COMMITTEE TO ADDRESS FUTURE OF COLLEGE, BRING ALL STAKEHOLERS TO TABLE
CORNING/ELMIRA, NY, August 31, 2016– Eight school days into a new academic year, Corning Community College faculty are going about their work as always, eager to help their students learn and succeed--despite the expiration of the faculty contract today.
“We’re committed to our students, and we’re committed to this College,” said Ryan Hersha, President of the Professional Educators of Corning Community College (PECCC), CCC’s union of full-time faculty. “We will not allow the administration’s refusal to negotiate in good faith toward a responsible contract prevent us from doing our jobs.”
CCC faculty are among the lowest paid at any of SUNY’s 30 community colleges, and employees throughout the institution have been raising concerns about reduced student supports, understaffing, and substandard pay for some time. In recent contract talks with the faculty union, the administration has refused to address any of these issues. In fact, the administration is demanding 0% raises, has dismissed the possibility of adjusting minimum salaries, has rejected cost-free concessions such as the inclusion of an anti-bullying policy in the contract, and continues to deny students access to on-campus counselors.
CCC, which stabilized its budget last year, has among the largest fund reserves as a percentage of expenditures of all SUNY community colleges. This places the College in an exceptionally strong position to re-invest in learning, teaching, and student supports, positioning it for growth in the years ahead.
Unfortunately, at present the College is actually turning students away in some programs due to lack of full-time faculty, either because positions are not opened or because qualified faculty cannot be hired at the uncompetitive salaries offered. In departments ranging from Accounting to Nursing, the administration’s policy of academic disinvestment is hurting students, the community, and the College itself.
To address these issues and the impasse in negotiations, on Monday, August 29, the Executive Committee of the PECCC appointed nine of its members to a newly formed Crisis Committee and are welcoming others across campus to join as guests. Twelve additional college employees have joined as honorary members, including adjunct (part-time) instructors and members of CSEA Local 1000, representing CCC’s buildings and grounds professionals.
“Everyone who works at CCC wants our school and our students to do well,” said Hersha. “Together we are absolutely committed to preserving the legacy of this great institution, which means demanding that learning and teaching be made an administrative priority again, and that all CCC workers are treated with fairness and respect.”
Already the Crisis Committee has committed to a bold new Community Education Campaign that will help the residents of Steuben, Chemung, and Schuyler Counties to better appreciate the issues facing their community college and to have a real say in its future.
According to Crisis Committee Chair and CCC Professor Tim Bonomo, “This College belongs to our whole community. We need the owners of the school to see what’s happening and to help right the ship, for everyone’s sake. The situation is urgent.”
Community members with questions or who may be interested in assisting the Crisis Committee are invited to contact PECCC President Ryan Hersha at 607-483-8140 or to email ryanhersha@gmail.com.