COLLEGE OF MARIN
ACADEMIC SENATE
MINUTES FOR AUGUST 28, 2008
12:45 – 2:00
Student Services Building, Conference Rooms A & B
Senators Present: Carol Adair, Yolanda Bellisimo, Michael Dougan, Ron Gaiz,
Erika Harkins, Robert Kennedy, Sara McKinnon, Joe Mueller, Radica Portello, Derek
Wilson, Blaze Woodlief
Senators Absent: Eric Dunmire, Patrick Kelly, Arthur Lutz, Meg Pasquel
Guests: Rinetta Early
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Summary
Consent to Bonnie Borenstein and Robert Kennedy as members of
Employee Development Committee
Consent to SLO/Program Facilitator Job Description and call for
application
Approved bringing MOU on reduction of class sizes to Senate as
action item for September 4.
Minutes
I.
Approval and Adoption of the Agenda.
Accepted
II.
Reading and Approval of the Minutes of August 21, 2008. Accepted
III.
Reports
President’s report. Yolanda Bellisimo.
Written report. Yolanda reported that the Department of Education has
become more exact in requiring WASC to hold schools to all standards and to make
sure that the schools adhere to their two-year plans. Recently, the Department of
Education required WASC to submit the reports from various schools that had been
on probation, including College of Marin’s reports. Also, Yolanda distributed a list of
COM departments, asking each Senate member to accept responsibility for one or
two departments.
Vice President. Patrick Kelly. No report.
Curriculum Committee. Derek Wilson
Derek reported that this week’s meeting was the first Curriculum Committee
meeting presided over by its new chair, Chris Schultz. Derek will continue reporting
on the CC to the Senate. This week the CC approved four classes and moved four
more to UDWC. The committee discussed ways to standardize hours and units for
variable unit courses. The next CC meeting will be devoted to new member
orientation. Finally, Chris will send out email to all department chairs reminding
them that the last tech review date is December 11.
Academic Standards No report.
Community Education. Erika Harkins.
Erika reported that community education classes are in a bind. Each class
must enroll 16 students by the first week in September or risk cancellation.
However, students cannot enroll on line; they must register by mail or by person,
requiring registration workers to input each student individually. Naturally, this
process slows down registration and endangers enrollment; it puts classes in
jeopardy of being cut. The Senate will protest if classes are cut.
IV. Consent Agenda. Committee Appointments
a) The Senate will send out governance committee requests. We need one faculty
member on the Budget Committee, two on the Educational Planning Committee,
two on the Tech Committee, two on Governance Review Committee, two on the
Instructional Equipment and one on IPC.
b) The Senate gave consent to placing Bonnie Borenstein and Robert Kenney on the
Employee Development Committee. One more faculty member is needed.
Consent
V. Action Items
Procedures – holding for action
AP 4225 – Course Repetition (applies to credit courses where a substandard
grade was earned)
AP 4100 – Graduation Requirements for Degrees & Certificates
VI. Discussion
a) SLO/Program Facilitator Position. The Senate consented to the job description
of the SLO/Program Review Facilitator. This week, Yolanda will put out a call for
applications for the two three-unit positions. Consent
b) Maximum Class Size MOU: Derek Wilson. The Senate is writing a memo of
understanding on class size decreases. For some time now, administrative
members of the UDWC have stopped course revisions whenever the course
designated a decrease in class size. While any increase in class size is a
workload issue and, therefore, a Union concern, a reduction in course size is an
Academic Senate issue. According to state law, matters of safety, pedagogy and
facilities must be monitored by the Academic Senate (at COM through its
delegated Curriculum Committee). The Senate’s MOU will seek to gain
agreement with the administration that all decisions on class size should take
into account safety, methods of instruction and available facilities. Decreases
should not be arbitrarily blocked. Course design must consider responsible and
legitimate reasons for decreasing course size. For example, enrollment should
not exceed the space in a room or the number of computers or worktables
available. For another example, the class size must take into account new
methods of teaching such as class presentations and group projects. Overall,
decisions about class size must be informed by the responsibility of the college
to achieve student learning outcomes.
In a different but related issue, Derek reported that the class size maximum on
Banner does not even reflect what is now on official course outlines. He reported
that all MIST classes have the wrong size in Banner and that more students are
being enrolled than there are computers in given classrooms. Also, at least one
Social Science course had the opposite problem: a class cap was set at 0, so
that no students were admitted. Yolanda will talk to Anita about fixing what
obviously is a clerical glitch in Banner, and the Senate will add to its memo the
stipulation that Banner’s class caps never exceed the class maximum as stated
on the official course outline.
Yolanda and Derek will revise the MOU and bring it to the Senate next week for
action. Moved to action item as revised.
c) Compressed Calendar – Some Senators were concerned about how a
compressed calendar will affect limited lab classes. We must develop a list of pros
and cons, disadvantages and advantages, and possible problems so that the college
can be prepared for the compressed calendar when it happens.
VII. Adjournment: 2:00 PM
For questions or information concerning the Academic Senate, please contact Carol
Adair: carol.adair@marin.edu X7367