Notes - May 12th, 2008
The De Anza Academic Senate
Approved Notes for the meeting of
May 12th, 2008
Senators and Officers present: Argyriou, Bambhania, Chenoweth, Coleman, Cordero, Dolen, Gallegos, Glapion, Goodwin, Guevara, Hanna, Kessler, Kragelot, Kramer, Lathers, Lee-Klawender, Miller, Mitchell, Ng-Lee, Schaffer, Setziol, Shively, Walton, and Winters
Senators and Officers absent: LaManque, Hughes, Maynard, and White
DASB: Classified Senate: Al Guevara
Administrative Liaison:
Guests: Jenny Levitsky, Grace Kim, and Anh Dinh
Curriculum Co Chair: SLO Coordinator: Maryalice Bonilla
[NOTE: Item numbers are reflective of agenda numbers in the order they
are actually taken up at the meeting.]
The meeting was called to order at 2:33 a quorum being present.
I. Approval of Agenda and Notes: The agenda was approved as distributed. The notes were approved as distributed with an addition to Item VI - Final Exam Schedule - and a correction of the ending time listed.
II. Needs and Confirmations: Three Search and Selection Committees were proposed, Manufacturing and Computer Numerical Control (MCNC) faculty position, Disabled Student Services (DSS) faculty position, and a faculty position for the HOPE program the exact title of which was unknown. All were returned to sender, address is unknown, because of a lack of information, inadequate faculty representation, or both.
Chenoweth returned to the subject of the newly formed ad hoc subcommittee on an Academic Freedom Board Policy statement because a chair for the group had not been designated. Failing to get a volunteer from among those who volunteered for service on the committee, Chenoweth appointed Setziol to convene the group.
III. Elections: There were said to be signs of progress in terms of having people to run for office with at least one member of the Executive Committee said to be close to submitting a candidate's statement and word of potential part time representatives as well. Kessler asked those who signed up initially to run the polling place to indicate whether or not the same days of the week would work in a newly determined week. The item will return once again on the May 19th agenda.
IV. Textbook Cost Audit and Rental Guidelines: Chenoweth reported that something called an audit was conducted by members of the state Chancellor's office pursuant to a legislative mandate originating with State Senator Harmon. The goal of the mandate is to get colleges to investigate and then do something about the high cost of textbooks.
De Anza appears to be above average in terms of having thoughtful policy language but perhaps not so far ahead in actual implementation. Chenoweth read a message relaying the four criteria previously established by the group plus two considerations added at the May 5th meeting. With regard to workbooks, because of the variety of forms of workbooks it was decided to eliminate the word workbook and replace the idea by saying that textbooks needed to be reusable.
V. Reorganization: The discussion began almost entirely focusing on concerns about the idea to at least temporarily eliminate the staff development position (a faculty position) in order to fund a new administrative position. When the discussion started to drift to questioning President Murphy's latest proposal of having the student success group of programs report to one administrator (the newly created administrative position) and the Library, Staff development, and Distance Learning report to another (an existing administrative FTE), the group was reminded that, with Murphy in the room, the group had already clearly supported Murphy's idea to keep Distance Learning in Instruction.
It was reported that there had been various conversations about where to get FTE to fund the new dean position, including one reducing the Tenure Review Coordinator position from 50% reassigned time to 25% reassigned time. Immediate response to that idea was that that should not be done lightly and that current Tenure Review Coordinator Rich Schroeder might be asked his opinion of the idea.
Other comments and concerns included: Why is there still nothing in writing coming from Murphy?; We should support the conceptual aspects we already supported and find new ways of pursuing them; The proposed Library, Staff development, and Distance
Learning entity has few faculty in the group; Why do we need to elevate both administrators proposed to be elevated instead of just one?; Why do we need to elevate either one if it is just being done to reward individuals for work well done in the past?; We should have Marcos Cicerone come to tell us about his activities as Staff Development coordinator; and The whole thing should be put on hold until the new Vice Presidents are in place.
No concrete action was taken.
VI. Professional Relations: Setziol distributed a multi part document and asked the Senators to read and consider it carefully as it contained a lot of information and significant implications for faculty. He asked the group to pay special attention to the dual roles of mediation of conflict and findings of unprofessional or unethical behavior. He also pointed to a recommendation calling for consideration of a sanction called censure, something unprecedented at the college, which is proposed to replace the current final outcome of a letter in a personnel file.
Schaffer told of his long and only partially successful interaction with the Professional Relations process and spoke to the need for significant change in it and its empowerment.
VII. Final Exam Schedule: The item began with a review of the problem of a trend of increasing number of conflicts in the final exam schedule and a proposal brought to the group by Setziol wherein all conflicts would be eliminated by having the regular weekly schedule extended four more days and having faculty give exams over that time as best suited their courses. A document created by Lydia Hearn was distributed. It would eliminate most but not all conflicts. A fundamental agreement that eliminating conflicts for students (including time, day, child care, and Distance Learning should be the highest value ran into a conflict of its own with final exams said to need more than one hour of continuous time.
Setziol will return to Jane Swannson to follow up on the questions of numbers of conflicts and the degree to which eccentric class starting times are responsible for conflicts.
VIII. Contingent Academic Labor Conference: It was MSCU (Winters/Cordero) to give $250 in support of the conference. Goodwin will convey the support and the money.
IX. Good of the Order and announcements: - Setziol reminded the group of the Bay Area premiere of his Piano Quartet May 15th.
- The second of three finalists for the Vice President for Instruction position is scheduled for a open forum Tuesday, May 13th at 10:00 a.m.
- Goodwin received congratulations for being elected to the Faculty Association for California Community Colleges Board of Governors.
The meeting was adjourned at 4:32.