THE SKYLINE VIEW The Voice of Skyline College, San Bruno, Calif.
theskylineview.com
December 1st, 2022
Issue 1
Faculty union voices frustrations over stalled negotiations By Joshua D. Picazo Editor-In-Chief
Nearly nine months after initially presenting proposals to the San Mateo County Community College District (SMCCCD), AFT 1493, the union representing the district faculty, continues to press for changes, claiming the District has been ignoring them. These proposals include one-month paid parental leave, extending health care to parttime instructors, and increasing the ability to work remotely. Monica Malamud, AFT 1493 president, said that these proposals were first submitted to the District in February and that they have been continuously turned down or stalled at each turn. “In some cases, the District has responded by citing existing law, but obviously, we do not need to negotiate what’s already in the law,” Malamud said. Rika Yonemura-Fabian, the Skyline College chapter chair of the union, echoed these frustrations regarding the parental leave proposal. “It’s just not good for students to see [parental] faculty member working exhausted, not to mention lack of sleep and lack of concentration that comes from exhaustion. But also, it kind of teaches our stu-
AFT 1493 members rally at a board of trustees meeting on Oct. 26
dents that working without pay is normal. It’s normal to be exploited like this without sufficient support from the system,” she said. On the issue of remote work, professors that teach online courses feel there isn’t a need to require a minimum of on-campus hours if they have their classes
online. Moreover, the union stresses that increasing the ability to work remotely would not affect students as students taking online classes generally prefer to meet during office hours online, particularly as the Covid-19 pandemic continues. “The vast majority of students are still choosing remote
Photos by Marianne Kaletzky
counseling appointments. The District needs to meet students where they are right now so that they can access the education we’re offering,” Marianne Kaletzky, AFT 1493 union, told The Skyline View. “When faculty spend four hours a day commuting because our salaries don’t
allow us to live anywhere near San Mateo County, we can push as much as possible to be present for our students, but we just won’t have as much energy or be able to be available as much of the time. The same is true when part-time faculty, who are the majority of our faculty, are rushing off to teach at another institution so they can get health coverage through that job,” said Kaletzky. According to the District fact book, roughly 40% of the District’s staff was either parttime or adjunct faculty. Under the current agreement, these staff members that are not fulltime receive stipends but are not fully insured. Malamud said that the District would actually save money if they gave part-time workers health insurance as the District is reimbursed by the state for this, whereas the District uses its funds to pay for the stipends. Other frustrations mentioned were the high cost of living in the Bay Area as an educator, which echoes the current ongoing University of California graduate student worker strikes, and a significant reason for the current public K - 12 staffing shortages. When reached for comment, Interim Director of Public
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New laws regarding safety on campus to take effect Jan 1st By Joshua D Picazo & Graham breitbarth Editor-in-chief & digital media editor
With the new year around the corner, new laws will come into effect on Jan. 1st. Several of these laws affect college students in particular. SMCCCD students will no longer have to pay tuition with the signing of AB 893. Other bills passed and signed into law will offer more services to students who are victims of sexual assault or domestic violence on campus. AB 1467 passed the state senate unanimously and was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September. The bill states that under the changes, colleges would be required “expand the information that victims are required to receive, including information regarding the availability of counselors
Public safety vehicle parked on Skyline College campus. Graham Breithbarth/ The Skyline View
and support services and information regarding any alternative dispute resolution or other accountability processes. Another bill, AB 2683, also intends to educate victims on the resources offered. Under this new law, colleges are required to post information on how
to prevent sexual assault as well as methods of receiving peer support. Skyline public safety officer Chih Chu Zee explained that under current protocols if an assault happens, officers will report and forward the information to local police. “We have to work along
with our local agencies,” Zee said. “Sometimes [victims] don’t want to talk to us, but we understand. We’ve gone through training...” “I feel like there’s not much of a threat here [on campus],” freshman Abby Alonso told The Skyline View. “There’s plenty of staff here and I feel that everything is well advertised,” she added. AB 2683 states that “Campuses are urged to adopt policies to eliminate barriers for victims who come forward to report sexual assaults and to advise students regarding these policies. These policies may include, but are not necessarily limited to, exempting the victim from campus sanctions for being in violation of any campus policies, including
alcohol or substance abuse policies or other policies of the campus, at the time of the incident.” A campus report on crime showed only one reported act of domestic violence in the previous three years.
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