Los Angeles Mission College
Department of Life Sciences
Minutes
Friday, November 20, 2015 @ 10:00 – 11:30 PM (CMS 221)
Present: Mike Reynolds, Diane Livio, Steve Brown, Par Mohammadian
Old Business
1. Update – Dual Enrollment with BioTech Sylmar HS / New: San Fernando HS(Par)
BioTechHS decided to start with Psychology and Sociology courses in the spring 2016 semester.
Mark Hobbs also invited Par to meet with San Fernando HS staff. They are also interested in
Health Occupation (HO) and CNA/HHA courses. Mark is working on the details with their staff. If
decided, their students will enroll in one HO course per semester starting fall 2016 semester.
Mark will inform us once the decision has been made.
2. Update - Reading Apprenticeship & Dates in January for the RA workshops (Par)
Par will contact Nika Hogan to invite her to give a workshop in January 2016 (3 rd or 4th week).
3. Update - Items to procure: platform for floor shaker. (Steve)
Steve will follow up with Mike Fenton in January per his request.
4. Update: PLO revisions – General Studies & Liberal Arts in Natural Sciences (Par)
Par to re-send the PLO email to everyone with a 4-week response request.
5. KickStarter team visit in December 2015 (Par)
Par to re-send the invitation email to STEM department chairs to remind them of the Kickstarter
visit.
6. Update: Contract for Steris Autoclaves (Steve)
Steve to speak to Pong to update Mike for a follow up with Madelline.
7. Update: Moving Anthropology courses to the Social Sciences Dept. & New Faculty Application
(Steve)
Steve to follow up with Nick Minassian to move the Anthropology SLOs to the the Sociology
department online SLO site. Steve will also talk to Myriam Levy about the Anthropology hiring
request and offer her a copy of our application from last year.
8. Update: Organization of the College website (Steve)
Steve to meet with Nick in January to organize the disciplines.
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9. Update: Web-based APA workshops offered by the library (Steve)
Steve to follow up with library. It is hoped that the video can be ready by the next semester.
10. Update: Scheduling of non-STEM courses at CMS - issues related to parking and availability of
rooms for workshops or meetings with students (Mike)
Mike has discussed the issue with VP Allen and he will discuss it at the next College of
Instruction. VP Allen will request to allocate more staff/parking. Mike to follow up.
In regard to workshops, it was decided that ONLY two labs (BIO7 CMS 106 & PHYS CMS 104) can
be used for workshops for Life Science faculty. Steve will ask Patricia Carter if she would be
willing to coordinate the utilization of these two labs.
11. Lab supplies; BIO3 labs (DNA and plant) – (Par & Diane)
Steve will follow up with Nadine about the DNA lab. He is planning to make more DNA in
January 2016. Lab related issues.
To reduce cost the possibility of offering the plant labs (BIO& and BIO3) within the same week or
one week apart was discussed. The issue of offering of the lab final exam right before the finals
week was discussed again and will be revisited at the next meeting.
Mike will inform Nadine 1) to label the drawers and cabinets by the end of January 2016, 2) not
to spend the lab supplies budget for the museum but for the classes, and 3) post her hours on
her office/prep room.
Steve requested a preapproval of the lab supplies by the faculty before a signature is obtained.
For example, any BIO related lab supplies should be preapproved by either Steve or Diane,
Anatomy lab supplies and Physiology should be preapproved by Par or Mike, and any
Microbiology related items should be preapprved by Angela or Steve. Mike to inform the lab
technicians.
12. Human Biology course in Fall 2016 (Par)
Mike to follow up with Madelline to inquire about the status of articulation and transferability of
the course.
Mike prefers to continue teaching BIO3 and Par will be teaching only Anatomy in the fall
semester. Diane expressed interest in teaching the BIO5 class. In fact, she may design a
problem-based learnig approach the the course/lab. Her two BIO3 sections can be eliminated
and instead two BIO5 courses will be offered in the physiology lab.
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13. Students can petition to remove their grades after failing a class (Par)
The senate President Milke provided the information below to Par:
6705.
ACADEMICRENEWAL. Studentsmay petition
for an academic renewal action in
order
to
alleviate
substandardacademic
performanceunder
the following conditions:
[if !supportLists]A. [endif]Studentsmusthave
achieved a gradepoint average of 2.5 intheir last
15 semester units, or 2.0 in their last 30semester
units completed at any accredited college or
university,and
[if !supportLists]B. [endif]Atleastone calendar
year must have passed sincethecourse work to be
removed was completed.
Ifgranted, academic renewal shall result in:
[if
!supportLists]A.
[endif]Eliminatingupto
30semester units of
courseworktakenwithin the
Los Angeles Community College District from
consideration in the student’s cumulative grade
point average, and
[if !supportLists]B. [endif]Annotatingthestudent
academic record to note which courses have been
removed through academic renewal.
Academicrenewal actions are irreversible.
The Life Science Faculty is interested in finding out about this policy and would like to invite
either Chair Park or Dean Hernandez to the next meeting to learn about the details. Mike to
send an invitation.
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14. NEW: Invitation to attend the department meeting to all Life Science faculty including the
adjuncts (Steve)
Mike to include the entire Life Science department when inviting the faculty to the department
meetings.
Next meeting: Friday, 12/11/15 (Right after the Tenure Track meetings)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------15. Update: BIO3 Faculty Inquiry Group - FIG (Diane)
Tabled until Winter 2016.
16. Update – SLO/PLO revision - General Studies and Liberal Arts in Natural Sciences (Par)
To complete at the November 2015 SLO Summit.
17. Certificates in Life Sciences. (Mike)
Tabled until the new CTE Dean is hired.
18. Update - Biotech Sylmar HS collaboration (Angela)
Tabled until the new CTE Dean is hired.
19. Nadine would like to prepare a proposal for items that she needs for the garden that can be
presented to the Foundation. Minutes 8/27/15: She will complete the proposal by winter 2016.
20. Progress - Offering Biology 40 vs Biology 110 to allow students to complete core biology courses.
Minutes 8/27/15: Steve will create the BIO110 COR by 10/16/15 (Steve).
Steve has not had time to do this and plans to complete this COR by the end of January.
21. Update - Rearranging Bio 6 and Bio 7 curricula; Bio 6 as a prerequisite for Bio 7. (Steve, Diane)
Minutes 8/27/15: This project will be completed during the Winter break by January 31, 2016.
22. Progress - Bio 3 curriculum: examine COR in light of what is actually being taught
Minutes 8/27/15: Complete during the Winter break by January 31, 2016 (Steve)
23. Update - Review of the AS program requirements in Biology and Health Sciences (in lieu of new
UC transfer requirements); some required/elective courses archived (Mike)
Minutes 8/27/15: This project will be completed during the Winter break by January 31, 2016.
24. Update - Life Science program review (All) start in January
To include new faculty position and Allied Health program coordinator
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