Minutes of the
MEETING OF THE FACULTY SENATE
APPROVED
PRESENT: Chris Barkley, Bill
Bedford, Judy
ABSENT: Anne Voth, Tamara
Weintraub
GUESTS: Bob Gilson,
James Palen (student)
CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order
by the president, Steve Spear, at
Proxy Votes: Judy Cater holding a
proxy for Anne Voth.
Approval of Minutes: The minutes of
Faculty
member Dan Finkenthal sent Bonnie Dowd, as Senate Secretary, the following
statement to be included in the minutes of
Motion 1 MSC Dowd, Levy:
That a copy of Dan Finkenthal’s email, including his
statement, be inserted into the
I would like to request that my protest at
today's senate meeting be entered into the minutes. The Senate president
refused to acknowledge my hand when he called for 'discussion' before the vote
to go into closed session. As a result, the tape was stopped before I could
speak and register my protest.
I want the minutes to reflect that I did
challenge the decision to enter into closed session as an illegal act, and made
the following verbal arguments regarding the Brown Act:
1. Prior to holding any closed session, the
legislative body is required to disclose, in an open meeting, the item or items
to be discussed in closed session. (See Brown Act, 54957.7 -Announcement prior
to closed sessions)
2. After any closed session, the
legislative body shall reconvene into open session and make disclosures of
action taken in the closed session. (See Brown Act, 54957.7(a))
3. Discussions of the performance of
elected officials is required to be done in open session. It is illegal to
discuss the performance of the faculty's elected officials in closed session.
(See highlighted portions of Handouts A and B.)
4. The faculty at large has a right to know
and examine the performance and actions of those they choose to represent them.
Without full disclosure there cannot be accountability, and without
accountability there cannot be true representation.
The first three of these arguments are
contained in the handouts that I was prevented from presenting to the Senate. I
feel it is important to include these handouts as attachments to the minutes of
the
meeting, as they are copies of actual
provisions of the Brown Act and official judgments. I will send them to you via
campus mail.
I must say that I was very disheartened by
the senate’s unwillingness to hear my arguments, and the mean-spirited way in
which I was urged to leave the meeting. I was disappointed that not one senator
was willing to intervene on my behalf.
Thank
you for your consideration.
Elections Committee
Announcement: Stan
Levy announced that Pam McDonough has officially withdrawn her name from the
ballot for the Past President of The Faculty Designee position. The ballot has
already been distributed and the closing date is approaching. Therefore, the
other individual running for the position will be running unopposed and will
likely be appointed to the position.
He
also announced that a call for nominations would be distributed in the next few
days to replace the Senate vacancy because of Barb Kelber’s appointment as the
Faculty Vice President.
Motion 2 MSC
Dowd, Merino: To suspend the Agenda and address action Item H,
Membership:
Motion 3 MSC
Dowd, Barkley: Whereas, Steve Spear was elected by the entire faculty as
Faculty Vice President to serve a term through
Whereas,
according to the Faculty Constitution, the Faculty Vice President is
automatically sent forth for confirmation to serve as Faculty President in the
succeeding calendar year, and
Whereas
the
Therefore,
be it resolved, that the Senate membership records be changed to reflect Steve
Spear’s Senator term as being until May 2005 resulting in only nine (9) Senator
positions up for re-election in May 2004.
Brief
discussion followed on the current Senate membership and their terms.
Committee
Appointments: None
Curriculum:
Motion 4 MSC Laughlin,
Nebelsick-Tagg:
Senate Email Voting:
Motion 5 MSC Sourbeer,
Miller: That all
Bonnie
Dowd indicated that since the Senate has voted to do all of its voting
electronically, she will ask that the Senate revisit the issue of automatically
appointing the next highest vote getter. That process likely began to eliminate
the time-consuming process of holding elections at each meeting. With voting for
committee appointments occurring electronically, the process will be
simplified.
Some
Senators also requested that when Senate elections occur via email, a report be
made providing the number of Senators who actually participated in the
electronic vote.
Brief
discussion followed on the process. Senators were reminded that Chris Norcross
is available to provide training to those who need it.
Committee
on Committees
Selection
Process:
Motion 6 MS Thompson,
Dolan:
Recommendations from
Committee on Committees
Soliciting Volunteers
1) The terms of committee
assignments will be determined by the
a.
the
terms will be staggered to provide continuity ─ ideally no more than half the membership will
be up for appointment/reappointment each year;
b.
the
terms will be for 2 years unless otherwise dictated by our Constitution;
c.
faculty
may reapply for membership when their term is up, but reappointment is not
automatic.
2) The Committee will send
(via email) to all faculty a description of the process by which committee
appointments are made by the Senate. This description will include:
a.
a
list of committee members and their divisions/terms,
b.
a
description of committee functions/times they meet (if known),
c.
a
list of committee openings by division,
d.
a
list of committee openings at large.
3) The Committee will
solicit faculty volunteers for committee appointments. The names of all faculty who are eligible for
appointment to any committee will be brought to the Senate. Faculty who are
ineligible will be notified promptly.
4) Volunteers will be
encouraged to provide a short statement of interest or intent.
5) The Committee will allow
7 days for faculty to volunteer (via email only) to the
a) email
the members of any division that does not have volunteers for specific
committee openings soliciting volunteers again and alerting the division that
on Day 11 if there are still no volunteers from the given division the search
for a volunteer will widen to include all faculty members.
b) email a
list of the number of volunteers and the number of openings for each committee
assignment to the faculty, suggesting that if any volunteers prefer to change
their requests they may do so via email by Day 11. The committee will remind volunteers that if
more than one faculty member has volunteered for a particular committee
assignment, the Senate will hold an election. (The Committee will give them the
date.)
6) On Day 11 the
Preparing the Ballot and
the Rules
7) In preparing the ballot for the Senate, the Committee will
identify each volunteer by division:
a) the Committee will provide a
list of probationary faculty to the Senate;
b) the election of committee members for
assignments that are designated as “divisional representation” will be done by
division—that is, the top vote getter from each division will be appointed by
the Senate;
c) for the election of committee members
for assignments that are designated as “at large,” the top vote-getter overall
will be appointed by the Senate;
d) for divisional appointments for which there are no divisional
volunteers, the Senate will appoint the top vote-getter overall as an “at
large” representative.
8) If there are multiple
appointments with differing terms for the same committee, the highest
vote-getter will be appointed for the longest term.
9) The Senate will appoint
members to achieve divisional diversity whenever possible.
Confirming and Voting
10) The Committee will
provide the Senate with a list of volunteers for committees for which the
number of volunteers does not exceed the number of positions available and ask
the Senate to confirm these committee members.
11) The Committee will
provide the Senate with a ballot when the number of volunteers exceeds the
number of positions available and ask the Senate to confirm the results of the
vote.
Maintaining Full Faculty Representation
12) The Committee will post
the list of committee memberships on the Senate web page each semester.
13) If a vacancy occurs on a
committee, the next highest vote-getter from the election in which the member
was appointed will automatically replace the faculty member who has resigned
and take over the term. If that volunteer is no longer available or there were
no other volunteers the Committee will again solicit volunteers and bring names
forward to the Senate in a timely manner.
Discussion occurred on
the document and the following suggestions were proposed:
Number 1: add the
wording, Following the Faculty
Constitution before The terms of committee assignments…or add wording in
the document indicating that all items are based on the Faculty Constitution.
Number 4: add the wording: as well as their availability to attend meetings at the end of the
sentence.
Committee on Committee
members were asked to readdress the issue of appointing the next highest
vote-getter based on earlier discussions in the meeting.
Number 4: Volunteers
will be encouraged to provide a short statement of interest or intent. This may
discourage some from participating in the process.
Based on these proposed
changes, it was recommended that approval of this item be postponed until the
committee has an opportunity to meet and discuss the suggestions made.
Motion 7 MSC Dowd,
Bedford: To postpone approval of the Recommendations from Committee on
Committees until
Student
Equity/Paperless
College/Digital
Campus: Copies of the following draft
were distributed for discussion:
A Call for Awareness – Making a Bridge
Discussions in the
We all recognize a
fundamental fact: computer / academic technology, in both direct instruction
and support, can expand our working and thinking horizons. We recognize the
need for our students to enter that space where they can access information
with ease and enter the conversation with capability, clarity and critical
thought.
Here
at Palomar we’re like other community colleges in that we face a very serious
challenge. We must concern ourselves with issues of equity as we ask students
to engage in all the possibilities of technology, because dramatic differences
can exist in relation to ease of access and level of capability. We’re not sure
about the degrees of difference, and that’s why we need your help.
Let’s
take what is probably a best-case scenario for a community college like ours,
and we’ll assume that most of our students are able to move into that high-tech
space and proceed with ease. Their journey is easy, usually because of several
factors:
exposure and training – they know the
language, they understand the routes, they can read the signs. They’ve been
working toward Information Competency for years, so this requires no jump for them; it’s been a natural
progression. Generational differences are huge influences here.
easy-access to a computer – they have
homes or bedrooms fully equipped, laptops, home or work environments where
they’ve learned to speak the language; they have card to get to libraries and
money to pay for gas. They can afford, or have been afforded, easy access.
high level of capability in terms of
hardware – they can download information with ease, and view DVDs; they
burn and traverse at a high rate of speed. Many of our students seem to enjoy
more-than-adequate capability. Cyberspace is a Comfort Zone for them.
When
we watch these students employ all the wonders technology offers, and we see
how it “streamlines” management and support processes like registration,
placement and matriculation, it is astounding and gratifying in many ways. In
the bedazzlement, though, we might lose sight of the ones who are not yet
there.
The
elements mentioned above, clearly making the going smooth for many or most, are
not necessarily in place for students who are older or who struggle
economically. Hardships can create inequities that impact education as
significantly as any disability.
First Step
Faculty
members in the Senate and at the Faculty group meeting have discussed a first
step. Because the classroom is the place where these “facts of life”
socio-economic differences can turn into serious inequities with
disproportionate impact, we hope Faculty members will become aware by asking a
few questions during the first week of classes. Issues of socio-economic class
might keep some students silent, so asking them to write a few answers, which
you can collect, will work best. You might consider asking the following:
Do you have access to a computer where you
live?
Do
you share a computer with others?
If
you answered yes to the above: What
capabilities do you have with your computer? Is it high-speed? CD reader?
Printer? Etc.?
If
you answered no: Can you easily access a
computer outside your home? What difficulties might you have with accessing and
printing course materials?
Note
the responses to these questions. It takes very little time to grasp the
essential information in them. Obviously, different disciplines will see very
different results.
We
hope that the college community will grow in awareness as each individual
instructor becomes aware of differences existing in the classroom. In this way,
we will continue to battle inequity wherever we see it, whatever the cause. You
can help to bridge the gap by supporting those students who identify hardship.
You might do so in several ways, but we’re offering one concrete suggestion
here. Many of you are probably already doing this.
If you’re using systems like Blackboard or
other efficient and cost-saving methods to get course materials to students,
please consider printing out a few copies to offer as handouts to those
students who need some help. Hopefully this help can be offered without the
embarrassing connotations of “taking a handout” that might make them hesitate
to articulate their need in the first place.
In
this way, we can be taking cost-saving steps and encouraging the use of
technology without forgetting the inequities that might exist among our
students. It is the obligation of Faculty to represent the differences we see
in the classroom, where only we can see them, to the larger support community.
By doing so, we can guide the institution as it continues to move toward a
high-efficiency model, ensuring that our students, all of them, have an equal
opportunity to succeed.
Senate
members complimented Barb Kelber and Stan Levy for their work on this position
paper, which will surely increase faculty awareness on this issue.
There
was discussion on the most efficient way to distribute this document to faculty
members. There was overall agreement that all faculty members should receive dated
and author identified copies both electronically and via campus mail.
Motion 8 MSC Levy, Dowd:
That the document, A Call for
Awareness – Making a Bridge, be distributed to all contract and adjunct
faculty members both electronically and via campus mail.
Motion 9 MSC Dowd,
Barkley: To extend the meeting until
Faculty
Hiring for
2005-06:
Motion 10 MSCU Drinan,
Bedford: Whereas
the state of
Whereas, despite his
support for education, the new governor may yet call for mid-year budget cuts
in the community college budget during this fiscal year, and
Whereas
Furthermore, whereas
during this past academic year Palomar College administration sent letters of
its intention to lay-off all EOPS and DSPS counselors due to state budget cuts,
and
Whereas during the
spring of the last academic year, Palomar College administration sent layoff
notices or gave verbal warnings of possible layoffs to numerous Palomar
employees, classified and administrative, and
Whereas the Chancellor’s
Office may yet release community college districts from their full-time faculty
obligation for this academic year, then
Be it resolved, first of
all, that the Palomar Academic Senate wholeheartedly supports the No Layoff
Policy at Palomar developed and advocated by numerous Palomar faculty and staff
during Spring 2003, and
Secondly, be it resolved
that, if
obligation number as required
(if it is required) by the Chancellor’s Office coupled with a suspension or
discontinuation of faculty hiring of all positions beyond this minimal number,
and
Last of all, be it
further resolved that, in the event that new faculty cannot be hired in order
to support and sustain full employment for those presently employed at Palomar
College in keeping with the No Layoff Policy, then the Palomar Academic Senate
supports the carry-over of IPC’s hiring priorities determined during this
budget year to the next academic year (FY’04) so that no department will lose a
position promised to them this year.
In discussion following
its presentation, Senate members expressed their support of the motion.
Dr. Amador’s Evaluation
Criteria:
Motion 11 MSCU Dowd, Bedford:
Whereas, the Faculty through the
Whereas,
the Governing Board receives input as a result of the evaluation process
conducted annually by the
Whereas,
the Governing Board establishes evaluation criteria annually for the President,
and such criteria is used by the Governing Board when considering the
President’s contract, and
Whereas,
it appears to be a current practice among several other community colleges to release
such information,
Therefore,
be it resolved, that the
Senate
members were also provided a copy of the Governing Board’s 2003-04 Goals. Dr.
Amador has stated that these are the criteria in which she should be evaluated. When a Senator asked for clarification on
whether she actually is evaluated on those goals, Steve Spear responded that
she was not in the faculty conducted evaluations. Senators agreed that they’d
like to know exactly what criteria are being used in the process by the Board.
Because of the overwhelming vote of no confidence and the lack of response by
the district relating to the vote, faculty and staff members would like
justification on why.
Dr.
Amador received a “Satisfactory” rating, a salary increase, and an extension of
her contract until 2007. It was noted previous presidents only received
contract extensions in one year increments.
Lengthy
discussion followed. The district has used the issue of ongoing contract
negotiations as an excuse for much of the discontent among faculty members.
Faculty and staff members have a president in which they have no confidence in,
and as a superintendent/president, Dr. Amador should be concerned that faculty
and staff who work with her have expressed this. It was agreed that we have to
find a way to work together if we are going to be productive and successful as
an institution.
Senate members agreed
that the Governing Board President and the incoming Governing Board President
should be invited to address the Senate on these issues.
Motion 12 MSCU Levy,
Nebelsick-Tagg: The
Bob
Gilson informed Senate members that he has been asked by Dr. Amador to meet
with her on Thursday morning in response to a statement he presented at the
recent Governing Board meeting expressing concern that the Board members aren’t
listening to faculty and staff when approached on issues such as morale.
After further
discussion, Senate members agreed that the Faculty President Maria Miller
should attend the meeting with Bob Gilson.
Staff Development Funds:
Motion 13 MSC Dowd, Cater:
Whereas, Strategic Planning Council is considering dissolving the Staff
Development Governance Committee due to a lack of staff development funds the
past few years, and
Whereas,
the Staff Development Committee is the only committee that has constituency
representation to deal with distribution of development and training funds for
faculty and staff,
Therefore,
be it resolved that the
Bond
Issue: Steve
Spear reported that although the Bond Issue won’t be brought forward until
either November, 2004, or even more likely, November, 2006, the Senate should
formally present a motion regarding this issue. He asked Senate members to
consider this issue as it will be brought back for further discussion and/or
action on October 27.
Motion 14 MSF Bedford, Levy:
To adjourn the meeting. Motion failed.
Campus
Equity Week: Perry Snyder
distributed the following announcement to Senate members:
Invitation to Participate
Campus Equity Week 2003 (October 27-31) is a
nationwide rally sponsored by the California Chapter of the Coalition of
Contingent Academic Labor highlighting the exploitation of part-time faculty at
community colleges and universities. In
San Diego for example, Palomar College, San Diego State University, California
State University San Marcos, Southwestern College are planning activities
spotlighting the productivity and adverse working conditions of part-time
college and university faculty for local legislators, community leaders, and
business leaders. Contingent higher
education professionals worry about job security, governance participation, pay
equity, and working conditions. This
year's theme, "Real Teachers Deserve Genuine Respect," encompasses
their concerns.
California's higher education institutions have
over a twenty-year history of balancing tuition and state funding with
institutional budgets by hiring contingent workers at drastically lower pay
scales with often inadequate working environments, inadequate or nonexistent
benefits, not to mention no participation in institutional governance.
By garnering your support, the Coalition of
Contingent Academic Labor and your constituent post-secondary educators wish to
maintain the vitality, productiveness, growth, and superiority of
Understanding the current economic conditions in
I respectfully request that we all engage in
dialog to continually discuss the specific needs of contingent faculty and to
invite you to participate in activities at Palomar during Campus Equity Week
2003 (October 27-31) and in particular to participate in the special activities
at Palomar on October 27. Thank you
Perry Snyder also announced he would like
the above issue to be an Action item at next week’s meeting. He will bring a resolution to the October 27th
meeting.
Constituency Lists: Sara Thompson reported that
Senators can expect to receive their Constituency List assignments later this
week. She confirmed that in accordance with past practice, the members of the
Faculty Council as well as the Curriculum Co-Chair will not be assigned constituent
names.
Faculty Manual: Report
From Faculty Meeting: Maria Miller announced that faculty
members at the October 1st Faculty Meeting overwhelmingly agreed
that an updated printed copy of the Faculty Manual should be provided to those
who ask for it, or at the very least, one copy per department, at the district’s
expense.
She added that she
would bring this item back for Senate action and support on October 27.
Student Equity/Computer
Access: Maria Miller
reported that the issue of student access to computers was also discussed at
length at the October 1st Faculty Meeting. There was unanimous
opposition to the proposed changes to PAR. In the Spring
2004 schedule there will be no mention of PAR even though it will still be
available. In the Summer 2004 schedule PAR will be phased out all together. The
district is being asked to maintain at least two or three phone lines for
students who will still need them.
This item will be
brought back for Senate action and support on October 27.
Institutional Review
Committee Changes: Copies of the proposed changes to
the Institutional Review Committee were provided last week. Steve Spear indicated that the role of the
committee is changing in that it will no longer be the body that does the
actual review, but will develop the policies for review. The reviews will be
done by the actual units as part of the planning process.
Discussion occurred
on the proposed changes. There was some concern expressed in removing the
Curriculum Co-Chair from the list of members, as well as the removal of a
Co-Chair appointed by the
This item will be
presented for Senate action on October 27.
Motion 15 MSC Miller, Levy:
To adjourn the meeting.
The meeting was
adjourned at
Respectfully
submitted,
Bonnie Ann Dowd,
Secretary