CCEU REPORT: Who’s on First?

As I sit down to write this, I jot down a note to self: “contact John to confirm a date for meeting re: classified participation & college events.” That one statement opens floodgates of possibilities and reminds me of all of the changes and current transitions that have taken place to date.

The first thing I have to ask is “who do I contact?” Knowing who is on first base gets the game going! If I start with Barbara I have to ask “what do I want?” Well, what is on second, and I have just stolen a base because I still don’t know who to call. So I need a new approach. What I want to know is, who keeps John’s schedule and can that person confirm his appointments? Now I am confused, and I don’t know what to do first! Wait a second, who is on first, what is on second, and I don’t know has nothing to do with resolving this dilemma.

Why is this so hard you ask? Well first off, why is way out in left field. More importantly, in a short time span the entire college has faced some very difficult, ever-evolving changes. The after effects of eliminations and retirements have those of us who remain trying to hold everything together while some of our functions, tasks, and responsibilities have increased even though more than a handful of our positions have been reduced. This is true campus-wide as in the case of a faculty member taking on more work when adjuncts have been released and full-timers are not replaced. It has now bled over into the confidential ranks.

 

by Alta Northcutt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lois has recently moved over to Instruction to fill the vacancy left by Bea, creating a vacancy in Student Services that Laura has just filled after a hiring process. Cheryl from HR has officially left Cabrillo after retiring in late Fall on the heels of Diana’s recent hire. (Cheryl had selflessly put off her retirement and committed to making sure HR’s primary and necessary tasks were carried out without penalty to those of us who rely so heavily on that department.)

If you have been following along, Sesario E., Kathie W. and Loree M. all have assistants now. With Brian leaving in the middle of the academic year, we have John, the original subject of this note, serving as an interim President, and he, too, is without permanent support. Barbara Rigg (CESS), Sandi Moore (SS), and Tatiana Bachuretz (FPP&O) have all stepped in to bridge the coverage of Confidential Assistant to the President, filling a vacancy left by Dominique in December. We have recently published an announcement for this job.

So you see my original question of “who to call to confirm a date for a meeting with John” is much more involved than one would think. I could just pick up the phone dial an extension and go from there because everyone has been so gracious about this Cabrillo dynamic that we have truly experienced what college cohesion looks like.  So right now I don’t care who answers the phone. I know someone is around to help, and today that is all that matters. I can’t really say this will be true tomorrow, but all is well for now!