Monthly Archives: September 2018

Recognizing Part-Time Faculty

Do part-time faculty get the recognition they deserve? Many think they don’t, whether it is that they are seen as not having enough time to be as involved as full-time faculty or it being dependant on the department they’re in. Whatever the case may be, most agree on giving them more recognition and Chabot is taking suggestions and trying their best to do that.

Chabot College President Dr. Susan Sperling who was also an adjunct before, expressed her opinion on the topic, “From my experience, I felt I didn’t have full benefits and there was a sense I wasn’t completely integrated into the power structure of my department.” President Sperling added that, “We have a great group of teachers who should all get the same recognition as they are all a big part of Chabot College,” she ended by saying “We are planning to change that, I don’t know why it needed to wait that long,” referring to part-time faculty getting equal recognition.

Vice President of Academic Services Dr. Stacy Thompson also understands the situation as she was also a part-time instructor in the past. Dr. Thompson said she “Understands having more full-time instructors that can be more active with students.”

Dr. Thompson stated that she supports “Having as many full-time faculty as the budget allows” however she added, “We could definitely do more as far as part-time faculty appreciation and I’m open to ideas and suggestions for that.”  

English Professor Mr. Darvin Wilson who has been with Chabot College for 35 years told us, “There are certain advantages of being a part-time professor, being an adjunct is a very good situation for me as it allows me to pursue two different careers”. Mr. Wilson ended with, “At the same time I feel I don’t have much time to dedicate to things like committee work and so on, for Chabot, I like that there is a lot of help for adjuncts though.”

For Christie Verarde, adjunct instructor in Academic Services, part-time appreciation depends on the department. When asked about the subject she said, “I think that the level of appreciation depends on the department, in my department, early childhood, I believe that is the case, it’s a strong department and we support each other.”

Eileen Pippins who has taught part-time at Chabot since 2014, told us, “I’ve seen the campus create more opportunities for part-timers.” When asked why she believes part-timers may not get equal recognition, she said, “It might be that we are thought of as always busy, but that isn’t the case for everyone.”

Professor Chad Mark Glen stated, “They’re the unsung heroes, they are deserving of recognition,” when asked about his opinion on adjuncts.

All in all, there is definitely more being done to make adjuncts feel more included at Chabot. Strides are being made to give them the recognition they deserve.

The Estuary Experience

Dr. Eric Schultz also known as “Schltz” hosted a party for the release of his album “Estuary,” on August 30 in the 1200 building. He discussed the process of creating his album and establishing a new artistic identity.

Schltz is a music production, theory and history teacher here on campus. He has spent most of his career as a classical composer, saxophonist, and music technologist. His musical interests range from acoustic and electronic, to mainstream and experimental.

Once on sabbatical, he embarked on the challenging journey of creating an album from start to finish and figuring out what was the proper way to release it as an independent artist in this complicated era in the music industry. He wanted to stay relevant with what his students are currently doing.

As students, friends, and faculty gathered for the “Estuary” listening party, Schltz opened up the night by thanking everyone for attending. Then we began the “Estuary” experience. The audience was energetic and grooving to the songs, as one song played after another, people would dance, smile and play the occasional imaginary instrument, needless to say, the energy in the room was electric.

Schltz credited Josh Ocasion, a Chabot alumni and one of his former students, for inspiring him to create his album. Josh later commented that he, “Felt honored that he was given credit but didn’t feel worthy.” Ocasion said Schltz was the person who set him on his path and has impacted his music tremendously. After listening to “Estuary” he felt inspired and very proud of his former teacher.

As we continued our experience we heard a song that expressed happiness, aggression, and liberation. We heard a range of instruments and sounds from the musical spectrum, some that are not usually paired together but were now complementary to one another.

I later asked Schltz what was an inspiration and influence for the album and he stated “‘Estuary’ is a confluence of multiple musical experiences. The tracks on this album are influenced by my grounding in the world of academic concert music, my explorations as an experimental art musician and technologist, my saltier times as a baritone saxophone player in jazz, blues and country bands, and my current life in which I am a professor of music production and beat making. I find the music on this album to be true to all of these influences, without having denied anything from any of them.” If you would like to listen to the album “Estuary” its available on Apple Music, Google Play, Spotify, Amazon, Tidal, and YouTube. You can also listen to the album for free and buy merchandise at schltzmusic.com. Happy listening.