Hames planning continues

The Hames PE Center still has a shot. After the city approved a measure to keep funding its operation until November 30th, task force members have been meeting regularly to iron out the details of a one year lease. Their next meeting is this Friday, November 2nd, 12:00pm at the fire hall.

Keep up the good work.

Letter to the Department of Labor

I've completed a draft of a letter to be sent to the Department of Labor on behalf of former staff and faculty, if you've emailed me and wish to sign on, I'll be sending it to you. My email is peoplecallmebryner@yahoo.com

Hatchery update

Thursday's Sentinel reported that the Hatchery was denied an appeal by the USDA to reinstate the funding needed to continue operations for one year. The USDA cited SJ's financial instability as the reason for the denial. Dan Goodness pledged to volunteer his time to see the brood stock through, but whether the lights will stay on in Sage is another question.

The article also referenced the $1.2 million Dept. of Commerce grant, which needs a $300,000.00 match from SJ. Will SJ come up with the funds?

Another sticky issue with the Dept. of Commerce grant: it calls for a floating dock capable of handling small cruise ships. If past ballot initiatives are any indication, Sitkans will not support this piece. I'd hate to see the Hatchery's future jeopardized by combining its popular program with an unpopular dock effort.

Assembly supports SJ Hatchery (In word)

At its October 24th meeting, the City Assembly approved a resolution in support of the SJ Hatchery's continuation. Raven Radio has the story here, and the Sentinel also covered the news. Keith Cox and Dan Goodness were strong advocates for the program, which lost financial support from a USDA grant when SJ closed. While the grant is being appealed, the Hatchery's future is in jeopardy. The city called on groups, individuals, and agencies to do what they can to help.

IRS files lien

It appears that the IRS has filed a tax lien against Sheldon Jackson College in the amount of $226,328.44, according to a document listed on the Alaska State Recorder website.

According to my count, that means that there are four organizations with liens against the former College: Alaska Growth Capital, PC USA, The city and borough of Sitka, and now the IRS.

Where do (and more importantly, where should) former employees stand in line for unpaid severance and annual leave? I believe we should be first in line, and must take the necessary steps to move there.

Staff & Faculty meet, discuss next steps

Last night was a good and productive meeting. It was good to see lots of familiar faces, reconnect, share good news, and unite along a common goal of advocating for ourselves.

First, the good news: New jobs (Cerissa, Lori, Kathy); promotions (Heather); babies (Jo Jo, Chesa); a graduation (Patricia) and; a new home (Marcel). As always, we'd love to hear from others. Post here or email me at peoplecallmebryner@yahoo.com.

We also spoke at length about severance and annual leave. The consensus: we are dissatisfied with the lack of communication and effort on the part of the College to resolve the issue. We are clear in our desire to have the Department Labor take a more active role in advocating on our behalf, and we are committed to working together to bringing about a timely and equitable resolution. We will pursue all avenues available to us.

I am in the process of drafting a letter to the Department of Labor. If you wish to sign on to it, please contact me.

We've also decided that we should meet again soon. I propose a pre-Thanksgiving potluck, sometime in mid-November. More details to come.

Raven Radio covers Tribal College and ACPE Meetings

Raven Radio's coverage of last Thursday's Tribal College Meeting and ACPE Meeting can be found at www.kcaw.org, or by following the links above.

All Former Employees: Tuesday Meeting

Folks, a short meeting and time for catching up has been scheduled for Tuesday night at 7:00, Centennial Hall. We'll discuss severance and annual leave issues, future meetings/gatherings, and then catch up.

I hope you'll all attend.

ACPE Meets - prepares to investigate student complaints

The Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education (ACPE) held their quarterly meeting today. On the agenda was the situation at SJ. The highlights:

ACPE staff recognized Kathy Newman and David Harrington, along with staff at UAS for their work on the teach-out, which includes 12 students.

They also approved a motion to investigate complaints received from former students regarding costs incurred due to closure, scholarships promised but not disbursed, and other financial matters. They will reportedly be contacting affected students.

The earlier decision to cancel authorization to operate stands, and was not further addressed. It did not appear that anyone from SJ attended.

Sheldon Jackson Childcare Center Inc.

Good news for the childcare center! Having formed a new organization, Sheldon Jackson Childcare Center Inc., the center signed a 90 day operating agreement yesterday. during this time period, the group will work to develop a long term lease agreement. The Sentinel reported the news in Wednesday's paper, and included a photo of President Dobler, center staff, and a bunch of kids gathered around for the signing. I spoke with Lolly and a member of her board, and both felt good about the agreement. Congratulations to everyone who helped make this possible.

3 Meetings & 29 down

Two meetings held tomorrow may shed some light on the future direction of (or at least the future after) Sheldon Jackson College.

First, the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education (ACPE) will hold their regularly scheduled meeting at 9:00am, Thursday, October 11th. To call in and listen by audio-conference, dial 1-800.315.6338. When prompted, enter the conference id# 6740#. I'm not sure where SJ is on the agenda.

Later Thursday evening at 7:30pm, a meeting is being held to discuss the possibilities of developing a tribal college in Sitka. If you've read earlier posts, you'll know that this may not involve SJ directly, but certainly is of interest to those who value education. The meeting is held at Centennial Hall.

There's also been a discussion happening in the comments section about a "former employee" gathering. I propose that we meet next Tuesday, October 16th, 7:00PM at Centennial Hall. On the agenda: severance & annual leave, updates, and fellowship.
RSVP via "comments".

Also, today marks the last day of employment for 29 of the remaining 35 employees at SJ. I wish each of you every success. Please keep us in the loop as to your plans. I have personally received great support from the Department of Labor and the Job Center. Dave Reid and Barb Truitt have been wonderful. Contact them at 747-3423.

Severance & Annual Leave on hold

It appears that the Department of Labor has not been notified of the Board's plan for honoring their commitment to employees regarding severance and annual leave. I had heard that the Board approved a plan at their September meeting (although I have not seen Board minutes). When speaking with Department folks on Friday, I was told that they had not heard of the Board's decision.

The original plan called for paying staff and faculty by tenure; the folks who had been at SJ the longest would be paid first, etc. Informing the Department of Labor of this plan's approval would start the clock, so instead, SJ has kept quiet. Which means that compensation owed to folks (many of whom remain unemployed) is not forthcoming.

The President has stated that they must first sell some property before funds are available.

Former employees have received notice of the amount to be paid, but not any sort of reasonable time frame in which to be paid. This needs to change.

To date, the Department of Labor has not received any former wage claims against the College. Perhaps this should change also.

Student records on the move

The Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education (ACPE) is on campus this week to take control over student records. Both electronic data and paper copies have been collected and will be sent to Juneau. Students requesting transcripts can still call the Registrar at this time, but it is uncertain for how long. ACPE can be contacted through their website, for more information.

Assembly Meeting Outcomes

The city assembly met last night to address several issues related to SJ: Hames PE Center, Stratton Library, Childcare Center, and outstanding utility payments. The house was packed with supporters of a plan to keep open Hames open for a year, while community planners develop a long term solution.

In the end:
Hames received continued support through November 30th. Far from a year of support, the assembly intends to use this time to iron out lease issues to pave the way for a year-long commitment.

The Assembly stayed with the original plan of requiring a promissory note on the $450k SJ owes them for unpaid utilities. SJ had asked for 5%, no payments for a year, one lump sum after one year. The city kept with a ten year, 12% note.

Testimony was given by members of the public regarding Stratton Libray's archives, the Childcare Center's plan to stay open, and support for Hames.

My impression:
The city and Sheldon Jackson will struggle to serve our community well unless they find more productive ways of working together. The assembly uses public meetings to criticize the College, and the College seems to withhold information pertinent to good decision-making. The public looks on and gets the impression that no one has their interests in mind. SJ and the city are on the hook if they fail to deliver.

I hope that Hames, Stratton, and the Childcare Center find new life with - or without - the city's involvement. They are valuable resources to our community.

Tribal College Meeting

A meeting has been scheduled to discuss the potential of developing a tribal college in Sitka. The announcement was made by Ted Wright, who was part of a group to lead this effort years ago, and who has received several calls since SJ's closure. The meeting is not necessarily about converting SJ to a tribal college, but to discuss the issue of a tribal college in general. The meeting will take place 6:00 - 7:30 PM Thursday, October 11 in the Maksoutoff Room of the Centennial Building.

Rumor Mill

"There are a terrible lot of lies going about the world, and the worst of it is that half of them are true." ~Winston Churchill

Lately, I've been hearing a lot of rumors. It's next to impossible to know which, if any, hint at the truth. All are somewhat plausible, and none are beneath the current situation the College finds itself in.

I've listed them below. Act responsibly once you've read them. Don't spread them like wildfire. Instead, work to confirm them or dispose of them.

1. Cruise line to purchase portion of SJ property for lightering facility. Rumor has it, that an agency has made an offer. Reliability: who knows?

2. $1.2 million grant lacks the matching funds needed to keep it. Reliability: Possible, since the College is in financial crisis.

3. City gets better position on lien because of some change / oversight by SJ lender. Reliability: Could be, since some reference was made to this during last Assembly Meeting.

The truth: There'd be less rumors if the College would open up lines of communication. The website hasn't changed for over a month, Board minutes are unavailable, phones go unanswered regularly, messages aren't returned.

Stratton Library Story on Raven Radio

I had originally missed this story on Raven Radio regarding the situation at Stratton. Thursday's assembly meeting will also address Stratton's future. Consider listening to this story as homework for tomorrow.

My recent letter to the editor RE: Assembly Action

Submitted Tuesday, October 2nd, the day of municipal elections:

Congratulations to the recently elected Assembly and School Board candidates. While I’m sure that your plates are quite full, I hope that you’ll invest both time and energy in addressing the closure of Sheldon Jackson College and its impact on our community. To date, several faculty and staff remain unemployed, and many have left Sitka. The 100 students usually enrolled have also gone on to other schools, or have dropped out completely. Each one of these folks, in addition to being employed or enrolled at the College, were also taxpayers, customers, renters, homeowners, volunteers, and valued members of our community. What has their loss cost our community, now that they are gone? What can be done to support those who remain, and what is the city’s role in all of this?

I believe that the city has an opportunity, and an obligation, to respond in a meaningful way to these issues. I am counting on you to attend and participate in this Thursday’s assembly special session, where these issues will be addressed. To ignore the needs of those left in the wake of Sheldon Jackson’s closure, and to fail to address the potential loss of valued community resources previously provided by the College, is to fail those who elected you to serve their interests and the best interests of our community. Seize this opportunity to lead our community during this crucial time of need.

Sincerely,


Chris Bryner
Sitka, AK