Question #1 - What Can We Do to Make This the Kind of Environment in Which You Would

MARCH 2005 MEETING RESPONSES

Question #1 - What can we do to make this the kind of environment in which you would like to teach, work and learn?

Responses from March 11 Meeting:

Good decision-making is collegial; done in the open. Not power top down. Where it should be is inclusive—done by all. And it isn’t.
I would like to see a set schedule to be met that is more relevant to our work life. PPA’s, etc., interfere with our ability to get grading done and pay attention to students. I don’t like to chase students out because I must finish some report. Make timing and deadlines fit more with regular rhythms of a quarter system.

Administration should be aware of faculty deadlines. At the end of the quarter, papers are piling up. We just went through a heavy period. Administration should be aware of timing issues faculty face.

I would like to think administrators care about us by showing up in our areas. Very seldom we have visitors. Ask, what is a clinic like?

I have a question about the question. Think about who is “we” in “what can we do?” Is “we” PLT or is “we” all of us? I sense there’s a separation of “we” and “you.”

Post-March 11 Meeting Intranet Responses:

Treat faculty as respected members of an educational community, not as cogs in a machine that need to be managed like factory workers. Faculty are professional educators. We are not disposable employees.

Provide more support staff so that faculty, especially program chairs (ADCs) do not have to do administative tasks. This is particularly agregious in Humanities where program chairs have to do all the scheduling, classroom assignments, etc. This takes an enormous amount of time and precludes the ADC from doing curriculum/instructional work.

Realize that the presence of several senior administrators is no longer welcome or positive, and leave.

Preparing students for entrance into a University, would be a wonderful goal. When instructors do not expect much from students, they do the school a disservice.

Solicit and actively listen to advice from faculty in areas of expertise (i.e., all things teaching as well as specific disciplines). Actually DO things (not just say it) to make faculty and staff feel valued.

The Vice President of Academic Instruction could work with the faculty and get them back to TEACHING! We need a VPAA who is strong enough to handle a faculty group that clearly does not have enough to do. The impediment to a positive work environment here at Shoreline is the FACULTY, many of whom have too little to do and an inflated sense of their worth on this campus.

Treat faculty and staff with the respect and collegiality they deserve, and stop paying lip service to those things

Provide informative research based leadership decisions.

Treat faculty, staff, and administrators with respect and appreciation. Appreciation starts at the top. It is not a bunch of idle words, but sincere appreciation for the good work that we do.

Value each person and the diversity in teaching style they bring to their classes

Equity, equity, equity. Stop the favortism. Follow procedure. Be honest - stop the deceit.

I have, with few exceptions, found Shoreline to be a good place to work. Having worked at 2 other colleges, I can say with certainty that Shoreline provides an environment that lends to continuity, innovation and opportunity. The Seattle District, which is much larger, seldom recognizes service beyond 10 years. The number of 20-year pins awarded at Shoreline is significantly higher than that of the Seattle District. Employee retention is a good sign. However, I do see some errosion, and believe Faculty need to be more active in governannce. 7-12 just doesn't cut it anymore. Every employee has to be engaged and not just spending the obligatory hours. The College should award innovation and encourage discourse, debate and collaboration. Faculty need to understand the contributions made by all employees & not put themselves above those who serve in other ways

Focus on students and their learning environment, not on some faculty's need to speak on behalf of the entire college (which they most certainly DO NOT)

Get rid of some of the administrative positions - we are too heavy at the top and there is now an elitist attitude that has made many people feel unappreciated and put down. Also, the myriad of "honors" (STAR of the month, etc) do not help, but rather enunciates the separation of those whose jobs put them in the limelight, and those who work HARD in the background.

Stop the whining from all sides. Keep reminding ourselves that we're here for the students and not our personal objective. Make STUDENTS and their learning at the center of every decision, every policy, every action taken here by faculty, staff and administration. STOP making decisions from the top-down without consulting with those directly involved. Those further down the hierarchical structure are usually those who work closely with students and facilities and who really know what's going on around here - pay attention to them. Don't just pay them lip service.

'Fess up to making mistakes and getting on with the business of the college. Focus on the important larger issues. Inspire. Communicate better. Treat deans better. Calling them "at the lowest level" was insulting. My dean works hard and can function only as decisions are made. The thinking that there are levels is indicative of a certain kind of elitist thinking that most people try to avoid at this institution. Deans are trusted by faculty, but they can only do a fair job when they are informed and participate in a decision before the decisions are broadcast and implemented. Beyond that, there has been too much unexplained or half-explained decision-making about money, salaries, work assignments and enlarged offices, titles, etc. that frustrates staff and faculty. More time and thought and inclusion would help. VPs need to be accountable for their decisions or lack of decisions to their staffs. Money matters. Trust needs to be rebuilt on this campus. So does hope that things will be better.

To be more caring and considerate of each other. We were all hired here to do a job which is to provide quality education to students. The real focus should go back to celebrating the students instead of celebrating the administration. If were are doing this for our own glory, we have lost the mark.

Treat faculty and staff with the respect and collegiality they deserve, and stop paying lip service to those things

Question #2 - What additional information do you need to support you in your role at SCC? How would you like to receive this information?

Responses from March 11 Meeting:

Chance Kennedy – Introduced himself as SBA senator and last year’s Student Advocate. The big thing, at times I felt as though faculty said “the student advocate is coming” and shut down. If open communication happened, the problem could have worked through and been solved. Instead, faculty get defensive, saying “a student is questioning something I did and that’s not going to happen.” Students feel they’re paying for everyone’s job and should be listened to.

Christine Landon – IAS/SS – I wish you had begun by informing the people here that this is being tape-recorded. (Holly did not know this and asked that the recorded be turned off and removed.) The faculty listserv and intrusion of administrative members. So much that was established for faculty is instead viewed as a faculty monitor. Faculty take care of matters that are germane to ourselves and rely on confidentiality as we shape what might need to be done. Faculty come to see the listserv as not a safe place. It has impeded the ability of faculty to work collegially within our own ranks so communication with administration can be better developed. Positive steps, concrete, like a pledge not to read, not to post and, if necessary, place on a secure server, protected and keep hands off.

Ernest Johnson – IAS/SS – First I wasn’t going to come to this event; I have work to do. The perception is—a sense that we’re focusing on PR than on actually addressing the issues. It’s hard to hear—people are trying to address issues. I’ve been here for 8 years. Some things are evident. One is Christine’s comment about the faculty listserv. She wasn’t representing herself, she was speaking for most faculty—feeling that something created by faculty is routinely monitored by administration, causing us to feel unsafe to conduct conversations amongst ourselves. Faculty feel as if they’re monitored—a basic security and safety issue. When we do raise issues, we are not taken seriously. It gets back to respect. This could have been nipped in the bud with basic dialogue; if you have the sense that we were being listened to. What can be done? Actions have to be taken by administration that suggests to faculty that they realize how serious we are about the concerns we’ve raised. Taking away form what we cherish most—teaching—in order to spend time addressing issues of climate, which should be guaranteed, is a distraction from faculty and also from classified, who are not as free to speak as tenured. It has distracted from the mission to address fundamental issues of security, respect and openness, which should be taken for granted in a college setting. Fundamentally, we’re got to have a sense that what is happening now is more than an attempt to project image, but, in fact, an attempt to listen and to move the enterprise forward. Example: it is very different for me to personally feel that this is an instance of legitimate communication when we attend the Board meeting, when it was opened with a number of members of campus who were speaking about support for the President, in the course of that, saying things disparaging about faculty. It was uninformed. To see [the Board] listening to that and not challenging. The Board not challenging. A siege mentality. An attempt to vilify faculty. Many have referred to the meeting as a “dog and pony” show. In front of the Board, faculty were called “whiners,” “adolescents”—it wasn’t challenged. For us to more forward, there has to be ownership of these activities. Why was this being taped? No one knew. Who orchestrated that? Someone has to own. Until administration understands what we feel, it is very “top down” and misguided. Until this changes, we won’t move forward. Other colleagues didn’t come. Their comment was “yet, another one?” It won’t change by just having these events of openness when, at the same time, activities are happening above board and happening behind the scenes that are geared toward undermining the Faculty Senate and maligning the reputation and integrity of many faculty members on campus. Applause.

Gary Kalbfleisch – Director, Systems and Information Assurance, TSS I want to clear up a misunderstanding. Administration created the faculty listserv. At the time it was created, the president of Faculty Senate was Lawrence Linford. He didn’t understand why it was needed. Terry Taylor and I encouraged it, fought hard for open subscriptions and an un-moderated [format.] It generally regulates itself. The faculty listserv is a model of what a listserv should be. If it is closed, it’s all public information anyway. It can be corrected instantly—that’s what open communication is all about. To say you want open communication, but will close this—it doesn’t make sense.

Rachel David – IAS/SS - We try to teach students “perspective taking.” Take a hard look at people with ‘position.’ I would like to see people with position and power taking a look at those without power—those who don’t have a voice. See what’s going on; their issues. Their perspective. Brooke Zimmers’ dialogue project--she has a grant—has had good response from classified, moderate from faculty and only one response from administration. On a campus where there is this much strife, she should have been overwhelmed by demand from administration to participate. It’s really disappointing that there was not. People with power were not interested; people with power need to learn how to take perspective of those without power.

Carol – Can you think of other reasons why people would have responded, other than not caring or not being interested?

Rachel – I can’t think of a valid reason but would be glad to listen.

Terry Taylor – Division Dean, IAS/SS - I agree with some of what Gary [Kalbfleisch] said. As the only moderator of the faculty listserv, I just want to say, when it first started it was really wonderful. I don’t think people participate on the listserv as much as in the past. There are other ways to communicate. One thing that bothers me, we have conversations, have historical arguments, on how we arrived at this point. We’re missing the bigger picture. Edmonds CC and Bellevue CC…if we had some broad visionary programs…those other campuses are not doing that much more, but we’re not getting our message out. Bellevue’s interdisciplinary programs, we do similar, but we don’t offer it in that way. We are missing the big picture that will hurt Shoreline in the long run.

Donna Miller-Parker – Director, Essential Skills - Humanities – Rachel, I would love to participate in [Brooke’s] dialogue. It was on the faculty listserv and appeared as a request to faculty, that was my perception.

Brooke Zimmers – Faculty – Humanities - I wrote the invitation for the Dialogue group and sent it to Judy Yu for campus-wide distribution. It got to the faculty first, since I had more administrators come to talk. I had five administrators come to talk to me. It did flesh out. The overwhelming response from classified is significant. There is nowhere on campus for them to have a voice and credible input. The intent of the workshop—I want people involved in it to commit to time. To get into issues of roles on campus and how we feel…related to power…I don’t want it to be a “drop in.” People need to be there the whole time. It will be participatory. Administrators are concerned about a total time commitment. (More talk about who should sign up.)

Judy Yu – PIO - I’m owning up to the taping of today’s meeting. So many people couldn’t be here today. We’ve been asked to keep accurate information so we can communicate the words, essence and spirit. Applause.

Greg Wiliford –Worked in the AcademicSkillsCenter, Student Government and Clubs - I want to thank the teachers. They’ve always challenged me, engaged me, made me feel I’m being listened to, that my thoughts are important. Teachers sit on committees and advise clubs; pour lots of themselves into this school. I do appreciate them. Other students do, too. I commend the administration. Today is a substantial step. It’s more than I’ve seen. I’ve heard complaints that all administration offers is vague, but I see this as something we could build on. Everyone should give it a chance on both sides. The Board meeting seemed orchestrated. When the Board says “we’re here to be objective, then reads all positive statements about the President. Those faculty who pour themselves into school and not to be told your concerns are important to us and you’ve been heard. Not to take the extra step is a disservice to them. They make the school what it is. They are different from teachers who treat students like an FTE. This step is substantial. I would like to see teachers put effort into moving forward rather than be confrontational.

Carol said she heard concern for safety, many on campus are not feeling safe. She heard a concern for participation of those with power and privilege. We, as a community, need to be aware and create a safe environment for communication. If we do needed dialogue, safety is part of the issue. It is very hurtful when a member of the campus community felt they were being treated disrespectfully. We need to be aware of the need to respect one another which also means changing perceptions—thinking outside our own roles. There is a need to address concerns in a very real way. Previous attempts have been seen as window dressing. Real, concrete actions are needed and expected.

Chance Kennedy – What everyone here needs to realize—students are in the middle of this. There is no need for them to be in the middle as long as they are learning. Hearing teachers are upset. What if they wanted to go over exactly what you said? Paranoia about “they’re going to know it as me.” If they want to know exactly what you are saying, record it. People are afraid to speak out, to say ‘we want something done.’ Blowing it off as the same old thing is no way to build a bridge if you go away with that.

Post-March 11 Meeting Intranet Responses:

Vision and clarification of purpose

I am PT retired faculty and info my e-mail is fine

More information on challenges facing education & Shoreline. Each employee should know what's being funded & why. I think that a weekly update on issues & ideas should be available on Day-at-a-glance, or similar vehicle. The ability to provide input should be in place.More information on challenges facing education & Shoreline. Each employee should know what's being funded & why. I think that a weekly update on issues & ideas should be available on Day-at-a-glance, or similar vehicle. The ability to provide input should be in place.

If the faculty want a free, open, transparent communication system, why are their meetings only for faculty and their votes secret? The information is available if you take the time to look. If you are unable to find information about something at the college, there is always that thing called the telephone.

DAAG and Net News are working well for me. Thank you. The only thing is that the announcements in DAAG need to be a bit more timely, as in letting us know of events before the day of the event.

I need to know that advice provided to administration via advisory and governance committees is actually listened to and acted upon. I need to have accountability from the administration for decisions that are made which affect students. For example, the decision to remove the centralized lost and found from safety and security and instead to provide students with a list of several different offices scattered throughout campus obviously was NOT done with student success in mind (especially when you see a student, practically in tears, trying to find all of those offices all over this campus - also, do you know how difficult this is for students who use wheelchairs?). Who made this decision, and why? Did anyone ask any of the other impacted places on campus or students how this would affect them? This is just one small example of how top-down decision making without consulting anyone else has a very negative effect on campus.

Consistent, patient, well-communicated decision-making. DAAG is not enough. Memos from the President get people's attention and help for major issues. The BOT should visit departments and division meetings to show their sincerity. At this point, personal contact helps, but not to be defensive. It is important to involve folks in the process, not cater to each person's idiosyncracy, but to get input. People are so sensitive these days that we all wonder if anything works. A combination of strategies is important.

There really are no training support classes that help to update skills. We have little "pep" talks but nothing that directly relates to working with others on campus to share their skills and ways of doing things. In fact, it gets almost territorial because everyone is concerned about surviving there own job that people don't share how they are doing things so they can look more effective than others. It's very unfortunate because collectively things could be done alot more effectively.

Less meetings to discuss and more finalized, well thought out decisions.

Information isn't the problem, per se. Trasnparency is. Stop making closed-door promises you either can't or shouldn't keep. Stop the campaigns of misinformation.

I Need information on how and where to give input on changes being considered. Decisions are being made, particularly in enrollment services that really make it harder to do our work and serve students, without any input from the people who actually do the work. I don't need to make the decisions, but doesn't PLT want to know how changes will impact getting students enrolled? or retaining they or interfere with our compliance with other agencys?? Information about changes BEFORE the fact would help me do my job.

Information is not, to me, the issue

There seems to be a good avenue for information to be receive through the internet and the school paper.

When people's roles and duties change, it would be nice to know so that we aren't running around trying to find out who does what.

I would like the SCC website to work. As it stands now, information is buried under layers and layers of confusion. I can't find information despite having spent many hours on this site. How can anyone accessing our website for the first time find information? When I finally do get to pages that promise information, it is oftentimes incomplete or inaccurate. Can't we get someone who knows what he or she is doing to mount a professional-looking website that works to provide easy access to accurate information about our school?

Question #3 - How can we involve you more effectively in decision-making?