COLLEGE OF MARIN

Academic Senate Meeting Minutes
Thursday, May 17, 2007
12:45 -2:00 pm
Student Service Building,
Conference Rooms A & B

Senators Present: Carol Adair, Yolanda Bellisimo, Michael Dougan, Ron Gaiz, Erika Harkins, Patrick Kelly, Joe Mueller, Meg Pasquel, Radica Portello, Robert Kennedy, Ingrid Schreck, Blaze Woodlief, Derek Wilson

Senators Absent:  Arthur Lutz, Sherri Rollison

Guests: Hoa-Long Tam, Bernie Blackman

Approval of Agenda & Minutes    

Motion made to approve the agenda for May 17, 2007

• Motion adopted
  

Motion made to approve the minutes dated May 10, 1997

• Motion adopted with corrections
  

Officers’ Reports

The President reported the following:

• The As discussed terms of office. To put the AS into compliance we need to ask that a Senator that is newly elected serve for a one year term. Senator Adair volunteers to serve a one year term instead of a two year term. A part-timer also needs to serve for a one year term. The AS consents to making this decision spring 2008.
  
• The AS consents for a Thursday afternoon FLEX activity.
• A written report was submitted.
  

The Vice President reported the following:

• The VP thanks the former Senators for their service.
  
• Modernization must work in tandem with faculty. Assessing room sizes and classroom space should be done by counting the number of sections and peak teaching hours to analyze and project how many classrooms we need.
  
• Faculty should be following how these classroom decisions are calculated and need to make certain that all of the current sections are accounted for to help determine classroom space and numbers.
  
• IT must be updated regarding the Instructional Equipment requests so the new equipment can be installed and so that IT can plan the implementation of new equipment.
  

Standing Reports

Curriculum Committee

• A written report was submitted.
• New forms were submitted to the AS to review. These new forms streamline the curriculum process. The AS consents to using the new forms, and recommends that the Curriculum Committee contact the Chairs and with the Deans about the new forms. The AS also recommends that any new courses that are submitted use the new forms. AS discussed making this an SLO requirement.
• CC will move meeting times to Thursdays 9-11 am which is better in line with AS meeting schedules to better correlate and plan curriculum issues.
  

Academic Standards Committee

• A written report was submitted.
• AS Committee cannot eliminate any of the petitions due to audit.
  
• The only time the committee would hear these is during the appealed petitions process.
  
• The committee made changes to the draft of the College Petitions Committee Procedural Guidelines. The AS will address this in September. The committee should continue with petitions as they have been until the AS can review the new procedural guidelines in September.
  

Community Education

• Spring session ended with a total of $252 of subsidies or a total of 3 classes out of 60 classes.  The annual Emeritus College Spring Party will take place Sat 5/19 from 2-5 in cafeteria.
  

Action Items
Election of a Treasurer and Staggering of Terms

• AS President asks for staggered terms of officers for more stability so the terms of officers are not all selected at the same time.
  
• Senator Wilson made a motion to keep configuration that Pres & VP are even years and secretary and treasurer are elected odd years.
• Motion passes
• Senator Pasquel was nominated for the Treasurer position.
• The AS elected Senator Pasquel for the position of AS treasurer.

Budget Expenditures

• The AS consents to buy the gifts for the retirees.
  

Interviews for Senate White Paper

• Senator Gaiz made the motions to approve of Derek Wilson taking the position of the Program Review White Paper Project.
  
• Motion adopted
  

Discussion Items

+/- Grading

• State legislature a few years back agreed to leave the decision of +/- grading up to each district.
  
• Research shows that +/- grading changes grades approximately by an average of .08 GPA units, less than 1/10 of a GPA unit.
  
• Statistics show that student grades overall do not change much but are slightly reduced as a result of +/- grading
• This issue will be on the agenda for the fall and the AS will consider making this change at CoM.
  

Final Announcement: Outstanding Faculty and Staff Awards

• Full-Time Faculty Nominated: John Marmysz, Joe Mueller, Paul Smith, Victoria Vierra, Grace Hom, Ron Gaiz, Ingrid Schreck, Bruce Furuya, Patrick Kelly, Laurie Ordin, and Yolanda Bellisimo
  
• Meuller has won the Full-time Outstanding Faculty Award
  
• Part-Time faculty Nominated: Gregg Grist, Tron Bickel, Roy Jirel, Radica Ostojic-Portello, Gina Stahl, Sheri Rollison, Carol Richardson
• Gina Stahl has won the Part-time Outstanding Faculty Award.
• Non credit Faculty Nominated: Sara Mckinnon, Erika Harkins, Jackie Cuddler
• Sara McKinnon has won the Non-Credit Outstanding Faculty Award
  
• Staff Nominated: Diane Faw, Vicki Lamke, Mina Namvar, Mike Irvine, Robin Jackson, Karen Van Keiedt, Dong Nguyen, Kate Dodele, Becky Reetz, Xenia Zarrehparvar, Jesse Harbison, Emy Bagtas
• Vicki Lamke wins award.
• Must be at Redwood grove on 24th for recognition and award.
• AS President will send out the list of Nominees and winners on the AS News.
  

Requests to Address the Senate on Non-Agenda Items

• No requests
  

Meeting adjourned at 2:07
Minutes submitted by Schreck