The Columbia Chronicle

P-Fac fears losing jobs over new qualification

November 13, 2017

About 20 adjunct professors were not assigned classes for the Spring 2018 Semester because they failed to provide information proving them qualified to teach under Higher Learning Commission guidelines, which the part-time faculty union claims violates its contract. HLC guide...

New P-fac arbitration takes back staff’s classes

February 6, 2017

A recent arbitration ruling directs Columbia to no longer assign teaching hours to full-time staff members and to pay sizable damages to adjuncts who lost courses to these staffers in the past academic year, according to a Jan. 25 email sent from the Part-time Faculty Association of...

Mandatory minimums have not worked before, will not work now

December 12, 2016

One day after Noel Sanchez, commander of the South Chicago police district, was shot at while on duty Dec. 1, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson called for increased penalties for gun offenses.It is not difficult to understand where Johnson is coming from or why he said people think violent crimes are a “joke.” Unfortunately, gun-related crimes are commonplace in Chicago. The total number of shooting victims in...

After a 12-day hearing, the National Labor Relations Board ruled that full-time staff who teach part-time are to be represented by the existing bargaining unit, the college’s part-time faculty union.

Labor board rules in favor of staff who teach, P-Fac appeals

September 19, 2016

The approximately 55 full-time staff members who teach part-time cannot be denied representation by the college’s part-time faculty union, according to an Aug. 30 ruling by the National Labor Relati...

Infrared light highlights brain health

September 2, 2014

A new technique that employs infrared light to measure pulse pressure and arterial stiffness in the brain may also help illuminate connections between long-term brain health and the effects of stress, ag...

Sleeping At Last still wide awake

March 31, 2014

As the Christian-rock genre was reaching its peak in 1999, Christian rockers Sleeping At Last were just hitting their stride in Wheaton, Ill. Over the course of the next decade, the members went from emo o...

NLRB trial concludes

By Alexandra Kukulka

December 3, 2012

by Lindsey Woods & Alexandra KukulkaThe legal proceedings involving Columbia’s part-time faculty union and the college resumed Nov. 27 after a month-long hiatus.Testimony on Nov. 27 and Nov. 28 concluded the trial in National Labor Relations Board court under administrative law judge Geoffrey Carter. His final decision concerning P-Fac’s accusations that the college is not bargaining in good faith will be announced Jan...

Frequency of attack ads more impactful than message

By Kyle Rich

November 5, 2012

Political advertisements can be a powerful weapon for embattled candidates. Some attack policy, while others are more personal. But a new study suggests that it isn’t the content of negative political ads that make them effective but the waythey’re presented.Juliana Fernandes, an assistant professor at the University of Miami in Florida who specializes in political communication, supervised the study, which will be pub...

Skatalites continue to jam

By Alex Stedman

October 22, 2012

Band breakups are all too common, but some bands stay active for decades.Since its formation in 1964, Jamaican ska band The Skatalites has released 15 studio albums and had a number of lineup changes after a few band members died.The current members—Lester Sterling, alto saxophone; Doreen Shaffer, vocals; Azemobo Audu, tenor saxophone; Andrae Murchison, trombone; Kevin Batchelor, trumpet; Val Douglas, bass guitar; Natty ...

P-Fac wrestles administration

By Senah Yeboah-Sampong

September 4, 2012

Two major developments in the ongoing battle between P-Fac, Columbia’s part-time faculty union, and the college administration were announced during summer break.The first was a July 31 National Labor Relations Board ruling that upheld P-Fac allegations of unfair labor practices against the college. The complaint concluded the college refused to bargain collectively about the effects of prioritization and new contracts fo...

No results yet from three-day NLRB trial

By Lisa Schulz

February 20, 2012

After two years of contract negotiation between Columbia and its part-time faculty union, a trial to resolve alleged unfair practices has again resulted in a waiting game.The three-day public trial was held Feb. 6–9 by the National Labor Relations Board at 209 S. LaSalle St. from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Robert Ringler, an administrative law judge, said a verdict is expected later.Annice Kelly, vice president of Legal Affairs and Ge...

Comparing women’s health services: College campuses around Chicago offer varying degrees of health services to women

By Lindsey Woods

December 12, 2011

Students looking at colleges generally consider lengthy lists of criteria they want their prospective school to have, including how well schools accommodate their students. One criterion that may be hard to find is what kind of medical care students have access to and how much that care costs. For women in particular, this may include annual gynecological exams, pregnancy testing and access to birth control and emergency c...