aafmcc's endorsements for mcc's board of trustees

​In the upcoming election, AAFMCC is endorsing the following three candidates for the Macomb Community Board of Trustees:
 
Shelley Vitale
Sara Gieleghem
Maria Mijac
 
AAFMCC encourages you to vote for all 3 of these candidates on Nov. 3 and to ask your family, friends, colleagues, etc., to do the same!
 
Here is a bit of  information about each candidate:
 
Shelley Vitale is currently serving on the board and has advocated for AAFMCC throughout her term.
 
Sara Gieleghem is a union member and an educator.
Here are a few quotes from Sara’s interview with AAFMCC, which speak to her dedication to unions and adjunct faculty:

“AAFMCC’s existence is historic and its mission is inclusive.  I serve as a proud union member within the educational area.  I connect with your mission as an advocate and staunch supporter of the collective bargaining process.  Collective bargaining provides protection for individuals in the workplace, a path for employees to have a voice and seat at the table to negotiate on issues like compensation and working conditions. It also serves as a gateway for members to contribute and add value to the organizational decision making process.”

“As a union member, I recognize that fair wages are a considerable part of the negotiations process.  If elected as a trustee I will fight to ensure a fair collective bargaining process and will do all that I can to learn more about how best to address the unfair disparity between adjunct and full-time faculty at the college.  Further, I see this as a way to ensure the college can attract and retain the most qualified people committed to meeting the needs of students.”

“Regardless of the designation as Adjunct, all faculty must have a voice in the development of department curriculum goals, and as individual educators, you deserve a degree of autonomy to develop your teaching techniques and methods.  I feel strongly that, as a Trustee, we have a responsibility to listen to the concerns presented by your organization and a role to play in addressing inequities.”
 
Maria Mijac is a former teacher and union supporter.
Here are a few quotes from Maria’s interview with AAFMCC, which highlight her support of adjuncts and dedication to equity:

“What stands out most in the AAFMCC mission statement is the idea that adjuncts provide an invaluable service to the higher education community. It is such a statement of the obvious but the need to so state, underscores how undervalued that contribution is. The entire mission statement communicates the deep sense of workplace inequity that is felt. As a former teacher, I too, felt undervalued often times. Even when you are doing work that you love, having a sense that your role is lesser, creates an undue burden on the work.”

“I would support consideration for a more robust role for adjunct staff with regard to curriculum and departmental matters and on shared governance. I am unsure exactly how to go about promoting such an endeavor. I would be glad to hear more information on past efforts, current status, and current
efforts to creating more parity between full- and part-time staff.”
​
“If both instructors [full and part-time] bring similar qualifications and/or experience, I would support the same hourly pay rate for teaching the same classes.”