WEC MEETING MINUTES
Thursday September 29, 2005
Plant Facilities Conference Room
1:00 P.M.
Present: Gary Prostak, Lorraine Manoogian, Jeanne Cassara, Crystal Caldwell, Ed
Zayas, Victor Renolds, Cecilia Chin-Ru Chan, Richard Rains, Dorothy Mundt,
June Wada, Debby Wong, Charlotte Saldick, Walter Bortman, Jim Liko.
Absent: Eloise Cantrell, John Glavan, Geri Shapiro, Maury Pearl.
Invited Guest: Sheriff William Stan Dease
Guests: Israel Soberanis, Hernan Ponce, Cesar Mirandas, John Morales, Ed Raskin.
1. Gary Prostak, Chair of the WEC called the meeting to order at 1:09 pm.
2. Public Address
Hernan Ponce, Israel Soberanis, and Cesar Mirandas addressed the committee.
They expressed concerns about the campus Free Speech Area. They felt that it is
important to have a place where students can express themselves. They also
mentioned the need to keep the only outside vendor currently on campus, as it
provides food and drink to students during short breaks.
3. Minutes of the 5-12-05 meeting were approved by consensus.
4. Minutes of the 7-20-05 Special Meeting were approved by consensus.
5. Election of replacement recorder
Due to personal circumstances, Dena Feldman relinquished her position as recorder
for the WEC. Nominations were solicited and an election was held.
Cecilia Chin-Ru Chan was elected as the new recorder.
Chair’s Report
1. Gary Prostak began by introducing and welcoming Walter Bortman, the new
Director of College Facilities.
2. Faculty office relocations that had been recommended to College Council have
been completed. They had been delayed by a lapse in our telephone maintenance
contract which was not resolved until August 17.
3. Welcome-back flyers from the WEC have been placed in all campus mailboxes.
It includes a copy of the WEC flowchart for issue resolution, a brief description
of the WEC, and a copy of the Work Environment Request Form which is on our
web page and corrected with accurate contact information.
1
4. The new three-year (05-08) Faculty Contract has been ratified and Gary Prostak
pointed out some important changes made in Article 9, Work Environment:
a. Article 9.B: new language was added regarding AFT Chapter
presidents and Grievance Representatives and their need for private
office space.
b. According to the contract, email access is part of the computer services
that should be given to all faculty. Gary Prostak said that this will be a
priority for the WEC this semester.
c. Article 9.D: changes were introduced regarding the make-up of the
committee.
Old Business
1. There is still on-going discussion as to how to accommodate the Academic
Senate president, secretary and accreditation director in offices that are in closer
proximity to each other.
2. The issue of office space for AFT Political Mobilization has been brought to
College Council, but no resolution has been achieved so far.
3. The Free Speech Policy in place on campus is detailed in an email from
President Barrera to six students who had brought up concerns last spring. The
WEC had recommended and received clarification on the delineation of the Free
Speech Area, but was still awaiting clarification of the campus policy on chalk
writing. Gary Prostak read from a letter to those students from Dr. Barrera dated
May 19, 2005 which indicates that in the absence of a clear policy prohibiting it,
chalk writing will be permitted on sidewalks bordering the Quad and will be
cleaned off on Fridays.
4. Gary Prostak turned the meeting over to Sheriff William Stan Dease, who was
invited to explain the enforcement of the rules regarding the Free Speech Area.
He explained that when activities are conducted in the Free Speech Area, the
Sheriff’s Office may make contact and ask for proper documentation. The
Sheriff’s job is to make sure procedure is followed and that whoever is using the
Free Speech Area is using it properly. Activities such as signature gathering for
petitions must be done within the Free Speech area, and violations of the rules
should be reported to the Sheriff’s Office.
5. The topic of the campus policy on outside vendors was tabled so that members
of the committee would have time to read the lengthy documentation which had
just been received from Karen Hoefel on 9-28-05.
New Business
1. It was noted that two English faculty members have swapped office cubicles
without having made a request through the WEC. The following motion was
2
introduced:
Motion: Jim Liko made a motion to retroactively approve the two office cubicle
changes made. The motion was seconded by Ed Zayas, and agreed upon
unanimously.
The instructors involved will be asked to put in the appropriate telephone and
computer installation forms.
2. Gary Prostak asked for suggestions regarding the unpacked boxes from the
March recarpeting in the Faculty Office area. In an effort to have the office areas
free of obstructions, it was suggested that a reminder be sent to faculty members
to unpack the boxes. Gary Prostak will send the memo.
3. Charlotte Saldick is in the process of buying a vending machine for supplies
such as blue books, scantron forms, and pencils so that students would have
access to school supplies when the bookstore is closed. She asked for
suggestions on possible locations for the machine. While various locations in the
Campus Center and Instructional Building were suggested, it was concluded that
the power sources and power requirements needed to be determined before
finding a feasible location. Charlotte Saldick will follow up with Victor Renolds
and the Plant Facilities unit, and will provide an update at the October meeting.
The next meeting of the WEC is Thursday October 27, 2005 at 1:00 p.m. in the
PFCR.
The meeting was adjourned at 1:53 p.m.
Submitted by Cecilia Chan
3