Member Mobilization

Under siege, Division 355 is mobilized, ready

By SHERRY HALBROOK

PEF Division 355 at Higher Education

Services Corp (HESC) is taking fire from Washington and Albany, but it is fully mobilized and taking on the challenge. The fiscal blood that keeps HESC’s

heart pumping flows from Washington and the state. This year, both sources are in trouble. HESC guarantees federal student and

parent loans, administers the Tuition Assistance Program and other state- specific grants and scholarships, the NY Higher Education Loan Program and offers loan management services and provides guidance for college planning. However, recent changes in law mean

HESC must now successfully bid and compete to continue its role in the federal

program or it’s responsibilities will gradually fade away in the next few years. With significant changes starting July

1, HESC has begun reorganizing its work force. Division 355 membership has dropped

from approximately 320 to 280 in just a year. “Our members understand the threat

very clearly,” said Assistant Council Leader Tina Brooker. “We have our own Yahoo account to communicate with them privately. “We’ve sent more than 300 letters to

Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer, and to Congressmen Scott Murphy and Paul Tonko, and they support us.” “We also reached out to our state

legislators,” Brooker added. Previously, Division 355 members have

worked with lawmakers to fend off governors’ attempts to merge HESC with the state Education Department (SED). This year, the state Assembly is proposing it, and the governor is opposed. Compared with the federal changes,

the Assembly proposal is beginning to look like the lesser evil. “In just two hours, our mobilizers

surveyed our members and found a majority don’t oppose the merger if it protects their jobs.” Council Leader Patricia Spath said she

is constantly updating the division’s database of members’ information. Spath and Brooker meet monthly with

the member mobilizers. The steward council meets regularly, membership meetings are held twice each year, and six newsletters are published annually. Division 355 members are mobilized

and committed. “God helps those who help

themselves,” said Keith Pierce, a mobilizer. “No one else volunteered to do it, so I did. It’s not a lot of work, and with the Internet, we find out fast what’s going on.” “I want to get the word out when

MOBILIZING MONTHLY – Division 355members at Higher Education Services Corp gather for a recentmeeting attended by Region 8 Coordinator BillWurster (standing, far right). Themobilizersmeetmonthly.

—Photo by Lisa Pulver

By DEBORAH A. MILES

When PEF Region 11 Coordinator

something is going on,” said mobilizer Barbara Deese. “If you don’t work for the union, you don’t have a union.”

PEF regional coordinator, husband rescue drowning boy

Keith Hanson went down again, and

Jemma Marie-Hanson, a nurse, and her husband, Keith, went to visit family in Trinidad in early April, little did they know their vacation would turn into a rescue mission. “We were at Macueripe Bay beach

where my husband went snorkeling. He was out very far,” Hanson said. “I was getting concerned. Then a woman who was standing on the beach started screaming at the top of her lungs. “I saw my husband dive into the water.

I knew he was in trouble or someone else was in trouble.” The woman who had been screaming,

Christine Villafana, told Hanson her son jumped into a deep area of the ocean off the pier with other children. He did not know how to swim. The other children were trying to get

the attention of Keith Hanson, and pointed to the boy who was floating face down.

www.pef.org

came up with the boy. Hanson flipped him over, and water gushed from the boy’s mouth. Hanson got him back to shore, where they started cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). “It was so scary,” Jemma Hanson said.

“It was so surreal. I did compressions and Keith did mouth-to-mouth. This boy had about two gallons of water in him. We did about six rounds of CPR, then he finally took a gasp of breath. He was still unconscious. We put him in a recovery position, and waited for the ambulance to come. I just kept telling him, ‘You are not going to die today.’” The beach had no access road, so when

the ambulance arrived, Keith Hanson and others carried the boy to the ambulance. The Hansons followed the boy to the

hospital, where he recovered. He is 15- years-old and his name is Stefon Villafana. Stefon and his mother profusely

thanked the Hansons for saving his life. And now, they have become friends,

ALL ISWELL NOW– (L-R) Stefon Villafana and hismother,Christine Villafana, pose for a photo with Jemma and Keith Hanson.The Hansons helped save Stefon’s life when he was drowning at Macueripe Bay beach.

The Communicator May 2010—Page 13

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