Labor on the Radar

May 2020

Everett Community College: Everett Community College faculty union donates $5,000 to EvCC Food Pantry

Everett Community College’s faculty union is donating $5,000 to the EvCC Food Pantry to purchase food for students and employees in need.

The union, the American Federation of Teachers Local 1873, made the donation at its executive council meeting in April.

“We hope that these funds ease some of the burden students are experiencing and allow them to continue to progress towards achieving their academic and career goals. As faculty, we are inspired by our students every day and honored to take this opportunity to help sustain our EvCC community,” EvCC Chemistry Instructor Anne Brackett wrote in a note with the donation.

In addition to the EvCC AFT donation, $500 was donated to the Food Pantry by the Everett Education Association and $300 from AFT Washington.

The EvCC Food Pantry is a student-led and organized free service available to EvCC students and employees experiencing food insecurity. Although EvCC’s campus is closed to the public, the Food Pantry is open by appointment to current students and employees. To request an appointment, email foodpantry@everettcc.edu.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused financial hardship for many students, said Jennifer Rhodes, EvCC Associate Dean of Student LIFE & Athletics.

“We have seen a large increase in users now that spring quarter classes are in session,” Rhodes said. “I expect continued increase in need with the high unemployment rate and as funds for students and employees continue to tighten.”

To donate to EvCC’s Food Pantry, visit the Everett Community College Foundation website at EverettCC.edu/Foundation and note the amount you want to give in the Donate to the Foundation section on the top right side of the webpage. Note EvCC Food Pantry in the section that asks where you’d like to send your donation to.

From the Chronicle for Higher Education: Now - Yes, Now - is the Time For Contingent Faculty To Organize

“Long before the virus, uncertainty was a given for contingent faculty. Many of us have little sense of our next teaching gig. We can barely sign a lease, let alone get a loan on a house. Yet, averaged across all higher-ed institutions, we’re responsible for teaching the majority of college courses. In the University of California system, we teach many of the smaller courses, so we know the names of our students. We listen to them as they struggle through the complexities of recent adulthood and university life. Many of us become mentors who disappear at the end of the quarter.”

Read the article here.