Campus Connections

Issue Date: December 3, 2007

News and Notices

Overhaul underway, weigh in and win!

Campus Connections is undergoing an extreme makeover to increase usability and build community. Please join in the process, and let us know what you’d like this newsletter to be.

This survey takes approximately five minutes, and if you include your name, you will be entered to win one of five $20 gift certificates.

We are accepting survey submissions until midnight on Sunday, January 6, 2008. For more information, contact Campus Connections Editor Vanessa Fawbush at extension 7992 or fawbush@lclark.edu.

Q&A with Marilyn Sbardellati on the new LCCSSA contract

Marilyn Sbardellati, administrative assistant for the Office of Transportation and Parking and president of the Lewis & Clark College Support Staff Association, helped to negotiate the recent union contract agreement for wages and working conditions. During her five years at Lewis & Clark, Sbardellati has served a two-year appointment as union president and recently began her second term. Campus Connections sat down with Sbardellati, and she shared the following insights after her participation in the negotiation process.

Looking back on the two-year process for how this contract was reached, what worked well?

I think the fact that the College recognized that changes needed to be made. They showed us they understand that giving people pay raises ultimately helps retain them as employees. And they recognized that it is especially important to give people raises early in their career here, rewarding them early for their progress.

What do you consider to be the most significant changes with this contract?

There were two significant changes: the entry-level wages increase and the new grading scale. When we started last year, the College made a commitment that no one would make less than 10 dollars an hour. The minimum is now $11.55 per hour. Also, our previous quartile grading system was very confusing, and employees couldn’t tell exactly how they were advancing. Now, it’s easy to track grade and years of service. This was a tremendous help in terms of making the grading process easy to follow.

Are there other terms the union will fight for in the future?

That remains to be seen. The College made a commitment in our contract that it will work to promote employees from within and provide more opportunities for growth for existing union members. Our job will be to ensure that our members understand the new contract.

What is the significance of the union to the Lewis & Clark community?

This was my first job covered by a collective bargaining unit, and I think it’s important to recognize that union members play many roles. We’re not just workers working away at our computers and doing the day-to-day chores. We have a face and, ultimately, our main role is to facilitate the education of the students who come here. It’s not just in the classroom where the education takes place. We help them learn how to navigate through life. Because the union exists, people on campus are aware of the work we do and are aware of our presence.

How do we as a community continue to keep open lines of communication at Lewis & Clark?

I’m hoping the College will continue to be supportive of an organized work force. I think open communication is about accepting that we all have various roles and responsibilities on campus and then respecting every individual in his or her role. Everybody would like a certain amount of respect and that’s one of the biggest ways to keep the lines open.

Trustee Task Forces Examine Board Fund-Raising Leadership, Other Issues

Between now and the February board meeting, newly appointed trustees task forces are exploring four issues vital to the future of Lewis & Clark: trustees’ leadership in fund-raising, the institution’s vision and priorities for an eventual capital campaign, alumni relations, and the future of Templeton as a center for student and campus life.

The task forces, appointed at the board’s retreat and meeting in October, were given the charge to report back to the board at its next meeting, scheduled for February 21 and 22.

At the first board meeting under the direction of new chair Judi Johansen, the trustees spent parts of two days in a retreat, led by consultant Richard Chait from the Harvard School of Education, before they moved into the regular board meeting.

The fund-raising task force grew out of the trustees’ commitment to play a more active leadership role in development and to ensure that financial support for Lewis & Clark becomes the board’s chief priority.

“The formulation of this task force reflects the trustees’ growing awareness of the need to engage each and every member of the board in our efforts to enhance philanthropy at the college,” said Greg Volk, vice president for institutional advancement. “As we prepare for a comprehensive campaign, it is absolutely critical that trustees provide leadership of this effort, ‘own’ the campaign, and work with the president and the development staff in implementing and running the campaign.”

In a related vein, the board’s vision and priorities task force is working with President Hochstettler and the senior administration the next three months to identify top institutional priorities and their implications for fund-raising and other areas. “To a considerable extent,” Volk said, “the campaign’s components have been identified through the strategic and capital planning processes, but the campaign will need to comport with an overarching vision for Lewis & Clark’s future and this task force will move us toward that goal.”

The task force on alumni relations is examining alumni events, communications, and related efforts with the aim of devising strategies for re-engaging alumni who currently do not participate in the life of the institution.

The Templeton task force—consisting of trustees, staff, and students—will focus on whether to pursue a renovation of the building or construction of a new campus center. In view of new cost projections that have come in far higher than anticipated, the administration and board have begun reconsidering the previous decision to undertake extensive renovation.

“In light of the significant increases in the projected costs of renovating Templeton, it is prudent that we pause to reconsider whether or not such dollars might be better spent in new construction rather than in renovation (or perhaps a combination of the two),” Volk said. “We all recognize the importance of providing our students and the campus community with a wonderful campus center, but our decisions on this front will have a long-term impact on the college and we need to be sure we are taking that long-term view into our decision-making processes.”

Inclement weather emergency information resources

There are several ways in which Lewis & Clark notifies the campus community and the public about class or event cancellations due to inclement weather conditions. The College also communicates quickly with constituents if emergency situations arise.

Lewis & Clark’s Snow Line—503-768-SNOW (7669)—carries a recorded message that is updated regarding school closures. Local TV and radio stations are included in our notification process.

The school closure policy and other emergency information is available online. The front page of the College’s website will also contain school closure notifications.

An impromptu presidential quartet

President Tom Hochstettler made a surprise appearance on the Trail Room stage during the lunch hour last Wednesday. Jim Proctor, professor and director of environmental studies, began the lunch hour performance with some original and cover songs on guitar and electric piano. He then invited “The Pres and the Petes” to accompany him – President Hochstettler, on electric piano, Pete Vidito, administrative coordinator for environmental studies, on bass, and Peter Christenson, professor of communication, on trumpet. The quartet performed old favorites like Billie Holiday’s “God Bless the Child” and Fats Waller's “Ain’t Misbehaving.”

“I think these mid-week musical interludes in the Trail Room are a great way to take a break,” said President Hochstettler. “The audience last week was really responsive to the performance, and the atmosphere was very relaxed. The other members of the combo are very talented, and we had a lot of fun putting the program together. For my part, though, I'm not quite ready to give up my day job.”

The concert was part of a new series of performances called Sounds in and of Portland held in the Trail Room every Wednesday. For more information, contact the Office of Student Activities at extension 7122.

People News

Published, presented, honors, and achievements

Faculty and staff serve as ambassadors for the College through their publications, presentations, awards, grants, and other accomplishments. Highlights include:

Kimberly Campbell, assistant professor of language arts, published a book about the power of teaching students using short, thought-provoking text. “Less Is More: Teaching Literature with Short Texts, Grades 6-12” (Stenhouse Publishers, 2007) examines multiple genres of short text, including short stories and graphic novels.

Sally Earll, associate director of the Center for Continuing Studies, has been named a board member to both Girls Inc. NW Oregon and the Northwest Women in Educational Administration (NWEA).

More listings of faculty and staff achievements can be found in our online pressroom.

Lewis & Clark in the news

College faculty and staff are in the news on a regular basis. Recent media appearances include:

The Sacramento Bee: Beckham’s Ione research used in California casino dispute

Portland Tribune: Binford discusses her exciting and adventurous work with spiders

Events

Special Events

Dec. 3-7, 10-14 Giving Tree

Dec. 4 Speaking of Diversity

Dec. 5 Frankenstein Meets the Professor!

Dec. 5 Los Romeritos Benefit Craft Sale

Dec. 7 Taize Prayer Service

Jan. 22 Martin Luther King Jr. Chapel Celebration

Jan. 27 Catholic Eucharist

Upcoming

Visit the campus Web calendar for events coming up in December and January.

About Campus Connections

Campus Connections is published every other week on the Web for the faculty and staff of Lewis & Clark College during the academic year. Campus Connections is published monthly during the summer.

Next issue publishes on:
January 28

News items should be sent to the Office of Public Affairs and Communications by noon each Wednesday prior to publication.

Submit your information now: connect@lclark.edu

For more information, contact Vanessa Fawbush, communications officer, at 503-768-7992 or fawbush@lclark.edu.