Mission College Academic Senate

Ext. 5413

Unapproved  Minutes

Thursday, April 28, 2005  

 

I.       Call to Order/Roll Call

            The meeting was called to order by President Alex Braun at 2:12 p.m. 

 

Senators

   A

   P

Senators

   A

   P

Braun      (Ext. 5355) Pres/Tech

 

    X

Martin     (Ext. 5356)  Tech.

    

    X

Brichko    (Ext. 5222)  CATA

       

    X

McKay    (Ext. 5312)  Comm

 

    X

Cogswell (Ext. 5388)  AAS

    X

 

Musat      (Ext. 5331) Math

    

    X 

Cox        (Ext.5164)  CommSvc

 

    X

Ostrander  (Ext. 5274) Stud Dev.

 

    X

Dooley    (Ext. 5379)   AAS

    

    X

Perlas      (Ext. 5041)  Stud.Dev.

 

    X

Harris     (Ext. 5413)  AF/Comm

    

    X

Rath       (Ext. 5413)  AF/CIT

 

    X

Kashima  (Ext. 5319)  ESL

 

    X

Smebye   (Ext. 5305) CommServ

 

    X

Laird      (Ext. 5186)  SocSci

    

    X

Szabados  (Ext.5289)  CATA

 

    X

Lavallo    (Ext. 5399)  Math

    

    X

Zeisler     (Ext. 5426) Comm

    X

 

Other: T.McCracken (ASB Rep)

    X

 

Other: K.Raczkowski (ASB Rep)

    X

 

Guests:  S.Dinger

   

    X

Guests: 

 

  

 

II.     Approval of the Minutes

            The minutes for the meeting of April 21, 2005, were accepted and approved as submitted (M/S/U – Harris McKay).

 

III.    Order of the Agenda

            There were no changes to today’s order of the agenda.

             

 IV.    Oral Communication from the Public

            Steve Dinger advised the members of the Academic Senate of information received at the GAP meeting relative to the schedule of classes, particularly in light of the enrollment crisis the district is facing.  Mission College is down approximately 43% in enrollment and West Valley College is down approximately 30%.  The Mission College schedule of classes has not been distributed and will not be distributed until May 12th.  The delay is due to errors relative to the calendar, specifically the starting dates, finals schedule, and other errors.  Steve indicated, however, that corrections have been made to the college’s Web site.

 

            Steve also pointed out that there are no new programs coming forward and the district has an enrollment crisis.  He specifically referred to the CIT position, which the Academic Senate and the Division Chair Council ranked sixth in the list of full-time faculty positions to be filled. President Braun deferred discussion on this matter to Item VII.B on today’s agenda.

        

            At this time, the Senators agreed that the issue of the delayed schedule of classes must be addressed and returned to the order of the agenda.

 

III.    Order of the Agenda

            The Senators agreed that the issue of the schedule is new information and the delayed printing and distribution of the schedule of classes required the immediate attention and action of the Academic Senate (M/S/P – Cox/Szabados). It was unanimously agreed (M/S/U – Cox/Harris) that this item be added to today’s agenda as an action item under New Business Item A (Discuss Late Schedule Printing & Its Impact on Academic Issues) and addressed immediately following Item V (M/S/U – Cox/Szabados). 

V.      Information & Announcements 

         1. The State Chancellor’s Office for Community Colleges will hold a System Strategic Plan Hearing on Tuesday, May 3, 2005, at the Doubletree Hotel in San Jose from 8:00 a.m.   to 3:00 p.m.  Alex will attend and he encouraged the Senators to attend as well.

            2.   Alex advised that the District Council discussed the 508 Policy adopted by the District Academic Senate.  It was agreed that the policy will be directed to Albert Moore, who will format the policy to Board standards, identify its location in District Policy, and return it to the Academic Senate for review and final approval.

            3.   The District Academic Senate meeting will be held on Thursday, May 12, 2005, at Mission College.  The major amount of time will be devoted to the approval of the District Faculty Hiring Policy.  There will be one or two other items on the agenda that will take up a lesser portion of the meeting.

            4.   The matter of tenure credit for three Mission College faculty members was addressed at the District Council meeting and has been placed on the agenda for the May 5th Board of Trustees meeting.  Alex advised that concerns were raised by HR Director Sandi Dillon relative to equity of treatment for all faculty and setting precedent. Alex will place this item on the agenda for next week’s meeting for discussion, and he agreed to invite Sandi to attend the meeting if possible.        

         5.   Alex reminded the Senators that the Faculty Recognition Award Luncheon is scheduled for Thursday, May 12th from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in Hospitality Management.

            6.   On Monday, May 2, 2005, at Noon, the Mission College Library will celebrate Asian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month in the Library‘s Instruction Room.  Free leis will be given while supplies last.

            7.   Senator Harris announced that a Campus Consortium of local colleges and universities starting mediation programs will be held on Friday, April 29th, from 2:15 – 4:15 p.m. at the Santa Clara County building, 70 West Hedding Street, East Wing, lower level conference room.  All interested parties are invited to attend.

            8.   The first meeting of the Title V Advisory Committee will be held tomorrow from 9:00 a.m. to Noon.

 

As agreed, the agenda was suspended and moved to Item VIII.A.

 

VIII.  New Business

 

    A.  Discuss Late Schedule Printing & Its Impact on Academic Issues      

            Alex explained that the delay in printing the schedule was caused, in part, due to a number of errors that were found during the run and the printing was stopped. Alex opened the floor to discussion and suggested that the discussion focus on three issues in the following order: 

 

                  1)  What can be done immediately to rectify the situation?

                  2)  Where and why did the system break down?

                  3)   Then look at the relationships between key constituents involved.

 

            A lengthy discussion ensued and many Senators spoke to the issue, suggesting a number of solutions that might be considered.  It was suggested that e-mails be sent to all students in the college’s database providing them with the link to the college’s web site.  It was also suggested that a hard copy providing students with the link to the web site should be printed and made available to students. Another suggestion was to post a correct schedule of classes on the windows of Admissions and Records and the President’s Office.  Of particular concern was that there are no schedules to be distributed to the many high school students attending today’s WACAC event.  It was suggested that if a list of those students is available, we should ensure that each one is mailed the final schedule upon publication.  Alex agreed to discuss the matter with Sue Monahan.  

            Alex was asked if the administration has considered any resolutions to correct the problem immediately and Alex indicated that he was not aware of any proposed resolutions at this time.

 

            It was stated that it is unacceptable for this problem to occur two semesters in a row, particularly when the college is experiencing low enrollment and enrollment is expected to decrease by 10% further during construction.  Someone must take responsibility and ensure that this cannot and will not happen again. This is clearly an academic issue that impacts the college’s educational programs. The schedule of classes is a major marketing tool for the college and this problem needs to be solved immediately.  It was emphasized that it is not a question of blame, but rather a question of how to fix the problem quickly and effectively. It serves no legitimate purpose to blame people for problems owing to flaws in the system.  Although the immediate situation must be mitigated through prompt emergency action, we must all adopt a problem-solving attitude to determine what happened, what went wrong, and why.  Then the question of where and how the system broke down can be considered, as well as the relationships between key constituents.

 

            The following resolution was offered for consideration and discussion and a motion to adopt the resolution was approved unanimously (M/S/U – Smebye/Harris):

 

             "Whereas, The college schedule is a major marketing tool used by Mission College; and

 

Whereas, The distribution of the college schedule has been delayed significantly for two semesters in a row; and

 

Whereas, Mission College enrollment for 2004/05 is down significantly over previous years; and

 

Whereas, Lowered enrollment has a significant effect on the quality of education, services, and access for students;

 

Therefore, Be It Resolved, That the Mission College Academic Senate require the college administration take emergency steps to produce and distribute 10,000 copies of the schedule immediately.”

 

            As discussion continued, it was noted that the calendar is currently being negotiated, and that is partially responsible for holding up the schedule. People have a responsibility to negotiate in good faith. It is believed that the administration is not negotiating in good faith, and the lack of a calendar is indicative of the climate in the District.  This seems to indicate a lack of respect and trust for faculty and its role and a lack of give and take.  There appears to be a vendetta by administration against faculty.  That seems apparent in negotiations and severely impacts faculty, classified staff and students.  This is all indicative of the poor quality of life in the District.  In reality, a great deal of damage was caused in the District by the layoff notices.  The issue continues to color the   faculty’s view of the Board, the Board’s view of faculty, the budget, the way younger faculty feel about being in this District, one’s sense of loyalty, etc.  If the problem is not addressed, discussed, owned and healed, it will continue to deteriorate.

 

            As discussion continued, it was suggested that there has been a major paradigm shift, which occurred when the District hired two attorneys to attend each Board meeting. There is an assumption that issues, such as collegiality, can only be dealt with through some kind of enforcement instrument.  This is a perception that is poisoning the District. There is a code of conduct that we must live by; one cannot legislate ethics. It was noted that some time ago the Academic Senate President was asked to meet with the Chancellor and request that a meeting be established with the Chancellor, a representative of the Board of Trustees, the college Presidents, and the Academic Senate Presidents to discuss the issues of shared governance, the concept of collegiality, and other concerns relative to the morale within the District.  The Senate President was told that the Chancellor would call a meeting and this has not occurred to date.  There are problems that are seriously tearing the colleges and District apart that must be resolved. 

 

            There was some discussion on the question of whether or not faculty has a direct link to the Board.  It was stated that during the Board’s self-evaluation, the Chancellor indicated that the Board is responsible to the community and the faculty and college Presidents are responsible to the Chancellor.  It was stated, for the record, that Title 5 provides for a direct link between the Academic Senate and the Board of Trustees and can bypass an administrator.

 

            Ultimately, the following resolution was offered for consideration and discussion and a motion to adopt the resolution was approved unanimously (M/S/U – Cox/Harris):

 

"Whereas, The Mission College schedule of classes has been delayed two semesters in a row due to failure to negotiate a calendar and inter-session in a timely manner; and

 

Whereas, This failure in negotiations is a symptom of a larger institutional problem of lack of respect, trust and good faith; and

 

Whereas, Continuing to operate the district in the current climate will cause an escalating deterioration to the quality of education, services and access for students;

 

Therefore, Be It Resolved, That the Mission College Academic Senate implore all agencies within the district, including the Board of Trustees, the Chancellor, and the ACE President to work to resolve the issues of trust and collegiality within the district; and

 

Be It further Resolved, That the Mission College Academic Senate demand that the Chancellor call a retreat including the Chancellor, a Board of Trustees representative, the College Presidents, the Academic Senate Presidents, the ACE President and representatives from both Classified Senates and the ASB to create a plan of action to resolve the issues of trust and collegiality."

 

The Senators then directed President Braun to advise all concerned parties, as well as the campus community where appropriate, of the actions taken at today’s Senate meeting immediately following the meeting.  It was also agreed that the marketing issue be placed on the Senate agenda for its May 5, 2005, meeting.                                                                                      

 

At this time, it was agreed to postpone discussion on Item VI, Item VII.A, Item VII.C, and Item VII.D and move directly to Item VII.B (M/S/U).

 

VII.   Old Business

 

  B.    Update Report on CIS (CIT) Faculty Position

            Alex explained that he discussed this matter with President Chong.  President Chong has stated that the position will not be filled until a program review is conducted.  He will then make his decision based on the program review, which is to be conducted by the Technology Division.  Alex asked the Senators for direction on how to proceed.

 

            Discussion ensued and it was stated that the program has essentially been abandoned despite the fact that classes are full.  This is not a dead program and it is being micromanaged by management.  The Senators were advised that there is more than one FTE available for the area, and that Steve Dinger and Mina Jahan have been co-managing the area. The Senators were also advised that a questionnaire was sent out immediately after the Academic Senate’s decision, was completed promptly and forwarded to Harriett Robles.  The information provided included enrollment and trends. It is believed that management could listen more to the Academic Senate.

            As discussion continued, it was noted that the Academic Senate and the Division Chair Council jointly make the decisions on which faculty positions to hire. The Computer Information Technology (CIT) position was ranked sixth by the Academic Senate and the Division Chair Council (DCC) and on December 16, 2004, the Senate approved the DCC’s recommendation that the CIT position be filled as a permanent full-time position. Hence, the Senators passed the following motion unanimously (M/S/U – McKay/Szabados):

 

            "that the Mission College Academic Senate stand by its original decision to fill the Computer Information Technology position as a permanent full-time faculty member for Fall 2005."

 

            The Senators directed Steve Dinger, as a Division Chair, to advise the Division Chair Council next Monday that the Senate requests that the DCC consider a similar motion and affirm the action of the Mission College Academic Senate taken at today's meeting.

 

X.     Correspondence, Publications, & Announcements

         Correspondence

         Publication/Minutes

         1.   The agenda for the April 27, 2005, meeting of GAP.

            2.   The agenda for the April 27, 2005, meeting of the District Council.

            3.   The April 25, 2005, issue of FA NEWS from the Foothill-DeAnza Faculty Association.

         Announcements/Conferences

         1.   The 12th Annual UCI Undergraduate Research Symposium will be held on Saturday, May 14, 2005, in the UCI Humanities Buildings at Irvine.  This year’s theme, “Undergraduate Research: Inventing Yourself” will feature keynote speaker Donald McKayle, Professor of Dance.  Please RSVP by Friday, May 6th to the UROP Office at (949) 824-4289 or by e-mail: urop@uci.edu.

 

XI.    Future Agenda Items

1.  Discuss marketing concerns of Mission College.

 

XII.   Adjournment

            The meeting was adjourned at 4:16  p.m. (M/S/U-McKay/Smebye). These minutes are respectfully submitted by Grace Hazán, Academic Senate Secretary.