Senator John Kefalas meets with the Campus Instructor Coalition on the Larimer Campus
By Joe Schicke, Co-chair of FRCC Larimer’s Campus Instructor Coalition
As co-chairs
of the Campus Instructor Coalition (CIC), the adjunct organization of Front
Range Community College’s Larimer Campus, Hollie Kopp and I make regular
efforts to reach out to adjunct allies in the community. Recently, we were able to sit down with Colorado State Senator John Kefalas. Senator
Kefalas listened intently as we described the life of an adjunct and some of
our specific concerns we have. We expressed our apprehension about the Affordable
Care Act and how it may affect adjuncts’ class loads. We want to make sure that
our institution does not our cut hours in order to avoid having to pay for
health care.
Kefalas had already started to investigate this
issue before our meeting, and one of his colleagues at the Colorado Health
Institute unearthed the CCCS Benefits manual which states that any “regular
employee” who teaches the equivalent of a “part time load” is eligible for
benefits. Kefalas suggested we learn from our administrators how this language
applied to adjunct before he pursued the matter further. Hollie and I will be
working on that in the coming weeks and will report back to Kefalas so that he
may take further measures.
Senator
Kefalas also urged us to strengthen our “power wheel” as he called it. He
applauded our efforts at developing a relationship with Colorado Adjuncts and
our plans to form a Front Range chapter of the AAUP, but urged that we also make
contact with the Colorado AFT, Ray Hogler at CSU, Steve Mumme from the AAUP,
Chair of the House Education committee Millie Hamner, and Colorado Commission on
Higher Education board member Evie Hudak. Lastly, Senator Kefalas reminded us
of an upcoming meeting that he scheduled with Larimer Campus VP Bruce Walthers,
and asked us to consider what Hollie and I would like him to discuss with VP
Walthers at that meeting. All in all, it was a great meeting, and it is encouraging
to know that we have Colorado Adjunct allies in the Senate working for the
citizens of this state.
