Notes - February 12th, 2007

The De Anza Academic Senate
Approved Notes for the meeting of
February 12th, 2007

Senators and Officers present: Bambhania, Capitolo, Chenoweth, Cole, Coleman, Cordero, Dolen, Gallegos, Glapion, Goodwin, Hearn, Jensen-Sullivan, Joplin, Kramer, Lathers, Lizardi-Folley, Lee-Klawender, Maynard, Miller, Osborne, Otake, Raffaelli, Setziol, Winters, and Zill
Senators and Officers absent: Kessler  and Schaffer,
DASB: Yvonne Luo
Classified Senate: Olivia Patlan
Administrative Liaison: Christina Espinosa-Pieb
Guests: Fred Sherman, Kathy Kyne, and Chien Shih
[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 2:30 a quorum being present.
I. Approval of Agenda and Notes: The agenda was approved as distributed with the renumbering of item VII. As VIIa. And the addition of an item VIIb Course Materials Policy.  The notes of February 5th were approved as distributed.
II.  Needs and Confirmations:
Rich Schroeder, Kulwant Singh, Cheryl Owiesny, Marcia Peterson, and Scott Hertler were approved for service on the Women's Softball Search and Selection Committee.  Mayra Cruz, Cordero, Christina Lopez-Morgan, Linda Conroy, and Terry Ellis were approved for service on the Child Development and Education Search and Selection Committee.  During this item Bambhania left the meeting to find out whether or not the Chemistry Department was ready to bring back their committee for approval.  When she returned she reported that it was not.
III.  Democracy and Sustainability Networks:  The group voted unanimously to endorse De Anza College participation .   During discussion an expression was made suggesting that the college needed to create it's own, in house version with very specific examples as opposed to the generalities in the two declarations examined by the group.
IV.   Educational Information System Selection Process:   Fred Sherman, Kathy Kyne, and Chien Shih were present to make a presentation about the group of people examining competing bids for this large and enormously expensive endeavor.  Kyne was the principal presenter.  She focused on the process being used and that they are compiling a list of best practices and trying to match up what various vendors are offering with the highest priorities of the District.  Next up is getting student input.  Kyne et al were advised to have the average user provide input and not to have the savviest of student computer users comprise the majority of students offering input.  The overall cost was said to be nearly impossible to determine but Fred Sherman said that Measure E will provide $11,000,000 and that that will not be enough.  More briefings will follow.
IV.   Instructional Testing Update:  Hearn and Christina Espinosa-Pieb reported to the group about items of interest from the February 5th discussion.  Article 19 faculty could perform the service.  However, with only $4,000 currently available, that possibility presents an untenable trade off .  Previous discussion estimated that an hourly rate of $20 would provide 20 hours per week of coverage.  The use of Article 19 faculty would mean that either the number of hours would be drastically reduced [perhaps to 8 hours per week] or much more money would need to be found.  It was MSCU (Cole/Bambhania) to have weeks 6-11 be the six consecutive weeks allowable per term.
V.  District Senate President Compensation: The item focused primarily on whether compensation should come in the form of a stipend or released time.  Points for both were well received.
VIIa.   Institutional Preparedness:  Setziol began the presentation by handing out a document which, in turn, referenced a second document available at the meeting.  Both documents pointed to an urgent need for the college to present a friendlier, more helpful face for new and potential students.  Both guests, Ben Rodriguez and Patrick Gannon spoke to the large number of students we lose each quarter (at least 7%) before or during the first week of classes.  Many positive things that could be done or were done previously are not being done at the present time.  Individual awareness of the problem seems to be widespread but institutional awareness appears to be sorely lacking.  There was strong and emotional support for the presentation.  Senators were asked to consider possible plans for action in this area.
VIIb.  Course Materials Policy:  Hearn focused on getting a decisive statement of priority from the group owing to the fact that there appears to be strong opposition to some of the specific language proposed by the group, especially from the Faculty Association and the Foothill Senate.  After serious consideration, it was the sense of the Senate that 1) Hearn should give up the word "primary" if there was not quick consensus on a 50% +1 definition  and 2) the reference to participation in curriculum development should be dropped.
VI. Bond Measure Project Review:  Setziol spoke to the item and said that, to date, costs to fix problems and correct mistakes that could have been avoided had easily exceeded $1,000,000.   He and others suggested that a lack of oversight in general and faculty oversight in particular was the main cause.  Discussion centered on whether it would be best to form a new, very time intensive committee or to try to redirect the Campus Budget Committee and especially the Facilities Committee to ensure faculty involvement in all stages of planning and construction etc.   Jensen-Sullivan suggested that the efforts involved in the building the Kirsch Center could serve as a model.  Her offer to bring the person primarily responsible for the success of that effort was quickly accepted.
VIII.  Environmental Policy/Sustainability Plan:  The group reviewed a revised draft.  It appeared that all the changes from the previous draft were made in direct response to previous Executive Committee requests.   It was MSCU (Joplin/Goodwin) to approve.
IX.  Strategic Planning Update:  Hearn's rhetoric wove two, equally appealing threads.  One was that the Planning and Budgeting Team work previously announced was on schedule.  The other was that there are three meetings being held in the next two weeks which will provide opportunity for feedback to Summer Bridge/First Year Experience/Cultural Competency,  Retention/Early Alert, and Peer Tutoring/Mentoring item proposers  Hearn will send out more complete information..
X.  District Electronic Mail Address Usage:  The item was held over.
XI.   Good of the Order:  -  A FACCC Teaching and Learning Conference will be held at De Anza March 2nd and 3rd.
-    Contact Raffaelli if you are interested in Outdoor Gardening Day.
The meeting was adjourned at 4:32

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