COLLEGE OF MARIN
ACADEMIC SENATE MEETING MINUTES
For Nov. 19, 2009
12:45 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Student Service Building, Conference Rooms A & B
Senators Present: Michael Dougan, Joetta Scott, Ron Gaiz, Robert Kennedy, Arthur Lutz,
Derek Wilson, Blaze Woodlief, Yolanda Bellisimo, Radica Portello
Senators Absent: Joe Mueller, Eric Dunmire, Meg Pasquel, Erika Harkins, Sara McKinnon
Guests: Rinetta Early, Chris Schultz
Minutes
I. Approval and Adoption of the Agenda: adopted
II. Reading and Approval of the Minutes of Nov. 12, 2009: approved
III. Officers’ Reports
President (Yolanda Bellisimo): Written. Attached. We hope that the state legislature doesn’t pass
anything relating to transfer degrees before this spring. If we can get something from the state
Academic Senate to the chancellor’s office, we can stop the legislative process and make sure
that the matter winds up in Title 5. It would be a big mistake for the transfer degree to end up in
a state statute. Discussion ensued about whether there would be an area of emphasis included.
Senator Lutz asked why the matter would have to go to either statute or Title 5. Why can’t it
stay at the college? We would have far more control that way. Senator Bellisimo explained that
Title 5 is the umbrella for all degree requirements. Every time we design a degree it goes back
to the state chancellor’s office for approval.
IV: Committee Reports
Curriculum (Derek Wilson): The committee did a review of course outlines and engaged in
some discussion regarding distance learning.
Academic Standards (Rinetta Early): We are moving as quickly as possible on AP 5010. Last
Wednesday we worked on course repetition issues.
Governance (Yolanda Bellisimo): The first meeting of the merged IPC and budget committee
will be held next Tuesday. We have been asked to approve the expenditures for equipment,
which we had already approved last spring. We’re going to approve them again, and everything
can be ordered at once.
V: Consent Agenda (No items)
VI: Action Items (None)
VII: Discussion
a) BP/AP 5010 Admissions: Held over until January.
b) Current Class Maximums and Modernization (Yolanda Bellisimo): Revisions were sent to
UDWC. They were kicked back with the original class size. Senator Bellisimo checked with
Vice President Chang on Monday. His answer was that in any course outline of record the
maximum enrollment should reflect pedagogical or health and safety constraints. That’s
what governs the COR. Class size is going to be done in Banner, room caps as well. He
said we won’t but in COR caps to max classroom size. What we’ve been arguing in the
sidebar we are proposing with UPM is in a different area: The sidebar is to determine
criterion that we can use to establish the pedagogically dictated maximum.
Asked for an update on the sidebar negotiations, Senator Lutz (also an officer in UPM),
said the administration had asked that it be presented in a different format than the
original document. That had been done, and no response had been forthcoming so far.
UPM will notify the Academic Senate when they will meet to continue negotiations on this.
c) Student Athletes Mid-Term Report (Robert Kennedy): Senator Kennedy went to the
opening day meeting of all athletes. He said most of that meeting had an academic bent
to it. It was about procedures players need to follow in order to meet the academic
expectation of the department. Later Senator Kennedy dropped by a soccer practice. He
overheard the coach talking to players after practice “and it was exactly the same
message. That, to me, is remarkable.”
Prior to this year, student athletes tended to enroll, primarily, in physical education
classes. Now that won’t do. And only about 30 percent of the courses they are taking are
PE (down from 50 percent). “Once grades come out, we’ll know better what actually
happened.”
Senator Lutz suggested that the scores might be improved by the recent elimination of
the football program, which he said engaged the most at-risk students. Senator Wilson
said that the current program with soccer sets precedents that could be used if football is
ever reinitiated.
Senator Wilson made a motion that the Academic Senate approve a resolution recognizing
the positive results of the athletic program’s academic emphasis. It was passed.
d) SLOs for Each Level of Repeatable Courses (Chris Schultz): Senator Bellisimo said the
system is abusable in the sense that people can take a course 12 or 16 times. “Our
concern was are they getting anything new out of it, or are they just throwing pots and
using our studio space? We thought the solution was to create SLOs for each level.”
Chris Schultz said multiple repeatability is appropriate if the courses are part of a transfer
sequence. Legally, the school can limit repeatability by not allowing it, but can’t put a
ceiling on the number of units a student can accumulate in a single course.
Senator Bellisimo said this is a decision to be made by the Curriculum Committee, and
that the Academic Senate should be kept informed. Another option, becoming something
of a trend in California, is to take repeatable courses and turn them into non-credit.
What’s more, anything the college does that shows students are not living up to
measurable standards runs the risk of forcing the program into the non-credit realm. We
are trying to protect these programs. SLOs at repeatable levels is a form of protection.
VIII: New Business (None)
IX: Public Requests to Address the Senate on Non-Agenda Items (None)
X: Adjournment: 2:00 p.m.
For questions or information concerning the Academic Senate minutes, please contact: Michael
Dougan: michael.dougan@marin.edu, X7336.