Hi Everyone,

It has been a long time since we have had contact.  I wanted to emphasize the College’s invitation to join us at the Fall Opening Breakfast.  I will be there and hope to sit with you at our adjunct/part-time table.  We can have time to catch up.

You need to complete the registration below by August 11.  Please, if you would like to come and join us, please do.  Be sure to bring & wear your mask.  Consider attending other Orientation Week programs, as they count toward your Continued Eligibility.

You should have received an email calendar invitation for our Fall Orientation Week Meeting.  We will be gathering via Zoom on Wednesday, August 18^th at 3:45. We will cover Negotiations, College-wide Committees, remembering colleagues, and any concerns you might have. Please join us.  Meeting Zoom Link

Take care and see you soon!

Cheryl Thayer

President, AFA

1.AFA Open Office Hours: Fridays, July 9th and 30^th at 10am.

2.Drawer Contents in Adjunct Faculty Offices in DP: When the offices were painted two years ago, were your belongings boxed up?  You must claim your belongings from James T. in Room 2180 by September 30^th or they will be disposed of.

3. Diversity Council: Interested in serving on the Diversity Council?  Interested in serving on another committee? Contact us at afaoakton@gmail.com.

4. We’re Here to Help: Do you have concerns about returning to campus?  Are you having trouble getting paid?  Do you have questions about course assignments?  Drop in to Office Hours or email us at:  afaoakton@gmail.com

1. AFA Open Office Hours are this Friday, April 2^nd, 9-10 via Zoom. Come with your questions and suggestions as we begin contract negotiations.
2. Congratulations to Yasmin Cordero who will be representing us this summer at the National Education Association Regional Assembly.
3. Interested in serving on a college-wide committee next year?  We are collecting names now.  Please email us at: afaoakton@gmail.com
4. You may have noticed a new procedure this year for the re-appointment of department chairs and program coordinators.  Your dean is seeking your input.  Please share your thoughts.  See email from your dean.
5. Next AFA Board Meeting, Friday, April 9^th at 10am.  Contact us if you would like the link.
6. Save the date, Adjunct Faculty Meeting Wednesday, August 18^th, 4-5:30pm.  More details to come.

March 28, 2021

Election Results for NEA-RA Delegate from the Adjunct Faculty Association at Oakton Community College, Spring 2021

39 ballots were cast in an election that ran from March 23 to March 27.
Votes by Candidate:
Mary Hope Griffin: 26 votes (66.7%)
Yasmin Cordero: 7 votes (17.9%)
Catherine Willis: 5 votes (12.8%)
Randy Felsenthal: 1 vote (2.6%) [write-in]

Mary Hope Griffin wins with 66.7% of the vote.

Call for Nominations for NEA-RA Representative

Dear members,

The 2021 National Education Association Representative Assembly, (the NEA-RA), will be held from July 2nd – July 6th, 2021. The 2021 NEA-RA will be held entirely virtually. The Oakton AFA will send one elected representative to the NEA-RA, as we have every year. Please consider nominating yourself or another member of the AFA to attend this meeting.

NEA RA delegates will be responsible for approving the NEA budget, establishing a dues amount, modifying the Legislative Platform and Bylaws and conducting other business of the Association.

The election for this position will be held electronically. You will receive an email March 23rd with a link to your secure, secret ballot. The link will remain active for you to vote until March 27th.

Before the election, we need you to nominate candidates. An AFA member may either nominate a colleague or himself/herself for this position by completing and returning the attached document OR using this online form: https://forms.gle/nSM9rvXA9dErMAjL7. Required information includes the Nominee’s name, address, phone, and email address.

To be included on the ballot, all nomination information must be sent to the AFA Elections Committee Chairperson Nelson Wainwright. You may use the online form https://forms.gle/nSM9rvXA9dErMAjL7 OR

DOWNLOAD the NEA-RA 2021 NOMINATION FORM , complete and send to oaktonafaelections@gmail.com.

All nominations must be received by March 5th. Nominations received after 11 pm on Friday, March 5, 2021 cannot be included on the ballot.

The Elections Committee recommends that should you choose to nominate someone else, please make sure he/she wants to be nominated and can attend this Assembly. The NEA-RA will be held from July 2nd – July 6th, 2021 and will be an entirely virtual conference.

The AFA needs your nominations, your votes, and welcomes your participation.

AFA Elections Committee
Nelson Wainwright
Ruth Whitney

2021 NEA-RA Election Timeline

• 2/22 – Call for nominations for AFA delegate to NEA – Representative Assembly
• 3/5 – Nominations deadline
• 3/23 – NEA – RA delegate election begins
• 3/27 11:59 pm – Last day for voting

AFA Office Hours  Please join us for drop in AFA Officer Office Hours

Friday, March 5th, 9-10am

1.  AFA Board Meeting Friday, February 19th at 10am.  Join us via Google Meet.

1. Legal Advice:  The AFA is part of the Illinois Education Association.  As a dues paying member, you can receive free legal counsel for issues related to your employment.  If you have questions about our contract, the best source of information is always an AFA Officer.  No need to crowdsource!
2. Covid-19 Vaccines:  Please take a moment to sign this petition encouraging the state of Illinois to prioritize higher education in the Covid-19 vaccine roll-out.  This is a real issue for several of our members who are currently required to teach face-to-face. Follow this link: Vaccine Petition
3. Call for 12 LHE Adjunct proposals 2021-22 (1) 12LHEs are available.
4. Listen Session Follow Up:  We received a follow-up email from the Council of Deans outlining the issues they heard at our Fall Listening Session.  They expressed their support and gratitude for all the efforts adjunct faculty have made during the pandemic.  We were also provided some data about the hiring of adjunct faculty for FT positions at Oakton.  On the last 20 hires 9 were of current adjunct faculty members (3 nursing, 3 math, 1 cannabis).  We asked for a more comprehensive data set as that does not seem to reflect overall or historic trends.
5. Email Use:  Before you hit “reply all” remember that the Faculty List has over 500 people on it.  Here are the College’s guidelines on email use:  Email Use Policy
6. Professional Development:  Please Check out the Center for Professional Development’s (CPD) list of options for faculty.  There are a few Faculty Seminars still open for registration for which you can be compensated for attending.  They have also added more D2L trainings.  All of these count toward your required Continuing Eligibility.  CPD Schedule Link
7. Wellness:  Check out the offerings on our website:  Wellness Link