Mission College Academic Senate

Ext. 5413

Approved  Minutes

Thursday, January 23, 2003  

 

I.       Call to Order/Roll Call

            The meeting was called to order by President Jane Patton at 2:04  p.m. 

Senators

   A

   P

Senators

   A

   P

Brennan    (Ext. 5313)  Comm

     

    X

Martin      (Ext. 5356)  Tech.

     X

    

Charland  (Ext. 5046)  Stud. Dev.

 

    X

Musat       (Ext. 5331) Math

 

   X

Dooley    (Ext. 5379)  AAS

 

    X

Oliver       (Ext. 5427)  AAS

 

   X

Estrada     (Ext.5164) CommSvc

 

    X

Patton    (Ext. 5296) Comm Stud

 

   X

Johnson   (Ext.5277) CATA

 

    X

Rivas       (Ext. 5282)  CATA

    

   X

Lavallo    (Ext. 5399)  Math

 

    X

Rosner     (Ext. 5317) ESL

    

   X

Light       (Ext. 5717) AF/CIT

     

    X

Sippel      (Ext. 5118) Comm

 

   X

Lynne      (Ext. 5248) CommSvc

 

    X

Toppel     (Ext. 5089) Stud Dev

 

   X

Mancini    (Ext. 5855) AF/HM

 

    X

VanTassel (Ext. 5334) Tech

 

   X

 

 

 

Xu           (Ext. 5273) SocSci

 

   X

Other:   A.Braun (CRC),

   

    X

Other:  B.Grayson (Staff Dev)

    X  

   

Other:  S.Hanna (ASB)

 

    X

Guests: R.Dewis, C.Qazi   

 

   X

                   

 II.    Approval of the Minutes

            The minutes for the December 5, 2002, meeting were accepted and approved (M/S/P – Charland/Mancini).  A question was raised by Senator Charland as to the process used by the Academic Senate to approve the Learning Communities Program.  It was agreed that the process will be reviewed to ensure that the appropriate steps were followed by the Academic Senate.

 

III.    Order of the Agenda

            No changes were made to today’s order of the agenda.  The following correction was made to Item VI.C.a)  Network Refreshment Project indicated by strikethrough.

 

 IV.    Oral Communication from the Public

            There was no oral communication from the public at today's meeting.

        

  V.    Information & Announcements 

            1.   Jane announced that Carol Toppel has been selected to replace Ellen McAlister as the representative for Student Development this semester and Wen Xian Xu will represent Social Science this semester.

            2.   Lecturer and filmmaker, Byron Motley, will participate in a Mission College event to celebrate Black History Month on Wednesday, January 29, 2003, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.  Mr. Motley will discuss the history of the Negro Baseball Leagues.

            3.   The call for faculty volunteers to serve on the two vice president search committees has been issued by the Senate office today.  Jane urged the Senators to recruit faculty members from within their divisions to submit their names for consideration.

            4.   An all day Board Budget Workshop Retreat will be held this Saturday.  Jane will attend the retreat, and she advised that a copy of her budget memo to all faculty is included in the correspondence folder.

 

VI.    Administrative Business/Actions/Appointments

  A.    Curriculum Committee  -  No report

  B.    Staff Recognition - In light of the current budget crisis and to boost morale, Jane urged the Senators to consider staff recognition resolutions for this semester.

 

   C.     Committee Appointments 

a) Network Refresh Project  - At the last meeting, the Senate was asked by the Instructional Technology Committee to appoint one faculty member to this project.  The committee put forward candidates Marsha Chan, Susanna Pancella, and Ian Walton.  Carol explained that the concern of the committee is to ensure that those who use the network have input since they are more aware of what is needed.  A support statement was made for each candidate, and the Senators selected Susanna Pancella for the position, with the suggestion that Marsha Chan serve as an alternate. 

   D.   Oral Reports

         1.  Staff Development  -  No report

         2.  District Information Technology Steering Committee – * Senator Light reported that the committee discussed the serious power outage that occurred in December, and is investigating the cause.  He praised the IT team that worked diligently to bring everything back up.  * The Instructional Technology Department is working with new software that will provide online teaching administrative tools.  This should be available sometime this semester. 

         No reports on items 3-5.

 

VII.   Old Business

 

   A.   Set Selection Criteria for two VP Search Committee Appointees

            Jane advised that the Senate Office issued a call today for faculty interested in serving on these committees, and the Senate will make its selections at next week’s meeting.  She asked the Senators to consider what criteria can be used to assist in the selection process and the voting process for the two vice president search committees. The following criteria were established:

 

         Vice President of Instruction Search Committee (3 faculty – include 1 division chair)

            •     Broad knowledge of the college

            •     Knowledge of curriculum and curriculum development  - rigor, critical thinking, etc.

            •     No predetermined bias or agenda

            •     Technically wise

            •     Budget knowledge

            •     From different areas/diversity

            •     Character, integrity, fearless and courageous with tact

            •     Strong advocate/defender for faculty interests

            •     Familiar with associate faculty issues

 

            Vice President of Student Services Search Committee (3 faculty – 1 counselor, 1 division chair, 1 at-large faculty member)

         •     Strong student advocate

            •     Knowledge of all student services areas:  academic and other services

            •     Knowledge of legal issues/restrictions

            •     Budget knowledge

            •     Awareness of how student services interacts and supports the college overall

            •     Evaluator of presentational effectiveness

            •     Knowledge of student discipline  issues

            •     Knowledge of Admissions & Records

           

            The discussion veered to the voting process itself and how to best ensure that the requirements for diversity and individual categories (DC, counselor, etc.) are met.  It was agreed that the votes for each category will be done individually and it was also suggested that the candidates not selected under one category be considered for inclusion in the additional categories.  The Senators were once again urged to recruit faculty from within their divisions, both long term and short term members.  It is expected that the hiring process will begin within the next two weeks and will be at the interview stage by sometime in April.  It is anticipated that the positions will be filled by June.

B.       De-Brief on Graduation Requirements Discussion at Flex

Each Senator received a summary report on the discussion that took place at the flex day meeting relative to graduation requirements.  The tally process was explained and the Senators were asked to review the summary for information.

 

C.       Consider English 1A and Oral Communication for Graduation Degree Requirements

In order to open discussion, Jane called for a motion (M/S – Brennan/Estrada):

 

“that the Mission College Academic Senate adopt English 1A as a graduation requirement for the AA and AS degrees.”

 

A lengthy discussion ensued, initially on whether or not it is appropriate to consider such a change in light of the current budget crisis.  Some feel that an additional graduation requirement will only serve as another obstacle to students and the decision should be postponed until the state’s current  budget crisis improves.  The possibility of an increase in tuition is probable, and will adversely impact our students and possibly drive them away. Some departments are strongly opposed to the requirement, and some students have stated they would seek another college if the requirement is institutionalized. In response, it was stated that all surrounding colleges have English 1A as a requirement and, therefore, should not affect the college’s enrollment.

 

The second point of concern is that the faculty is not fully aware that the Academic Senate intended to make a decision on this matter at today’s meeting.  In order to have buy-in, the Senate needs to communicate the process to faculty.  A request to review the process to date was made and Jane noted that this issue has been on the Senate’s agenda and discussed for at least two years.  Although it is true that some divisions do not have regular meetings, the Senators have been asked to discuss the issue with their constituents and bring back any concerns or issues to the Senate for discussion.  The Senate has held open forums with announcements and invitations to the faculty to participate in the discussions, and research data has been compiled and provided to the Senate members from numerous sources.  A timeline for completion of this task was provided in the Senate minutes stating that the decisions were to be made this spring.  Jane also pointed out that both the E&FMP and the Accreditation report indicated a need for the college to review its graduation requirements, which have not been reviewed for approximately 13 years.  

 

            Many spoke to the issue that Mission College students are graduating without the appropriate reading, writing, and oral skills that are needed to be successful.  There is data to indicate that many MC students do not pass the WST test administered at SJSU, many do not receive internships, and many are not hired for positions after an interview because they lack the necessary language skills. Many vocational education administrators have indicated that MC students need to improve writing and communication skills.  To continue serving our students in this manner is a disservice to them and serves as an embarrassment to the college.  It behooves us as educators to ensure that the college’s students are provided with the necessary skills for success.  The college is currently graduating students requiring remedial level courses, and a college level course should be required to receive a college degree.  It is true that one course may not solve the problem; many MC students that take English 1A still may have writing issues.  Thus, there is a need to ensure that reading and writing are emphasized throughout the curriculum, and, hopefully that can be accomplished soon. 

 

            Data from the MC Institutional Research Office indicates that AA students are already taking English 1A and some AS students are not.  This constitutes a minimal number of students that will be affected, and only those coming in to the college under the new requirements, to be listed in the catalog, will be affected.  Those currently enrolled will be required to meet the requirements as stated in the catalog in place when they enrolled.  It was also emphasized that the change in graduation requirements does not apply to students enrolled in certificate programs. In response to a question regarding implementation and process, Jane explained that the Academic Senate is empowered by law to make all decisions in academic and professional matters.  The change in graduation requirements will be brought to the Board for approval, and the Board has agreed to rely primarily upon the advice of the Academic Senate in these matters.

 

            The Senators ultimately passed the above motion (11 yes – 4 no), and it was agreed that the timeline and the process for implementation of this requirement is to be established at next week’s meeting. (Note: Senator Light left the meeting before the vote was taken.) The issue of an Oral Communication course requirement will be discussed and considered at the next meeting as well.  The Senators were urged to discuss this issue with their constituents and to consider whether or not English 1A should be a prerequisite for Oral Communication.                             

 

The remaining business items were postponed to the next meeting, to be held next Thursday, January 30th.

          

X.     Correspondence, Publications, & Announcements

         Correspondence

1.    E-mail message from the State Academic Senate’s President  on the Equity and Diversity Task Force Report adopted by the Board of Governors.          

2.    Update on significant issues from the State Academic Senate President dated January 3, 2003.

3.    News release dated December 6, 2002, from the state Chancellor’s Office re: budget cuts.

4.    Letter dated November 27, 2002, from the State Chancellor’s Office re: Equity and Diversity.

5.    Letter dated December 4, 2002, from FACCC re: New Retirement Options for faculty, Staff, and Administrators.

         Publication/Minutes

1.    The agendas for the December 12, 2002, January 16th and January 25, 2003, meetings of the Board of Trustees.

2.    The December 6, 2002, issue of the DVC FORUM from the Diablo Valley College Senate.

3.    The December 4, 2002, meeting notes for the Instructional Advisory Team Retreat.

4.    The preliminary agenda for the January 8-10 meeting of the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges.          

5.    A copy of the Equity and Diversity Report adopted by the Board of Governors in November.

6.    The agendas for the December 11, 2002, and January 15, 2003, meetings of DBAC.

7.    The agendas for the December 18, 2002,, and January 22, 2003, meetings of GAP.

8.    The summary notes for the December 9, 2002, meeting of the Mission Administrative Team.

9.    State Budget Update dated January 10, 2003, from the CCLC.

10. The agenda for the January 16, 2003, meeting of the M-WV Land Corporation.

11. The agenda for the January 8, 2003, meeting of the District Council.

         Announcements/Conferences

1.    A symposium on Teacher Recruitment and Preparation will be held March 26 and 27, 2003, at the College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, California.   

2.    The NISOD International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence will be held in Austin, Texas May 25-28, 2003.

3.    CCLC and FACCC sponsored Information Seminars on Retirement Planning to be held at Diablo Valley College, Friday, January 31, 2003, and at Mt. San Antonio College on Friday, February 7, 2003.  Lunch to be provided at Noon and seminar to begin at 12:30 p.m. 

Additional information on all the above is available from the Academic Senate Office.

 

XI.    Future Agenda Items

No new items were introduced at today's meeting.

 

XII.   Adjournment

            The meeting was adjourned at 4:00p.m. (M/S/U–Charland/Mancini). These minutes are respectfully submitted by Grace Hazán, Academic Senate Secretary.