Minutes of the March 1st, 1995 Meeting

Attending: Gerald Scheib, Yolanda Ramil, Dudley Foster, Ben Lopez, Jan Silver, Sonia Soto- Bair, Ed Raskin, Mari Rettke, Alex Yguado, Sally Silvers, Joanne Kalter-Flink, Gwen Walker, Enrique Gonzales, Julie Ruelas, Dale Newman, Rick Scuderi.

  1. The meeting was called to order at 1:45pm by President Dale Newman.
  2. MSP (Ruelas, Foster - Unanimous) to approve minutes of 2/2/95.
  3. Treasurer's Report. Currently the Senate accounts have the following balances:
  4. 	  Faculty Association   	$  816.13
	  Faculty Scholarship   	$  337.53
	  Gallagher Scholarship 	$ 11.93
	  Moss Scholarship  		$3,166.32
	  Bowman Scholarship  		$6,117.88
  5. Guest - Mike Woodward from FACCC. Mr. Woodward announced a recruiting drive for FACC membership stating it was a crucial time especially with the possible State budget short- fall and the Governor talking about doing away with tenure. The fee is $12 per month or $120 per year. Pat McCollum, a "bright, forceful person who worked on AB1725 and was associated with Vasconcellos, is the FACC lobbyist.
  6. President's Report
    1. Report from the District Academic Senate. Dale will notify disciples currently without minimum qualifications . Minimum qualifications are necessary for disciplines to hire.
    2. The Sexual Harassment document was passed by the Board of Trustees after last minute recommendations by the Chancellor's Office. The DAS did not have an opportunity to review it. This is in direct violation of AB 1725, Shared Governance, and Title V. As a result, a resolution will be submitted at the next DAS meeting to express our disapproval.

      Other areas of concern are the Revised Student Grievance Procedures, the Student Discipline Procedures, and the Admission of Young Students Procedures. Dale asked for faculty input on the current proposed document.

    3. Some Upcoming Conferences. The Info Tech Conference. November 5 - 8, 1995, Hyatt Regency and Westin Crown Center Hotels, Kansas City, Missouri. Cost: $350 plus $104 per night plus tax for hotel accommodations. The California Community Colleges 1995 Mega Conference. April 4 - 7, 1995, Doubletree Hotel, Los Angeles. Cost: $175 pre- registration by March 10, 1995.
    4. Ad Hoc Personnel Staffing Committee. The Committee will meet soon. Mark Pracher will report back to us regarding issues raised.
    5. Project Match. Dale asked for volunteers for Project Match. Mari Rettke, who participated in the project last semester, said it was a worthwhile experience. Dale will put a notice in the President's Bulletin.
  8. Committee Reports
    1. Curriculum Committee. Enrique Gonzales reported that the districtwide minimum requirements for reading and written expression are ready for approval. The DAS will vote March 9th to accept these requirements.
    2. Workshops will be held to work on validating prerequisites and co-requisites . A sub- committee is working to correct errors in the catalog and proposed a more clarifying layout for academic programs leading to certificates and degrees. Computer Science and Legal Assisting were mentioned as exemplary models.

      Paul Mckenna proposed a 6 semester option to completing academic programs. However, a guarantee would be needed that the planned classes would not be canceled due to low enrollments.

      More classes need to be offered to accommodate placement results. Last semester 498 new students placed under English 21, but only 2 sections were afforded to accommodate them! Dale reports that the Developmental Communications and English disciplines are meeting to make Dev Com l a prerequisite to English 21. Three sections of Dev Comm 1 were submitted for Fall,'95.

      Enrique emphasized that test anxiety problems during placement tests can lower the placement score beneath the actual skill level of the new student. Because of this there is an appeal process.

      Enrique and David Jones will look into an open entry class to up-grade student skills in English.

    3. Hiring Committee. Gerald Sheib indicated that a new prioritized hiring list is being prepared. The Hiring Committee, which is composed of the cluster chairs, Mark Pracher, and Lee Risemberg, asked to have a filing cabinet be situated in the Faculty Lounge.
    4. A memo will be sent to faculty departments to indicate, full-time needed positions. It is especially important to keep our numbers up as a result of up-coming retirements.
    5. District Academic Senate. Julie Ruelas reports on motions carried at DAS on the February 9th meeting (see attached).
    6. Election Committee. The Committee composed of Julie Ruelas, Geri Paredes, and Joyce Woodmansee announced that the new Profession Studies candidate for senator is Louis Zandalusini. There is no one yet as a candidate for the Math/Science Cluster.
    7. MSP (Yguado, Lopez - Unanimous) to approve Louis Zandalusini for Professional Studies Cluster senator.
  10. Old Business
    1. Distribution of Left Over Conference Monies. Sally Silvers reports that unspent funds will be distributed in proportion to out of pocket balances. Documentation of expenditures will have to be presented however. Dale will send a memo to the faculty announcing this toward the end of the semester.
    2. Faculty Storage Space. Alex Yguado reported that the Work Environment Committee approved the new facilities building as a site for faculty storage space. The designated space will be used to keep materials upon which student grades are based. The materials will be disposed of after an as-yet-to-be decided termination date.
    3. Academic Issues and Pace. Alex Yguado reported that a consensus was reached by the task force (Alex Yguado, Ed Raskin, Gwen Walker, and Dale Newman, ex officio Bill Norlund) examining the process of PACE accountability. John Cantley, PACE Director, was invited to be a part of the task force but declined. A list of questions which arose are being sent to Dr. Norlund for a response.
    4. Paid Additional Assignments for Administrators. The memo stating the Academic Senate's disapproval of these proposed assignments was hand delivered to Dr. Norlund. He consulted with Lucian Carter and Dr. Standen at the District. They saw no objection to these assignments being paid and Dr. Norlund sees no legal reason to refuse payment. The assignments will now go to the Ad Hoc Personnel Staffing Committee for consideration because currently there is no budget line items for these positions.
    5. 20th Anniversary Celebrations. Dale reported that a "good time was had by all" during both the luncheon and dinner celebrations. There are still more funds to further celebrate. Alex Yguado recommends that 20 year pins be given to appropriate part-time faculty. Dale will follow up.
    6. Alternative Use of Laboratory Classrooms. The task force of Lee Risemberg, Jan Silver, and Sally Silvers concluded that labs should not be used for other classes because of lack of security.
    7. Academic Dishonesty. An explanation was handed out. David Jones reported that the focus of this information is on cheating on tests and falsification of reports. Since we are asking students to conform to ethics, we need to think about faculty ethics. A committee was formed consisting of Dale, David Jones, Mari Rettke, and Julie Ruelas to come up with a faculty ethics statement. A draft will be brought to the Senate for consideration.
  12. New Business
    1. Excessive Papers in Mailboxes. A letter from an anonymous part-time employee was written complaining about too great a volume of unneeded mail being put in faculty mailboxes. The group felt that the need for communication may overshadow this concern.
    2. Commencement Date. Carlos Nava suggested Thursday, May 25th as a better date that Friday, May 26th because of the long Memorial Day week end. A Graduation Committee to help with the planning of the ceremonies was formed and is composed of Sonia Soto-Bair, Enrique Gonzales, Joanne Kalter- Flink, and Sandi Lampert. Dale will inform Carlos Nava of the Senate's approval of the new commencement date and of the faculty volunteers for the graduation committee.
    3. MSP (Yguado, Gonzales - Unanimous) to adjourn the meeting. Meeting adjourned at 2:55pm.

      Respectfully submitted,

      Rick Scuderi, PhD
      Academic Senate Secretary