Posted on January 8, 2020 by hcafawebmaster
March 17, 2020
Harper Colleagues,
We are sure that by now you have heard that Harper will only be having alternative teaching and working during this coming week and the two weeks after Spring Break (i.e., from March 16 through April 12). After that time it will be determined whether or not employees will return to campus or not. During this time there will not be any meetings or events on campus, so all HCAFA meetings,elections, coffees, etc. are cancelled. We will post updates on our website, www.harperadjuncts.org and our Facebook page, HCAFA. In addition, there is a lot of information in the IEA website, www.ieanea.org as well as the Harper website regarding Covid-19 precautions (visit harpercollege.edu/advisory). Also the Academy for Teaching Excellence is providing materials that you can access online or in person regarding online teaching. They are open this week and even during Spring Break next week to help you get up to speed if you need it. Here is their resource page with the essentials for making this transition quickly: https://harper-academy.net/planning-for-a-rapid-transition-to-online-instruction/
and here are their sessions for this week :
Essential Online Skills Sessions:
- Tuesday, March 17, 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. – In person, Building F, Room F317
- Tuesday, March 17, 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. – In person, Building F, Room F317
- The Academy will close at 4:30 on Tuesday and be available online only after that.
- Wednesday, March 18, 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. – Click here to join virtually
- Wednesday, March 18, 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. – Click here to join virtually
- Thursday, March 19, 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. – Click here to join virtually
- Friday, March 20, 12 p.m. – 2 p.m. – Click here to join virtually
A recorded session will be posted to the Planning for Rapid Transition to Online Instruction webpage.
Questions? Please contact the Academy at 847.925.6174, academy@harpercollege.edu.
Just to be clear, Harper wants us all to be safe but can not shut down and has to maintain its classes. Therefore, this is not a time that we have off (except for Spring Break) and since we are working, albeit from home, we are being paid in full for our time. There will be no “snow days” at the end of the semester to make up either.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at
hcafapresident@gmail.com and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
In the meantime, stay safe and stay healthy!
Charmian and Robert, HCAFA Co-Presidents
Notice on March 15, 2020: The below noted meeting has been cancelled.
Also, the HCAFA Coffee Days are also cancelled. They were originally scheduled for Monday & Tuesday (March 16 & 17)
The Illinois Education Association has region offices throughout the state which host councils composed of local associations. HCAFA belongs to the council of region 42, which is based in Palatine. We are holding the biennial election of officers for our region council at our next Executive Committee meeting on Friday, March 20 in L204 from 10:30am – 12 noon. If interested in participating in this election, please bring a government-issued photo id to that location. You’re certainly welcome to stay for the entire meeting — including a light lunch — or leave when you must.
As always, HCAFA members are invited to ALL Executive Committee meetings and perhaps become involved in an advisory or leadership role with your union. For information on HCAFA, check our website (harperadjuncts.org) and join our Facebook group (HCAFA – Harper College Adjunct Faculty Association).
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Posted on December 20, 2019 by hcafawebmaster
The following members have agreed to serve as Executive Committee Officers:
Co-presidents: Robert Allare and Charmian Tashjian
Treasurer: Dwain Thomas
Membership Records Chair: Janice Cutler
We appreciate their dedication to HCAFA.
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Posted on October 22, 2019 by hcafawebmaster
NOTICE OF ELECTIONS
HARPER COLLEGE ADJUNCT FACULTY ASSOCIATION
Dear HCAFA member,
Our Executive Committee members hope the semester is going smoothly for you. It’s election season for our membership and we solicit your support and involvement.
Our membership will fill HCAFA leadership positions to serve through May, 2021 at our annual meeting on Friday, December 6 from 11:30 am – 1:00 pm in room L200 on campus.
Attached is information describing the roles as well as a nomination form to be submitted as noted. We have a pressing need for members to help guide our local to serve our members! All elected positions may be shared between members; for example, we may have two co-Presidents or two division representatives. Some officers are given reassignment time by the college and some have dues paid by HCAFA.
The time requirements are minimal while the personal and professional satisfactions are maximal. Please see the following for information about the positions; please respond to this email if there are questions or if you would like to talk about the possibilities. Please note that the deadline for nominations is November 22, 2019.
We will also ask members to modify our current bylaws to broaden the base of eligible HCAFA office holders; please see the following information sheet for bylaw change. Continue reading →
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Posted on September 22, 2019 by hcafawebmaster
The Level 2 Program for adjuncts is a new pilot program that gives adjuncts some additional benefits. The program is a demanding program.
Click on the link below if you’re interested in finding out how adjuncts in the Level 2 Program responded to a questionnaire.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/results/SM-RLRMCKSJ7/
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Posted on August 26, 2019 by hcafawebmaster
The latest issue is in Harper mailboxes. HCAFA encourages you to be involved in your union. The Harper Adjunct Advocate lets you know when HCAFA meetings are and how you can help.
Now is the time to show your support!
Adjunct Advocate 53 0919 v14n3
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Posted on August 13, 2019 by hcafawebmaster
WARNING: IPI IS LOOKING FOR YOU!
The anti-union Illinois Policy Institute has again increased its efforts to encourage Association members to abandon their membership. IPI backed the recent Janus case in the U.S. Supreme Court which found “fair share” provisions illegal. The group supports the privatization of public education and sees weakening of unions as a way to promote that goal. If the IPI approaches you with “alternatives to unions,” please contact HCAFA for the reality of its campaign funded by the big money associated with education secretary Betsy DeVos.
WARNING: COD IS LOOKING FOR YOU AS WELL!
The full-time staff union at College of Du Page is engaged in tough negotiations with its administration. COD has placed advertisements for teaching positions which are primarily aimed at adjuncts with the goal of using them as strikebreakers should the full-time staff at COD have a job action. HCAFA encourages adjuncts—members or not—to see through this transparent manipulation of professionals for what it is: recruitment of “scab” workers and an intimidation of our COD colleagues.
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Posted on April 28, 2019 by hcafawebmaster
Sara Stephens gave an in-depth presentation on the penalties those who have both SURS and Social Security are likely to face. The penalties are placed on two different sets of teachers: The first is on those who have worked fewer than 30 years for Social Security and have also worked under SURS. The second is on those who receive spousal benefits. In both cases there is a radical reduction in benefits paid out by Social Security.
Sara Stephens urged us to contact our congressmen and urge them to vote for the Social Security Fairness Act (HR 141 and S925). Both of those bills would repeal the “windfall deduction program.”
Numbers to call: Senate DC Switchboard 202 224-3121
Senator Durbin in Chicago office – 312 353-4952
Senator Duckworth in Chicago – 312886-3506
House DC Switchboard, 202 225-3121
Click below for an information sheet prepared for our members.
SURS SSA OFFSETS
For more information on the offsets, go to the link below.
http://www.ssfairness.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/SSFRNESS-PPT-no-narrat-9-8-11.ppt
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Posted on April 22, 2019 by hcafawebmaster
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HCAFA members:
Will you get both Social Security and SURS benefits when you retire? No! If you take your SURS benefits, your Social Security benefits will be decreased. Not fair? Come find out more from Sara Stephens at the upcoming HCAFA meeting this Friday, April 26th from 10-12:30 at Harper in L200. Sara has been researching about and working to eliminate the GPO and WEP offset penalties that people are hit with if they have paid into both Social Security and SURS. Please note that Sara is not giving financial advice at all, but is giving out information that many are not aware of. In doing so, she is trying to repeal these repressive government penalties. Come hear all about it! A light lunch will be served.
And, a gentle reminder that Wed., April 24th at 4 pm is deadline to vote for IEA Higher Ed Council positions. If you did not receive the light blue envelope from IEA or have misplaced it, please contact Kim Trader at IEA: 1-800-252-8076 X2250 or
kim.trader@ieanea.org.
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Posted on April 21, 2019 by hcafawebmaster
In the May issue of The Harper Adjunct Advocate, Dwain Thomas, HCAFA Exec Committee member and Harper librarian, gives a personal account of what May Day means. This issue also explains the cancellation of assignments as laid out in our contract.
Harper Adjunct Advocate – May 2019
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Posted on March 21, 2019 by hcafawebmaster
The latest issue of The Harper Adjunct Advocate has the complete report from the Achieving the Dream Study that focused on adjuncts at Harper and at 5 other community colleges. The report equates adjunct success with student success.
The issues are the issues that HCAFA has concentrated on for many years. We all know the issues. We are hopeful that Harper will address the problems in a meaningful way.
For the newsletter and Achieving the Dream report, click on the attachments below.
Adjunct Advocate -March 2019
Adjunct Advocate March 2019 – Achieving the Dream Report 2019
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