I don't know. I'd have to get back in touch with you with that one.
Five percent, ten percent, twenty percent? Any ballpark?
I honestly do not have a flavor one way or the other. I'd have to get back in touch with you.
Because I do know we have people in Delaware. I do know we have people in Jersey. I do know we have people in Maryland. But I do not know the numbers.
Well, let me ask this question: Do the people who work for SEPTA have access to, I guess for lack of a better terms, SEPTA or company vehicles?
There are some that actually it's a requirement because they're 24/7; they're on call.
All right. Let me ask for this information, then. You'd be able to forward to us the total number of employees, total number of employees who live outside the State of Pennsylvania, 432 Whole - Operating Budget - 5/4/04 total number of employees with vehicles, total number of employees with vehicles who are allowed to take them outside the State of Pennsylvania. Have any of the vehicles ever been in an accident?
I would love to say no, but I can only imagine that there might have been some accidents. We'd have to double check that one as well.
Okay. And I'd be interested in any that have been in an accident outside the State of Pennsylvania.
And with regard to the 9,000 employees, if you could give us a statistical breakdown by county, in Pennsylvania at least, and then whether you want to have a City or county or, I guess at a minimum, a state analysis of anyone outside the state, but anyone who lives in Pennsylvania regardless of county, that would be that would be helpful.
Could I fine tune that a little bit? I think Councilman Nutter's request was people that take vehicles home that live outside the state. I'd be interested to know how many people take home vehicles, and whether they're 24/7 types versus a manager that drives it back and forth to work.
Well, I guess along the lines of where Councilman Rizzo was, has there been any analysis of... And maybe do this on a regular basis. Of the people who have vehicles, has there been 434 Whole - Operating Budget - 5/4/04 given, at least from a management standpoint, if not the economics of it... The City is, for instance, going to -- or maybe has pretty much gone through an exhaustive process of basically calling cars back, taking vehicles back from people. And I mean, we should see, I guess, a slight increase in ridership on SEPTA because I think that's how many of them are either getting to work or getting to their work sites because they don't have City cars any more. We're trying to do our part.
Has there been the same kind of analysis by SEPTA of vehicles that are -- employees who are allowed to have vehicles?
Yes, sir. It is done on a regular basis. I think one of the last times we did it, it might have been two and a half, three years ago. And -- But we have always had a pattern of reduction. 435 Whole - Operating Budget - 5/4/04 We might have 25, maybe 30, where we have overnight. And many of those are safety related, but we can get to the details.
Pshew! I knew you were going to ask that, as soon as I said that.
Okay. All right. I know I've asked for a fair amount of data, but do you have a sense of when you'd be able to get that all compiled?
If you're not asking us 436 Whole - Operating Budget - 5/4/04 to give it as of like yesterday, I think some of the historical information could be readily available. So I would hope by --
Yes. I mean, as long as it's relatively recent. I mean, if you tell me that it's, you know, January, February, I mean...
I will tell you that our financial people at the end of every year reviews -- they review the list, just to make sure that we don't have any hidden tax problems, so we all get little dunning notices. So the information should be close by. They keep a track of the vehicles, who takes them home overnight, et cetera. So, it might be as of the end of December.
Well, if you're really commuting back and forth, you do have some 437 Whole - Operating Budget - 5/4/04 tax exposure versus if you have to take the vehicle home because you're on call or safety related.
Okay. Let me go back to pretty much where I started, and then I'll be done. With regard to the dedicated funding issue, there are, I think, a number of people in the General Assembly who have expressed an interest in this particular area. One who I've worked with on a pretty regular basis is State Representative Dwight Evans.
Who has a piece of legislation in. There could be others, and I'm not speaking one way or the other about anyone else's proposal. But has SEPTA received or had any discussions with the various counties -- Philadelphia is a city and a county -- about our support of your efforts or our collective efforts to see a dedicated funding source put into place, an increase 438 Whole - Operating Budget - 5/4/04 of the subsidy, the one position that we know we all agree to. And would it be helpful, from your perspective, to have that kind of expression of support for the idea -- Not going to get into the peculiarities of a particular piece of legislation. But would it be helpful to have an expression of support from the City for that kind of effort?
Yes, sir, it would. I'm glad you mentioned that because Miss Jones had reminded me that we are supposed to get on your calendar so we can just ask that type of support from you. So, thank you. It would be wonderful.
We're seeking the same type of support from the suburban locations.
I think it would be very helpful. I'd like to talk to you about it; and, you know, hopefully it's 439 Whole - Operating Budget - 5/4/04 something that we can get done in relatively short order. Thank you. Thank you, Madam President.
Thanks. First of all, I want to thank you for your staff. You may or may not be aware of this, that there was a dangerous condition that existed in the Northwest. There is a road that the community believed for years and years and years and years that it was a City street. And after some research, it was determined that it was SEPTA. And many of the people in this room helped make that a safer situation, but the deal isn't really done. Now, that we realize that it is a SEPTA road, there are some issues that could affect the property owners there because of title insurance, et cetera, that now is a concern to some of the residents 440 Whole - Operating Budget - 5/4/04 on that one block between Bethlehem Pike and I believe Summit. Summit. So, I would like to eventually bring this issue to closure. The roadway is safer now because your people installed signage to make it one way. But I think the bigger concern now is that we've learned that it is not a City street, we really need to better understand what the ramification is to the property owners that live there. So again, that's not something we can deal with here. My last comment is, it appears very difficult to communicate with SEPTA, to either compliment the operator of a motor vehicle or to complain about one. And I would hope there would be more compliments than complaints.
But I can tell you that I've talked to numerous people that have had encounters with a SEPTA bus, almost road rage, and wanted to complain to 441 Whole - Operating Budget - 5/4/04 SEPTA about the conduct of the operator of that vehicle. And they found it to be almost impossible. I know you have a web address on the bus. There's no phone number for a person when they call the general number to navigate or to speak to someone to express their concerns is very difficult. And the impression from various people is that the top management really doesn't want to get complaints about the operation of their vehicles. So I would really like because I'm a Councilman-at-Large -- I represent the entire City -- I want to be assured that if a person wants to compliment or complain about the conduct of a SEPTA employee, I'd like you to explain to me how they do that. Do I have to give them your phone number? I notice that... I notice that on many union-driven tractor-trailers there's signage, how's my driving? There's a phone number to compliment or complain. It is very, very difficult to try to 442 Whole - Operating Budget - 5/4/04 communicate with your company. And I would just like to hear your response to that. And I would love to see some day a phone number on a bus to say, if you want to talk to us, here's how you do it.
Okay. We will double check, but I was under the impression that on every bus there was the web site, as well as a main number. But I will also tell you that --
Just a web site. Well, I am corrected. I will also tell you, though, that we recognize that some of our customer service initiatives were somewhat lacking. So, we're going to be announcing shortly -- We're in the testing period now. But there will be one main number for SEPTA. If you have complaints, commendations, don't know how to reach people, there will be one number. Currently there are about two or three numbers that you can call, and 443 Whole - Operating Budget - 5/4/04 everybody gets really confused. So we're going to centralize it in such a way that there is one number. We've also expanded the hours for our customer service, so that you don't have to do it from 9:00 to 4:00 which is what some individuals were finding some problems with. I also talked to folks about why we don't have a general number, but hopefully that can be part of the rollout that we'll do with the new customer service.
You know, I'm not sure having a phone number to customer service is the proper place to have a peer deal with a complaint. I'm sure... Well, I'm not sure how appropriately, if someone just called and got a customer service rep and said, I want to report a person that just did something wrong... You know, bang the keys a little bit. Followup's important. Maybe the Safety Office or the SEPTA Police... I 444 Whole - Operating Budget - 5/4/04 mean, these are only my suggestions because I've heard that it is very, very difficult to communicate. Let me see. I guess that's it. I just wanted to make sure that we had something in place there. There was something else on my mind, but I'm not sure what it is at the moment. But I'll get back to you personally on that. But if you could take a look at those couple issues because I think --
-- that there's about to be a problem with some of the folks that live in the Northwest area.
Okay. We will do that. And I've also... As we get ready to roll out the customer service initiatives, we'll send you something letting you know because part of the retraining process included customer service agents taking more information. The absolute best way to get a commendation or complaint is through 445 Whole - Operating Budget - 5/4/04 customer service. We have a system in place. They can spread the information out quickly, and we all know to respond.
Miss Moore, I'd appreciate your directing that information to me.
And I would make certain that all of the Council members received it.
Thank you. Miss Moore, has the ridership on the Airport Line improved? I know there was great concern about that last year. If it has not, what are you doing about promoting the benefits?
Well, I will tell you that there is slight improvement. The ridership numbers are better. Some of the 446 Whole - Operating Budget - 5/4/04 operating ratios are just about the same as they were before. We are... I guess within the next couple of weeks we're going to be doing some special initiative with Southwest, so we're always looking at ways to try to funnel passengers to the R1 Airport Line. We work very closely with the Airport Executive Director. And so, you know, they've increased the number of monthly passes. So we are seeing some movement. But again, as that movement occurs with ridership, we're always seeing corresponding increases in expense. So from an operating stance, it's just about the same, but we are seeing some tiny movement in the ridership.
Yes. Thank you, Madam President. Please give us the number of 447 Whole - Operating Budget - 5/4/04 deputies you have, just the number of deputies you have there at SEPTA.
One woman who is African American, one African American male, one Latino male. Did I get everybody? Okay. Everybody else is white male, of direct reports.
Okay. The MBE WBE function, is that within a department or does that rest with a staff person? How is that tackled with at SEPTA?
We have a unit specifically assigned, so it is within one of the divisions of one of my direct reports.
Okay. All 448 Whole - Operating Budget - 5/4/04 right, then. Thank you very much.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman Rizzo.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I never forget what I remember. You can use that one. (Laughter.)
I've noticed something. And we all read in the paper of the controversy about people driving and talking on cell telephones.
Hate to tell you. I see a lot of bus drivers talking on cell phones and driving the bus. And I understand that there's a policy. But I saw in Center City a bus driver trying to make a turn from JFK onto one of the numbered streets or whatever. And he had the cell phone tucked under his neck and trying to drive the bus with one hand, making the turning, and he continued 449 Whole - Operating Budget - 5/4/04 the conversation. What's your policy? It's got to be -- That's dangerous to have a bus driver. It's bad enough for a person driving a car, let alone a bus driver talking on a -- I'm assuming it's a personal cell phone.
It would have to be, yes because we have pagers, and so there is no 11 need for him to have the personal cell phone. In any instance that you see like that, Councilman, if you could call my number directly, just give me the bus number.
That there are no cell phones. There are absolutely not supposed to be cell phones.
I mean, I have no 23 problem with them having a cell phone if they're stopped at the side of the road. You know, they have... Well, okay. You're 450 Whole - Operating Budget - 5/4/04 the boss.
I'm just suggesting that some communication go out and remind the drivers that appears -- The perception is terrible.
And it is as you described a dangerous situation. That's why for those, if you could just notify my office immediately -- and we'll make sure that number's given to you -- with the bus number and general location, and we can have supervisors sort of greet them. I was reminded by our Safety Officer that if there are emergencies, they are indeed allowed to pull over and use their personal cell phone. But other than that, there are no cell phones.
You're welcome. Any other questions for the members of the committee? (No response.)
Thank you so much. At long last, Community College. Doctor, I want to thank you and all the people that were here with you for your great deal of patience. I know you've been waiting since 2 o'clock? And we truly appreciate your patience. Please identify yourself for the record and proceed with your testimony.
Stephen Curtis, President of Community College of Philadelphia. MR. McELHATTON: My name is Daniel McElhatton. I am a member of the Board of Trustees of Community College. 452 Whole - Operating Budget - 5/4/04 Good afternoon, President Verna, members of Council. I am here today as a Trustee, but I am sitting in for the Chair of the Board, Rhonda Cohen, who could not remain with us. She was here earlier. And I would ask leave of the President to not read all of her remarks, but incorporate them into the record that would be published for this hearing, if that's all right with the Chair.
Yes. MR. McELHATTON: And then I would just merely make my personal comment that I know that this Council has been very supportive of Community College, and that as a parent of a child who is currently in Community College, and a former instructor in the college, and now as a Trustee, I appreciate that support. And I look forward to your continued support. And I would then ask Dr. Curtis to make his formal address to the Committee.
Doctor, we 453 Whole - Operating Budget - 5/4/04 do have a copy of your testimony. It will be given to the stenographer. It will be transcribed in full. If you would simply abbreviate your testimony, we would really appreciate it.
I think there are just three points that I would make today. And I think they are observations that are contained in the written testimony. The first is that this has been a period now of tough economic times for the City and the region. And I think that in that context, our college has continued to make a significant difference for residents of the City. If I can just give one example, two days ago we held our 38th commencement exercises, and we graduated more than 1800 students. It is the largest graduating class in the history of the college. 454 Whole - Operating Budget - 5/4/04 It occurred in the context of the largest enrollments we've ever had at the college. Last year we set a record. This year we're setting another record. And as we look at pre-registration, it appears that next year we'll set yet another record. And that, of course, is driven in large part because of the economy. Almost 80 percent of all the increase that we're seeing is adults attending the college part-time. If we were to look at that class of 2004, that graduating class, we'd see a few things. First, of that 1800, over 800 are over the age of 30. 400 are over the age of 40. It's definitely an adult group coming back...
who are either losing their jobs, worried about losing their jobs, trying to become more educated and competitive so that they can get a job. A little less than half of that graduating class are the first in their 455 Whole - Operating Budget - 5/4/04 family to go to college. And that, of course, is part of our historic mission, making a difference not only in the lives of an individual student or resident of the City but thereafter generations of that family. About half of that graduating class either goes into the workplace or returns to the workplace. And when you look at the places that are hiring our graduates, companies in the health care sector, Albert Einstein Medical Center, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, this year we've placed 40 of our students with Citizens Bank. We have graduates going to the Philadelphia School District. We're even hiring a few of our graduates ourselves. And I think in the information that you received, I want to reiterate again, the value of a community college education in this economic environment. When we survey our graduates, in the most recent survey, looking at all 456 Whole - Operating Budget - 5/4/04 graduates, whether they were transfer or in career programs, the average salary of those graduates was in the low 30 thousands. For the career programs, which are often the most technical and the ones that pay the most, the average salary for our graduates is in the upper 30 thousands. And for the allied health graduates, which are the most in demand group of graduates right now, their salaries average in the mid 40 thousands. This makes a significant difference, both to those individuals, but again, to the economy of the region. And the one other comment I'd make about this class of 2004 as a snapshot, it also represents the impact of all the partnerships in which we are engaged. As two or three quick examples, there were 17 graduates in this particular group from UPS. They began their education at the UPS facility at the Airport. We actually teach out there. 457 Whole - Operating Budget - 5/4/04 of those graduates were employees of the Federal Reserve Bank. Again, we teach the associate degree program on site for those employees. And there are graduates from our Next Step Program which is the Welfare to Work Program. Those are students graduating in parallel, justice or the childhood education, behavioral health and human services. And again, they'll be able to move into good, unsubsidized positions with real career potential. I say all that quickly because the other two points have to do with our ability to continue to have that kind of impact on the residents of our community. The second observation I'd make and are made in the written comments would be that the current funding support for the college, both at the City and state levels, is taking a step backward. And that is affecting our ability to maintain the kind of quality difference that I just described briefly a moment ago. 458 Whole - Operating Budget - 5/4/04 Our enrollment is always counter cyclical to the economy. This is the moment when the residents of this community need us the most because the economy is so poor. It is also the moment when our public funding is often the most vulnerable. We are increasing at a rate that exceeds every other sector of higher education by thousands. No one is growing as fast as Community College is. But without that support, we are in the position at Community College of Philadelphia of having the least affluent study body and continuously the highest community college tuition in the state. Our situation has become exacerbated this year. And again, in 30 seconds or less, I think all of you know, and as evident in our written remarks, that this year became even more difficult because the state mid year cut its allocation to community colleges. 5 and $2 million loss in revenue. It means that this year we will complete our year firmly in a deficit.
We're anticipating a three and a half million dollar deficit all told because we've tried to fully support the programs and services for this burgeoning number of students that we are serving year in and year out. The proposed City budget for next year includes another reduction, a reduction of $750,000. The state reduction that was in place this year will remain in place next year. What that means: When I arrived in Philadelphia five years ago, the City provided percent of our operating 21 budget. 22 If the proposed City budget goes 23 into effect next year, it will be 24 supporting 17 percent of our operating budget. 460 Whole - Operating Budget - 5/4/04 40 years ago when this college was founded, it was conceived that the local sponsor, in this case the City, and the state sponsor would each provide about a third of the funding for the operations of the college; two-thirds altogether, the remaining third to be provided through student tuition and fees or student tuition. Next year, with the proposed state and City budgets, we won't get quite 50 percent from the City and the state. That means the students will pay more than 50 percent. I think it's the first time -- Don't hold me to this, but I think it's the first time that they will have crossed that 50 percent mark. Again, that means it's becoming increasingly difficult for us to maintain the commitment that we have to our students, our residents. And the third and final point I'd make is, what are the consequences of this 461 Whole - Operating Budget - 5/4/04 current funding situation? We cannot continue to run three and a half million dollar deficit. That's the bottom line. And when you add in that deficit to next year, plus the City cut, plus the normal increases in expenses, we have a $9 million gap that we have to fill. We have taken four steps, and they are outlined in the written comments in much more detail. We are reducing staffing next year. We have begun with a number of administrative and classified positions. As we discontinue some academic programs, it will also affect some faculty. Secondly, we are discontinuing 12 degree and certificate programs effective this fall. We have recommended to our board that each of these be phased out. The board has agreed. The last group will be acted upon by the board this week. Thirdly, we are reducing costs in every way that we can conceive, from increasing the average class size across 462 Whole - Operating Budget - 5/4/04 the campus, to doing the usual things around utilities, and so on. But even taking those steps, the bulk of that gap will still remain next year. And so, the fourth step that has already been taken, we have increased student tuition and fees at a rate that exceeds anything we've ever done in the history of the college. All those increases are detailed in the written testimony. I won't go through them now. But as a summary of it, I'd say that for an average student next year at our institution, tuition and fees will go up at least 15 percent. For at least one in five students that increase will be anywhere from 30 to 40 percent. And those are increases in our most technical kinds of programs. So, we're really affecting the affordability that has been the hallmark of Community College of Philadelphia. Even before we took that step, our tuition and fees were already 30 percent 463 Whole - Operating Budget - 5/4/04 higher than the community college national average. This coming year we're likely to be right at the top of that community college average nationally. This coming fall we will celebrate our 40th anniversary as a community college. We're trying to take advantage of this moment to renew our commitment to access, to affordability, to opportunity, to what we think is a quality education that we can provide for the residents of this community. We would respectfully ask that the City Council join us in that commitment.
And our specific request is to restore the $750,000 that have been proposed as a cut. Our commitment is that if that could be done, every dime of that amount will go directly into students. We will reduce the cost of education for our students by an equivalent amount in their tuition and fees. That would be roughly a 10 percent decrease in what we have increased for the 464 Whole - Operating Budget - 5/4/04 coming year. That is absolutely key for us. We are not able to sustain the operation in full under the current environment, and thus, some of the reductions that I've described to you. I'll be happy to answer any specific questions you have. But we want to continue to play an active role in the City. We want not to restrict student choice. We want not to restrict student access. But all of that is gradually eroding because of the financial situation, particularly given the enormous enrollment pressures on us right now. I'll stop there.
I had a number of questions that I wanted to ask, but you've answered them. 465 Whole - Operating Budget - 5/4/04
However, it would certainly appear that the proposed $750,000 reduction would certainly have a very great impact on the Community College. And I don't think any one of us want to see that happen. I know you spoke about the tuitions. Let me just cover one other item. Last year there was quite a bit of discussion concerning full-time, part-time employees. The part-time employees felt that they were not being treated fairly. And I know that that was part of the labor contract. Can you bring me up to date on the status of that issue?
I think the employees are still raising questions, similar questions. I think the college's position is similar to what I indicated last year. First, we are in the middle of a five-year contract. It was agreed to by the college, and in this case the part-time faculty which is I think the reference that 466 Whole - Operating Budget - 5/4/04 you're making to last year's hearing.
That contract is good through at least 2006, and we fully intend to honor that contract. We believed then and believe now that the terms of that contract are fair. The percent increase in the contract exceeded the increase given to both -- percentage wise -- to the full-time faculty at the time and the other bargaining unit at the time. With the last survey that we did of part-time faculty salaries in the region, I believe we were eighth among all the colleges that appeared in that survey. We continue to believe that there's a distinction between full-time and part-time responsibilities and a significant distinction. We also believe that we want adjuncts. Programmatically there are some important reasons why there should be adjuncts teaching in our programs, 467 Whole - Operating Budget - 5/4/04 particularly those career programs where you want experts from the field participating in the instruction of our students. So, I think our position continues to be the same. The contract is fully in force. There will obviously be a moment, two-and-a-half years from now, where we can have further discussions about what the rate of pay should be going forward. I think I've indicated clearly today my number one priority, and that is the escalating cost of education for our students. These are the students of all the colleges in the City that can least afford the increasing cost in tuition and fees. And that's where I think we have to put our efforts at the moment.
Thank you very much, Doctor. The Chair recognizes Councilman Nutter.
Thank you, Madam 468 Whole - Operating Budget - 5/4/04 Chair. I'll be... I think I'll be pretty quick. First, Dr. Curtis, I wanted to say with the greatest respect that the numbers that you shared with us about the size of the graduating class, the number of matriculated students, is not only great information which I'm sure is a credit to you and your staff, and the person I work with pretty closely, Lynette Brownsell. But I think what you're experiencing is a phenomenon that we've come to refer to as the McElhatton effect. And I think that with the Councilman now on your Board, you can anticipate more and more students wanting to be near him, to listen to him, seek his guidance and insight. And that's what's really driving the increased matriculation at Community College. And I commend you for your seeking him out.
Absolutely. 469 Whole - Operating Budget - 5/4/04 MR. McELHATTON: Thank you for the words of insight. And if that's accompanied by a $750,000 transfer, we would be very grateful.
Other than that -- MR. McELHATTON: Or a million dollar transfer would be even better.
The remarks are essentially worthless. of the testimony. Let me understand. When you say next fall the tuition will increase $10 to $97 a credit hour, is that even before the impact of the proposed $750,000 cut or is that as a result of that?
We've already taken into account the $750,000 -- proposed $750,000 cut.
That's why I said, if it were restored, we would actually roll back some of that increase.
I understand. 470 Whole - Operating Budget - 5/4/04 Don't take us through it at the moment. If it was o'clock in the 4 morning, I might ask you to walk us through 5 some of the steps. 6 But I think it would be very 7 helpful, and if not instructive, to get a 8 little better understanding -- if you could 9 send something over to us -- in terms of 10 the history and the creation of Community College, how did it come about, this partnership of essentially a third, a third, a third. You know, I thought in one of these -- Because we seem to replay this scene just about every year -- how it came to be, how we have arrived at the point where we are. Clearly, this City is not maintaining that. I thought there was some agreement or contractual obligation at some point in time. Maybe that expired. I think there's just a lot of, you know, history and -- and... which has possibly morphed into legend, about some of 471 Whole - Operating Budget - 5/4/04 these issues. And I think it just would be helpful to have a document that lays out all of the particulars. But what strikes me about this -- and I mentioned to my colleague, Councilwoman Reynolds Brown -- we also have in this same budget a proposal to assist, students at the present time primarily directed only at public school students, a last dollar scholarship. And I believe Community College is one of the schools on the list that is an eligible institution. But it strikes me that we have a situation here, where on the one hand we propose to help students go to school, and on the other hand we are shortchanging one of the schools that's an eligible school, the end result of which will be that they'll end up having to pay more money. And I just don't understand the circular nature of that, what I'd probably have to call illogic. So, your numbers seem to go up, not only at your school but many others. And I 472 Whole - Operating Budget - 5/4/04 think there was a story in the New York Times within the past couple weeks about the significance of community colleges especially, in dire economic times, and people flood to the -- to the schools. And so, if anything, given the employment situation in the City, the desire for people to increase their skills, that we would at least maintain what we've been doing. Sounds like we probably owe you a little more. But your commitment both in the testimony and at the table is that at least if we restore the 750 it goes right into direct tuition reduction. Is that correct?
Okay. That's good enough for me, Madam President. I have no further questions.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman Rizzo.
I guess this is 473 Whole - Operating Budget - 5/4/04 becoming a standard question because we're amazed every time we ask it. Is there a residency requirement for faculty?
No, there's not. But the majority of employees at the college do live in the City.
I think there's only one suggested requirement for one person that I know of, and you're talking to him.
My Board suggests strongly that I live in the City, and I do.
And you're the only one? DR.CURTIS: In terms of a requirement, that's correct.
Again, the majority of our employees live in the City, but it's not a requirement, a formal requirement.
You addressed the 474 Whole - Operating Budget - 5/4/04 issue of the part-time. And obviously, I have lots of questions I could ask. But I'd just like to ask you to comment on the controversy that you're having with the union on various issues. The visiting... Again, I have a lot of questions that I could ask you about this, but the visiting lecturers. Could you talk about what the controversy is, all about with that?
Do you want me to read all the questions associated with it, then?
There's no 19 controversy between the union and the college about visiting lecturers?
We have several discussions going on right now and one arbitration, in which visiting lecturers are a piece of the conversation. But I don't think the overall question is about 475 Whole - Operating Budget - 5/4/04 the visiting lecturers themselves. One conversation that we have going on right now is about the ratio, a contractual requirement that we support, the ratio of full-time to part-time instructors. And visiting lecturers are one piece of that conversation. But... So again, it depends on exactly what the question is that you would --
All right. Here you go, just briefly. There are two categories -- I didn't want to have to read these but I will. There are two categories, and they're not... a full-time faculty tenured track faculty and visiting lecturers who are appointed on a semester-by-semester basis. What is the purpose, as you understand it, of the visiting lecturers?
I think a visiting lecturer is a full-time substitute. It is typically used in a variety of circumstances when a department is short-handed with full-time faculty 476 Whole - Operating Budget - 5/4/04 members. When someone goes on a leave of absence, a sabbatical leave. I mean, there are all kind of situations. But that's the purpose.
And again, there's issues. And you just... Would you just restate that you've got some issues right now before you, referencing the full-time part-time ratio?
Are you meeting the ratio that you're required to meet?
We meet it in most semesters. In the last two years there have been several instances where we did not. But the contract provides for that because there's always that moment, there has been historically, where occasionally the ratio is not met, and we're allowed to make it up in a following semester. And it's certainly our intention this year to be -- to move toward full compliance and be make sure that we've made up those 477 Whole - Operating Budget - 5/4/04 sections.
Thank you. Any other questions or comments by members of the Committee? (No response.0
Seeing none, I thank you. And again, I thank you for your patience.
Thank you. MR. McELHATTON: Thank you, Madam President.
Thank you. This Committee will stand in recess until tomorrow, May 5th, at 9:30 a.m. (Hearing concluded at 5:50 p.m.) 478 CERTIFICATE I HEREBY CERTIFY that the proceedings and evidence are contained fully and accurately in the stenographic notes taken by me upon the public hearing of The Philadelphia City Council, taken on May 4, 2004, and that this is a true and correct transcript of same. _____________________________ MICHELE L. MURPHY _____________________________ DAVID A. DEIK, RPR and Commissioner of Deeds (The foregoing certification of this transcript does not apply to any reproduction of the same by any means, unless under the direct control and/or supervision of the certifying reporter.)