay periods for adjunct faculty) will be different as well. For this summer only (Summer Quarter 2012), faculty will be paid any overload pay over five pay periods on July 13, July 31, August 15, August 31, and September 15.
Beginning this autumn (Autumn Semester 2012) and each autumn semester after that, faculty will be paid any overload pay over eight pay periods, with the first pay being on/about September 30 and the final pay being on/about January 15.
Beginning next spring (Spring Semester 2013) and each spring semester after that, faculty will be paid any overload pay over eight pay periods, with the first pay being on/about February 15 and the final pay being on/about May 31.
Beginning next summer (Summer Semester 2013) and each summer after that, faculty will be paid any overload pay over seven pay periods, with the first pay being on/about June 15 and the final pay being on/about September 15.
Note that this will result in a one month "gap" in pay for overloads/adjuncts between the final pay for autumn (January 15) and the first pay for spring (February 15). This gap may require full-time faculty teaching overloads, and adjunct faculty, to budget accordingly. In the past (under the quarter system), there was a gap in pay for overloads/adjuncts between the final pay for summer (September 30) and the first pay for autumn (October 31). This gap will no longer exist upon conversion to semesters.
VII. OAA COMMITTEES UPDATE
The ten faculty committees of the Office of Academic Affairs are now meeting regularly, and moving forward on their various activities and committee charges. Those ten committees include the Curriculum Committee (co-chaired by Debra Dyer and Alesa Mansfield), Assessment Committee (Judith Dann and Adele Wright), Academic Rules and Policies Committee (Kris Montgomery and April Magoteaux), Academic Pathways Committee (Crystal Clark and Jack Popovich), Faculty Entry, Training, and Professional Development Committee (Judith Anderson and Karen Hughes), Instructional Success Committee (Kent Fisher and Margaret Owens), Student Support Committee (Amy Diblasi and James Stewart), Service Learning Committee (Lisa Briggs and Nancy Pine), Honors Committee (Mary Insabella and Rebecca Mobley), and the Tenure and Promotion Process Committee (Antoinette Perkins and Gilberto Serrano).
If you have issues of an academic nature that you would like to see addressed, contact one of the co-chairs listed. These committee co-chairs will determine the appropriate OAA Committee to address that particular issue.
VIII. PREPARING FOR THE SWITCH
Get informed and advised! Take More to be sure! Stay on track! These are slogans you’ll soon see popping up around campus as the college begins the final push toward the switch to semesters.
As those on the front lines of the switch, it is important for instructors to keep the principles behind these slogans in mind when we are discussing the switch with our students. So what should we be doing to help students make the switch as easily as possible?
- Get Informed
Students need to be reminded that all programs of study have been updated as part of the switch to semesters. That means it is vitally important that all students, regardless of major, check with advisors to plan out their path to graduation. Students should also be aware that the scheduling of classes has changed, so they need to check their potential schedules early to ensure they get the classes and class times they need.
- Take MORE to be sure
With the change in credit hours, students may need to take more classes each term to achieve full-time status and to stay on target for completing their degree in two years.
Under the semester model, students need to maintain 12 credit hours to be considered a full-time student. That means they will need to take as many as four classes to be considered full-time (4 classes X 3 credit hours per class).
If they desire to complete their degree program within two years, they may need to take more than the 12 credit hours required for full-time status. Most degree programs will require 60-73 credit hours for completion, so a student attending CSCC for only Autumn and Spring semesters would need to take 15 credit hours per semester to reach a minimum of 60 credit hours over a two-year span.
Students choosing to attend the shortened Summer Semester in addition to Autumn and Spring would be able to reach the 60-73 credit hour threshold while taking 12 credit hours per semester or less (12 credit hours X 6 semesters = 72 credit hours).
- Stay on track
Students should be reminded that their plans of study have been designed to ensure they can complete their programs within the specified time frame, generally two years. Failure to follow those plans may result in delayed graduation and additional costs.
Those students who are adamant that they must complete their programs in a given time frame should be encouraged to attend the shortened Summer semesters to ensure they stay on target.
- More info
The college will continue to release additional information as Autumn Semester grows near. There are also plans for informational sessions.
For additional information, be sure to visit the Switch2Semesters information site which can be found at: http://www2.cscc.edu/academics/semesters.
IX. ADDRESSING TEXTBOOK STICKER SHOCK
She hands in her assignments late--or not at all. She skips class. She falls behind and never catches up. She misses the drop deadline. She fails the class.
We all know this student. We try to help her, but no amount of after-class conferences and emails seem to help. That’s because she’s hiding her true problem: she couldn’t afford to buy her textbooks.
Faculty have long been concerned about the high cost of textbooks. As students, we shelled out our own hard-earned money at the bookstore, too. Expensive textbooks, like caffeine and cramming for finals, are just part of college life.
Or are they? That assumption, long questioned by faculty and students, is now getting serious attention at the federal and state level—and at CSCC. In June 2011 the Office of Academic Affairs convened a Committee on Textbook Affordability comprised of faculty from both divisions and representatives from the Library, ITDL, Bookstore, and Business Office. The Committee quickly determined a shocking benchmark: the average textbook at CSCC costs our students $67.71—or 85.7% of the cost one credit hour (under quarters). That’s one book; many classes require more than one book, and most students take more than one class. Do the math…
Attacking the problem on multiple fronts, the Committee has developed innovative and practical strategies for addressing textbook “sticker shock”. Among their recommendations? Establish a textbook adoption process that targets communication between faculty, publishers, and the Bookstore. Increase the number of used books for sale, book rentals, and library reserves. Provide students with an online tool for “comparison shopping.” Make textbook affordability a key component in student success initiatives.
A cutting-edge solution proposed by the Committee is the adoption of non-traditional learning materials like custom texts, e-texts, and even “free texts.” You don’t need to gaze into a crystal ball to see this model at work: the future is here at higher education institutions all across the world. The old school method of departments adopting a single big, thick print textbook for use by all instructors--with content a “mile-wide and inch deep”--is being rapidly supplanted by more fluid and innovative amalgams of course materials. Breaking free of the monolithic print text model by gathering course materials from multiple sources, both traditional and non-traditional, can benefit faculty and students. Faculty can select and frequently adapt materials that best fit the curricular needs as well as individual faculty perspectives of our disciplines. Students can work with course materials that are more engaging, electronically accessible, culturally and generationally relevant--and more affordable.
On April 6, the Committee on Textbook Affordability sent faculty an email survey that included questions about the use of these non-traditional texts. If you haven’t completed the survey, please take time to share your ideas and experiences and help the Committee gather important information to continue their work.
CSEA thanks the Textbook Affordability Committee for their hard work and creative solutions. They serve as a model for cross-campus collaboration dedicated to the common goal of ensuring a high quality and affordable education for our students.
X. PROMOTION AND TENURE CHANGES
As indicated in previous announcements, the Promotion and Tenure Process Committee has submitted recommended changes regarding the timelines for various steps of the process to occur in semesters (e.g., when to submit the letter of application; deadline for submitting the portfolio; etc.). These recommendations have been approved by the OAA Co-Chairs Committee, as well as by Dr. Jack Cooley, and will be implemented beginning Autumn 2012. The major change appears to be merging the promotion process (which used to occur later in the academic year) with the tenure process, which means that those applying for promotion will need to follow the earlier deadlines. More information about this is forthcoming.
XI. WHO AM I…?
With the summer upon us, thoughts may be about warm weather, gardening, picnics, baseball, and perhaps enjoying the last-ever quarter at Columbus State. Here's a little summer-related (sort of) trivia. Can you guess who this individual with ties to Columbus State (sort of) is?
- During the Korean War, I was stationed safely at Lockbourne Air Force Base outside of Columbus. My father, an influential businessman and friend of Charlie Wilson (who later became Secretary of Defense), may have helped arrange this assignment for me;
- After leaving the Air Force, I coached football and basketball for St. Thomas Aquinas High School (located in what is now Aquinas Hall at Columbus State) in 1954-1955;
- I was portrayed on numerous episodes of the TV show Seinfeld, although my face was never seen;
- During my first 23 years as owner of the New York Yankees, I changed the manager of the team 20 times. I once ordered my star player, Reggie Jackson, to take an eye test because he was hitting so poorly.
The answer is at the end of this newsletter.
The Word from CSEA is produced by the Communications Committee of the Columbus State Education Association. We welcome your comments, news, and insights. Other information and back issues of The Word from CSEA are available at CSEA's web site, www.cseafaculty.org.
XII. Officers
Darrell Minor, President / x5310
Kevin James, Vice-President / x5008
T.J. Duda, Secretary / x5309
Tom Shanahan, Treasurer / x2623
Ingrid Emch, Parliamentarian / x5824
****************************
Amy Brubaker / x5068 Senior Association Representative, Career & Technical Division (Interim Representative for Human Services)
Eric Neubauer / x5698 Senior Association Representative, Arts & Sciences Division
| Judy Anderson / x5822 Developmental Education |
Beth Barnett / x2593 Hospitality, Massage Therapy and Sports & Exercise Studies |
| Carla Mayers Bletsch / x5235 Allied Health |
Crystal Clark / x5451 Humanities |
| Terry Eisele / x5202 Modern Languages |
Ty Fogle / x5781 Business Programs |
| Lydia Gilmore / x3908 Health, Dental and Veterinary Tech. |
Frankie Hale / x5184 Communication |
| Chuck Kassor / x7108 Construction Sciences |
Adam Keller / x2562 Social Sciences |
| Sue Longenbaker / x2430 Biological Sciences |
Phil MacLean / x5308 Justice & Safety |
| Jackie Miller / x2601 Nursing |
Mark Mitchell / x3612 Automotive and Applied Tech. |
| Kris Montgomery / x5864 Physical Sciences |
Dr. Antoinette Perkins / x5754 Integrated Media and Technology |
| Dona Reaser / (740) 203-8231 Delaware campus |
Rita Rice / x5818 Psychology |
| Gilberto Serrano / x3863 Mathematics |
Edgar Velez / x3694 English |
(Answer to "Who Am I?": George Steinbrenner)
The Word is produced by the Communications Committee of the Columbus State Education Association. We welcome your comments, news, and insights.