The College Planning Council voted down the recommendation to move the adjunct faculty center to the Learning Resource Center on April 19.
The vote was split 9-6, with the majority being against the move. Those who voted against it included faculty and student members, as well as a few classified members.
Charles Heimler, English faculty and Academic Senate President, supports the current location of the Adjunct Faculty Center.
“The adjunct center was placed where it is because it’s right next to the General Education parking lot,” said Heimler. “They can whisk in off the freeway, pull in there and go into the adjunct center. “
A survey was sent out to all adjunct faculty regarding the move of the lounge. Out of the 240 adjunct faculty on campus 39, or 16.25 percent of the faculty responded.
“We would like to have it stay here, but … the union doesn’t get to control where it goes,” said Barbara Hanfling, executive director of the local American Federation of Teachers.
The administrators’ reason for moving the center is to move Early Childhood Education to a more central location.
“This is a program for students, and I believe an educational institution’s students take priority over faculty wishes,” said the Dean of Humanities and Social Science Sean Abel.
Heimler rebutted Abel’s argument by listing several useful programs for students that are interested in occupying room L114.
“Early Childhood Education program is currently in a double-wide trailer in the back of campus,” said Vice President of Administrative Services Greg Nelson. “They are a humanities program. That program really needs to be moved to the GE complex to be inclusive with the rest of the campus.”
Even though the CPC voted against the plan, President Barbara Kavalier still has the final say on whether the move takes place.