The Olympian

Issue date: 12/5/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Sophie Siemion Making a case. Adjunct Linda Hagan described the "adjunct emergency" to the Board of Trustees during the Nov. 27 meeting. [Click to enlarge]

The recent Board of Trustees meeting on Nov. 27 was
a mixture of gratitude and frustration, leaving some
important issues on the table for future consideration.
The session began with a call for action from adjunct
faculty member Linda Hagan who called the lack of
adequate compensation for part-time instructors an
"adjunct emergency," in reference to Gov. Christine
Gregoire's criteria that one of four reasons to use state
funding is in an emergency.
"I just wanted to make a statement that there is an
emergency here at Olympic College," Hagan said.
In her statement, Hagan stressed to the board that
some adjuncts were working well below poverty and the
situation was worse than has been presented before.
"Hiring two full-time positions a year will not solve the
emergency," she said in response to one of the measures
taken to increase faculty salary. She added that the 9
percent increase in adjunct salary was also not enough to
solve the issue.
Hagan said in a telephone interview that she was
compelled to make the statement after experiencing how
other adjunct faculty are living.
"I have been very touched and I want to make others
aware of the struggles adjuncts go through," she said.
Board Chairman Doug
Sayan listened to the plea
and said the matter was
on the agenda for further
discussion later in the evening.
After hearing communication
from the public, the
board listened to the report
from Associated Students of
Olympic College presented
by Leslie Miller. Miller's
report announced the hiring
of three student organizers
and summarized the effects
of ASOC events on students
so far this year. Some board
and faculty members said
student participation on the
tenure committee is at an
all-time high, a direct result
of the ASOC.
When Miller finished
delivering her report, Sayan
presented her with a letter
applauding Miller's efforts
to raise student participation
and said she was an
"intricate part of this institution."
Later in the evening,
Bremer Trust trustees Mike
Connolly and John Mitchell
presented to the college a
check for $400,000 for the
school's operating fund and
promised even more funding
in the future.
"This is our opportunity
to make a public commitment
to provide another $1
million over the next two
years for a childcare center,"
Connolly said. The
funds are earmarked to go
towards the construction
of the Sophia Bremer Child
Development Center.
The board and administrators
agreed with the
commitment and adopted
the plan gratefully. Rhodes
Lockwood, director of the
Childcare Development and
Family Center, responded
to the gift and the plan for a
new center.
"I just want to express
the deep gratitude I have
for the gift to the college,"
Lockwood said. "We will
make very good use of that
money and make sure that
lots and lots of children
from Olympic College students
and staff and faculty
families are well taken care
of."
The meeting then shifted
to discussion of whether or
not it was in the best interest
of OC to purchase part of
the Barner property, which
borders the north side of
the campus. Part of the
two-acre plot has already
been given to the college
from the Bremer Trust, but
the northern portion of the
property is being sold. The
school would have to spend
$850,000 but no clear purpose
for the land was decided
so no action was taken.
The issue of the plight of
adjunct was revisited before
the meeting adjourned.
After some discussion it
was decided that the best
plan would be to set the
matter aside until after the
legislative session begins in
January.

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