WEC MEETING MINUTES
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Voting Members Present: Lorraine Manoogian, Dena Feldman, Maria Fenyes,
Geri Shapiro, Debby Wong, June Wada, Richard Rains,
Cecilia Chan, Crystal Caldwell, Maury Pearl, Ed Zayas,
Victor Renolds, Jim Liko, Jeanne Cassara
Voting Members Absent: Gary Prostak, John Glavan, Dorothy Mundt, Julius Walker,
Charlotte Saldick
Guests: Mehri Hagar
1. The meeting was called to order by Vice Chair Lorraine Manoogian at 1:10 pm.
2. Corrections and approval of March, 2005 minutes:
a. Maury Pearl’s email address on page 2 was corrected. It reads
pearlmy@laccd.edu
b. It was suggested that the second paragraph on page 2 should have the
following information added: “Victor Renolds mentioned that the Faculty
Office area will be painted and recarpeted during Spring Break; committee
members expressed concern about the fact that faculty does not know
anything about this.”
c. It was suggested that members’ full names be used in the minutes
3. It was noted that Crystal Caldwell would be Dorothy Mundt’s proxy for the
meeting, and that June Wada would serve as Richard Rains’ proxy until his
arrival. Richard Rains’ late arrival was due to his attendance at the Scholarship
meeting.
4. Lorraine Manoogian gave the Chair’s Report in Gary Prostak’s absence. Gary
was away at the AFT Higher Education Conference.
a. The CSB walkway is finally complete. A photograph was included in the
meeting packet, and it looks great. The work was completed over the
previous weekend.
b. Now that we are at the end of the rainy season, work on roof leaks can
continue unimpeded.
c. Following very short notice, the painting and recarpeting of the Faculty
Offices in the Instructional Building went relatively smoothly. For
assistance in moving furnishings and/or boxes, please contact either Victor
Renolds or Julius Walker.
d. Rudy Garcia’s status as a voting member of the WEC was rescinded via
written communication from the Chair. John Glavan has indicated to the
Chair that he cannot attend meetings for the remainder of this semester, but
he would like to continue his participation in the Fall.
e. In an effort to keep the WEC more actively involved in Prop A/AA, Jeanne
Cassara and Victor Renolds will continue to attend the monthly 6-Pack
meetings. Gary Prostak will attend the Campus-wide Improvement
Commiitee meeting as well as the Campus and District Oversight
Committee meetings.
f. President Barrera called a special meeting with representatives from the
District Planning Office and the District’s Prop A/AA consultants,
DMJM/JGM. Luis Cruz, our Campus Project Manager, was also in
attendance. The presenters gave an overview of PropA/AA processes, and
addressed the issues of cost overruns and allegations of “foot-dragging” that
appeared in the Daily News. The meeting was not well-attended by faculty
or staff..
g. Construction of the new parking structure has been delayed until October.
Negotiations for the temporary parking lot on Hubbard Street (behind
Denny’s) are nearly complete. The college is considering the purchase of
two propane-fueled trams to shuttle students to campus. They would cost
approximately 125, 000 each. Jeanne Cassara noted that there was
confusion about the shuttles when it was discussed at the last meeting, and
faculty and staff need to have clear information in order to answer students’
questions.
h. In contract negotiations, the issue of mandatory release time for WEC chairs
has been raised. It has also been proposed that shared governance should be
restructured to include more active participation by the Academic Senate.
5. New Business
a. Maria Fenyes suggested that the Biology Department be allocated a small
plot of land for gardening. She suggested the piece of land to the left of the
LRC entrance or the quad in front of the Administration Building. Victor
Renolds noted that this idea has been brought to the head gardener, Eric
Danam, over the past year. He will be asked again, but once a location is
identified, a procedure needs to be created and put into effect.
b. Debby Wong brought up the allocation of space in the computer commons
of the LRC for use as a Math Lab under the Title V grant. Title V money
could be used to equip the lab, but not for its construction. Ed Zayas
mentioned that more information is needed to determine the feasibility of
this idea. Maria Fenyes commented that because more information is
needed, it was premature to call for a motion. Maury Pearl suggested a final
proposal be developed and brought to the committee. IT was noted that
Debby Wong had only begun this proposal within the past 2-3 weeks, so the
motion was tabled.
c. It was suggested that INST-2019 be considered as a room to convert into a
Biology Lab in order to meet the enrollment needs of this exploding
discipline.
d. Crystal Caldwell raised the issue of the college’s Free Speech Area not
being adequately defined. The General Council (sic) clarification request
went out, but David Green is still waiting for a response. Clear guidelines
are needed about what we and and can’t do regarding political issues. It
seems that the grass area between the Campus Center, the CSB, the LRC,
and the Instructional Building is the free speech area, but the sheriff needs
clarity in order to properly do his job. Difficulties and confrontations have
occurred, and this issue needs to be clarified. Maria Fenyes suggested
inviting David Green and Sheriff Dease to the next WEC meeting.
6. The meeting was adjourned at 2;25 pm. The next meeting of the WEC is May
12, 2005 at 1:00 pm in the PFCR.
Submitted by Dena Feldman