Academic Council discusses four-day summer week

Commitments to weekend activities and buildings linked to the same air conditioning system make college officials question whether operating on a four-day summer workweek would actually save money, President Robert Zeigler said at Tuesday's Academic Council meeting.

The possibility of a four-day workweek from July 7-July 30 is being considered after the chancellor asked the colleges to recommend cost-cutting measures to comply with the governor's request to make a plan to cut back 5 percent of state funding. Zeigler said a last resort would be canceling the Summer 2 session.

In a four-day workweek, employees would work 10 hours a day and the campus would be closed on Friday and over the weekend.

If this college has to cut 5 percent of state funding, it means a loss of $1 million. If all colleges in the district switch to a four-day workweek, it is estimated the district will cut back $500,000 from utilities expenses, Zeigler explained.

Zeigler said this college hosts special events on the weekend and would have to accommodate the groups renting facilities, such as the gyms in Candler Physical Education Center and the auditorium of McAllister Fine Arts Center.

If air conditioning in specific buildings is left on for special events, the issue is if this college would really reduce utility bills, he said.

In a Wednesday afternoon interview, Zeigler said administrators still have to figure out how they would handle continuing education and other programs, that go on through the weekend even with a four-day workweek.

"We have to figure out how we are going to accommodate things that we have already made commitments to," Zeigler said, concerning groups which have already booked the gym and auditorium on the weekend.

Zeigler said to council members that the college cannot just shut down one building because a lot of buildings are tied together under one system. The only buildings that have their own AC system are Longwith Radio, Television and Film building; the early childhood studies center; Oppenheimer Education and Training Center; and the Bennett Estate, which houses the music department; and portables.

Council members voiced concerns over the obstacles a four-day workweek would entail for equipment, faculty and staff.

Media services Chair Barbara Knotts brought up the issue of equipment overheating.

In a Wednesday afternoon interview, Knotts said her department houses InTV, the educational channel for the city of San Antonio. The equipment would overheat if air conditioning is turned off in the summer, she told the council.

"When they cut the AC, we are going to have to put fans around equipment to keep them cool," she said. Knotts said even when the AC is turned on, fans cool the equipment.

Library Chair Candace Peterson said if air conditioning is turned off in the library it could possibly damage the Morrison collection of rare books of 18th century English literature.

The classic archives has its own AC installation system, so it would not be affected if the library's air conditioning is turned off, but Peterson's concern is if fluctuating temperature would cause damage or mold.

The library also leaves the lights on to reduce chances of mold.

"Mold is always there. I don't want to put them in a situation where mold would grow," she said in a Wednesday interview.

In a Wednesday phone interview, John Strybos, associate vice chancellor of facilities, said general electricity is never turned off.

Another major concern is limited library hours for students.

If the transmitter for college radio station KSYM, located in Room 216 of McAllister, gets overheated, it could be damaged, broadcast engineer Victor Pfau said in a Wednesday interview.

He said that in May 2009, the transmitter overheated and some parts were damaged.

"Without AC, things will heat up and breakdown," Pfau said.

Since then they have put in vents to take out hot air, but Pfau said if the transmitter has more than 24 hours of no AC, it will overheat.

Strybos said lights, computers and the computer hard drive should be turned off or shut down. Rooms for servers maintained by the district, however, are separately air conditioned.

"We're evaluating all colleges on what they can and cannot do," Strybos said.

Zeigler said Wednesday that a report on which buildings could be shut down and which buildings would have to operate on the weekends is due today to Diane Snyder, vice chancellor for finance and administration.

Snyder then will calculate the possible utilities savings for each college.

"If we are going to a four-day week, we need to decide quickly," Zeigler said.

At this point, Zeigler does not know if some colleges will be exempt from four-day workweeks. Initially, the intent was to see how people were going to deal with a four-day workweek.

"I really don't know if there will be a choice element or not," he said.

Faculty and staff should know by the week of March 22 if the college will move to a four-day workweek, he said.

In the summer of 2003, Palo Alto College piloted a four-day workweek. Their work hours are from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Thursday, and college hours of operation will be from 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Employees work 10 hours in a day and 40-hour weeks.

In an e-mail, Vincent Bosquez, director of public relations at Palo Alto, wrote as "we have done in the past, we will continue with schedule flexibility particularly for those who have family responsibilities."

In the fall of 2007, Palo Alto employees were surveyed about the four-day workweek by Catherine Chapa, director of institutional effectiveness and research. Eighty percent of faculty participated and results showed 63 percent liked the four-day workweek and 68 percent recommended its implementations again in summer of 2008. The survey is available at http://www.alamo.edu/pac/htm/new/community/publicaffairs/pdfs/Four_Day_Work_Week_2007_Results.pdf.

"The unfortunate thing in situations like these is there's nothing good, but finding the least bad," Zeigler said at Academic Council.