Appendix D: Non-Instructional Program Review Template

Appendix D: Non-Instructional Program Review Template

Victor Valley College

Non-Instructional Program Review

(Planning Year = 2012-13)

(Budget Year = 2013-14)

Report Date: October 31, 2012 Program: Maintenance & Operations Dept.

Program Contact Person: Chris Hylton Campus Phone Extension: 2472

E-mail Address: Division:

A. PROGRAM OVERVIEW (Make parallels to VVC Mission: Accreditation Standard IA)

The Maintenance & Operations Department consists of seven diverse divisions that work together to support the goals of the Department, and the College’s mission of cultivating environmental stewardship. We also support the goal of enhancing the College’s image of being a quality institution of higher education. Those divisions are:

Maintenance (6510):

This division consists of four maintenance workers, a locksmith and a HVAC Technician. They are responsible for the maintenance of the built environment in areas such as plumbing, painting, carpentry, electrical, flooring, structural, lock and door repair, HVAC, paving and other unspecified repairs and installations.

Recycling (6520):

This division is currently un-staffed. A personnel decision was made in 2010 to not refill the Recycling Technician position when it was vacated due to the resignation of the incumbent.

Switchboard (6525):

This division consists of two operators that provide phone services to both internal and external callers. They represent the first person that most people talk to when making contact with Victor Valley College for the first time. They provide answers to frequently asked questions, provide guidance on the best department or person to talk to for more information, and provide backup to the auto attendant when it misdirects a call. In addition to their phone duties they also sort all incoming postal and intra-district mail for delivery throughout the campus, process special handling mail and affix postage to hundreds of pieces of mail a week.

Warehouse (6527):

This division consists of two warehouse workers that receive incoming freight, deliver that freight to its intended recipient, deliver printer paper throughout the campus, move and store furniture, pick up and deliver the mail throughout the campus, and provide assistance to the Maintenance Workers when offices are moved from one location to another.

Custodial (6530):

This division consists of seventeen custodians that clean two campuses. There are two day shift custodians that perform restroom checks, address requests for emergency clean ups, and perform tasks that must be completed during the day. The RPSTC is serviced by one custodian on a day to day basis and by “loaners” from the main campus during heavy cleaning periods such as waxing floors and extracting carpets. The remaining fourteen custodians are assigned to the graveyard shift on the main campus and clean over 500,000 square feet each night.

Grounds (6550):

This division consists of eight Grounds Maintenance Workers. They are responsible for the maintenance and care of all landscaping on the main campus as well as the RPSTC. That maintenance includes mowing turf, installing and repairing irrigation, striping for athletic events, weed abatement, installation of new landscaping, tree care and assisting the Maintenance Workers when needed.

Safety (6580):

This division does not have any assigned staff. The functions of the division are performed as collateral duties for the other divisions and the department management. The division monitors both campuses and remediates all safety concerns. The M&O Director acts as the point of contact for all interactions with regulatory agencies, and addresses any violations generated by those agencies. The department handles disposal of hazardous wastes and remediation through this division.

Fleet Maintenance (6776):

This division is staffed by one Equipment Mechanic. The Mechanic is responsible for repairing and maintaining fleet vehicles, grounds equipment, and any other powered wheeled equipment. The Mechanic monitors and makes repairs to the fuel distribution equipment, as well as monitors the M&O hazardous waste & material storage area.

B. PROGRAM ASSESSMENT (Make parallels to VVC Mission: Accreditation Standard IA)

1. Service Area Outcomes (SAOs) - Current Assessments (see Accreditation Standard IB)

PLEASE RESPOND TO QUESTIONS BELOW FOR EACH ASSESSMENT YOU ARE REPORTING.

What was assessed? What was learned? What actions will be taken to apply what was learned to program improvements?

The M&O department has two service area outcomes (SAO). SAO #1 is customer access and service. Employees at VVC have access to an online work order system called OPRA. Employees are issued a unique user name and password to submit their requests. It is the goal of the M&O department to complete a work order within the time frame requested by the submitter. This, however, may not be possible due to exterior factors (materials availability, need for contracted work, etc.) or a lack of sufficient personnel or funding. An assessment of outstanding work orders indicated that the department was not meeting the goal in areas where outside influence was not a factor. One reason may be that there are two maintenance worker positions that are open and have not been filled.

The second SAO is sustaining program quality. It is the goal of the department to maintain areas at the following APPA (The Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers) levels:

Maintenance – Comprehensive Stewardship

Grounds – High Level Maintenance

Custodial – Ordinary Tidiness

All of these represent a level 2 APPA standard, which is what is normally expected for an educational institution. As of today the department cannot meet that standard due to staffing shortages. To meet the standard, VVC will need to have on staff; eight maintenance workers (1), twelve grounds maintenance workers (4), and thirty-three custodians (16). The numbers in parenthesis represent the number of increased positions.

2. Progress on Standards or Program-Related Accreditation Recommendations (see Accreditation Standard IVA4)

Which accreditation standards / recommendations were addressed?

What did the program do to address the standards / recommendation(s)?

What has the impact of those actions been to date?

What next steps will be taken?

The M&O department responds to ACCJC Standard 3B in the following Areas:

3B1 – The department annually inspects classrooms for safety discrepencies. When found, the discrepancies are noted in a work order for repair. In addition the department uses services offered by the College’s third party administrator to perform hazardous material/waste inspections and work place hazard evaluations. The department performs maintenance on equipment as needed. Staffing restrictions do not allow for a functional PM program.

3B2 – This section is not applicable to the M&O department.

3. Progress on Educational Master Plan Initiatives (see Accreditation Standard IB)

What EMP strategic planning priorities are impacted by the program's EMP initiative/goal?

What did the program do to implement its EMP initiative/goal?

What has the impact of those actions been to date?

What next steps will be taken?

The M&O department continues to preserve and maintain structures using redevelopment funds and Measure JJ bond funding when available. Due to the sporadic funding a consistent schedule cannot be formulated. The department continues to seek the employment of additional personnel in accordance with the staffing study completed in 2006. Since that study was completed only two additional custodians have been hired while the College has added 150,000 square feet of cleanable space. The goal to decrease the waiting time to complete work orders can be directly linked to the outcome of goals 1 and 2.

4. External Factors (see Accreditation Standards IB, IIB)

What was assessed? What was learned? Based on what was learned, what actions will be taken to make program improvements?

The Department depends on consistent funding and personnel to meet its obligations. As previously stated the budget for the department has remained flat for the last six years. Any major maintenance, equipment replacements, or upgrades are paid for using redevelopment funds or Measure JJ bond money. The RDA money is inconsistent and difficult to plan on and the requirements for bond money are difficult to meet. Also previously mentioned is the need for personnel. In 2006 a staffing study was completed using benchmarks from APPA (The Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers). They have established five levels of service for maintenance, grounds and custodial operations. The Level 1 standard is the highest, and commonly known as the gold standard. Its personnel requirements would be unobtainable in a public education institution. Level 2 is the industry standard and the level that was selected by the leadership cabinet for VVC. To achieve the Level 2 outcome we would need to hire two additional maintenance workers, four additional grounds workers and sixteen additional custodians. Since that study was completed the College has built an additional 150,000 square feet. As of today services are being delivered at a Level 3 for maintenance, Level 3 for grounds and Level 5 (Unkempt Neglect) for custodial.

Continuing to add square footage (more buildings) and off campus sites (RPSTC) will continue to dilute the effectiveness of the existing work force. This will have a detrimental effect on student learning outcomes because who wants to learn in a dirty classroom with broken furniture and burned out lights!

5. Internal Factors (see Accreditation Standard IB)

a. Customer Service Assessment

Describe any customer satisfaction data used to improve services. Describe how the program performs on the following: schedules activities to meet the needs of its customers (students and/or staff); communicates efficiently and effectively with customers (students and/or staff); interacts effectively with other programs across campus; interacts with external agencies, organizations and other constituent groups to communicate matters of quality; assures equitable access to all students by providing appropriate, comprehensive, and reliable services regardless of service location or delivery method, if applicable.

The M&O department was using feedback from customers to improve the process. The OPRA work order system has a survey function that allows the customer to provide feedback on their experience. That function was discontinued three years ago because the feedback was always the same, “took too long to get the work done” or none at all. At this point we try to provide a level of service that takes care of the customer’s need within a reasonable time frame.

Every attempt is made to avoid the disruption of the educational process. When a work order is submitted for a classroom we consult the schedule for that room and complete the work order before classes begin or in between classes. Reports of HVAC problems or safety items are dealt with immediately. Prior notification is given via email or telephonically when an issue affects multiple classrooms, a building, or the entire campus.

Because you cannot please all of the people all of the time we do get complaints from faculty about noise from an adjoining classroom where we are working.

b. Quality of Service Assessment

i. Use of Human Resources (see Accreditation Standard IIIA)

Describe the process for evaluating all program personnel to make sure they are current. How does the program make sure that all program personnel continue to be qualified by appropriate training and professional development experiences? If the current staffing level or training schedule is not adequate, please specify the staffing and/or training required to maintain quality service levels and the standard used to define “quality.”

Staff evaluations are performed annually based on the employees date of hire or date of promotion. The evaluation process provides some input on performance but does not necessarily provide a good tool for determining the appropriate direction the employee should take. Less than favorable assessments of the employees performance are often met with claims of using the evaluation process as a disciplinary tool and counter actions by the bargaining unit.

The campus continues to expand without a corresponding increase in the personnel to maintain it. In 2006, before the main campus square footage increased by more than 100,000 square feet, and a satellite campus of over 50,000 square feet was built 30 minutes away, a staffing study was performed by the department director to determine what was actually required to maintain and clean the existing campus to one of the five APPA standards. Using the APPA guidelines it was determined that the department, in order to attain Level 2 standards in maintenance, grounds and custodial would need to hire one more maintenance worker, four more grounds workers and fifteen more custodians. Since the information was determined, as previously stated, the college has added an additional 150,000 square feet of structures and 10 more acres of land. In the meantime the college lost a maintenance worker to retirement and the position was not refilled. A dayshift custodian retired and that position was not refilled and only one new custodian was added to cover the satellite facility. Custodians remain status quo with daily cleaning routes that exceed 37,000 square feet. We are currently cleaning below the APPA Level 5 standard of “Unkempt Neglect”.

Human Resources must fill the unfilled open positions and add at least 5 custodians to the main campus and 1 custodian to the satellite campus. An additional maintenance worker and grounds worker should be added to account for the maintenance at the satellite location.

ii. Use of Physical Resources (see Accreditation Standard IIIB)

If the physical resources, which include facilities, equipment, land, and other assets are not adequate to support student learning programs and services, please specify the physical resources— facilities, equipment, land, etc.—needed to maintain an environment conducive to learning. If physical resource planning is not integrated with institutional planning and does not include projections for total cost of ownership, please specify how the facilities plan can better align with institutional planning and provide measures to aid in the review of total cost of ownership projections for all projects campus-wide.

The M&O department does not identify, fund, or construct new facilities. That is the responsibility of the Facilities & Construction Contracts Department. The role of the M&O department is to maintain the built environment. To enhance the learning environment the M&O department would ask for two replacement/additional structures.

First would be a larger, by 100%, warehouse. The existing warehouse is too small to store all of the excess furniture we have, as well as securely and properly storing sensitive documents. The warehouse includes an area for custodial supplies, the defunct recycling program, Xerox paper storage, an area for incoming freight, and items that departments have ordered “but don’t have the room to use or store right now”, a warehouse office, breakroom and locker room. It does not have a loading dock, fire sprinkler system (required if we want to store stuff on the top rack, which is above 12 feet) or secure storage for sensitive records. A larger warehouse would allow us to store replacement furniture, more spare parts and a climate controlled secure records storage area. All of these would benefit the learning environment by being able to quickly respond with parts or furniture to mitigate problems that we now currently have to wait days or weeks for replacements.