Adjunct News and Views

Grand Opening-SJCC Adjunct Center
By Norma Welles, SJCC ESL Adjunct Faculty Member

On February 12th, 2008, I made a special trip to the SJCC campus to attend the grand opening of the new Adjunct Faculty Center in Room GE-119. President Michael Burke and Chancellor Rosa Perez were both there to speak and to participate in the ribbon cutting ceremony.

Representatives of the San Jose/Evergreen Faculty Association, AFT 6157 and faculty members who have pushed for this center were also there along with several members of the maintenance crew who did the actual remodel work. They were all recognized for their help and dedication in making this center a reality. In addition to the adjunct faculty members present, there was a nice turnout of full time faculty members who dropped by for a few minutes to see the new center and to show their support for adjunct faculty. We had punch and cookies, people were taking pictures, and there was a lot of meeting and greeting going on.

Our new Adjunct Faculty Center is wonderful! There are 10 computer stations with storage spaces above them, a printer, a copier, and a long table that can be used when you really need to spread your materials out. There are also 20 private lockers along two of the walls. These are available on a first-come, first-served basis. There is also a kitchen, with refrigerator and microwave, and there are two small rooms on either side of the kitchen where you can meet with students or use when you need a quiet place.

You need to access the center with a key fob, which you can get by contacting Corinne Espino. She will also be in charge of parceling out the lockers, so if you want one of those, she will be able to help you with that too. Her email is corinne.espino@sjcc.edu. (NOTE: If you want to use the copier in the Adjunct Center, you need to contact Bunnie Rose so can transfer half of your allotted copies from Reprographics to the Adjunct Center.)

Although the room is very utilitarian, it has been decorated in soft greens and blues and there is a nice lounging area in the center with a soft couch and chairs just made for relaxing. It is a great place to take a break between classes, meet with students, prepare lesson plans, have a bite to eat, or just sit and visit with others. As a member of the adjunct faculty at SJCC since 1996, I have been waiting for something like this for a long time. And I know that great thanks go to our Union who really pushed the College to make this adjunct center a reality. It was well worth the wait and I hope all of the adjunct faculty will check it out and make use of it as I have already started doing.