Taft College Academic Senate Minutes
Monday, April 1, 2013
Cougar Conference Room
Attendees: President Tony Thompson, Vice President David Layne, Secretary Linda West, Kanoe Bandy,
Paul Blake, Darcy Bogle, Kamala Carlson, Joe’ll Chaidez, Bill Devine, Geoffrey Dyer, John Eigenauer
Tori Furman, Lourdes Gonzalez, Gary Graupman, Jessica Grimes, Dan Hall, Vicki Herder, Craig Johnson,
Diane Jones, Kelly Kulzer Reyes, Tim Markowitz, Mike Mayfield, Michelle Oja, Ruby Payne,
Joseph Polizzotto, Robin Polski, David Reynolds, Jeff Ross, Sonja Swenson, Susan Vaughn
The meeting was called to order at 12:12 p.m.
Public Commentary
None
Review of March 4, 2013 Senate Minutes
A motion was made by Jeff Ross and seconded by Bill Devine to approve the minutes as presented. The
motion carried.
Proposed New Teacher Education Degree
Tony Thompson
Tony Thompson spoke on behalf of Becky Roth and Michelle Beasley, who were unable to attend the
meeting, regarding a proposed degree that will be coming up for a vote at the Academic Senate Plenary
Session in April. The Association of CA Community College Teacher Education Programs (ACCCTEP) has
proposed a new discipline within the California Community College System titled: Teacher Education.
The discipline is designed to prepare students to teach in the K-12 system. As currently written,
proposed minimum qualifications exclude instructors with a Master’s degree in Early Childhood
Education (ECE). Vicki Herder stated the rationale behind the omission of the Master’s in ECE from the
minimum qualifications was that instructors in the program must understand K-12 standards.
Tony stated that Becky and Michelle are urging a “no” vote on the proposal as currently written. If we
vote “yes”, we’re voting to exclude a Master’s in ECE from the minimum qualifications for teaching
discipline courses within the program. Tony will attempt to get more information regarding the proposal
before voting at the plenary meeting.
Shared Governance with Regard to Recent Developments
Tony Thompson
John Eigenauer inquired about the status of Dr. Maloney’s request that we institute the use of copier
codes on campus. It was reported in an Information Technology meeting that Dr. Maloney was exploring
the use of copier codes to track paper usage and to possibly justify the implementation of a centralized
copy center. Tony reported that he had met with Dr. Maloney and shared with her that the Senate had
addressed this issue some time ago and was against the idea of a copy center because of the
inconvenience and additional expense. After speaking with Tony, Dr. Maloney stated the issue was
resolved and no further action was necessary.
Craig Johnson expressed concern that decisions impacting the entire campus were being made without
being discussed in Governance Council. The reorganization and hiring of a police officer without input
from important stakeholders were offered as examples of the lack of shared governance. Both the TIL
and childcare programs are being moved under the V.P. of Instruction. A police officer has been hired at
an annual cost to the district of $115,000. In the past, similar decisions would have been vetted in the
Governance Council. It was stated that the function of the Governance Council has changed over time.
According to Tony, Dr. Maloney stated she believed both decisions were within her purview as
superintendent/president.
Concern was expressed by the Senate regarding the lack of shared governance demonstrated in the
current decision-making process. As a result, a motion was made to select a committee of three to craft
a statement concerning shared governance for review by the Academic Senate. The motion was made
by John Eigenauer, seconded by Sharyn Eveland, and carried unanimously. Bill Devine, John Eigenauer,
and Tony Thompson will craft the statement for Senate review.
Curriculum Committee Update
David Layne
David Layne reported that work is progressing well and many submissions to the state have been
approved. It was also reported that the Court Reporting program has received full accreditation.
President’s Report
Tony Thompson
Tony Thompson reported that a governance retreat would be held on Friday, April 26th. A guest speaker
from Chaffey College will share innovative approaches to student success implemented on the Chaffey
campus.
Other
Diane Jones reported that the issue of class size limits is in process.
Diane also reported that 31% of units are taught by adjuncts. Units taught by adjuncts should be limited
to 25% of total units.
Meeting was adjourned at 12:57 p.m.
The next meeting is scheduled for 12:10-1:00 p.m. on Monday, May 6th.
Respectfully submitted by
Linda West