Minutes of the
MEETING OF THE FACULTY SENATE
APPROVED
PRESENT: Chris Barkley, Judy
ABSENT: Bill Bedford
GUESTS: James Palen
(student)
CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order
by the president, Steve Spear, at
Proxy Votes: None
Approval of Minutes: The minutes of
Welcome: Sherry Gordon was
welcomed to the Senate in her newly elected position as designee for the Past
President of The Faculty position.
Elections
Announcement: Steve Spear reported that
due to the closure of the college last week, the time period for nominations
for the Senate vacancy as well as the Professional Development Coordinator
position will be extended until
Steve
also announced that the Tenure & Evaluations Review Coordinator position
will become vacant at the end of next semester. In accordance with procedure
173, the TERB Coordinator position will be announced the end of this semester
and the Senate will be inviting faculty to apply for the two-year appointment
beginning July, 2004.
Student
Learning
Outcomes: Steve Spear stated
that there are openings on the Student Learning Outcomes Task Force. The
Committee on Committees Chair has sent out an announcement in an attempt to
fill those positions.
Sabbatical
Leave
Extension: Judy Cater
reported that the deadline for Sabbatical Leave applications and for full-year
last year or last spring sabbatical reports has been extended to
Motion 1 MSC Dowd,
Nebelsick-Tagg: That the following Information Items be moved to Action on this
week’s agenda:
Proposed
Technology Master Plan Task Force
Academic
Review Committee
Proposed
Financial Aid & Advisory Appeals Committee
Registration
Committee Changes
Motion 2 MSC Dowd,
Miller: To adjourn the meeting at
Committee
Appointments:
Motion 3 MSC Voth,
Laughlin:
Elections
Committee
Colleen Weldele
- Languages and Literature
Financial Aid Advisory
and Appeals Committee
Jo-Anne Lesser – Counseling and Matriculation
Student Learning Outcomes Task
Chris
Barkley - Languages and Literature
Karen Dayberry – Social and Behavioral Sciences,
Anne
Voth announced that three adjunct faculty members have expressed interest in
filling the vacancy on the Professional Development Review Board. She indicated
that with the Senate’s permission she would ask each candidate to write a short
statement.
On
another matter, Perry Snyder stated that the administration denies adjunct
faculty members the prerogative of having access to a computer which has the
campus-wide directory on it. Although he has a computer in his department for
his use, the Outlook address book is not installed on it. Discussion occurred
on the need for the Senate to address this issue. It was suggested that it be
brought back for Information at the next meeting.
The
issue of faculty members bringing their names forward for committee
appointments when they are going on sabbatical was also discussed. Faculty
members who know they are going on sabbatical should not submit their names for
committees which meet when they won’t be able to attend the meetings. Judy
Cater indicated that it is not an absolute prohibition. Certain exceptions can
apply, although faculty are not expected to serve on operational committees
when they are on sabbatical. Certain situations, such as a search committee
that may hold over into the next semester, or advisory committees where some
faculty members should attend a meeting, are exceptions. After further
discussion, Senate members agreed that this issue should be brought back for
further discussion at the next meeting.
Curriculum:
Motion 4 MSC
Laughlin, Dolan:
Committee on
Committees – Selection
Procedures:
Motion 5 MSC
Laughlin, Nebelsick-Tagg:
Recommendations from
Committee on Committees
Soliciting Volunteers
1) Following the Faculty Constitution 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 but not required to
provide a short statement of interest or expertise
intent as well as their availability
to attend meetings.
5) The Committee will allow
7 days for faculty to volunteer (via email only) to the Committee on
Committees email address. On the 8th day the Committee will:
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 followed on
the document and the proposed changes. There was concern expressed that number
4 may discourage some from participating in the process. Anne Voth indicated
that the wording in relation to providing a statement is already in the Faculty
Manual but most faculty members chose not to provide statements. It is not a
mandatory requirement but a voluntary part of the process.
Motion 6 MSC Dowd, Cater:
That the following amendments be added to the recommendations from the
Committee on Committees:
#4:
replace the word “intent” with “expertise.”
Motion 7 MSF Towfiq,
Levy: Remove #4 from the list of recommendations from the Committee on
Committees. Motion failed.
Judy
Cater indicated that the committee included number four in an attempt to
provide Senate members with information on the candidates before they have to
vote. This was something the Senate has discussed in the past. After brief
discussion, there was a suggestion to change the wording to indicate that
individuals are encouraged but not
required to submit a statement.
Motion 8 MSC Cater, Levy:
To change #4 on the recommendations from the Committee on Committees to state
that, “volunteers will be encouraged but not required to submit a short
statement of interest.”
Perry
Snyder expressed concern with the references in the document indicating that
the committee will communicate via email. Part-time faculty members may not
ever see items sent out exclusively through email.
Motion 9 MSC Cater,
Townsend-Merino: That the following changes to the recommendations from the
Committee on Committees document be made as discussed at the Senate meeting of
#1: add the wording, Following the Faculty Constitution,
before the terms of committee assignments.
#4: add the wording, as well as their availability to attend
meetings, at the end of the sentence.
Motion 10 MS Dowd, Levy: To
remove items #8 and #13 from the recommendations from the Committee on
Committees and send both back to the committee.
Bonnie
Ann Dowd indicated that she would like numbers 8 and 13 removed because she does
not agree with the idea of the highest vote-getter getting the longest term,
and suggested that faculty members apply for the term that they want. In
relation to automatically appointing the next highest vote-getter when someone
drops off a committee, her impression was that one of the reasons that process
was put into place was to cut back on the time consuming process of conducting
and counting multiple elections in one semester due to faculty members resigning
from committees. That issue may not be of concern any longer because the Senate
is now voting electronically - a much more efficient and time-saving process.
Chris
Barkley indicated that the process was also put in place to ensure that the
maximum number of faculty members on each committee be maintained. It was noted
that it takes one to two weeks to fill a committee vacancy, which leaves some
committees without complete faculty representation during that time period.
Chris also pointed out that continually attempting to fill committee vacancies
is a huge job for the individual in the position of Chair of Committee on
Committees.
One
Senate member suggested trying a trial run of eliminating the process of using
the next highest vote-getter to see how much of an increase in elections
occurred.
There
was additional discussion on the issue and it was suggested that the motion be
divided.
Motion 11 MSC Thompson,
Cater: To divide Motion 10.
Senate
members voted in favor of removing #8 of the recommendations from the Committee
on Committees.
Senate
members voted in favor of removing #13 of the recommendations from the
Committee on Committees.
These
items will be sent back to the committee for additional discussion.
Bond
Issue:
Motion 12 MSC Dowd,
Nebelsick-Tagg: To postpone the Bond Issue indefinitely.
Motion 13 MSC Dowd, Townsend-Merino:
To suspend the Agenda to address Item J under, “Reports,” to hear a report from
the Investigative Task Force.
There
was lengthy discussion on the proper procedure in which to follow in relation
to presenting this report to the Senate and whether it should occur in Open or
Closed Session. The Senate President indicated that the Faculty Council felt
that since the motion to make the report was made in Open Session, the Task
Force should report back to the Senate in Open Session. There was some
contention, however, as to how much information should be provided in Open
Session and whether the Task Force should just state for the record that it did
have a report, and then discuss the report in Closed Session, or discuss the
entire issue in Open Session.
Motion 14 MSF Barkley,
Cater: Move to Executive Session. Motion failed.
Additional
discussion occurred on The Brown Act and Roberts Rules of Order and following
the proper procedures relating to how the Senate should address this issue. The
following report was provided from the Senate Investigative Task Force:
The
Chris
Barkley, in the elected position as
Senate
members talked about the best time to bring this matter back to the Senate for
a formal hearing perhaps to be held at a Special Meeting. In accordance with the
Faculty Constitution, it was agreed that the hearing should follow procedures
defined in Robert’s Rules of Order. A
request was made that all Senators receive a copy of the Article from Roberts
related to such a procedure prior to November 17th. After some discussion, the following motion
was made:
Motion 15 MSC Townsend-Merino,
Levy: That a formal hearing be held beginning at
Campus
Equity Week:
Motion 16 MSCU
Snyder, Drinan: Whereas, community colleges, four-year colleges, and
universities across the
Whereas,
Whereas,
these contingent faculty are generally paid at a rate that makes a mockery of
the principle of equal pay for equal work, and have little or no job security;
Whereas,
the part-time faculty at Palomar College are not supported by the Palomar
Administration in their efforts to have space and pay for providing
out-of-class consultation time to students,
Whereas,
the overuse of exploited part-time and temporary faculty threatens the quality
of instruction and service that students need and deserve, and for which they
pay tuition;
Whereas,
Campus Equity Week is sponsored by a broad coalition of faculty associations,
including the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges, AAUP, FACCC,
and many others,
Whereas,
Campus Equity Week (Oct. 27-31) has been designated internationally as a week
devoted to putting the issues of part-time faculty before the public before the
college and university community,
Whereas,
the Palomar College Academic Senate stands for the respectful treatment of all
faculty at
Resolved,
that the Palomar College Academic Senate endorses Campus Equity Week, and be it
further
Resolved
that the Palomar College Academic Senate supports the part-time (adjunct)
faculty at
Faculty
Manual:
Motion 17 MSCU
Miller, Towfiq: The
1.
The
Faculty Manual is to be updated and printed to include the current Governance
and Committee structure.
2.
The
Faculty Manual is to be updated and printed at the District’s expense.
3.
That
a stipend be provided for the task of reviewing and updating the Faculty
Manual.
Student
Equity/PAR:
Motion 18 MSCU
Miller, Levy: Due to the unanimous opposition to the phasing out of the phone and
registration system and the impact that this would have on some of our
students, the
Institutional Review
Committee Changes:
Motion 19 MSF
Laughlin, Nebelsick-Tagg:
Although
it has been said that the revised process allows each department to evaluate
itself rather than through the Instructional Planning Council, some Senate
members disagreed, stating that all departments will only be responsible for
filling out the forms, not the process of institutional review. By truncating
or shortening the information provided by departments, greater authority is
being turned over to administration to make decisions. Lengthy discussion followed.
Senators
were encouraged to contact the faculty members on the Strategic Planning
Council to express the Senate’s concerns.
Proposed
Technology
Master
Plan Task Force:
Motion 20 MSC
Cater, Miller:
The
task force is charged with developing a comprehensive, District-wide technology
programs and services plan tied to the 20-year Educational and Facilities
Master Plan.
Academic Review
Committee:
Motion 21 MSC
Levy, Cater:
The
membership on this committee is being clarified to list three faculty members,
two counselors (one who is chair) and the addition of the Director of Student
Affairs.
Proposed Financial Aid
& Advisory Appeals
Committee:
Motion 22 MSC
Miller, Nebelsick-Tagg:
This
committee name is being changed from the Financial Aid Advisory Committee to
the Financial Aid Advisory and Appeals Committee.
Registration Committee
Changes:
Motion 23 MSC
Miller, Nebelsick-Tagg:
The
Director of Communications as well as the Assessment/School Relations
Coordinator are being added to the membership.
Faculty Research
Award Criteria: Judy Cater provided the following report to the
Senate on the Faculty Research Award:
On
Sue
Norton, Chair
Judy
Cater
Teresa
Laughlin.
Following
our review of the nominations, we agreed it was very difficult to make a
recommendation in the absence of more specific criteria.”
Furthermore,
on April 28 “Information was provided to Senators on those individuals
nominated for the Research Award. Members of the task force agreed that more
distinguishable criteria for the award are needed and they will meet again to
set those criteria for next year.”
The
task force members met this fall and interpreted this request to mean we should
develop criteria to bring to the Senate for its approval. We have done so and
our recommendations will be presented to you at the next meeting of the Senate
as information and at a following meeting for action as the Senate desires.
Ad Hoc Senate Task
Force: Bonnie
Dowd reported that the members of the Ad Hoc Senate Task Force have met several
times to look at issues that affect the operations of the Senate. The Task
Force has identified some issues that will require Constitutional Changes. According to our Constitution, the Faculty
President appoints a committee on Constitutional Review. The Ad Hoc Task Force
is asking is that they be allowed, as a Task Force, to continue their work
through the spring semester and bring back procedural and constitutional
recommendations to the Senate and Faculty. Some of the issues currently being discussed:
·
A
Right to Petition Clause is in the current Faculty Constitution. However, in the
Constitution that takes effect after a contract is signed, such a clause does
not exist. The task force will be
recommending that the clause be included.
·
A
review of all the Senate sub-committees will be undertaken.
·
The
possible need for an Ethics Review Process.
·
The
need for printed By-Laws of the
·
The
possibility of changing Senator terms to 3 years rather than two.
President/President
Elect Governing Board: Copies of the letter sent to the
Governing Board President requesting that he and the President-Elect attend a
Senate
members suggested that we look into following the State Academic Senate’s model
in evaluating our Superintendent/President.
ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at
Respectfully
submitted,
Bonnie
Ann Dowd, Secretary