Academic Senate General Meeting

September 23, 2008

ROOM 77 ECC

Present: Esther Matthew, Pat Mosteller, Ellen Zelniker, Roma Weaver, Gretchen Bitterlin, Ann Marie Damrau, Barbara Pongsrikul, Paul Richard, Lee Blackmore, Joan McKenna, Rebecca Wallies, Mary Burns Prine, Pamela Kozminska, Dennis Horn, Joe McGerald, Jan Forstrom, Greg Shirer, Dow Seegmiller, Laurie Mikolaycik, Elissa Claar, James Laramie, John Lindem, Ingrid Greenberg, Barbara Raifsnider, Rosa Castillo, Monique Wood.

The meeting was called to order at 3:40 p.m.

MINUTES: Approved.

PROGRAM REVIEW: Dean Ray Ramirez was there to discuss the new program review document. A motion was made and passed to approve the new program review document, but remove program discontinuance to be dealt with later. The program review process will help student success and student learning and will also assist us in our accreditation process.

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) versus Expected Student Learning Results (ESLRs): Why use SLOs over ESLRs? There are more resources for SLOs. Faculty rights are protected by using SLOs. SLOs are more specific and more measurable; ESLRs are more global. A motion was made and passed for the Academic Senate to abandon ESLRs now and forever more and adopt SLOs to measure student learning outcomes.

EGC: The Participatory Governance Handbook is not a consensus, so back to the drawing board.

DGC: There was a problem for non-permanent hourly classified employees who could only work 195 days each year. Many had been working for less than 195 days for 10 years or more and our district is not sure this practice is consistent with the law. Our district is converting some of these people to contracts because they have been working for so many years under these rules. One of Constance Carroll’s goals is to have collaboration with the colleges.

SITE COUNCILS: We need to have site councils because this is our primary means of communication.

FYI: In the next 5 or 6 years, a lot of administrators are going to retire. CE needs to have some succession planning and hopes to make being a manager more attractive.

Academic Freedom: The District and the AFT Guild agree that academic freedom is essential to the teaching-learning process. The fundamental need is acknowledged to protect faculty from any censorship or restraint which might interfere with their obligation to pursue truth in the performance of their teaching function.

SDAE: The current SDAE bargaining agreement is available on line at www.sdccd.edu/hrpublic. At the SDAE council dinner they met with Jim Mahler about the transition to the AFT-Guild Local 1931. If there are any faculty concerns, Jim Mahler is the one to contact. The next meeting is Thursday, Oct. 16th at 2:00 p.m.

ELECTIONS: Elections for vice president will occur.

CE ATTENDANCE POLICY: A motion was made and passed to put our items of concern with the proposed attendance guidelines and the possible negative effects they will have on the instructional program on the agenda for the next EGC meeting. Gretchen will also e-mail Jim Mahler about this issue.

FLEX: Ann Marie Damrau reminded us to fill out the flex survey on line. A motion was made and passed to create a flex coordinator position for 10 hours a week reassigned time.

ADJOURNMENT: Meeting adjourned at 5:00 p.m.