Desert Community College District
Board of Trustees Meeting
May, 2021
CODAA Report
What a year and a half this has been! All of us have learned so much. It brings to mind Notre
Dame football coach Lou Holtz’s three famous questions for building a winning team: Can I
trust you? Do you care about me? Can we commit to the same values? As the leadership
team and Board members consider how the college can best serve our community, CODAA
encourages a process that draws on the diverse perspectives of all stakeholders in the most
transparent and inclusive way, so that we can all commit with one heart and one mind to a
common purpose, as we embrace ongoing change that no doubt will have a profound impact on
working conditions at COD.
At a recent Community College Association statewide conference on Diversity, Equity and
Inclusion, COD had more participants than any other college in the state, and all of them were
adjuncts: Artel Garcia, Elaine Harris, Michael Gladych, Yuen Tse, and Cathy Levitt. Adjuncts
recognize that success is important, yes, but there can be no success without equity, no equity
without parity, and no parity without inclusion.
Finally, CODAA is happy to report the ratification of our 2021-2024 Collective Bargaining
Agreement. The call for ratification had the largest-ever unit member response, with 70% of
CODAA membership participating. As we near the end of the spring semester, our members
look forward to continuing to work with the District in a more transparent and more inclusive way.
