COLLEGE OF MARIN
ACADEMIC SENATE
MEETING MINUTES FOR May 8, 2008
Student Services Building, Conference Rooms A “& B
Senators Present: Carol Adair, Yolanda Bellisimo, Michael Dougan, Ron
Gaiz, Erika Harkins, Patrick Kelly, Robert Kennedy, Arthur Lutz, Sara
McKinnon, Joe Mueller, Meg Pasquel, Radica Portello, Blaze Woodlief, Derek
Wilson
Senators Absent: Ingrid Kelly,
Guests: Rinetta Early, Finnigan Kelly
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Summary
Consent granted to write job description for Education Planning
Facilitator.
AP 4021 – Revitalization and Discontinuance Procedure: Move to Action
Item.
AP 4225 – Course Tabled indefinitely
AP 4100 – Graduation Requirements for Degrees & Certificates. Move to
action.
Minutes
I. Approval and Adoption of the Agenda. Approved.
II. Reading and Approval of the Minutes of May 1, 2008. Approved as amended.
III. Officers’ Reports
President: Yolanda Bellisimo. Written report attached.
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5 Interdisciplinary Degrees out of compliance. Senators were alarmed to
learn that, according to a memo from Vice President Anita Martinez, five of
our six interdisciplinary degrees are out of compliance with new Title 5
regulations and must be removed from our 2008-2009 college catalog.
According to the new state rules, a college catalog must list specific courses
required for a given major; it may not list, as ours does, general areas from
which students may choose. Rinetta Early, speaking from the counselors,
told the Senate that she understood that by September students will not
have catalog rights in this matter; they simply will not be able to graduate
with a degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences, Modern Languages, Natural
Science, Physical Science, or University Transfer. The only valid degree will
be, apparently, International Relations. According to Derek Wilson, the
Curriculum Committee was told that the five non-compliant majors could be
removed for at least a year because it takes at least that long to complete a
catalog change. He reminded the Senate that catalog changes must go
through department review, Curriculum Committee review, dean review,
Senate review and Board approval. Then they have to be approved by the
Chancellor’s office which conducts such reviews only in November and April.
Patrick Kelly and Meg Pasquel insisted that there must be a mistake, that
the state could not change the law without warning and without providing
some reasonable time frame. Patrick insisted that departments affected by
this ruling could specify the particular classes and submit a supplement
catalog this summer. Yolanda will talk with Anita immediately to get
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clarification.
Work on whole campus SLO’s must continue. Senators also discussed an
announcement from the Accreditation Commission and the ACCJC which
reminds all community colleges that we are required to have reached the
“proficiency” level by 2012, which means that throughout the college
students will be accountable to rubrics which state specific achievement
levels and that the college has in place clear definitions of intended student
learning outcomes, a system of assessment of learning and a specific
method of using this assessment to improve institutional quality. By this
fall, we will have appointed our two SLO/Program Review facilitators who
will guide COM’s academic programs in this direction.
Vice President: No report.
IV. Committee Reports:
a) Curriculum Committee: Derek Wilson reported that the CC approved 5 items.
The committee did not review AP4245 but will forward its recommendations
on May 15. Most of the Curriculum Committee’s session was taken in
discussion of the alarming issue of the interdisciplinary majors.
b) Academic Standards: Rinetta Early reported the State Academic Senate is
prepared to establish statewide standards for the application of Advanced
Placement credits, creating a “general education area equivalency” which
would delineate all AP courses meeting the California State University General
Education/Breadth (CSU GE/B) requirements and the Intersegmental General
Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETSE) requirements. Currently, high school
students with AP scores may or may not receive credit for their AP scores at
their community college. This system would insure that students getting a 3
or better on AP tests will be confident that the four-year institutions will
accept the course, not necessarily as part of a major, but as part of the
general education requirements. When the system is in place, all college
catalogs must publish the AP Equivalency list.
Sara McKinnon distributed information material that she picked up at the
State Senate meeting on curriculum, minimum qualifications, legislation, AP
credit, hiring, and basic skills.
c) Community Education: No report.
V. Consent Agenda
a) Education Planning Facilitator: Yolanda Bellisimo reported that the District
wants to start gearing up for next WASC and will allow units to appoint an
Ed Planning Facilitator to guide the writing of an our next Educational
Master Plan. By starting now, the college will have the research ready for
all planning. Yolanda will write the job description to be approved by the
Senate in the Fall. Consent granted to write job description for
Education Planning Facilitator.
VI. Action Items
a) Proposed District Procedures:
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AP 4021 – Revitalization and Discontinuance Procedure: The suggested
procedure went out to the whole faculty last week. Move to Action Item
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AP 4225 – Course Repetition (applies to credit courses where a substandard
grade was earned) Since the State is now changing the rules on course
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repetition, we will postpone the rewriting of this procedure until next
semester. Tabled.
AP 4100 – Graduation Requirements for Degrees & Certificates. The
procedure for determining the requirements for degrees and certificates has
been completed. We are waiting some information from nursing. Move to
action.
b) 75% Rule by Department: Radica Portello presented a document showing
how far each department and discipline is from adhering to the state law that
at least 76% of units taught must be taught by full-time faculty. The Senate
will collect further data figuring in over-loads and faculty who teach in
multiple disciplines. All information must come from one semester. Derek
Wilson will make a clear chart. This information must go to the union to
bargain for full-time faculty by department and the Senate must take the
information to the administration and the Board stating strongly that we are
out of compliance with Title V and with our contract. Patrick Kelly reminded
the Senate that three bills are now being considered that will eliminate any
waiver of the 75% requirement. We must be prepared now to hire more fulltime faculty.
c)
IPC and Budget Committee Recommendations: Yolanda Bellisimo, Ron Gaiz,
and Sara McKinnon distributed the 60-page executive summary of the Spring
2008 program review. Senators were encouraged to read and share it with
their constituents.
d) Senate election: The Senate discussed the procedure of the vote counting,
how the results should be sent to the candidates and how the new Senate will
be seated. The votes will be counted at 5pm. Observers are invited. The
candidates will be notified, but the general announcement cannot be made
until the results are ratified. Ratification will take place at the beginning of
the May 15 meeting. At that meeting the current Senate will handle its
unfinished business and then will seat the new Senate. The new Senate will
immediately elect its officers.
IX. Adjournment: 2:00 PM
For questions or information concerning the Academic Senate minutes,
please contact: Carol Adair: carol.adaiar@marin.edu X7367