The Accreditation Team is here to measure the health of this institution. There are indications that the diagnosis should be: "the patient is sick and needs immediate attention."

So what are some of the symptoms that concern us?

1. acrimonious negotiations that have demoralized staff and faculty
   We are "sick" of the hostile and uncaring atmosphere in which we now learn, teach and work.
2. unjust treatment of two-thirds of the faculty
   Part-time faculty are approximately two-thirds of the college's academic employees. Part-time faculty of "sick of" unequal pay for equal work, "sick of" poor working conditions, and "sick of" a district that does not value our professional services to students.
3. lack of equal access for studentsto their professors.
   Students in nearly one-third of all sections at Pasadena City College have part-time professors who are not able to work with their students outside of the classroom to mentor, tutor, and assist them in successfully reaching their educational goals. It is not "healthy" for students to be denied of equal access to their professors, simply because they have the bad luck to register for a section taught by a part-time faculty member who has no office, campus phone, or conference hours.
4. a financial "bottom line" mentality that places buildings and landscaping ahead of supporting the instructional mission of the college.
   Where are the well-equipped classrooms, functioning photocopiers, and accessible work areas that would make it possible for all faculty to deliver a strong instructional program? It makes us "sick to think of all the time,effort, and expense that has been invested in getting the physical campus ready for the accreditation visit, when there has been no comparable investment in the academic environment of the college.
5. the college's delay in using $1.1 million it has received from the state to increase part-time pay.
   The college is pocketing the interest on this $1.1 million, while part-time faculty earn roughly 50 cents on the dollar compared to their full-time colleagues. The college's "healthy" reserves are being built on the "sickeningly" low wages it pays its part-time faculty.

We say that the college is in critical condition

We call on the Board of Trustees and the district's administration to once again focus on its all-important mission of providing an academic community for students where they learn from and with faculty and staff who are empowered and encouraged to be the best professionals they can be.

Only when this is a reality can we say we have a "healthy" college that is worthy of accreditation renewal fo six years.