Academic Senate Meeting Minutes

Thursday, October 26, 2006

12:45 -2:00 pm

Student Service Building,

Conference Rooms A & B

  Senators Present: Yolanda Bellisimo, Barbara Bonander, Hank Fearnley, Theo Fung, Ron Gaiz, Deborah Graham, Erika Harkins, Patrick Kelly, Arthur Lutz, Radicia Portello, David Rollison, Sheri Rollison, Ingrid Schreck, John Sutherland, Blaze Woodlief.

Guests: Bernie Blackman, H.L. Tam, Sara McKinnon, Seanna Villarreal, Toni Yoshioka, Linda Beam, Peggy Dodge, Jessica Sutter

Agenda
Motion to approve agenda

• Motion adopted

 Minutes

Motion to approve minutes October 5, 2006

• Motion adopted

Motion to approve minutes dated October 19, 2006

• Motion adopted

Senator Fung requested that the minutes expand on the Testing Center Issue

AS President requested that the next set of minutes include more detail about the testing center issue; those details are as follows:

• Testing Center issues continue to arise. Issues such as access, retaking tests, and DSPS access need to be resolved. The VP will request to have the Taskforce discuss these issues in an effort to resolve these problems.

 Officers’ Reports

The President reported the following:

·        Senate President & VP met with the College President, VP, and Bernie Blackman and discussed modernization issues and the notion of building a “middle college” program at IVC with the Novato High School District.  This program would not take units away from programs at CoM.

·        WASC will visit on the November 13, 2006; WASC plans to spend ½ hour with select committees, an hour with the board and an hour with the SLO team. They will also spend ½ hour in an open session.

The Vice President reported the following:

• VP is analyzing modernization calculations and building to State standards; State standards do not seem feasible. The space allocation for Math, Science and Nursing may not be enough to accommodate programs.

Senator Lutz requests that AS discuss WASC visit.

The Treasurer reported the following:

• The treasurer expressed concerns that the AS budget may be overdrawn.
• The AS President explained that the money is budgeted in the account but that the money simply needs to be transferred.
  
• A report and a written statement was submitted to be attached to the minutes.

Senator Fearnley requests that the Treasurer’s concerns be placed on a future agenda.

Standing Reports:

Curriculum Committee

·        A written report was submitted to be attached to the minutes.

Academic Standards Committee

·        Approval of priority registration policy  “went from semester to units in terms of when students will enroll.”  Priority registration is on hold due to IT problems. It will not be implemented in fall 06; the projected date is now fall 07. In the meantime, the old policy will be followed.

Community Education

·        Community Education operates on a quarterly basis. The winter quarter will not have new teachers in the program since Community Education did not have a Community Education Director. In spring, new teachers will be in the program.

·        Conditions and status of classrooms need to be addressed.

Technology Committee

·        No report

  Governance Review Council

o       Student Services was asked to present a charge that they felt comfortable with.

o       The committee decided to go through the governance document to look for possible revisions that need to be made.

o       The progress report to WASC, in the governance section, included statements that are not based on data but that are based instead on opinion and observation.

o       The progress report to WASC, in the governance section, included statements that seem to be based on opinion and observation rather than on data; these concerns were not an item on the agenda for the GRC.

Secretary’s Request for Records

AS secretary made the following motion:  “In an attempt to ‘correct and cure’ a violation of the Brown Act & the California Public Records Act by the former AS Officers, it is requested that the current AS direct the former AS Officers to surrender all minutes, agendas, treasurer’s records, bank statements, receipts, reports, and  other documents submitted in all AS meetings from the former term as required by the Brown Act Section 54957.5 and as mandated by the California Public Records Act (Chapter 3.5, section 6250); and, additionally, that if these documents are not surrendered--in full--to the current AS by the next AS meeting, the current AS order the former Academic Senate Officers  to provide an explanation, in writing, to be filed with the minutes as part of the official record of this body, indicating the reasons that the Brown Act and the California Public Records Act was violated by the former AS and explaining why the public was denied access to these records.”

Discussion on this matter ensued and action will be taken next week.

Senator D. Rollison presented a CD to the secretary “the contents of which are unknown.”

Retreat Rights Policy

• Retreats rights policy was submitted to Senate and will be discussed next week.
• AS President called for nominations on Governance Committees and will ask Senate for consent next week.
• The ballots for the referendum were sent out and the ballot lists were checked by the committee and verified by contract dates.

Meeting adjourned at 2:02

Minutes submitted by Schreck