|
|
|||||
|
|
|
|
|||
|
|
|
|
|
||
 |
|
 |
Advocacy Connect2One Comes Through The San Mateo County Community College District has three bookstores that currently operate as institutional bookstores – College of San Mateo Bookstore in San Mateo, CA; Cañada College Bookstore in Redwood City, CA and Skyline College Bookstore in San Bruno, CA. Over the past six months, Bookstore Director Andra Morgan has been faced with the prospect of having the bookstores outsourced. Here’s the process she has been going through: One March day, I was contacted by an administrator stating that the new chancellor wanted to put out a Request for Proposal for the operation of the bookstores. This administrator wanted to know if I could come to the district office to go over the RFP and be sure everything was “properly included.” Of course I went! I gave what information I could so that the RFP would offer our students and faculty members the best service and prices to which they have been accustomed, with provisions for employee protection as relates to outsourcing in the state of California. In the meantime, I needed input from colleagues and organizations in preparation for a fight– actually to prepare our own response to the RFP to remain institutional. I also needed help figuring out why our chancellor wanted to outsource the “profitable” bookstore. When you think about it, how many of us feel snug in our own little world and think we are doing fine, so why would we ever be leased? I am guilty, but I needed help and I needed it fast! Doug Farley, our Nebraska Book/College Book Company representative and I discussed this dilemma, and he shared some useful advice while he was here. When Doug left, he called his office, and within a short period of time, Connect2One was on the phone offering assistance. Mark Palmore immediately sent information on the outsourcing of bookstores that proved very useful in the formulation of our RFP response. Via telephone and emails, Connect2One was always there for me; if they didn’t have what I needed, they found it and rushed the information to me. I read everything Mark sent and everything I could find from NACS. I talked to past employees of lease companies and read contracts of other leased college stores. I thought I was ready to respond to the RFP. The administrator in charge had originally told me we didn’t need to include any financial information because they already had it, and we didn’t need to submit layouts, floor plans or drawings. Suddenly, I was faced with a change in plans. We needed to include everything, and yet no administrative permission was given to spend the money to bring in a store planner or architect. I put out a call for help on the NACS listserve and guess who had plans and layouts I could use? Yup, Connect2One and NBC/CBC came through again for me. Randy Stejskal, NBC Store Planning Division, sent pictures of layouts and fixtures. The outsourcing decision has been delayed until fall semester when our Shared Governance Committee reconvenes. Win or lose a great big “THANK YOU” is offered to Connect2One’s Mark Palmore and the C2O staff for all the information, help and moral support. You folks helped keep us on the right track and kept us from feeling like we were all alone on a sinking ship with no one to turn to. Am I glad to be a member of Connect2One? You betcha! Now I can save money on my supplies and maybe even save our bookstores. Andra Morgan |
|
|
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
