COLLEGE OF MARIN
ACADEMIC SENATE
Minutes: May 7, 2009
12:45 p.m. – 2:02 p.m.
Student Service Building, Conference Rooms A & B
Senators Present: : Michael Dougan, , Arthur Lutz, JoEtta Scott, Radica Portello,
Ron Gaiz, , Yolanda Bellisimo, Erika Harkins, Blaze Woodlief, Meg Pasqual, Derek
Wilson, Erik Dunmire
Senators Absent: Patrick Kelly, Robert Kennedy, Sara McKinnon, Joe Mueller
Guests Rinetta Early, John Sutherland
I. Approval and Adoption of the Agenda. Approved
II. Reading and Approval of the Minutes of April 30, 2009. Approved as amended.
III. Officers’ Reports:
President (Yolanda Bellisimo): Written (attached).
Senator Lutz asked technical questions about the pending outstanding employee
awards and the timeline for the election to fill seven Senate seats. He said he would
attend the vote count Friday evening as an observer.
Treasurer (Ron Gaiz): Written (attached).
IV. Committee Reports
Community Education (Erika Harkins): Some classes that were eliminated through
Program Review reappeared on the schedule for fall, “but it’s not going to happen.”
Access and Success Committee (Joetta Scott): The committee has been reviewing
student services program review model. They are available for review in notebooks
in the Xerox room just off of the counseling offices. They came up with a model
they like and a template that already exists. It was edited yesterday and some new
language will be added. It will then be shown to whoever needs to see it.
Some committee members will be attending a “webinar” workshop on student
services program review June 3 and June 10. 10. Academic Senate members can
attend of they like. The new model will be presented after committee members
have had a chance to learn what they can from the conference. It will be presented
at the first Senate meeting next fall. Committee members are “very excited that we
made it that far.”
V. Consent Agenda:
a) Funds for Purchasing Retiree Gifts: The Senate agreed to spend up to
$1,150 to purchase silver Tiffany key chains, certificates and stars for
retirees and winners of the outstanding employee awards, to be
presented in a couple of weeks. Also, $200 was approved for an end-ofthe-year lunch.
b) Letter Regarding Budget Committee Issues: Considerable discussion was
invested in strengthening a letter to administrators protesting problems in
the budget committee. It was revised to emphasize that the district is not
providing sufficient information to the committee to make the decision
that it must in order to satisfy WASC requirements. The district continues
to attempt to pass roll-over budgets, which the Senate (as represented on
the College Council) will not support.
Several suspicious items were noted by Senators. First, what the district
brought forward was discretionary funding of $3.25 million, which
coincides exactly with what all of the budget managers had requested.
Then college financial officer Al Harrison, when reminded that he had said
we were operating with close to a $500,000 deficit for the 2008-2009
budget, replied we are only $17,000 in deficit. But college President Fran
White said we don’t have a budget yet. In that case, how to we know
what our deficit is?
Finally, when asked if we should reduce our allocations by $17,000 to
make up the surprisingly small shortfall for 2009-2010, Mr. Harrison said
we didn’t need to worry about that, it could be covered.
Senator Bellisimo said the budget committee is rubber-stamping
everything presented by the administration.
Senator Wilson, who serves on the budget committee and has expressed
intense anger and frustration over the process, said he will be resigning
from the committee July 1.
c) Letter Regarding Merger of English Labs: (English Chair John
Sutherland): Mr. Sutherland presented a letter to be sent by the Academic
Senate to Nick Chang regarding this issue. He said he co-wrote it with
Senator Meg Pasqual. Discussion ensued on minor changes in language to
strengthen the message.
VI. Action Items:
a) To Send the MOU on Program Review to the Administration: Postponed
until May 14 meeting.
b)
VII. Discussion
a) BP 4030 Academic Freedom (Pasqual): Faculty members’ academic freedom
rights are protected in the contract, but have not been expressed in a board
resolution. Ms. Pasqual studied similar board policies at other colleges,
looked at the contract language, and developed a proposal to remedy that.
Senator Lutz expressed concern that her version includes the rights of
students to learn, which he said “muddies it a little” and could lead to
conflicts in which a student protests a specific teacher’s behavior or
statement. He said that would shift the burden to teachers to prove that they
didn’t do as accused.
Senator Pasqual said that a current board policy on the teaching of
controversial subjects covers much of that issue. She said the definitions of
academic freedom she saw used phrases like “a two-way street” that
acknowledged student rights along with faculty members’. All of the other
policies she inspected mentioned student rights as well.
She said most colleges include this mutual academic freedom in their student
handbook “so that (students) are aware of what our rights are as faculty and
what their rights are as statements.” She said it was better to spell that out,
rather than leave any ambiguity. It “yokes both parties to the concept of
academic freedom.” She also said WASC would like to see this done.
Senator Bellisimo said that “it’s important that we discuss the relationship of
teachers to students.”
Senator Wilson and others suggested minor, but potentially meaningful,
changes in the language (tying the policy to the mission statement, adding
the word “protect,” etc.)
The amended version will be voted on at the May 14 meeting.
IX: Adjournment: 2:00 PM
For questions or information concerning the Academic Senate minutes, please
contact: Michael Dougan, michael.dougan@marin.edu, X7336
Attachments:
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
May 7, 2009
1.
Strategic Plan
I’ve included a copy of the Strategic Plan for your reading pleasure. You saw the draft
with the priorities set from the EMP. This version adds in the timelines for the
completion of specific tasks related to the priorities that IPC set from the EMP.
Administrators develop work plans or activities they intend to accomplish over the next
three years based upon the priorities set in the strategic plan. These plans also include
access and success objectives and objectives for improving the use of technology and
were influenced by our program reviews and information and findings from the Access
and Success Committee.
2.
Outstanding Awards
I will be sending certificates to everyone who was nominated for our end of year awards.
Those chosen for the outstanding award will receive an engraved star and will be
honored at the end-of-year lunch in the grove (or lawn as the grove is entertaining house
guests in the form of tractors and those loud things that dig trenches). Here are the
recipients of the awards:
Outstanding Teacher: Peggy Dodge
Outstanding Part Time Teacher: Jeff Cady
Outstanding Non Credit Teacher: Carol Costa
Outstanding Community Education Teacher: Suresa Dundes
Outstanding Staff Member: Karen Van Kriedt.
3.
Retirees
We have three retirees: Ellen Tollen, Deborah Loft, Donna Monahan
I am ordering an extra retiree gift in case we get someone last minute.
4.
Last Meeting Lunch
We would like to do a last meeting of the year lunch. These generally cost around $200
and we will need Senate consent.
College of Marin
Academic Senate Checking Account
Union Bank of California, Kentfield Branch
Date
Description
Balance
6/20/08
Open account (Close
WestAmerica account)
7/9/08
Reimburse Yolanda Bellisimo for
retiree & appreciation
gifts/awards and related costs
as per 04/17/08 minutes – UBoC
Deposit
$ 1,448.75
Withdrawal
$1,448.75
$270.57
$1,178.18
7/10/08
7/10/08
8/04/08
8/21/08
09/09/08
10/01/08
11/03/08
11/06/08
12/03/08
12/04/08
12/04/08
12/09/08
Check #101
Deposit C.o.M faculty payroll
contributions
for June, 2008
Service charge for 120 Union
Bank checks
Deposit C.o.M faculty payroll
contributions
for July, 2008
Deposit C.o.M faculty payroll
contributions
for February, 2008 & $1.00 new
faculty contribution made in
August, 2008
Deposit C.o.M faculty payroll
contributions
for August, 2008
Deposit C.o.M faculty payroll
contributions
for September, 2008
Deposit C.o.M faculty payroll
contributions
for October, 2008
Reimburse Michael Dougan for
purchase of Bulletin Board for
Academic Senate for placement in
the mailroom above the copy
machine
Deposit C.o.M faculty payroll
contributions
for November, 2008
Reimburse Yolanda Bellisimo for
cake
Pay Campus Bistro for food &
flowers
Reimburse Meg Pasquel - flowers
$91.00
$1,269.18
$15.35
$1,253.83
$94.00
$1,347.83
$94.00
$1,441.83
$99.00
$1,540.83
$118.00
$1,658.83
$123.00
$1,781.83
$45.45
$153.00
$1,736.38
$1,889,38
$75.00
$1,814.38
$230.49
$1,553.89
$53.88
$1,530.01
Date
Description
Withdrawal
Balance
01/05/09 Deposit C.o.M faculty payroll
contributions
for December, 2008
01/16/09 Reimburse Sara McKinnon for
Wikispace yearly membership
02/04/09 Deposit C.o.M faculty payroll
contributions
for January, 2009
03/03/09 Deposit partial C.o.M faculty
payroll contributions for January,
2009
03/03/09 Deposit C.o.M faculty payroll
contributions
for February, 2009
04/02/09 Deposit C.o.M faculty payroll
contributions
for March, 2009
04/09/09 Registration for Sara McKinnon
for the Spring 2009 State
Academic Senate Plenary session
05/05/09
Deposit C.o.M faculty payroll
contributions
for April, 2009
Deposit
$163.00
$1,693.01
$200.00
$1,493.01
$149.00
$1,642.01
$9.00
$1,651.01
$158.00
$1,809.01
$158.00
$1967.01
$325.00
$158.00
$1,642.01
$1800.01
As 0f 05/05/09 - District Budget
Totals
$3024.25
Union Bank of CA Total
$1,800.01
Total in both Academic Senate Accounts
$4,824.26