The_Rambler_1996-12_1997-02

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STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT FARMINGDALE Volume 69 Issue 11 December 1996-February 1997 WSQttePvve^ BeUrfgvoeerr hat a Difference a Day Makes
Farmingdalc.NewYoik- On January 24th
the teachers here at the State University of
New York at Farmingdale planned to have
what one called, "an informative picketing
rally" outside the building where the Fac-ulty
Senate was meeting. Richard Mills,
Education Conunissioner ofNew York State,
Vice Provost William Messner and Bill
Scheuerman, the united University Profes-sionss
President were the planned speakers.
However, there was no "informa-tive
picketing", because it was learned ear-lier
that day that the important legislators
and trustees at whom the picket was di-rected
were not going to show up; thus the
picketing was temporarily called off, or as
one teacher recounted,"just postponed>"
The Faculty Senate did not speak
of the contract situation between the state
and the teachers direclty but focused on the
next best thing.. .higher education. Repre-sentatives
from most of the colleges from
around the state detailed how the teachers
and educators must reach the students be-fore
they make that quanuim leap to better
their lives; whether it be through the
workforce or in the school systems.
Mr. Mike Smiles signature on a
memo to all UUP collegues read: in soli-darity.
These two words have become the
cornerstone of the teacher's campaign to
make the statewake up and smell the trouble
that thisa contract impasse can cause if it
cannot be resolved immediately.
The teachers did not waste any
time rescheduling the rally. The day before
Valentine's Day, with an escort of the Suf-folk
Police, the teachers of Farmingdale
drove their banner covered cars in single
file through the campus all the way up
Route 110 until they reached the Aerospace
Facilities at Republic Airport. It is there that
Assemblyman Robert Sweeney talked on
the teacher's behalf stating the necessity for
the state to join them fairly at the bargaining
table.
Hundreds of cars with students and
faculty lined up at the back parking lot by
the track at approximately eleven in the
morning to show their support and to let the
state and local managers that the UUP
members are united.
When asked what the main goal of
the motorcade was, Mike Smiles
replied,"The main goal is to publicize our
contract sittiation to administration and most
important the state. We want to show man-agers
statewide that the people are behind
us," he continued in a more somber
voice,"They have to realize that taking away
our dental and vision benefits is not going to
weaken us but make us stronger."
Following the motorcade, almost
every teacher on campus was wearing a pin
stating their discontent with the state and
Governor Pataki. Professor David Conford
of the English department shed some light
on teachers' discontent by explaing that it is
just a sense of frustration.
Making matters worse governor
Pataki is increasing the state tuition between
$400 and $800 on which Professor Conford
commented,"If everything is not fixed, fewer
and fewer smdents will be unable to afford
to attend Farmingdale."
This is not the first time Pataki has
come under fire from SUNY faculty. Dr.
Janik, from the English department over at
Knapp Hall explained the differences when
Mario Cuomo was still govemor,"Cuomo
made changes in little bites. He never did
these kind of attacks on the middle class.
Pataki seems not to understand that a strong
middle class means educated and to have
strong living one must have a solid educa-tion,"
Janik continued as she ripped into
Pataki, "Cuomo understood the situation
better because he was a part of that middle
class at that time."
This contract situation is also tak-ing
an indirect effect on the students. One
picketer stated that while the faculty is with
out a contract they are also not allowed to
think about more important issues like the
education of the workforce for the state of
New York. In tum the state must come to
grips that they are working in a detrimental
way to the students which comes back and
effects the workforce.
Some faculty members are con-cerned
about enrollment, but more impor-tantly
they are looking at the attack on
public education by the few upper class
members that have changed New York to
what it is today. These few do not see a need
for real education and would like nothing
but to see the middle class get training rather
than a real education.
According to Dr. Janik, SUNY
does not feel that way and that everybody
should have an oppx)rtunity to better their
education. With the budget ci=uts and the
tuition increases. Republican assemblymen
follow the ideals of the teachers stating that
these increases are unnecessary. "Republi-cans
are realizing that this is harmful to the
stale," a vocal teacher explained.
"State legislators must do what they
are supposed to do instead of making per-conceptions
for which make it impossible to
solveanything," a fiery Conford pronounced.
In this tragedy of tragedies, the
state is playing Brutus and following the
script, killing Julius Caesar when he least
expects it.
Teachers Looking for
a Contract that Binds
by: Stephen Berger
"Contract" is a simple definition
of something that has caused alot of distress
and anguish for some time now. The teach-ers
here at The State University of New
York at F^ingdale, have been working,
through the words of one professor, "For
nothing. You can ill afford to crack your
tooth around here without any kind of plan
enraptured in its entirety." It has come down
to the simplest fact that two sides that are far
apart wiU never come together unless one
gives a little.
As of right now the teachers oC
SUNY Farmingdale have been working
without a contract for the past 16 months
sinceJuly 1995. In a fax from Doctor Marg-ery
Brown of the English Department she
stated that the United University Profes-sions
is strongly opposed to the university
in measures to cut costs, such as profit mak-ing
corporations could be hired to supply
professional services for students.
Ms. Janik and Ms. Brown feel thai
the excellence 'of th6 students will
diminish,"Since this plan attacks tenure
salary and working conditions, superior
teachers and scholars will find employment
elsewhere where working conditic»is are
more attractive", Ms. Brown added," many
staff members may lose their jobs."
The State must come to the reali-zation
that teachers are just as important to
this campus as the Secretary of Defense is to
the President's cabinet
Agriculture Workforce Certification Project
The Agriculture Workforce Certi Instructors include members fron^
fication Project offered by the Department
of Economic Devetopment and Agriculuire
and Markets will be sponsoring anotho- Skills
Training Program in Greenhouse Skills and
Arborist Skills this Spring at SUNY
Farmingdale.
This program offers training for bodi the
skilled and unskilled worker in hopes of
improving their emptoyment opportunities
in the respective fields.
the university faculty as well as industry
leaders. The Greenhouse program will take
place at Cornell Cooperative Extension in
Riverhead on Monday and Wednesday
evenings beginning April 7. The Arborist
program will take place on the SUNY
Farmingdale campus on Saturday mom
ings, beginning in April. For more details,
contact Carolyn Jankowski at 420-2161.
Inside This Issue
Toilets in Trouble
For more on messy
bathrooms turn to
pages
News
pages 1-3
•Police Blotter
•Job Fairs
•Dr. Dunstan to Retire
Edlionols
pages 4 & 5
•Problems in the dorms
•Fed Up
• Sick arid Tired
• Open Forum
Entertainment
pages 8 & 9
•Movies
•CD Reviews
•Concert Review
$ports gpqlqt^?
Page 12
Soccer, Volleyball, and
Cross Country