Mission College Academic Senate

Ext. 5413

Approved Minutes

Thursday, March 18, 2004

I. Call to Order/Roll Call

The meeting was called to order by President Alex Braun at 2:10 p.m.

Senators	A	P	Senators	A	P
Braun (Ext. 5355) Pres/Tech		X	Laird (Ext. 5186) SocScience		X
Brennan (Ext. 5313) Comm		X	Lavallo (Ext. 5399) Math		X
Brichko (Ext. 5222) CATA		X	Martin (Ext. 5356) Tech.	X
Charland (Ext. 5046) Stud. Dev.		X	Musat (Ext. 5331) Math	X
Cox (Ext.5164) CommSvc		X	Oliver (Ext. 5427) AAS	X
Dooley (Ext. 5379) AAS		X	Perlas (Ext. 5041) Stud.Dev.		X
Harris (Ext. 5413) AF/Comm		X	Rath (Ext. 5413) AF/CIT		X
Johnson (Ext.5277) CATA	X		Smebye (Ext. 5305) CommServ		X
Kashima (Ext. 5319) ESL		X	Zeisler (Ext. 5426) Comm		X
Guests: D.Cordero, H.Robles		X	J.VanTassel		X

II. Approval of the Minutes

The minutes for the meeting of March 11, 2004, were accepted and approved as submitted (M/S/U – Charland/Harris).

III. Order of the Agenda

It was agreed (M/S/U – Charland/Harris) that the order of the agenda will be changed to accommodate guests as needed. In addition, Alex noted that the (I/A) notations for Items VII.B and VII.D were inadvertently omitted from the agenda and should be corrected to (I/A) for both items. The Senators approved the amendment to the agenda (M/S/YU Braun/Charland).

IV. Oral Communication from the Public

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

V. Information & Announcements

1. A map to Carrow’s Restaurant at 3180 El Camino Real in Santa Clara will be sent to the Senators. The District Academic Senate meeting scheduled for March 25^th will be held at that location.

VI. Administrative Business/Actions/Appointments

A. Curriculum Committee - No report was presented at today’s meeting.

B. Staff Recognition - The following resolution (M/S/U – Charland/Brennan) was passed unanimously on March 11, 2004, and presented to Don Cordero at today’s meeting:

“Whereas, Don Cordero has served Mission College and West Valley College with dedication, wisdom and professionalism for thirty years, and contributed to maintaining strong ties between the two colleges; and

Whereas, Don has dealt with students, staff, faculty and administrators with unwavering courtesy, honesty, understanding and respect; and

Whereas, Don has counseled thousands of students regarding their career direction, academic goals, and personal concerns, with great empathy and skill; and

Whereas, Don has provided leadership in the college as Department Chair, Division Chair and the Academic Senate President for two terms, in addition to serving on innumerable committees; and

Whereas, Don has been the Articulation Officer for Mission College for a great many years, ensuring that credit for our courses will transfer appropriately to four-year universities, and that our students will be able to transfer; and

Whereas, Don has shared his passion for Astronomy and life with many hundreds of students and colleagues; and

Whereas, Don has mentored and profoundly influenced several generations of Counselors with whom he has worked, and has provided wise guidance to colleagues and administrators through numerous periods of administrative, political and financial uncertainty, and survived more campus Presidents than any one else on campus; and

Whereas, Throughout all of this Don maintained a ready smile and twinkle in his eye, and has always exemplified the ideals and philosophy upon which Mission College was founded;

Therefore, Be It Resolved, that the Academic Senate of Mission College, on behalf of the entire college, expresses its profound appreciation and gratitude to Don Cordero and acknowledges his years of service to Mission College and the District.”

Don received a standing ovation and three cheers from the Senate members and Don expressed his appreciation and gratitude for the acknowledgment.

C. Committee Appointments - No appointments were made at today’s meeting.

D. Oral Reports

1. Staff Development - No report was presented.

2. Other: No other reports were presented.

VII. Old Business

A. Discuss Status of Resolution of No Confidence in Chancellor

Alex provided the Senators with a copy of the Chancellor’s written responses to the Bill of Particulars. The Bill of Particulars was presented to the Chancellor last year by the Co-Chairs of the District Academic Senate in light of the resolution of no confidence in the Chancellor. The Senators were given some time to peruse the document, which is to be discussed further at the District Academic Senate meeting on March 25, 2004.

Alex asked for any comments relative to the Chancellor’s responses. He noted that the Chancellor would like to see this item off the agenda. Several Senators spoke to the issue, some indicated that they were pleased with the details in the responses, others expressed concern that many of the remedies were delegated to the Vice Chancellor, and new Senators asked for clarification on some of the issues. Alex was asked specifically to report on the process the Chancellor used to select an Interim President for WVC. Alex reported that he has been advised that the selection process was the same as the selection process used to select MC President Chong. The Chancellor initiated the process and then allowed the committee to proceed with the selection. He then concurred with the recommendations of the committee. Alex personally attested to the process since he served on the selection committee for President Chong, and his counterpart at WVC, Vivian Lock, advised him accordingly, as she served on the selection committee for the interim president at WVC.

As discussion continued, Alex asked the Senators to consider whether or not the Chancellor’s responses as submitted are sufficient evidence to substantiate that the Chancellor has accomplished what he set out to do. Some stated it appears so if you only consider the nine points raised in the Bill of Particulars. It was noted, however, that there are incredibly strong negative feelings among the troops. The Bill of Particulars was considered a list of serious violations of procedures. The issues that brought the District Academic Senate to the resolution of no confidence and the Bill of Particulars were based on greater concerns – the lack of understanding of state law, the lack of knowledge with regard to district and college policies and the strong shared governance policies of the district and colleges, his absence from meetings or cancellation of meetings at crucial times, going to conferences when needed in the district on important and critical issues, and his lack of understanding of the faculty contract and his definition of collegial communication. These actions do not demonstrate good leadership skills and do not instill confidence that this Chancellor can lead this district. The question remains, has the Chancellor demonstrated a change in his leadership policy? Would he have made these changes if there had not been a resolution of no confidence.

It was stated that the November Board election to fill two vacant seats is a critical matter. The Chancellor appears to have the full confidence of the current Board, and the issue of no confidence must remain in order to ensure that prospective new Board members are aware of the current situation. It was mentioned that the Chancellor had assigned the Budget Allocation Model Subcommittee of DBAC to look at budget priorities, but the administrative structure of District Services remains to be done. All these points will be discussed at the District Academic Senate meeting next week.

B. Consider DCC Resolution on Testing Center

The resolution submitted to the Academic Senate for consideration appears in the minutes of March 4, 2004, and the Senators received statistical data and information on the use of the Testing Center at last week’s meeting. Alex reported that the survey information provided to the Senators was conducted last fall when the testing center was closed about half the semester, and it was only open for limited time periods. Therefore, the data is not necessarily representative of what the center’s use might have been if open full time. It is his experience that the Testing Center is used far more than the use indicated by the survey.

The Academic Senate needs to decide if a Testing Center is in the best interest of the students and faculty as opposed to operational, administrative or budget matters. A motion to consider endorsing the resolution from the DCC on the Testing Center was made (M/S – Braun/Charland). There were varying opinions as to the need and the appropriate use of the center. Some suggested office hours or division offices could be used for make-up exams, others stated that was not acceptable within their divisions, and another view was that, in this time of budget crises, a testing center might not be an appropriate use of resources, or even pedagogically sound.

In reviewing the resolution from the DCC, it was pointed out that the first request was that the Academic Senate work with GAP, CBAC, and administration to find the funds to staff the Center as soon as possible. It was reported that the funds have been allocated. The second request is that the Senate form a task force to explore alternative methods to support and fund testing. Since funds have been allocated to support the Center, a task force will not be necessary and it is not clear that the third request, to ensure ongoing staffing for a make up testing center is necessary. As discussion continued, President Braun and Senator Charland agreed to withdraw the above motion from the table, and the following motion was made with the addition of friendly amendments based on discussion (M/S – Brennan/Charland):

“that the Mission College Academic Senate support a Testing Center staffed by employees who are not students of the West Valley-Mission Community College District and operating with clear and enforced usage guidelines that promote student success.”

C. Continue Discussion and Development of District Budget Contingency Plan

Alex explained that the charge of the Academic Senate includes involvement in the development and planning process of the district budget, since the outcome affects academic programs. The Senators received documents with budget figures. At some point the Senate may be asked to vote on plans and make recommendations to the administration that will deal with the budget deficit.

The Senators received several draft documents dealing with the district’s budget under the best case scenario and the worst case scenario. The best-case scenario figures ($3.3 million deficit) are based on the Governor’s initial budget proposed in January. The proposal provides for growth, COLA, and an equalization increase in apportionment. The worst-case scenario ($7.0 million deficit) does not include those provisions. The final budget is targeting April 1^st for the development of the best case tentative district budget and mid-May for the final budget, which could result in the worst case scenario. Much depends on how much of the original budget remains intact. Alex emphasized that the legislature is polarized politically, with the Democrats have a margin over 50%.

Alex explained that, under normal circumstances, the allotment for vacant positions stays within the budget. Last year, the District partially reduced its deficit by de-funding vacant positions. The allotted funds for those positions have been included in the estimated budget for this year, and the District will decide if those positions will be de-funded once again to assist with the deficit. One of the documents received indicated budget reduction options with short-term results. The district is considering ways to deal with long-term reductions. There will be no reduction in full-time faculty due to the FON. The FON for the district is 358.6 and the District will proceed to hire faculty at both campuses to meet that number. Any needed savings will have to come from a reduction in Classified Staff, Associate Faculty, and Administration. Academic programs may be impacted with the loss of Associate Faculty and the Classified Staff that support those programs. The Senate must take a position and consider the impact on academic programs in areas if Associate Faculty and Classified Staff are further reduced.

In addition, the Senators were informed that the UC and CSU systems have been directed to redirect approximately 10% of their Freshman enrollment to the community college system.

Alex asked the Senators to share this information with their constituents and determine the impact of further reductions in Classified Staff and Associate Faculty on their academic programs, their ability to serve the students, and take on the same number of students or additional students. Discussion on this matter will continue at the next Senate meeting, on April 8, 2004.

D. Discuss Transfer Program/Director Counselor Position

Alex reminded the Senators that this question involves a loophole in the process developed by the Division Chair Council and the Academic Senate in ranking new faculty hire positions. If a position has been ranked to be filled, and a person in the same department applies for the new position, this leaves the department down by the approved additional position. This is the fault of the current systems. The intent of the ranking process is to ensure that departments are staffed as needed. Alex asked for direction on how to proceed.

It was suggested that the Senate and the Division Chair Council consider developing an addendum to the existing policy that will allow for events such as this one. Alex asked the Senators to consider the problem as defined and devise a solution to keep in mind that the objective is to fully staff departments.

X. Correspondence, Publications, & Announcements

Correspondence

Publication/Minutes

Announcements/Conferences

XI. Future Agenda Items

No new items were introduced at today's meeting.

XII. Adjournment

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