The last Academic Senate meeting of the Fall semester took place on Thursday December 2nd. Division Senators and Constituent Reps came together for a competitive virtual game of “Academic Senate Bingo” and an “ugly” sweater contest. On behalf of the Academic Senate, we would like to extend a thank you to Dean Andrea Vizenor and Jeremy Evangelista-Ramos for donating some Skyline Swag for our end of the semester competitions. Alberto Santellan was crowned as the winner of the “ugly” sweater contest, and while that in itself is an amazing accomplishment, the Academic Senate as a governing body has also had some accomplishments of its own.
This semester the Academic Senate has made strides to increase transparency in participatory governance. In an effort to accomplish this we created an Agenda Request Form to help streamline and organize all agenda requests in one place. Once an agenda request form is received the Executive Committee uses the newly adopted “ASAP Checklist” (Academic Senate Agenda Prioritization) to determine whether or not an item should be on an upcoming agenda. The “ASAP” checklist takes into consideration direct connection to 10+1 matters, advancement of student experience, asking who an item benefits, time sensitivity, and if it meets the advancement of the Academic Senate/College mission and/or goals regarding equity and anti-racist practices.
In addition, we also took several meetings to refine and approve Senate goals for the 2021-2022 Academic Year:
- Faculty Coordinator: further explore the faculty coordinator position and learn from the current models to develop clear definition and scope of the role and duties.(In progress)
- Tracking Committee Membership: Work to develop a procedure for tracking faculty committee membership and create standards for committee reporting and engagement. (In progress)
- Examine policies and procedures that impact students, faculty, and the 10+1:
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- Collaborate with campus constituents to determine clear return to campus procedures and practices.(Ongoing)
- Procedures regarding program creation and collegial consultation (In progress, in Curriculum Committee)
- Collaborate with campus constituents to determine clear class cancellation practices. (Forthcoming)
Other highlights include:
- Increased the size of the executive committee members to include the 3 standing committee chairs from Curriculum, Educational Policy and Professional Personnel.
- Revised our bylaws pertaining to nomination and the conduction of senate elections to allow for a more equitable practice in future elections.
- Approved 4 screening committees
- Appointed the Vice President of the Academic Senate to serve as a co-chair for the FTEFAC Committee to further support a faculty led process.
- Held space for the Professional Development Committee to present on Article 13 available funds for professional development. There was a large carry-over from previous years: $306,063. The 21-22 Yearly allocation is $140,207. Total amount available now is $446,150.
- Held a collaborative discussion about return to campus concerns and questions and worked with President Dr. Moreno to find answers that were presented at the Return to Campus Briefings.
- Created a class cancelation task group that included people from all constituent groups, Deans and the Vice President of Instruction, Danni Redding-Lapuz, to research and gain clarity on the process of class cancellations. Thank you to everyone who participated in this conversation.
- Co-sponsored a flex day activity that discussed the 2-year scheduling plan. This conversation will continue at April Flex.
- Nominated the Cosmetology and Esthetics Program for the ASCCC Exemplary Program Award
- Nominated Leigh-Anne Shaw for the ASCCC Hayward Award for “Excellence in Education”(Faculty Nomination)
- The Senate has put an emphasis on establishing community gathering norms. These will be formally adopted in January.
We will continue to make time for community networking at the beginning of every meeting even when important business needs to be conducted. It is possible to have fun and make impactful changes. Thanks to all serving senators for showing up, having difficult conversations, and treating each other with respect, not only as colleagues but as fellow humans. Please join us at our first meeting of the Spring 2022 semester on Thursday January 20th, from 2:10pm-4:00pm on zoom (Agenda and zoom link forthcoming). Positive change is not always easy but it is possible!
Article by Academic Senate President Lindsey Ayotte
