Towards the end of this spring semester I had the pleasure of attending two graduations. One was for students at the College of Marin, the other was for my own daughter at San Rafael High School. While both events were joyous celebrations for the participants, families and friends, there was a noticeable difference in the nature of the observable exuberance at each graduation.

At the conclusion of each matriculation the students’ behaviors were markedly different. At the College of Marin there was a tone of relief and satisfaction that was low key and almost dignified. Students and families mingled, warmly sharing hugs and smiles. At San Rafael the students were darting around frenetically, shrieking with joy. One group of about 8 boys even formed a circle and did a "bulldog" (the school mascot) chant and spell-out. The atmosphere was one of relief; a "finally it’s over" kind of feeling. At the college there was certainly relief, but a very strong sense of "there is still a lot more to come".

Quite clearly a large part of the difference in emotions is related to the age of the participants. High school graduates are nearly uniformly 17 to 18 years old, while College of Marin graduates can range from younger to considerably older, and probably average in their late twenties. The high school student may know there is a long road of school and work ahead of them, but the completion of 12 years of elementary, middle and high schools seems like such a long journey that the future labors cannot compare; an end has arrived. On the other hand, the College of Marin graduate recognizes their degree is a springboard to another degree or another job; more of the same.

I see a very strong parallel between these two types of graduates and our own faculty at the College of Marin. There is a group that has a sense of exuberance with a perspective that it’s finally over. There is another that feels there is a lot more of the same. Ironically, unlike the ages associated with the graduates who have these perspectives, the ages of the faculty with these characteristics seems to be reversed. The joy of final accomplishment resides with those nearing retirement, while the springboard to more adventures in teaching lies with the younger faculty and those more recently hired. As members of the United Professors of Marin, it is important we all recognize that these differences exist, yet still try to create a work environment that serves everyone. This objective creates interesting dilemmas while negotiating a new contract.

Hopefully in the next few months the UPM bargaining team will bring back to the membership for review and approval a new collective bargaining agreement. Everyone will look to see what’s in it for them. Of course we all want more money. But do we see it with the eye of the near-retirees who want to maximize their retirement benefit; or do we look at it as someone who sees many more automatic step increases and contract raises still to come?

But there is much more to a contract than just the dollars and benefits it provides. There are working conditions and these cut across all age groups. These non-monetary parts of the contract are elements that we all perform with every day we are on the job. They affect all of us regardless of age, regardless of where we are in our careers. The only difference may be that there are many faculty who can remember what it was like when some or all of the contract language was not a part of their employment, while others have never known it to be otherwise. For this reason it is important that all of us not take any aspect of our collective bargaining agreement for granted. We all need to understand that, as convoluted as it may be at times, the contract is there to protect us, to assist us and to provide an atmosphere where we can all do our jobs to the best of our ability with the least amount of interference; where we can do the most for our students with the most that is available, and with more to come.

It is easier as someone who has been there to see the differences between the high school graduate and the college graduate. However, as faculty we too readily become blind to the same differences that exist amongst our colleagues. To achieve a successful contract, an agreement that benefits all of us, we must acknowledge the different desires; remember, support and preserve the past accomplishments, and work together to achieve our future goals, whatever they may be.

Hmm, did this column just drift into a graduation speech? Well, it may be the only time I will ever be given the opportunity to deliver one to a nearly captive audience. So thank you for your attention and now go out there and have fun, but be safe, be informed and enjoy the summer! Before you know it, like many of our own high school and college graduates, you will be back in school.