Notes - November 8, 2004
De Anza Academic Senate
Approved Notes for the meeting of
November 8th, 2004
Senators and Officers present: Annen, Argyriou, Bresnan, Bryant, Chenoweth, Dolen, Dunn, Goodwin, Hearn, Illowsky,
Jensen Sullivan, Lopez-Morgan, Mitchell, Moreno, Mosh, Mujal, Salah, Schafer-Braun,
Setziol, Sheirich, and Winters
Senators and Officers absent: Castaño, Cole, Cordero, Fritz, Joplin, and Logvinenko
DASB Student Representatives:
Classified Senate:
Administrative Liaison:
Guests: Karl Schaffer and Tim Shively
[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 2:32, a quorum being present.
I. Approval of Agenda and Notes: The Agenda was approved as distributed with the removal of item V (Division Student Equity Report) and the renaming of item VI (from Final Exam Schedule to Block Scheduling). The notes of November 1st were approved as distributed.
II. Needs and Confirmations: No action was taken on a proposed Paralegal Search Committee due to concerns about how to deal with the size of the group and questions as to whether the Senate was to approve the whole list or select a subset of the list proposed.
III. District Mission Statement: Mitchell received feedback from a number of Senators. Comments included the need to examine and consider the state community college mission statement, a desire to include creativity wherever appropriate, the need for some reference to ethics on the part of both the institution as a whole and its students, a desire to include specific reference to vocational education, the need to have section 4 under Organizing Principles begin with "We pursue", and a desire to specify college responsibility for educational technology.
IV. Public Domain: Mitchell returned the group's attention to a policy draft distributed earlier in the quarter. Martha Kanter's intention is to have something ready for presentation to the Board before the end of the quarter. Mitchell especially pleaded for suggestions for a suitable title since "Public Domain" is only part of what has been discussed for necessary inclusion. Cost reduction is, perhaps, the primary impetus behind the initiative but A) it is not the only consideration and B) there are many applications for the principle of cost avoidance but the discussion has had a much narrower focus. "Free Courseware" and "Open source" can't begin to replace "Public Domain". Replacing expensive or supplementing cheaper but lesser books with online material is part of the conversation but is a means not an end. Mitchell was asked about his level of confidence that all faculty putting material online are abiding by copyright laws.
V. Division Student Equity Report: Held over
VI. Block Scheduling: Hearn and Mitchell began by reminding the group of the discussion last year about the final exam schedule. Hearn specifically asked the group to consider the final exam schedule problem to be but one of several secondary effects of block scheduling. Beginning block scheduled classes at odd times not only presents final exam schedule problems, it frequently leads to poor room utilization by creating times when the room can't be scheduled for normal timeframe use. Mitchell also told the group that allegations the Senate promulgated policy prohibiting certain kinds of block scheduling were not true and explained his understanding of current policy.
VII. Textbook Policies: Discussion began with Bresnan distributing and then speaking to a suggested addition to the 6th paragraph in the November 1st draft of the proposed policy. Hearn then read but did not distribute copies of a statement aimed at both simplifying and strengthening the 7th paragraph. Salah offered the experience of the Accounting department as a possibility for other departments. He also suggested that the language of the 7th paragraph in the textbook choice section be rewritten from the individual's rather than the majority in a department's perspective. A definition of "Academic Freedom" was requested. This was quickly answered by an unrecognized "The freedom to choose the textbooks for your classes". It was suggested by several people that action might be possible at the next meeting if the group had up or down votes on competing language. Mitchell asked Hearn and Salah specifically and others generally to provide him with written language within 24 hours.
VIII. Other Stuff for the Good of the Order:
- Goodwin reported on a joint FACCC and ASCCC legislative action meeting. She characterized it as a promising beginning and said that some of the main topics were putting teeth into votes of no confidence, support for part timer benefits, and enlarging the coalition of community college advocates.
- Mitchell reiterated that action on the textbook policy would be attempted November 15th.
The meeting was adjourned at 4:25 p.m.