City College added an Outstanding Administrator of the Year Award to the list of faculty awards given, and backlash has already surfaced from its monetary reward.
Many college workers are upset about the difference in prize money granted with the Outstanding Administrator and Outstanding Classified Employee awards as it implies a division of merit between City College employees.
The winner of Outstanding Classified Employees award earns $1000, while Outstanding Administrators receive $2000. Adjunct faculty does not receive any awards.
“There’s no administrator on this campus that’s worth more than I or my colleagues or anyone else,” said David Stone, inventory control technician on behalf of classified employees. “We are all the pillars and the columns that support this institution.”
Stone and three other City College employees voiced their opinion in a campus-wide email discussing the monetary value of the awards.
“I think everyone on campus deserves a pat on the back since the college itself has been winning so many lately,” said technical support specialist Sandy Evenson in the email. “But it’s a team effort, which is our faculty, our adjuncts, our staff, our management, our administrators, our students pulling together.”
Groundskeeper Juan Patino was recently nominated by Superintendent-President Lori Gaskin for the Outstanding Classified Employee of the Year Award. He has worked for City College for 36 years and was runner-up for this award in 2009.
This year, the prize money increased for the Classified Employee award. Previous award winners have only received $500 and runners-up received $100.
“If it’s going to be a recognition program, the rewards for that should be the same across the board,” Stone said. “This is a public institution.”
Sharon Remacle, human resources technician, said that raising the award to an equal amount for all employees would “not be happening.”
Remacle said that if any official change to the awards were made, Superintendent-President Lori Gaskin would implement it.
“It’s important that when people look at us they say, ‘Hey, they really look out for all their people,’” Stone said. “I can’t unequivocally say that. No, I don’t believe it.”
