The De Anza Academic Senate
Approved Notes for the meeting of
May 4th, 2009
Senators and Officers present: Botsford, Brennan, Cadge-Moore, Cichanski, Coleman, Cordero, Dolen, Goodwin , D. Guevara, Hanna, Lee-Klawender, Logvinenko, Maynard, Miller, Mitchell, Setziol, Sherby, White, and Winters
Senators and Officers absent: Argyriou, Beckum, Glapion, , J. Guevara, Hughes, LaManque, Lathers, Mjelde, Swanner, and Walton
DASB: Classified Senate:
Administrative Liaison: Rich Schroeder
Guests: SLO coordinators:
Curriculum Co Chair:
[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 2:33, a quorum being present. Lee-Klawender presided in the absence of Argyriou who was in interviews for the Interim District Chancellor
I. Approval of Agenda and Notes: The agenda was approved as distributed with the withdrawal of proposed Item III.
The notes of April 27th were approved with minor editing.
II. Needs and Confirmations: Argyriou and Ulysses Pichon were confirmed for service on the Vice President of Finance and Educational Resources Search and Selection Committee. After it was observed that there appeared to be little or no faculty expertise in finance on the committee, it was the sense of the Senate that an additional faculty member, one with a finance background, should be added to the committee.
IV. IPBT Update: Lee-Klawender provided the update. She began by emphasizing that no specific classified positions have been proposed for elimination. Instead, the committee is looking for opportunities to combine two positions into one and three positions into two. Program elimination has been spoken of but, in the short term at least, does not appear to be on the agenda for the group. She did mention that the group will be attempting to identify 7 to 9 classified positions for possible elimination. Winters mentioned that the number was 11 for student services. Apparently, no one present knew of a number for finance and college services.
Concern was expressed about the future of the position of Diversity Coordinator. The current proposal is to have International and Intercultural studies division dean Duane Kubo be the diversity coordinator but, given the fact Kubo is due to retire in June of 2010 and the budget is predicted to be unrecovered by that time, it is feared that the position could easily disappear at that time.
Concern was also expressed about the role of division deans versus departments and department faculty in recommending position cuts. Lee-Klawender was asked to get clarification.
V. De Anza College Mission Statement: Lee-Klawender presented a draft said to be hurriedly prepared by Argyriou. The long and short of the group's response was that they didn't like much of it and thought that most of the words on the page could be stricken with the flu with only a beneficial effect.
VI. Spring Plenary Report: Lee-Klawender and Setziol distributed three documents which were individual reports from each of the three officers. They each presented what they considered to be highlights of the session. Anyone with any questions is welcome to ask the officers. Any Senator wishing to have any topic from the session addressed as an agenda item is invited to contact Argyriou.
VII. Commendation of Martha Kanter: Setziol asked for a sense of the Senate with regard to a commendation. A resolution of commendation will be prepared by the officers. Any Senator wishing to contribute an idea for a whereas clause is invited to submit it to any of the officers. It was the sense of the Senate to have a celebration during a Senate meeting if possible and to invite members of the Board of Trustees. If Kanter's schedule does not allow her to come to a Senate meeting, a presentation at a Board meeting will be planned.
VIII. Reception for Newly Tenured Faculty: Setziol gave a background. During discussion it was revealed that the group failed to have a reception last year. In light of this, faculty tenured in either of the last two years will be invited. It was the sense of the Senate to have the event start at the end of an abbreviated Senate meeting. The nature and amount of food and drink will be decided by the group as soon as the officers give options and cost estimates.
IX. Academic Senate Elections: Mitchell presented wording from the Senate Constitution and By Laws. A focus of the presentation was to clarify the status of the part time faculty representative slots to determine which position (the one currently held by LaQuisha Beckum or the one currently held by Mary Ellen Goodwin. Mitchell noted that the By Laws (ideally updated each year) haven't been updated in four years despite his visual presentation which, somewhat to his distress, included a typo stating that the current dating of the By Laws cover the period 2004 to 2050. After noting the typo he clarified that the most recent by laws are dated 2004-2005.
A secondary focus of the presentation was the subject of division elections for Senators. Mitchell reminded the Senators that, according to the constitution, they are to manage elections in their own divisions to select next year's division representatives by early June. It was noted that those whose terms are up can always "re up".
X. Good of the Order and Announcements: - Lee-Klawender told the group of two items needing to be addressed at the May 11th meeting: 1) the appropriate length of time during which students can challenge grades and 2) a revisit of the topic of what records Admissions and Records is obliged to keep and for how long and, therefore, what are faculty obligations.
The meeting was adjourned at 4:28.