March 2012 Articles
Story ideas? Opinions? Questions, Compliments, or Complaints? Send us an email at facultyadvocate@gmail.com.
Solidarity by Glenn Hansen
COD's African-American Read-In Builds Connections & Community by Karin Evans
Across the Business Disciplines by Kathy Horton & John Kovach
Entrepreneurship Club of COD Offers Real-World Experiences by Sonny Smith
Solidarity by Glenn Hansen
It's been a great first month as president of the College of DuPage Faculty Association and Faculty Senate. You may read that and ask yourself, "what?" I say this because of the unity I see in our 
Association. I want to sincerely thank YOU. It's also been a pleasure meeting the many new members of the faculty and in time I hope to meet everyone; so until then, welcome and please introduce yourself, if we haven't had the opportunity to be introduced.
The Association is what we make it; a union is not an organization that is detached and separate from its members. An Association is a union of people. Several years ago while talking to the classified staff about organizing, I was asked if they would get the contract we had. My answer was a straightforward "it depends". It depended on what they did with the opportunity to work together. IEA was not going to solve their problems for them. IEA is our resource for support and information, but "we" are IEA. "We" are a collective organization of professional individuals united by our commitment to education, our students, and each other. "We" are successful because our strength lies in our collective wisdom, experience, and actions.
You have demonstrated this commitment beyond any doubt to everyone inside and outside the Faculty. You have turned out in large numbers for meetings and discussions. You have openly shared your ideas and differing perspectives, thank you. You have supported our negotiation team loudly and clearly. You have given me incredible support. We will need to continue to be united; we have only started down a long and difficult road. There are huge challenges ahead of us that no one person or small team can tackle alone, but as a group it will be different result. (Four and five years ago I was writing about challenges. Some things never change.)
Please note, that there is no reason to be fearful or support a climate of fear. There can be no reprisal for union activity. We are a group of intelligent and credentialed professionals, both in educational matters and our fields of expertise. If you ever feel that there has been a reprisal or the sense of a reprisal, contact me and our Grievance team immediately, there is a good chance you are not alone in your concern. If you just want to talk with me alone, please do, I love the opportunity to listen and help.
Unions exist for a reason; they have grown out of adversarial conditions, unions are formed to protect worker's rights. If workers had always been treated with respect and dignity there would be no unions.
Stay united, stand together; what you do is for each other, future faculty members, and future students.
COD's African-American Read-In Builds Connections & Community by Karin Evans
Professor Cheryl Jackson, a guiding force behind College of DuPage's annual African-American Read-In, vividly recalls first hearing her colleague Deborah Adelman read from Langston Hughes'
"Simple Stories." Adelman knew the stories from her childhood—her father subscribed to the Chicago Defender, and her family discussed how Hughes' character Simple is not so simple. Jackson was struck by the common ground. "Deborah was a Jewish girl in Milwaukee, and I'm from a black Christian background, and our families were having the same conversations."
Jackson says the Read-In is a space that brings people together. Professor and coordinator of Health Information Technology at COD, Jackson also has spent many years doing ministry through storytelling. In 2003, Irene O'Conner, who knew of Jackson's work as a storyteller, brought Jackson an announcement from the Black Caucus of the National Council of Teachers of English about the Read-In initiative. The very next day, Jackson, says, she saw a big sign—literally—calling for readers for an African-American Read-In at Governors State University where she was taking classes. That's when she knew she was hooked. She went back to O'Conner and they took the idea to the African Diaspora Committee. COD's first African-American Read-In had twenty-three readers and lasted for three hours!
The 2012 Read-In featured fifteen presenters, including numerous COD faculty and staff. There were readings and commentaries featuring Maya Angelou, Gwendolyn Brooks, Langston Hughes, Duke Ellington, and others. Students and faculty came and went during the two-hour event on the rhythm of class periods; faculty members circulated sign-in sheets; student groups clumped together. Audience members learned a little about life during segregation, a little about Duke Ellington's political views, a little about Gwendolyn Brooks' commitment to help children everywhere find poetry in their lives. Serendipity emerges in the program every year, according to Jackson: "In this year's read-in, there were very common themes—but none of this was planned."
During the Read-In, there are slides showing the faces of the writers and artists as each presenter speaks. "We put a face on each selection for the students. Then the enthusiasm and passion of each presenter—how did this person touch me, or how did I start to listen to this music—sharing that personal meaning, that's what builds community," says Jackson. "We get to hear people's stories in their own voices."
Across the Business Disciplines: The "Strategic Financial Society" Student Organization by Kathy Horton & John Kovach
A group of enthusiastic and innovative students have developed a new student club at the College of DuPage. The stated purpose of the Strategic Financial Society (SFS) is "to provide students with an 
educational and social group that promotes opportunities to develop education, research, leadership, and networking skills in the fields of accounting, finance, business and economics."
In the few months the club has been in existence, they have hosted several impressive events. The club's first meeting was a discussion of the banking system and a brief 30 minute easy-to-follow, humorous video on banking. Members have contributed several reports on financial topics that the presenter has a particular interest in. There have also been two sessions of "Financial Game Shows," pitting teams of students against each other on business and financial topics ranging from easy to difficult.
Recently, they had a "Stock Market 101" session. In this unique presentation, the group was given a "pop quiz" on stock market topics and copies of informational handouts. They first attempted the questions as a group, and then used the handouts (and the expertise of their club advisors) to answer each question correctly.
Those club advisors are accounting faculty members, John Kovach and Kathy Horton. They are particularly pleased to be associated with this club because it reaches across many business disciplines and allows students to network with various business majors. SFS also welcomes students of any major interested in learning more about the financial environment.
The club is currently working on staging a "mock trial" focusing on financial fraud. In this event, they would like to partner with the Paralegal Club and the Sociology Club and simulate a trial, using the courthouse room in the Homeland Security Building.
For more information about SFS, you can contact them, visit them on the web or on Facebook.
Entrepreneurship Club of COD Offers Real-World Experiences by Sonny Smith
The College of DuPage Entrepreneurship Club, student-run, student-led, offers students a variety of experiences beyond the classroom. From meeting with local business owners at Chamber of Commerce
events to bake sales, these students get real-world experience to last them a lifetime.
At first blush a bake sale may not seem like a learning experience, but for students who have never had to organize an event, the recent bake sale was an eye opening experience. The process of developing a product line, having it meet the requirements of COD for student sales, developing a staffing roster for the event, staffing the event and doing the accounting for the sale afterwards provided club members with insights into a real business environment.
At the After Hours Business meetings of the Lisle Chamber of Commerce, several students were able to meet and interact one on one with local business owners such as B. Gunther & Company, Woodridge Food Pantry, and Hilton Hotels. This experience opened students up to the world of diverse business in a way that simply can't be duplicated in the classroom.
Umair Shah, President of COD Entrepreneurship Club, commented that "the link between Chamber of Commerce events and our student body provides an excellent source of knowledge that students can share and learn from."
As a Professor of Business at COD and faculty advisor of the Entrepreneurship Club, I see the mission of the club as a bridge between the theory of classroom and the reality of the boardroom. The Entrepreneurship Club allows students the opportunity to explore and gain knowledge in a business environment without the full risk of trying to launch a business.
Clubs like the Entrepreneurship Club serve District 502 students in ways that can't be quantified. They build bridges to the greater community and teach lessons that go beyond the classroom. For more information on this club, please contact: Umair Shah or Professor Sonny Smith.
