Vol. 86 Issue 16 • Single copies free • March 26, 2012 • 210-486-1773 • theranger.org
This week Board meets Tuesday The board will conduct its regular monthly meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Room 101 of Killen Center, 201 W. Sheridan. The board conducted its monthly committee meetings Tuesday. Visit www.theranger.org for full coverage of the committee meetings. Joshua Fechter
Club outfits proms The San Antonio College Dance Club will collect gently used prom dresses, accessories and shoes for girls enrolled in grades 8-12 in the San Antonio ISD. The club will accept donations 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursday in the mall. Donations also can be dropped off in Room 131J of Candler Physical Education Center. The drive supports the Fairy Godmother Project, an organization founded in 2000 to help low-income students. Adviser George Ann Simpson, kinesiology and dance professor, said the project hopes to collect 1,000 dresses in San Antonio. Call her at 210-486-1021 or computer science freshman Carmen De La Rosa at 210-632-4014. Faith Duarte
Essay admission key Students who would like to sharpen their skills can sign up for workshops at the college writing center. A new two-part workshop, “Scholarship and Admission Essays,” will be offered twice. One session is 10 a.m.-10:50 a.m. Tuesday and 10 a.m.-10:50 a.m. April 4. The next one is 2 p.m.2:50 p.m. Wednesday and April 5 in Room 203 of Gonzales Hall. The essays count the most points for a scholarship, and writing good essays increases chances of getting them, Dr. Lennie Irvin, director of the college writing center, said. For more information about the college writing center or workshops, call 210-486-1433, or email Sela Chavez, assistant director of the writing center, at schavez@alamo.edu. Read more online at theranger.org. Jennifer Luna
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Contractors may replace mailrooms The Audit, Budget and Finance Committee of the Alamo Colleges board of trustees unanimously recommended contracting services to replace campus mailrooms at its meeting Tuesday. According to the minute By JOSHUA order, the district would pay FECHTER FEJICO, LLC, and Two Step, LCC, franchisees of Mail Boxes jfechter@student. Etc. Inc., about $76,625 for fisalamo.edu cal year 2012 and $306,500 each year for fiscal years 2013-15 to receive and sort incoming mail to each college and deliver mail to each college and district offices. John Strybos, associate vice chancellor of facilities operations and construction management, said mailrooms are short-staffed, which results in mailroom closures that have caused delays in delivery. He said facilities personnel travel between the colleges delivering mail instead of performing their assigned duties. “Instead of an electrician changing lightbulbs, they’re delivering mail,” he said. District 1 trustee Joe Alderete asked if contracting mail services meant terminating mailroom staff. Diane Snyder, vice chancellor for finance and administration, said staff would not be terminated. District 7 trustee Blakely Fernandez asked what would happen to the staff if mailroom services are contracted. Strybos said that because mailroom personnel are considered facilities staff, they would not be terminated and would be reassigned to other duties. Alderete asked how much running functional mail services internally would cost instead of hiring an independent contractor. “That’s an apples and oranges (equation) because our current system doesn’t work,” Strybos said. “Closing mailrooms does not serve faculty, staff and students.”
See MAILROOM, Page 7
Communications clerk Ray Ventura sorts letters and packages in the mailroom in Fletcher Tuesday. Administrators say the staff will not be terminated if the board of trustees contracts for mail services. Riley Stephens
Committee approves new salary plan The Audit, Budget and Finance Committee of the Alamo Colleges board of trustees recommended a new salary plan for full-time faculty at its meeting Tuesday. Under the plan, the district By JOSHUA will implement a 6 percent FECHTER increase in average salaries, move from a step system to saljfechter@student. ary ranges, pay full-time faculty alamo.edu at 130 percent of the adjunct rate during summer 2013 and increase full-time faculty duty days from 164 to 166. President Robert Zeigler and George Johnson III, Faculty Senate president at St. Philip’s College, co-chaired an advisory committee formed in summer 2010 tasked with reviewing the district’s 200809 faculty compensation study conducted by UM Global HR, a company that provides management consulting and research services related to organizational development, and considering a change in the salary schedule. The committee also consulted UM Global HR Dec. 2, 2011. Chancellor Bruce Leslie said the committee worked to develop a schedule that both faculty and administration would accept. Leslie said revamping the faculty salary plan was essential to staying competitive with the district’s peers in the state: Austin Community College, Dallas County Community College District, El Paso Community College, Houston Community College, Lone Star College System in The Woodlands, San Jacinto College in Houston
and Tarrant County College. During a presentation to the committee, Daniel Ulibarri, president and CEO of UM Global HR, said the committee’s goal was to improve the district’s salary competitiveness by being among the top three college systems in the state in salaries. According to the Texas Community College Teachers Association 2011-12 survey of faculty salaries, the Alamo Colleges rank eighth in salaries. Ulibarri said his company recommended that the district adopt a salary range system instead of the step system. Under the current system, salary is based on initial placement of faculty at the time of hiring based on degree, credit hours and prior experience. Increases are based on board approval and fund availability; promotion to a higher salary classification is based on degree and credit hours; and promotion in rank is based on the current promotional system. There are seven salary classifications based on education: bachelor’s, master’s, master’s plus 12 hours, master’s plus 24 hours, master’s plus 36 hours, master’s plus 48 hours and doctorate. Ulibarri said because funds are not always available, annual salary increases are not guaranteed. In a range system, faculty would still be divided into classifications based on level of education. However, Ulibarri said unlike the current system, advancement in rank will be necessary to move to the maximum salary in all categories. He said faculty would move within ranges through annual increases, market increases based
on faculty salaries at peer institutions, and rank. Under the range system, faculty can earn: • $38,500-$75,614 with a bachelor’s degree; • $42,000-$82,488, master’s degree • $43,050-$84,550, master’s plus 12 hours; • $44,126-$86,664, master’s plus 24 hours; • $45,229-$88,831, master’s plus 36 hours; • $46,360-$91,051, master’s plus 48 hours; • and $46,678-$95,604, doctorate. In addition to base salary, assistant professors will be paid $1,469; associate professors $2,919; and professors $4,388, the same as the current salary schedule. According to the minute order, implementing the schedule will cost $2.9 million, and savings from the summer sessions would offset some of the costs. As a result, the district would pay between $500,000 and $1 million to implement the schedule. District 7 trustee Blakely Fernandez said she was concerned the board was being forced to approve the plan before the district’s budget retreat in April. Diane Snyder, vice chancellor for finance and administration, said the district would find savings during the April budget retreat. Leslie said the board needed to commit to the salary plan because the district needs the plan to stay competitive with peer institutions. “This isn’t very smart, but it’s what I want to say: We need to do this, and then we need to make the budget work,” he said.
See SALARY, Page 5