Faculty throughout the District recently have expressed concern and asked questions about DCCCD Board Policy DBD(LOCAL), which was updated on 12/20/2017, upon approval by the Board of Trustees on 12/5/2017. The policy generally speaks to issues related to conflict of interest and conflict of commitment.
The most recent changes were sparked to respond to instances of District employees using District resources, such as computers and email, to do work for other entities or run businesses, on District time either on District premises or while at home on a purported telecommuting arrangement.
Chancellor May has repeatedly assured faculty that the policy language is not designed to prohibit employees from teaching as adjunct faculty for other colleges, or to prohibit employees from working in the private sector. Indeed, the Chancellor even said that it is beneficial for faculty to teach at transfer institutions or work in industry as a means to help them stay current in their respective teaching fields.
After a number of DCCFA members raised concerns, members of the Faculty Council met Friday, Jan. 26, with Frank Hill, of Hill-Gilstrap, who has represented many DCCFA members over the years, and is unmatched in higher education labor law. He advised us as follows:
- The District indeed can prohibit faculty (or any employee) from simultaneously holding two full-time positions at two separate educational institutions.
- Some of the language regarding conflict of commitment may be problematic, given its vagueness.
Regarding the second item, DCCFA President Bill Hammerschlag asked Mr. Hill to join us in reaching out to District officials in an effort to correct problematic and confusing language, both in DBD(LOCAL) and other DCCCD Board Policy documents.
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