<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" > <channel> <title>GRC – The Current</title> <atom:link href="https://www.thegrcurrent.com/tag/grc/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <link>https://www.thegrcurrent.com</link> <description></description> <lastBuildDate>Sun, 17 Oct 2021 17:24:13 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en-US</language> <sy:updatePeriod> hourly </sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency> 1 </sy:updateFrequency> <generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.2</generator> <item> <title>National Coming Out Week at Green River</title> <link>https://www.thegrcurrent.com/national-coming-out-week-at-green-river/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Editor]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Thu, 27 Oct 2016 04:57:32 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Campus]]></category> <category><![CDATA[GRC]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Green River College]]></category> <category><![CDATA[national coming out week]]></category> <category><![CDATA[the current]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thegrcurrent.com/?p=7273</guid> <description><![CDATA[As the wild Washington weather cancelled afternoon classes for a lot of students, attendance was remarkably high for last Friday’s Green River College Drag show...]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>As the wild Washington weather cancelled afternoon classes for a lot of students, attendance was remarkably high for last Friday’s Green River College Drag show commencing the end of the second annual National Coming Out week. </p> <p>Through out the second week of Fall Quarter, Green River College’s Student life implemented five events for each day of the week. On Monday, students were asked to click the like button on the Student Life Facebook page resulting in a free t-shirt giveaway. On Tuesday, over 300 cupcakes were distributed to students as well as with a large Halloween candy bowl with male and female contraceptives up for grabs for the students. On Wednesday, 30 Green River students and faculty came together for a heart-felt discussion, asking questions and learning about the LGBTQ community from personal testimonies. On Thursday, Student Life representatives gave away No H8 buttons for Green River students to pin to their clothes. Finally, on Friday, professional Seattle Drag Queens brought the stage to life for the Drag Show acting as the finale for National Coming Out Week.</p> <p>Melisa Williams, Director of Student Life, positively talked about the week. </p> <p>“For our 2nd National Coming Out Week I felt that it was a success and it was something we can build on to be more successful in the future,” said Williams. </p> <p>Many of the Student Life activity members, organized the bulk of the National Coming Out Week events. Working with the health department and buying the T-shirts, buttons, and the contraceptives. On Tuesday, they had a plethora of contraceptives such as male condoms, female condoms, dental damns and lube. </p> <p>Williams said, “The Health Department had a great response asking about their services and their products and working with us.”</p> <p>By supporting the community and providing the student body with a variety of protective sexual products, small clothing items and tasty cupcakes, it provides students with a sense of pride in their peers and themselves. It also made all the difference in one’s life, who is struggling to find themselves. </p> <p>Wednesday’s event, The Panel Discussion, had an overarching impact among students and community members. The conversation opened for many Green River Queers and Ally members, students, faculty, and other community members. Students were asked to write questions and personal stories on 3×5 note cards. Nine panelist, each varying in ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, participated in it. In fact, Heaven Quirin, LGBTQ and Peer Navigator at Office of Diversity and Conclusion, talked about last Wednesday’s event. </p> <p>“The panel had the most impact because it brought a humanistic side to the events through out the week,” said Quirin, “Participants could ask questions about being LGBTQ and the community at Green River.” </p> <p>Pauline Elevazo, Arts and Culture chair, and second year member of student life also commented on the impact of Wednesday’s event. </p> <p>“I heard testimonies from faculty which was inspiring for me because I knew their stories but I was also able to hear questions from other students who did not know their stories,” said Elevazo. </p> <p>Victoria Pacho, President of Queers and Allies and Speaker of the House for Multi-Cultural Student Congress also had thoughts on Wednesday’s panel. </p> <p>“The Panel was interesting because the conversation shifted from what are you to how can I help you,” said Pacho. </p> <p>The allies in the meeting were not concerned about the identity/orientation of their fellow classmates but they wanted to know how they can help the community as a whole. </p> <p>The LGBTQ Green River club, Queers and Allies, also helped organize the events during the week making the string of events an overall success. The club is a safe space and a fun gathering for LGBTQ student body and their Allies to become friends and to participate actively in campus life and events. Some suggestions were brought up such as better collaboration when creating the events, planning ahead of time, working as a a collective. </p> <p>“Queers and Allies should take a more authoritative role because in order to serve the community you need to ask what they need,” said Pacho, “Even though we have a difference of opinions, we shouldn’t allow it to divide us but it should challenge us to become more inclusive of our differences,” said Pacho. </p> <p> In campus life, in general, a couple further suggestions are made. First, the Green River faculty has no official training in Cultural Sensitivity. Second, some of the activities have high energy and are a lot of fun but they could make some improvements on educating the public about each event. </p> <p>By training faculty on Cultural Sensitivity and bringing awareness to our surroundings, our communication strengthens actively coming together as a community. Cultural Sensitivity also includes implementing counseling services and creating safe spaces, places for students to go when they feel the need. </p> <p>Friday’s Drag show was an event that allowed students to experience a different cultural experience in the LGBTQ community. Particularly, it gave an authentic cultural experience to our 21 and under international students. The proud queens proudly strutted in their high heels and jumping up onto the tables giving a couple members of the audience a little more personal show. Overall, mother nature made it rain for these queens, they performed as if this were a professional show out in the big city of Seattle. </p> <p>Only a couple suggestions were made about the event. Mainly, we could make it more educational, including having guest speakers such as Drag queen and other drag team members such as make-up artists and padding experts. Also, for some of our artistically inclined students who share passions in fashion and make up, perhaps they can shadow these individuals as they prepare for a show. Possibly, creating connections and allowing students and faculty to work hand to hand in the community. </p> <p>Overall, all of the events supported the LGBTQ community at Green River. Perhaps the further strategies and communicating ideas could be discussed. However, the over arching message of support and love shined through the muggy clouds of Washington as many Green River Students welcomed the string of events with open arms. Some may have just simply liked a page on Facebook for a t-shirt or grabbed a cupcake and a dental dam, while others openly testified their stories on Wednesday’s discussion. The smallest amount of support makes the biggest difference making our Green River Family an inclusive entity. A force that trumps hate.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>GRC Foundation: Scholarship Student Welcome Reception</title> <link>https://www.thegrcurrent.com/grc-foundation-scholarship-student-welcome-reception/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Editor]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 21 Oct 2016 06:06:46 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Campus]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Academic]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Financial Aid]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Foundation]]></category> <category><![CDATA[GRC]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Green River College]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Merit]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Scholarship]]></category> <category><![CDATA[the current]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thegrcurrent.com/?p=7119</guid> <description><![CDATA[The GRC Foundation hosted a reception to honor its scholarship winners for academic year 2016-17. On September 29, scholarship recipients gathered in the River Room...]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: left;">The GRC Foundation hosted a reception to honor its scholarship winners for academic year 2016-17.</p> <p style="text-align: left;">On September 29, scholarship recipients gathered in the River Room of Student Union building. It was a casual open-house style event with refreshments available for all attendees. Along with the students, the College and Foundation staff and the selection committee were present at the event.</p> <p style="text-align: left;">The scholarship was divided into several categories: General, need based, program based, single parent, veterans, and merit based. The awards ranged from $300 to $3,000 per student, with the total budget of $527,000. This amount was divided between 248 recipients.</p> <p>Among the Foundation Staff that attended the reception were George Frasier, Beth Gatzke, Megan Evans, Patsy Cadwell, Matt Swenson, and Josh Gerstman. Interim president Scott Morgan, vice president of instruction Dr. Rebecca Williamson, director of financial aid Mary Edington, and members of Foundation Board were also present during the event.</p> <p>“The Foundation, really, has been in existence to support students to achieve the educational goals and help the college achieve educational excellence, and one of the best ways to be able to do that is create opportunity through scholarships,” said development director Josh Gerstman while talking to The Current. He also added that this is a very good way to show the Foundation donors that their money is being put to some ‘real’ use in the welfare of the students.</p> <p>This scholarship is available to all the students attending GRC for the academic year. However, when asked if most students know about this opportunity, Development Specialist Megan Evans responded, “We try every year in different ways to make sure that more students know about the scholarships that are available, and that’s always hard.” She mentioned that the Foundation tries various ways like contacting faculty, going to classes, etc. to let the students know about this scholarship. “… Still we don’t catch up with everybody.”</p> <p>Wasif Siddique, a GRC graduate and current UW student, was the recipient for Summer scholarship. He mentioned that he was going through a hard time for paying the Summer tuition, but this scholarship really helped him out.</p> <p>Ayako Kasai, another scholarship winner, thanked GRC Foundation for this scholarship. She was planning to go back to Japan because of financial hardships, but this scholarship has helped her in continuing her education at Green River.</p> <p>The event ended with all the winners standing together in SU for group pictures. Some students stayed in River Room socializing with each other and chatting with the Foundation staff, cherishing their achievement.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>New ASGRC Formed</title> <link>https://www.thegrcurrent.com/new-asgrc-formed/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Editor]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 21 Oct 2016 03:54:56 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Campus]]></category> <category><![CDATA[ASGRC]]></category> <category><![CDATA[GRC]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Green River College]]></category> <category><![CDATA[student government]]></category> <category><![CDATA[the currrent]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thegrcurrent.com/?p=7079</guid> <description><![CDATA[The ASGRC is being led by a new president, Patricia Argie, 17, who is an international student. She has been on the public relations committee and...]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span style="background-color: #ffffff;">The ASGRC is being led by a new president, Patricia Argie, 17, who is an international student. She has been on the public relations committee and judicial board for a month. She is partnered with Harjot Singh, 17, who is the vice president. He is a domestic student and was on the finance committee last year. They want to make Green River College a place where people communicate more.</span></p> <p><span style="background-color: #ffffff;">Argie said such a lack of communication was reflected in the Q5 movement last year. Having more communication among faculty, administration, and students would have made the problem a lot smaller, she said. To make changes, the ASGRC is planning to have “lunch with faculty” and “lunch with administration.” This will make it easier for students to converse freely with faculty and administration.</span></p> <p><span style="background-color: #ffffff;">The ASGRC wants students to be aware of its presence and future plans. Argie said having meetings as an open forum would allow students to be aware of what the ASGRC is doing.</span></p> <p><span style="background-color: #ffffff;">“I want to make sure that ASGRC is as productive as possible,” Singh said.</span></p> <p><span style="background-color: #ffffff;">“Doing a survey to hear the voices of the students would be another way,” Singh said. The senators have to provide the ASGRC students voices. The student government would make sure that the senators are always interacting with the student body.</span></p> <p><span style="background-color: #ffffff;">“The diversity on the campus is growing. However, the domestic students and the international students don’t have a lot of communication among each other,” Argie said. The international students tend to speak with people from their own country. Forming a bridge between international and domestic students is one of their goals. Even though this movement has been in the ASGRC for a couple of years, there are no changes yet. </span></p> <p><span style="background-color: #ffffff;">“So,” she says, “it is difficult, but starting from having diverse members in the ASGRC would be a good first step for the students.”</span></p> <p><span style="background-color: #ffffff;">Singh wants to assure students that the ASGRC will hold meetings on Wednesdays and Thursdays, so that everyone follows the rules and meetings are productive. These meetings will promote student government; answer any students’ questions about government and let them know what they are heading into.</span></p> <p><span style="background-color: #ffffff;">On asking whether they feel any apathy toward the student government, Argie said that she doesn’t see it now, although she did felt it at the time the election was held. The election, which was held in spring, had only one candidate, although the numbers of seats for senate were extended. This was due to the sheer amount of people applying for the position. They also extended the interview days from two to four.</span></p> <p><span style="background-color: #ffffff;">The ASGRC is a political group in the Green River College. When questioned about whether students should pay attention to politics and get involved, Singh said that it is important to know what is going on. Though Argie said that it is “important but should not be your main focus.” She thinks it is not the main thing to focus on while you are a student, in reference to the students who went to the Bernie Sanders rally instead of attending school.</span></p> <p><span style="background-color: #ffffff;">The year has just started and the new government is working hard to create good plans for it. However, there are some worries that come with this. “The dates are not working the way we expected,” said Argie. The clubs have not yet been ratified. This affects the clubs greatly as they cannot create any events till the ratification is done.</span></p> <p><span style="background-color: #ffffff;">The ASGRC is always open and waiting for your voice. “We are always able to speak,” Singh said. </span></p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Green River Faculty Officially on Strike</title> <link>https://www.thegrcurrent.com/faculty-officially-strike/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Editor]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Mon, 23 May 2016 22:13:16 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Campus]]></category> <category><![CDATA[faculty]]></category> <category><![CDATA[GRC]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Green River College]]></category> <category><![CDATA[PPP]]></category> <category><![CDATA[strike]]></category> <category><![CDATA[the current]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thegrcurrent.com/?p=6855</guid> <description><![CDATA[The faculty have decided to go on an Unfair Labor Practice strike against the college and its administration due to concerns about potential program cuts and...]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The faculty have decided to go on an Unfair Labor Practice strike against the college and its administration due to concerns about potential program cuts and the handling of finances.</p> <p>Jaeney Hoene, United Faculty Coalition president, said the plan is to strike for three days and then return to work.</p> <p>Jamie Fitzgerald, English division chair, said the faculty are striking because of the administration’s refusal to communicate. All the faculty’s attempts to get the administration to listen to them have failed, and Fitzgerald said the strike is a signal to the state.</p> <p>“We know the administration won’t do anything,” Fitzgerald said.</p> <p>The faculty have a feeling of nervousness and fear, but have become energized for the strike, Hoene said. Over 100 people have signed on to participate in the strike and another 100 adjunct faculty have promised to honor the strike and not cross the picket line.</p> <p>Kaite Mark, union representative for the campus, said Human Resources offered an ultimatum for the classified staff. They could take vacation days, go without pay, or work from home to honor the strike. Mark said many of the classified staff are afraid to show up to support the strike. The tenured faculty have job security and cannot be fired for the strike, but classified and adjunct faculty do not share that protection, Mark said.</p> <p>Ridwan Ibrahim, ASGRC president, and Lavina Tang, ASGRC vice-president, are both concerned about the strike’s impact on students. Tang said the faculty have every right to strike, but they want the faculty to inform the students about the impact to their college lives. Ibrahim said there are going to be reactions to the strike and students are going to be mad. Some students have come to the ASGRC student senate with questions about what the strike will do to their graduation, Ibrahim said.</p> <p>“It is not our responsibility to take a side,” Tang said.</p> <p>The ASGRC senate wants to give the students a voice in the strike and that is the reason they spoke up about student’s concerns during the May 19 Board of Trustees meeting, Ibrahim said. </p> <p>Amanda Bentz, a criminal justice student, said this strike has been a long time coming for the faculty and she helped get students to support their instructors.</p> <p>Michelle Marshman, history instructor, said the best case scenario for the strike is the Board of Trustees convince President Eileen Ely to work with the faculty. The faculty want a freeze on all cuts to programs until all hard evidence of the college’s finances can be presented, Marshman said.</p> <p>Lynne Dodson, secretary treasurer for the Washington State Labor Council, said the faculty are standing up for every working person. </p> <p>“We need a leader who can set their ego aside,” Marshman said. </p> <p>The Reduction in Force notices are cutting programs that make a profit, and Marshman said the history program, which was in Q5 during the Program Prioritization Process, generates over $500,000 thousand for the college.</p> <p>The faculty are hoping this will get the government to pay attention to the issues at Green River College and help, Fitzgerald said. Though the college works fairly autonomously, Hoene said, the state is trying to assess the situation and are worried about the climate on campus.</p> <p>Marty Brown, executive director of the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, said there are fiscal issues, lost enrollment, and a decreased tuition that has impacted Green River’s finances. This has been a long simmering issue, but Brown said he thought things would have died down when the faculty got their new contract.</p> <p>“Usually strikes are over contract,” Brown said.</p> <p>There is uncertainty right now, Brown said, and he is worried for the students and how the strike will impact them. He said he has received calls from students about the strike and he said this will impact Green River’s reputation.</p> <p>There has been no contact from the administration concerning the strike, Hoene said, but there will be a special Board of Trustees meeting on Monday, May 23 to discuss the strike. Hoene said that no one can check their Green River emails, so communication with the administration is difficult.</p> <p>“There’s no solid two way dialogue, only proclamations,” Marshman said.</p> <p>The faculty will return to work on Thursday, Fitzgerald said, to ensure the students are not heavily impacted by the strike.</p> <p>Allison Friedly, executive director of College Relations, is not on campus for comments on the strike but she has been contacted through email.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Editorial – Possible Strike on Campus</title> <link>https://www.thegrcurrent.com/editorial-4/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Editor]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Thu, 19 May 2016 01:15:37 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Editorials]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category> <category><![CDATA[administration]]></category> <category><![CDATA[campus]]></category> <category><![CDATA[editorial]]></category> <category><![CDATA[faculty]]></category> <category><![CDATA[GRC]]></category> <category><![CDATA[green river]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Green River College]]></category> <category><![CDATA[PPP]]></category> <category><![CDATA[strike]]></category> <category><![CDATA[the current]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thegrcurrent.com/?p=6789</guid> <description><![CDATA[A strike could be imminent as the faculty bet on their last horse in the race. Who will come out on top? No one. At...]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A strike could be imminent as the faculty bet on their last horse in the race. Who will come out on top? No one. At this point, no one is going to be coming out without scars, having sacrificed something important.</p> <p>If the administration allows this strike to occur without talking with the union or the faculty this could further send Green River into financial straits. Right now we have a $4 million debt due to poor spending and even worse planning.</p> <p>A strike means students will not be able to finish their classes and some will not be able to graduate unless you pass everyone. We all know that’s not going to happen. Some students are going to be frustrated by this strike and leave for greener pastures where they will not have to waste 15 minutes of class time discussing the campus environment. </p> <p>If this strike happens, that’s a terrible PR move on the college’s part. People will be seeing those instructors marching outside the school, even if it is only for a day, and associate those images with the college. In the grand scheme of things, is it worth it to let them strike for that huge hit to PR?</p> <p>This college has a PR problem and keeping the faculty unhappy is not going to solve that. They are just going to keep telling students and faculty from other colleges and institutions not to come here because of the environment. The stigma of a toxic environment and poor treatment of faculty and adjuncts will permeate the college. If the Apr. 21 board meeting is any indication, that toxic stink has already seeped into the walls.</p> <p>The faculty also need to look at the realities of the strike.</p> <p>For those that do not know, when the faculty strike they are not being paid. That means all faculty members who depend on their paychecks to survive are out of luck. The union is organizing relief efforts for people most affected by the strike, but the fact remains that this heavily affects people’s livelihoods. The faculty know this already and are not going to make the decision lightly.</p> <p>There is also the threat that this is what the administration wants. Faculty striking means jobs are now available to be filled by people who are not going to be supports of the union. If the administration targets instructors who need to work, then those jobs could be filled quickly and the faculty are left outside the gates protesting over their jobs that are no longer available. This is getting into tinfoil hat territory, but some jobs are going to be filled during the strike. That is just a necessity for the college.</p> <p>If the faculty strike, that means they are going to lose the support of the majority of students. This strike jeopardizes student’s success, and that could lose the faculty a valuable tool in leveraging the administration. Of course, the faculty could get students to walk out with them, but even with a strong student support pillar to lean on, that is still a minority.</p> <p>In the end, all this is selfish. The faculty want the PPP gone and their jobs to be secure. The administration want to union to go and the faculty to fall in line. The students just want to come here and learn. Everyone has an opposing stake in the race. No one is passing the finish line.</p> <p>So how do we solve this issue? No one at The Current have any good ideas. The solution all relies on communication and so far no one is willing to make the first step. The most drastic measure available is to lock President Eileen Ely and Jaeney Hoene, president of the United Faculty Coalition, in a room and only let them out when a solution is reached.</p> <p>That is never going to happen.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Strike or No Strike at GRC?</title> <link>https://www.thegrcurrent.com/strike/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Editor]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Thu, 19 May 2016 01:13:44 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Campus]]></category> <category><![CDATA[administration]]></category> <category><![CDATA[campus]]></category> <category><![CDATA[faculty]]></category> <category><![CDATA[GRC]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Green River College]]></category> <category><![CDATA[PPP]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Program Prioritization]]></category> <category><![CDATA[strike]]></category> <category><![CDATA[the current]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.thegrcurrent.com/?p=6773</guid> <description><![CDATA[Tense air permeated the halls of the faculty offices with picket signs resting against the open doors. They read “Tell the College…To Value US, To...]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Tense air permeated the halls of the faculty offices with picket signs resting against the open doors. They read “Tell the College…To Value US, To Listen To US, To Work With US. We want to make GRC better.”</p> <p>Last Wednesday, May 11, President Ely confirmed the fear of many students and faculty alike – programs will be cut. The decision to do so has left many in question whether or not their programs will be existent next year, but more presently, whether a strike will be taking place in response.</p> <p>A button reading “I don’t want to strike but I will,” is clipped to the shirt of Allison Jansen, head of the Political Science Department. She shares the belief of many of faculty members that the budget crisis is artificial and there is no logical connection between cutting programs and saving money.</p> <p>“The integrity of the college is at stake,” she said.</p> <p>According to Timothy Scharks, head of the Geography department, one of the department’s proposed to close, Social Science classes have some of the largest caps ranging anywhere from 32-37 students per class. With more students comes more revenue for the college, and with classes like Geography filling up consistently there is a constant influx of money from the program. Regardless of this fact, Scharks decided to remain silent on whether, if a strike did occur, he would participate.</p> <p>“I [just] need to worry about being the best employee I can,” he said. To Scharks, as the head and only member of the Geography department, “there is more at stake.”</p> <p>Last year the Auto Body Technology program was eliminated, leaving Mark Millbauer, president of the union, without a job. The Auto Body building cost over $1 million alone to revert back to its original state. Now programs such as Geography, Drafting, and Drama are on the line to be terminated. Including Occupational Therapy, which is the oldest OTA program in Washington State and consists of a competitive acceptance process. Many members of the existing OTA program already have Bachelor’s degrees and have committed to the two year program after accepting loans. If the program were terminated, these students could not be accepted into another program and left with debt. The OTA program can add up to triple family income.</p> <p>The full-time faculty has authorized the union board to strike with over 70% of votes from adjuncts. After a series of failed negotiations, two unconsidered votes of no confidence, performance evaluations, and countless attempts at coming to a settlement diplomatically, faculty are left believing they are given no other options.</p> <p>“I don’t want to go on strike…but it’s been pushed to a point where we don’t know what else to do,” Jamie Fitzgerald of the English Department said.</p> <p>If a strike were to occur, there is a chance that the faculty could be ordered back to work if the court determined the case was not strong enough; Such was the case in the last, and only, strike in Green River history in 1974. If that were to happen “we’ve sent the strongest message we can,” Fitzgerald said.</p> <p>Many faculty members believe, even in the event of being court ordered back to work, that the act of a strike would bring attention from the governor and hopefully a reconsidering of the union’s demands. As it stands, the only demand of the strike is to reverse the cuts of programs. It is the general consensus, amongst faculty members, that the program cuts are unnecessary and attributed to mismanagement of school budget.</p> <p>Green River College spends more, both local and state generated, funding than any community college in the area, by about $100,000,000. Bellevue College has recently come close to rivaling this, yet half of their spending has gone to an expensive dormitory project. Considering Bellevue is a larger college than Green River. Steve Kinholt, of the Math department, designed a way of measuring GRC’s spending compared to other colleges based off of dollars per student. In this tradition, GRC spends roughly $14,000,000 per student.</p> <p>A large majority of GRC’s spending is locally generated, such as contracted projects, international programs and running start, but a large amount is also contributed to loans, so much that the school is estimated to remain in debt until 2029. Predating President Ely, spending averaged one to two million on building projects. In 2013, three years after Ely took her position, this has increase to $53,000,000. Just two years after that, spending increased to $56,000,000. Projects include building a new Aviation facility, a new Auburn building, a Kent and Enumclaw campus, a new student center and a proposed remodel of the old Lindbloom building and Welcome Center. $15,000,000 alone was borrowed to complete the Student Life Building, and an additional $5,000,000 is estimated to be spent on remodeling its old location. “It’s nice to have new buildings,” Kinholt said, “but it’s nicer to have programs in them”.</p> <p>If a strike were to occur, there would be no way of knowing until students showed up to school to a picket line and empty classrooms. The Union expressed there is a strategic benefit to the element of surprise rather than notifying students ahead of time. As of now it is ambiguous what that would mean to student’s grades or tuition but depending on how long the strike would last, operations would act as frozen until settled. The uncertainty has left many students, as well as faculty, distressed at the potential repercussions. </p> <p>“If the strike were to continue passed June 10, I wouldn’t be able to get the political science credit I need and potentially get held back a year,” Cameron Braun said. Braun is a full-time running start student who depends upon completing American Government class to graduate from High School. </p> <p>The Kent Education Association will be attending a meeting today, Wednesday May 18, to discuss whether the United Faculty Coalition of the AFT will call a strike, among other issues. Pete Lewis, chairman of the GRC board, plans to attend. It is possible that, if a strike were called, the campus could see its effects as early as Wednesday. For any additional information on the strike, the school’s spending and budget or the cause of the unrest, students are welcome to visit the faculty operated website: unitedattheriver.com.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> </channel> </rss>