Fullerton College Faculty Senate

Approved Minutes

January 24, 2008

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Present
Business..............................................	Marcus Wilson, Nancy Woolridge
Counseling...........................................	Heather Halverson, Flor Huerta
Fine Arts..............................................	Steve Pliska
Humanities...........................................	Robert Lundergan, Jeff Rodine
Library.................................................	Mike Fitzsimmons
Math/Computer Science........................	Robert Diaz, Scott Malloy, Greg Nguyen
Natural Sciences..................................	Jan Chadwick, Jeff Feaster, Rick Lozinsky
Part-Time Faculty.................................	Jim Book
Physical Education...............................	Scott Giles
Social Sciences....................................	Chris Lamm, Ricardo Salas
Student Services...................................	Sylvia Pimentel
Technology/Engineering.........................	Rosa Molina, Doris Wright
At-large................................................	Peg Berger, Paul McKinley, Deborah McQueen Mike Moore
Associated Students.............................	Ethan Morse
President.............................................	Ken Collins
Interim Vice President...........................	Miguel Powers
Secretary.............................................	Jane Troop
Treasurer..............................................	Karen Markley
At-large, Curriculum Chair......................	Jennifer Combs
Guests: Larry Buckley, Dana Rose Crystal, Cheryl Duhme, Ann Hovey, Chris Kiger, Janet Portolan
Absent
At-large................................................	Gayle Cebrian
Fine Arts..............................................	Chuck Ketter
Humanities...........................................	Rosa Arceo, Ruth Egigian
Physical Education...............................	Pam Lewin

I. CALL TO ORDER

The meeting was called to order at 3 p.m. by President Collins.

II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

M/S/P (Book/McQueen) to approve the Minutes of the December 6, 2007

III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA

M/S/U (McQueen/Book) to approve the agenda for this meeting

IV. PUBLIC COMMENTS

Dr. Hodge approved the recommendation of the BDC (Budget Development Committee) to buy new vans.

Flu vaccine is available in the Health Center.

V. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE REPORTS

President’s Report

Overview of the Governor’s 2008-2009 Budget—The current year’s cut is about $40 million to the community college system. This means a $1.2 million cut to our District. For 2008-2009, the forecast is a cut of $483 million which means zero COLA and one percent growth. Categorical programs will have cuts recommended for them.

PAC—There was general consensus among the members regarding the Dynamic Fund issues. The BDC (Budget Development Committee) will attempt to focus the Dynamic Fund more. This coming year the committee will seek proposals involving innovative teaching methodologies aimed at student success using creative ideas with direct impact on students. These will give special emphasis to college goals. April 1 is the deadline for the proposals.

Last year some limits were put on Dynamic Fund proposals after they were submitted, resulting in the feeling that this was unfair to those who wrote the proposals. That concern has been addressed this year; the limits will now be written on the application itself.

Academic Freedom—This policy had its first read in the Board meeting last Tuesday night. The Trustees seemed pleased.

Treasurer’s Report

The Senate account has a balance of $3,216. Treasurer Karen Markley thanked those who provided snacks for this meeting.

VI. CURRICULUM COMMITTEE REPORT

Chairperson Combs announced the following:

Dr. Hodge has signed and the Board of Trustees has approved all of the curriculum submitted by faculty since October 9, 2007.

The Curriculum Committee has just approved two new/revised AA degrees to replace the Liberal Studies and University Transfer Studies degrees (GE-based degrees like these must be deleted per the State Chancellor's Office). These include: Interdisciplinary Studies (with four "Areas of Emphasis") and Liberal Studies-Teacher Preparation. 

She reminded Senators that six-year review revisions scheduled for this year are due to be pre-launched in CurricUNET by February 13, 2008. The priority deadline to pre-launch all curriculum proposals intended to be effective Fall 2009 is March 26, 2008.

The Curriculum Committee has eliminated the seven-unit limit on double-counting courses to meet GE requirements and also to meet major requirements.

Administrative procedures for DCCC are under review as the Chancellor would like the DCCC to have more power and control over class size. 

Dr. Combs will look into making recently approved courses available in an electronic catalog.

VII. ELECTIONS

The following was the result of the election held at today’s Senate meeting:

Education Program Advisory Committee............................................................ Stephanie Piazza

Instructional Technology Subcommittee................................................................. Mathew Taylor

VIII. OLD BUSINESS

Joint Senates/Union Meeting Report—This report will be postponed until the Senate’s next meeting.

Midterm Accreditation Report—Dr. Portolan addressed the Senate regarding the accreditation midterm report which was authored by Sean Chamberlin and Ann Hovey who are open to input on it until February 13. This is a compliance document the purpose of which is to determine whether the college has adopted the recommendations received in the last accreditation.

Faculty Survey—Some of the accreditation recommendations were based on the results of a faculty/staff survey administered in 2005. The Faculty Senate requested that this survey be repeated so the results could be included in the accreditation midterm report. However, Dr. Meehan was not given permission to run the survey again, and Dr. Buckley explained that Dr. Meehan had been too busy to do it once more but allowed that it could be done in the future. Consequently, the Senate will run the survey. Discussion ensued regarding content and means of taking the survey. It was noted by one of the CIS instructors that the first survey was given online and that it would only be a matter of turning it back on. The tabulation is done electronically, requiring very little of Dr. Meehan’s time to review the results. Discussion ensued.

M/S/U (Wilson/Book) to empower the Senate Exec. to pursue using the college researcher to conduct the faculty survey and that, if appropriate, Dr. Collins can shorten it by eliminating questions that are no longer relevant.

IX. NEW BUSINESS

Proposed Changes to Class Scheduling—These were developed in conjunction with the Deans Council. Dr. Wilson noted that the Faculty Senate is currently developing, with UF and the Cypress Senate, a proposal for a 16-week semester. He suggested that rather than duplicate efforts, it might be a good idea to consider both schedules at the same time.

It was mentioned that the time breaks would cause difficult split teaching schedules (6 a.m. to 11 p.m.) and students would not have sufficient choices of class times. Dr. Buckley explained that the new matrix is merely an exercise and that coordinators should work at putting the current number of classes into the matrix. He felt that it was merely a starting point from which to develop a better schedule. Traffic problems as well as insufficient time for labs were brought up. Dr. Buckley replied that traffic control is being examined and that not all classes had to be included in a block schedule. For example, science classes could be exceptions.

Excessively early starting times for morning classes, excessively late start times for evening classes, and crowded bathrooms were mentioned. It was also stated that scheduling has to be agreed to per the contract. The schedule is developed between the division faculty and the Deans in a collaborative fashion. The final schedule is at the division level. A schedule that is imposed on the faculty is a violation of the contract. Many other objections were brought up. Dr. Buckley felt that the mock up schedule should be developed for spring, 2009.

When asked to identify the problem that the matrix was to fix, Dr. Buckley stated that there was a multitude of issues. He opined that students complain they cannot get the courses they want in a time frame that works for them; i.e., they are not getting back-to-back classes. He felt that another problem was efficiency. Efficiency is built on fill rates, and faculty do their drops at the last minute. He felt that we will use a matrix like this in a 16-week schedule in 2010. It is important that we maximize the seat counts. In the fall, Cal-States will reduce their enrollment, and we will have to absorb the students.

One of the Senators stated that often students have split schedules because they enroll late or have specialized classes, such as French 4. It was his belief that not many students had back-to-back classes. Dr. Buckley felt that the coordinators are well informed as to what works and what does not, and he wants to hear from them. Discussion continued, calling into question subjects such as faculty access to student surveys, student success rates for those who take all their classes in two days, working students attempting to finish basic skills classes, and attention spans in classes that last for long periods.

M/S/U (Moore/Salas) that the Senate request feedback from the Department Coordinators and Deans as it becomes available. This information and data should then be used by the campus to evaluate the merits of changing our class schedule. Furthermore, it is the Senate’s recommendation that the coordinators do not develop a mock schedule until after the 16-week calendar proposal has been finished and that they only work on this to the extent that they deem reasonable.

Construction Update—President Collins directed the Senate’s attention to the handouts of the construction update PowerPoint slides.

X. LIAISON REPORTS

Associated Students—Club and College Day has been postponed.

United Faculty——UF will be opening negotiations for salary next week. The District negotiators will be making a proposal to UF. The COLA of 4.53 percent has been received from the state, and UF will be asking for at least this percent plus growth monies. So far, the District has stated that it does not want to give faculty COLA because it doesn’t want to do something about any new, ongoing funds.

Adjunct Faculty United—No report.

The meeting was adjourned at 5 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Jane Troop, Secretary

Index

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16-week semester, 4

Academic Freedom, 2

Adjunct Faculty United, 6

Associated Students, 6

back-to-back classes

and proposed new class schedule, 6

BDC, 2

block schedule, 5

Board of Trustees

curriculum approval, 2

Buckley, Dr. Larry, 1, 4, 5, 6

Budget Development Committee. See BDC

Budget for 2008-2009

overview of Governor's, 2

Cal-States

reducing their enrollments, impact on NOCCCD, 6

Class Scheduling

proposed changes to, 4

class size control, 3

COLA, 2, 6

college goals, 2

Collins, Dr. Kenneth, 1

construction update, 6

coordinators

placing current number of classes into new matrix, 4

Curriculum Committee Report, 2

curriculum proposals, 2

CurricUNET, 2

Cypress Senate, 4

DCCC, 3

Deans Council, 4

double-counting courses

limit of seven units applying to two degrees, 3

Dynamic Fund, 2

efficiency

and proposed class schedule, 6

Elections, 4

electronic catalog

appearance of recently approved courses in it, 4

Faculty Survey, 4

flu vaccine, 2

Garcia, 4

Garcia, Amy

Student Success Steering Committee, 4

GE-based degrees, 2

Health Center, 2

Hodge, Dr. Kathleen, 2

approval of curriculum, 2

Hovey, Ann, 1

coauthor of accreditation midterm report, 4

Hunter, Dr. Jerome, 3

innovative teaching methodologies

relative to Dynamic Fund, 2

Interdisciplinary Studies, 2

Joint Senates/Union Meeting, 4

Kiger, Director Chris, 1

Lamm, Dr. Chris

Student Success Steering Committee, 4

Liberal Studies

replaced degree, 2

Liberal Studies-Teacher Preparation, 2

limits

for Dynamic Fund proposals, 2

Malloy, Scott

Student Success Steering Committee, 4

matrix

for proposed new class schedule, 4

Meehan, Dr. Kenneth

college researcher, 4

Midterm Accreditation Report, 4

mock up schedule

developed for spring, 2009, 5

negotiations

for salary, 6

PAC, 2

Portolan, Dr. Janet, 1, 4

President’s Report, 2

proposals

for Dynamic Fund, 2

scheduli