Notes - November 14, 2005
De Anza Academic Senate
Approved Notes for the meeting of
November 14, 2005
Senators and Officers present: Annen, Argyriou, Bresnan, Bryant, Capitolo, Chenoweth, Cordero, Dolen, Fox, Fritz,
Goodwin, Hearn, Jensen-Sullivan, Joplin, Kline, Logvinenko, Mjelde, Moreno, Mosh,
Olsen, Osborne, Raffaelli, Setziol, Sheirich, and Zill
Senators and Officers absent: Dunn, Winters, and Zarecky
DASB: Saleha Pirzada
Classified Senate:
Administrative Liaison:
Guests: Karl Schaffer and Judy Miner
[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 addition of an Item Vb: Status of Academic Senate Officers and the renumbering of the printed Item V as Va. Hearn also announced that, due to the town hall meeting starting at 3:30, she would ask for adjournment at approximately 4:00 p.m. Brian Murphy has pledged that no more town hall type meetings will be scheduled to conflict with Senate meetings.
Approval of the notes of the meeting of November 7th was held over due to the incompleteness of the distributed version.
II. Needs and Confirmations: None
III. Environmental Sustainability: Jensen-Sullivan presented. She began by outlining reasons for the group's high priority involvement in the Environmental Sustainability movement. The reasons cited were: 1) The obligations of faculty in the college decision making process, 2) The position of Senators and Officers as campus leaders, 3) Responsibilities to our students in terms of presenting major current and future issues of world wide importance, 4) Pacific Gas and Electric (PGE) studies demonstrating the positive results of sustainable approaches, and 5) an ongoing concern for the health and productivity of the college's students, faculty, staff, and administration.
She continued by giving examples of has been done and what needs to be done. Last year a new impetus came to the college district in the form of large potential fines due to hazardous waste handling violations. Some of the particulars in those charges revealed that a high percentage of the violations were inextricably linked with choices made by faculty. Later in the year, a new momentum in a positive direction emerged, energized, in part, by Ed Quevedo, a nationally known consultant to large organizations on the topic of sustainability. Quevedo will meet again with the Senate to talk about the development of an Environmental Management Plan for the college.
After citing more reasons for action and efforts to date, Jensen-Sullivan concluding by framing the issue as a question of what the college wants to be known for and what are the many ways in which the college can enhance its overall reputation and attractiveness to students through innovative leadership in environmental sustainability.
IV. Pacific Graduate School of Psychology – Bachelor's Degrees: Judy Miner was present to tell the group about the plans for a pilot program launching the school's venture into baccalaureate level coursework. The basic proposition is a very loose association between the college and this Palo Alto school. They are to rent classrooms and to invite De Anza faculty to teach the classes on a private basis. The courses taught will be either existing De Anza courses or a combination of existing courses with additional work for some of the students which would then make them eligible for upper division credit. There is to be no effect on faculty load and no effect on our curriculum. The pilot is to consist of two classes in the Fall of 2006 with the Pacific Graduate School taking on the commitment to students beginning the program even if De Anza pulls out of the arrangement at that point.
Proceeds from the arrangement are to go into a fund 15 account. An initial thought is to have that account be for use by the departments involved. During the time of the pilot, an evaluation will be conducted. All of this is pending a Western Association of Schools and Colleges approval for the school to offer a baccalaureate degree. De Anza is the only college involved.
Several Senators asked for time to consult with the faculty in their divisions. Hearn agreed to a tentative date of November 21st for action on the item.
Va. Harassment and Discrimination Policy: Hearn distributed a draft document which was a marriage of the previous version seen by the group with language previously proposed by Hearn which now has the blessing of the administration and the Faculty Association leadership. The document was approved unanimously.
Vb. Status of Academic Senate Officers: Sadly, Ben Kline told the group that his health required long term treatment which, in turn, meant that he would need to step down as Senate Vice President by the end of the quarter for at least two quarters. Hearn asked for volunteers to say they would fill either the Vice President slot or the Executive Secretary position or either one. After the officers listed the many duties of the office, they stressed how important being a Senate officer and what an honor it is. Part time faculty were encouraged to volunteer even though funding for especially the Vice President position is not assured for part timers because of the nature of released time.
VI. Program Review Criteria: The item was held over.
VII. Spring Term – Six Week Courses: The item was held over.
VIII: Academic Senate Orientation: The item was held over.
IX: Good of the Order:
- Bresnan introduced John Fox, new Senator from Social Sciences
- The Automotive Technology students have collected 4,700 cans of food as a charitable contribution to Cupertino Community Services.
- Hearn read aloud the criteria for the Hayward Award for excellence in education, the state's highest award for community college faculty.
- Sustainable Silicon Valley will be releasing its report on Carbon Dioxide emissions this week.
- A panel discussion of the topic "Class Matters" involving New York Times correspondents is scheduled for Wednesday, November 16th form 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. in Conference Room B in the campus center.
The meeting was adjourned at 4:10.