I-Team: On-the-clock partying by college employees questioned

Nanticoke, Luzerne County- The president of Luzerne County Community College called an "Octoberfest" innocent and a small token of appreciation for employees.

The party, hosted by Classified Association union officers, was held at West Side Park in Nanticoke on Friday at 2 p.m.. The fun and good times were wedged smack in the middle of a workday. College employees were permitted to attend while still on the clock.

Word of the gathering came early last week when a college employee released an internal email to Eyewitness News. The employee, who asked to remain anonymous, said he believed the party was an inappropriate use of college resources. He believed the event should have been held after normal work hours.

That internal email about "Octoberfest Picnic in the Park" provided details of the event, including that it was free for all college employees. The email read, "West Side Park is right here in Nanticoke, a few blocks from the college. We begin the picnic at 2:00 p.m., please remember in respect to the students, office coverage is a must, as always."

In a phone interview, Thomas Leary, president of the college, defended the gathering. He told the I-Team the only investment by the college was employees received a couple hours of release time. He said "Octoberfest" was a 25-year tradition at the college. Leary said about 50 employees chose to attend the function on Friday and said those workers' hours were tracked by college department heads.

Sources said beer and other alcohol were available at the party.

An email sent to the president of the Classified Association detailing specific questions received no response.

It's unclear who paid for the party.

Leary said the college wasn't responsible for covering any of the party's costs.

Luzerne County Controller Walter Griffith believed the gathering was in poor taste. "I think it was inappropriate if it was done during the day when people are supposed to be working," said Griffith. "If they want to do an appreciation dinner of some sort, they could certainly do it at a restaurant at night."

Griffith also questioned if the college even properly tracks employee hours by time card or a punch clock.

In a phone interview with the chairwoman of the college's board of trustees, Elaine Cook said she had no knowledge of "Octoberfest." "I don't know anything about it," said Cook. "But now that I do, I think we need to look into it." Cook thanked Eyewitness News for bringing the matter to her attention.

The community college receives an annual $6 million allocation from Luzerne County.

County council members contacted by Eyewitness News on Monday night said they weren't comfortable yet commenting on the matter saying it was premature.

County Manager Robert Lawton, deep in budget preparation for 2013, declined to comment.

Leary contacted Eyewitness News after an initial interview on Monday afternoon and added, "I just want to put this into context - our intentions are good," he said.

But Griffith questioned the college and its approval of "Ocotberfest."

"Is that something we need to be spending our money on through the college? For a college that says they're working really close to the edge as far as being efficient, do we want to spend that kind of money on appreciation dinners," Griffith said. "Not that we don't appreciate our employees, but I think we need to be prudent about where we spend our money."

Source: http://pahomepage.com/fulltext?nxd_id=282792

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