Vol. 166, Issue 3 | Sept. 26 – Oct. 10, 2018 | City College of San Francisco | Since 1935 | FREE
Students engage college community at Guided Pathways meeting By David Mamaril Horowitz dhorowitz@theguardsman.com
A task force of City College administrators and faculty hosted an information-gathering session in the Multi-Use Building on Sept. 21 to discuss their ongoing effort to create a new Guided Pathways program with the college community. Guided Pathways, which received $150 million in state funding last year as a part of AB-19, focuses on creating streamlined educational pathways to help students achieve credentials while meeting their diverse educational needs. “I really appreciate the diversity of City College,” student Xianna Rodriguez said before the event. “That’s one of the big reasons that I came here.” Preceded by 10 months of documented planning culminating in a workplan, the meeting marked the start of a formal inquiry to structure Guided Pathways and doubled as a collegiate
town hall. It was also the task At the table focused on force's first concerted effort communications, an attendee to interact with the college mentioned that a student community face-to-face orientation booklet lists and better understand the the college’s resources, but student body. others in the group were not From class section cuts, aware it existed. to class flexibility, to housing insecurity, to lifelong learning and much more, the “I really college community voiced appreciate the concerns and pondered solutions for issues facing diversity of the college community. Collegiate Concerns
City College. That’s one of the big reasons that I came here.”
Illustration by Chiara Di Martino
FLAC receives flak, awaits fixes following payroll errors By David Mamaril Horowitz
Owning up, recovering and committing
Participating students dhorowitz@theguardsman.com shuffled toward different On the evening of Aug. 31, Rocha tables, where they voiced City College’s payroll system for part- had administrators prepare 156 $1,000 their needs with faculty, time faculty left 155 teachers without pay paychecks for unpaid faculty to pick up staff, administrators and and 114 underpaid for a month of work on the following day at 33 Gough St., and 12 other students. The latter Aug. 31, college Media Relations Director faculty did so. — Xianna Rodriguez, listened and guided them Connie Chan confirmed. “This situation is unacceptable to my student to relevant resources while Part-time faculty have long criticized administration, the Board of Trustees and event organizers pitched the set of processes, called Faculty Load to me,” Rocha said in a Sept. 6 statement. in and kept a record of “Some of the solutions still and Compensation, for its dependence In his statement, Rocha said all unpaid the discourse. put the onus on the students on human interactions and proneness to faculty had been issued checks, and the “It’s important to have to know the resources or error. In the last year, the college has issued administration would call unpaid faculty people at the table who are know the right person to ask,” 2,000 off-cycle paychecks to compensate on Sept. 7 to apologize and ensure the thinking student-first,” staff English instructor Christina for paycheck errors made through FLAC, checks were received. He added that member Jorge Murillo said. Yanuaria said. “Having Chancellor Mark Rocha told Jennifer Worley, the administration would “make whole” One focal point of gone to community college the president of the faculty union, American affected faculty for costs or inconveniences discussions was the dis myself, when I showed up, Federation of Teachers Local 2121. resulting from the payroll error. connect between the college I didn’t know what to ask.” “When you have a combination of both a community and resources At least several students payroll system that needs to be modernized “This situation is across the college campuses. shared the desire to explore as well as potential human error [...], it creates a domino impact that resulted in unacceptable to my Guided Pathways continued on page 3 the paycheck delay,” Chan said. administration, the The Aug. 31 issue raised many concerns from AFT 2121 and the larger college Board of Trustees community, whose faculty rely on timely and to me.” paychecks, often to make ends meet. Besides acquiring late fees, affected faculty could — Mark Rocha, potentially experience lowered credit ratings, Chancellor late mortgage payments or even an eviction due to the late payments, Worley said. “We just want our people to be paid on “The college has for years operated time and accurately, and we don’t think on a complex legacy system for issuing that’s a lot to ask,” Worley said. paychecks,” Rocha stated. “We recently The college has for years promised uncovered additional systemic payroll to fix FLAC, as did Rocha more than a reporting and processing issues, which year ago, AFT 2121 Vice President Wynd resulted in these delays.” Kaufmyn stated in a Sept. 4 union release. He added that the college would work For affected longtime faculty, the Aug. 31 with AFT 2121 to fix the payroll system incident marked a climactic point of an issue “once and for all.” left unaddressed for too long. “I would say it’s about bringing City For Rocha, it renewed fervor to College to the 21st century, and bringing implement an up-to-date payroll system our system — our work culture — all to the for part-time faculty. 21st century,” Chan said. “It’s time.” Interim Dean of Fine, Applied and Communication Arts Wendy Miller, left, and English instructor Ghislaine Maze introduce themselves to each other during the Sept. 21 Guided Pathways session in the Multi-Use Building. Photo by Cliff Fernandes/The Guardsman
Payroll errors continued on page 3
FABULATE: A VISUAL EXPERIENCE CULTURE - PAGE 5
WOMEN'S SOCCER CONTINUES TO DOMINATE SPORTS - PAGE 7