Salem Chapter Newsletter President's Message - Amy Everitt - September 2010

Hi everyone,

Welcome back! I hope this finds you settling in for an interesting fall semester. I would like to extend a special welcome to our new full time and adjunct members. The Salem Chapter officers and executive committee are here to help you in any way we can, so please do not hesitate to stop by the union office, 202B Sullivan Building, call 6366, or email me directly at aeveritt@salemstate.edu if you need assistance. I would also like to re-introduce our new grievance officer, Caitlin Corbett. Caitlin has been a member of the Sport & Movement Science Department for 15 years and has served on the promotions and tenure committees for several terms. She can be reached through the chapter office or by email at ccorbett@salemstate.edu.

Professional Development:
You should have received from Amie Goodwin an email with an attached application for professional development money. Deadline for application for your $670.00 is December 31, 2010. Don't miss it, as no request will be accepted after the deadline!

Personnel Reminders:
If you are up for a personnel action this year, you should have received materials from Amie Goodwin in the Provost's office. Anyone who is being reappointed or evaluated for promotion has the right to select a third member for your peer evaluation committee (PEC). We have bargained for this language and I encourage each of you to take advantage of this benefit, as this person should be your advocate on the PEC. The third member can be a tenured member of your department or a tenured member of a designated cognate department. PECs for tenure are optional with the exception of the School of Social Work.

I would direct your attention to the article by Pat Markunas published in the latest edition of the Perspective. Pat has shared a great deal of valuable information regarding the presentation of your portfolio. Please note that the 2009-2012 does provide language regarding the documentation of materials for advising and states:
h. Academic Advising
"There shall be considered in the conduct of an evaluation any documents or records that are descriptive of the faculty member’s academic advising, including, where applicable, any documents or records pertaining to the faculty member’s advising in excess of thirty (30) students." (Article VIII, page 99) A reminder to all those responsible for evaluations - please be mindful of Appendix M and the due dates. These dates are not negotiable!

Longevity Pay:
Last week you should have received an explanation of your salary increase based on longevity. This increase is paid by the local campus and is NOT part of the 1.5% increase due to us as of July 1, 2010 (see below for update). Although it is a small amount, it is a start in addressing the significant inversion and compression challenges we face with salaries. Promotion and terminal degree increases will appear in the September 17 statement. Several people deserve a great deal of thanks for getting these formulas and increases in place for September 1st; MSCA President C.J. O'Donnell, who did all of the calculations, Amie Goodwin for determining years of serve and getting the data base ready for payroll, and the folks in Human Resources and Payroll for inputting all of the changes.

Legislative Updates:
Day contract funding continues to sit in House Ways and Means. There is a great deal of behind-the-scenes work being done to get our contract funded, so keep contacting your representatives. I hope to have good news on this soon. The Sabbatical Bill (H 1170) also remains in Ways and Means. Should this pass this fall, the timetable for requests will be modified to accommodate any member who becomes eligible. MSCA President C.J. O'Donnell has a meeting scheduled with Senate President Therese Murray for September 22nd to discuss the Optional Retirement Bill (S1173). Keep contacting those senate members regarding this important piece of legislation as well. As always, we will keep you up to date on all of these issues as they unfold.

On Thursday October 7, the Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts (PHENOM) will be sponsoring an Across-State March to Defend Public Higher Education in conjunction with The National Day of Action. This will include a march to the State House on the 7th. Please refer to the PHENOM website www.phenomonline.org or phone 413.461.3300 for details.

Parking:
What would our fall be at Salem State without a problem with parking? I have addressed these concerns with the Provost and it is my understanding that satellite lots are being considered to ease the situation.

Finally, I have several state-wide committee seats to fill for the 2010-2012 term. If you would like information regarding these opportunities to serve at the state level, please let me know. We would be happy to have you join us. Hopefully you have made it to the end of this email! I apologize for its length and hope to be back in touch soon with good news regarding our contract funding. Have a great semester and please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Amy Everitt

Amy L. Everitt,
Ed.D., ATC Professor, Sport & Movement Science Department Salem State University MSCA/Salem Chapter President MSCA Vice President 978.542.6576

Amy Everitt
MSCA/Salem Chapter President