January 20, 2026

RAPP Meeting Minutes 

Hybrid Mtg. 10 a.m.-11:20 a.m. 

Tuesday Jan. 20, 2026 

The meeting began with introductions of new committee members, approval of minutes, discussion of meeting procedures, including quorum requirements and attendance policies. The group reviewed proposed changes to the RAPP committee structure, including ongoing drafts of the new proposed faculty prioritization committee (FPC) and program sustainability (PSC) committees while also establishing guidelines for faculty position submissions and reviews. The conversation ended with discussions about Strong Workforce Program (SWP) funding approvals and program review processes, including training on the feedback form that will be used in winter quarter.

Next steps
All members: Review current membership list and email tri-chairs with any corrections (name, term end, misspellings) or if term end date is missing
Veronica, Agustin, and Erik: Update and revise draft proposals for subcommittees (FPC and Program Sustainability Committee) incorporating feedback from the meeting, including language around recusal, attendance/voting consequences, and submission restrictions
Glynn: Send suggested alternative language for attendance/voting loss policy to Veronica
Veronica: Review and consider feedback and suggested language from Glynn regarding attendance/voting policy
All members: Enter comments or questions on the subcommittee proposals in the online document
Veronica: Prepare group assignments for program review feedback and have program reviews posted before next meeting
All members: Review assigned program reviews and complete feedback forms in small groups during subsequent meetings
Veronica: Conduct training on program review feedback process and norm group on completing feedback forms at next meeting
All members: If representing a constituency group, ensure attendance at all meetings or arrange for a replacement if unable to attend
Tri-chairs: Update general procedures and norms to reflect new quorum (51% attendance), attendance/absenteeism policies, and camera-on requirement for Zoom participants
Veronica, Agustin, and Erik: Revise and edit existing faculty request forms, program review summary document, and college-wide program recommendation form as part of new subcommittee process
Veronica, Agustin, and Erik: Review current criteria for review of full-time faculty positions as part of new subcommittee process
All members: For next program review cycle, include 300-word summary in feedback forms for use by other committees
Tri-chairs: Have all annual program reviews posted on RAPP website before next meeting
Veronica: Bring updated subcommittee proposals back to RAPP for further discussion after revision
All members: If unable to attend a meeting, arrange for a replacement representative in advance
Tri-chairs: Communicate with constituency bodies if a representative is subject to removal due to non-attendance
All members: If on campus, attempt to attend meetings in person in MLC255 when possible
Tri-chairs: Update personnel prioritization process to reflect one-year rolling period and two-year search window for approved positions
Veronica: Update process documentation to reflect that positions approved but unfilled for two years must be resubmitted
Veronica: Update process documentation to reflect that positions approved, hired, and vacated during tenure process within four years may be refilled without review unless significant college needs change
Veronica: Update forms and process to reflect restrictions on resubmission of positions (no more than two times in four/five years, with "with restrictions" to be clarified)
Veronica: Update recusal language to allow faculty to address questions or correct misinformation, not just recuse entirely
Veronica: Update language regarding loss of voting privileges for excessive tardiness or absences to include definition of "excessively tardy" (e.g., more than 20-30 minutes late) and possible exceptions for emergencies
Veronica: Update forms and processes to reflect new proposed subcommittee membership structure (pending final decision after feedback)
All members: Review and provide feedback on proposed FPC and PSC subcommittees membership structure, especially regarding admin/faculty balance
Veronica: Bring final proposed subcommittee structure and charges back to RAPP after incorporating feedback
Tri-chairs: Post all annual program reviews for each area on RAPP website under appropriate categories
Tri-chairs: Provide program review group assignments to all members before next meeting
All members: Review assigned program reviews and be prepared to discuss/complete feedback forms in groups at next meeting
All members: Complete 300-word summary in feedback forms for each program review reviewed
Tri-chairs: Ensure all program reviews are reviewed and feedback is provided to areas before end of winter quarter
Tri-chairs: Transition to position prioritization process in spring quarter if approved by group
All members: If representing a constituency, provide regular reports to your constituency group regarding attendance and participation
Mallory: Communicate RAPP approval of SWP Round 10 budgets to College Council
Tri-chairs: Convey thanks to CTE committee for budget preparation on behalf of RAPP
Membership and Meeting Procedures Update
The group discussed establishing a quorum requirement of 51% attendance and agreed to implement a policy requiring committee members to attend all meetings, tri-chairs stated replacements would be considered for members absent for three or more meetings in a quarter. The meeting also addressed changes to the personnel prioritization process, deciding to roll over positions for one year instead of two, and giving search committees two years to fill approved positions before they return to the budget.

RAPP Committee Restructuring Proposal: FPC and PSC
The meeting focused on reviewing proposed changes to the RAPP committee structure, which Erik, Agustin, and Veronica have been working on since fall 2025. The group reviewed the ongoing drafts of the proposed FPC to handle faculty hiring prioritization and a PSC to oversee program development, maintenance, and review, replacing the previous Viability Committee. The changes aim to better distribute RAPP's workload and improve program review processes, building on feedback from previous discussions and other colleges.

Erik, Veronica and Agustin reviewed the advisory committee's role in reviewing and recommending full-time faculty positions. The committees will work closely with RAPP to make recommendations to College Council based on program review, mission, and strategic goals. They discussed a proposed meeting schedule of weekly meetings in May, June, October, and November, with the possibility of additional meetings for emergency requests. The group also reviewed criteria for reviewing faculty positions, including a proposal that positions may be submitted no more than twice in a four- or five-year period to keep the pool of requests fresh.

The group discussed faculty hiring and administrative representation on FPC, with Sam proposing to increase administrative seats to 6 to ensure balanced voting and better alignment with student and classified staff interests. The discussion highlighted concerns about administrative workload and the need for expertise rather than just additional voting members.

The meeting focused on discussing position submission and approval processes, with particular attention to non-instructional positions and faculty recusal rules. Felisa raised concerns about the limitations of hiring in non-instructional roles. The group agreed to allow multiple submissions for different positions, but discussed the need to discourage excessive submissions. Adrienne raised questions about faculty recusal rules, suggesting modifications to allow for clarification of misinformation while maintaining division-based restrictions. The committee agreed to amend the recusal rules to allow faculty to address questions and clarify information within their divisions.

The committee discussed concerns about members losing voting privileges for missing three meetings or being excessively tardy, with Glynn suggesting alternative language to maintain votes while holding representatives accountable. The group agreed that constituencies should be responsible for monitoring their representatives' attendance, and Glynn committed to sending alternative wording suggestions to Veronica for review. 

Budget Approval: Strong Workforce Program
Katrina Tran presented a request for RAPP approval of a $1.69 million SWP Round 10  local and regional plans budget for CTE programs, which would support industry-aligned equipment, instructional materials, and student support services from 2025 to 2027.  The Strong Workforce funding allocations to CTE programs was approved by the committee. 

Program Review Process Update

The group then reviewed the program review process, including how reviews are conducted in groups with various representatives and the criteria for when reviews are sent back to areas for completion. The committee was trained on the program review form and feedback process, which will be carried out in winter quarter with approximately 5 groups reviewing 8-9 program reviews each. The conversation ended with plans to review a sample program review and feedback form in the next meeting.

Attendees: Ram Subramaniam, Mallory Newell, Veronica Acevedo Avila, Sam Bliss, Michele LeBleu Burns, Farhard Sabit, Nazy Galoyan, Garrett King, Agustin Espino Diaz, Eric Mendoza, Felisa Vilaubi, Christina Wright, Alicia De Toro, Alan Ma, Zander Blackman, Adrienne Hypolite, Erick Aragon, Randy Bryant, Patricia del Rio, Thomas Ray, Glynn Wallis, Erik Woodbury, Lisa Ly, Cecilia Hui, Blen Ashebr, Hieu N, Mehrdad Khosravi, Jayme Brown, Debbie Lee, Aisyah Faisal, Blen Ashebr, Salvador Pedroza, Erik Woodbury, 

Absent: Kim Palmore, James Nguyen, Michelle Hernandez

RAPP Voting Members: Ram Subramaniam, Mallory Newell, Veronica Acevedo Avila, Farhad Sabit, Michele LeBleu Burns, Sam Bliss, Nazy Galoyan, Garret King, Augustin Espino Diaz, Jayme Brown, Patricia del Rio, Erick Aragon, Adrienne Hypolite, Eric Mendoza, Michelle Hernandez, Felisa Vilaubi, Christina Wright, Cecilia Hui, Glynn Wallis, Alicia De Toro, James Nguyen, Zander Blackman, Aisyah Faisal, Jayme Brown, Kim Palmore (for Alicia Mullens), Blen Ashebr, Salvador Pedroza, 

Non-voting Advisory: Martin Varela, Randy Bryant, Erik Woodbury