Minutes of the Academic Senate Meeting
April 3, 2008
Voting Members (Senators) Present: Ed Casson, Terri English, Myriam Mekelburg, Michong Park, Said
Pazirandeh, Yolanda Ramil, Rick Scuderi, Janice Silver, Robert Smazenka, Joyce Woodmanse, Debby
Wong
Voting Members (Senators) Absent: Charles Dirks, Ruthie (Parthenia) Grant, John Orozco, Ralph La
Rosa, John Klitsner, Paul Kubicki
Executive Members Present: Angela Echeverri, Pat Flood, Leslie Milke, Gary Prostak, Mark Pursley,
Louis Zandalasini
Executive Members Absent: Eloise Cantrell, Gwen Walker, Lorraine Manoogian
Faculty Present: Louise Barbato, Lilamani De Silva, Raymond Evans, Mehri Hagar, David Jordan, Margie
Long, Suzanne Richetson, Geri Shapiro, Madelline Hernandez, Cindy Luis, Monica Moreno, Susan Polk,
Mari Rettke, Phoebe Rivera
Visitors/Guests: Los Angeles Mission College President Judith Valles
I. Call to Order – Academic Senate President Echeverri called the meeting to order at 1:39 p.m. and
introduced our new college President Judith Valles who addressed the Senate.
President Valles thanked the Senate for inviting her and stated that she was there to learn, observe, and
listen, and for the first semester at least, there would be no major changes. She shared with us some of
her observations from her first three days. She emphasized that we are here to serve the community. She
mentioned that she has moved to Sylmar and has been driving around the community to learn about it.
She also has spoken to many students; she has learned that there are many faculty members here who are
passionate about the students, and there is a good feeling overall on campus.
She commented that she has heard about what had happened on the campus in the past, but that she was
not here to rehash the past. She said that we learn from the past and it helps to mold where we are today,
but she is more concerned about today and where we are going to be tomorrow. She sees a great future
for Mission as she feels we have a lot of potential and possibilities.
She asked that when we see her, we tell her our name, and she asked us for permission to visit our classes
so she may learn from us. She emphasized that these visits would not be evaluations but rather an
opportunity for her to learn about us and what and how we are teaching and the atmosphere we are
creating in our classroom. That way when she talks to the community about the campus, she has more
information to share about our courses and disciplines. She stressed that she would always let us know
ahead of time about when she planned to visit one of our classes; and if the time is not convenient or if
we do not wish her to visit, to let her know and she would respect our wishes.
President Valles said that part of her job is marketing and helping to create or improve the image of this
campus as she has done at other schools in the past. She reminded us that faculty also market the school,
and what we say about our college influences people’s perception about it. She encouraged us to come
see her if we are concerned about something rather than spreading negative information. She said she has
an open door policy and she wants us to feel comfortable coming to talk to her. Her fundamental
philosophy, as she reemphasized in her close, is “Think past your experience, whatever it was in the past,
get over it, plan beyond your tenure, plan for the future of this campus. My door is open. My name is
Judith. Thank you.”
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April 3, 2008
Page 2
II. Approval of Minutes:
The minutes from the March 6, 2008 meeting were approved as corrected (typos only)
(Pazirandeh/Mekleburg).
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III. Officers’ Reports
A. Academic Senate President’s Report – Angela Echeverri
Angela said that she spoke to Lorraine Manoogian last week, who has recently had surgery, and she
appears to be doing well, but she will be in the hospital for a little longer. She is at West Hills
Hospital. Angela circulated two get well cards for faculty to sign.
Angela said that since the Senate Secretary Eloise Cantrell is at a conference, Pat Flood will take the
minutes.
Angela went over her President’s Report and the following are some of the major points. (The full
text of the report is attached to the minutes.)
 Permanent Vice President of Academic Affairs – Two finalists’ names for the permanent
position of Vice President of Academic Affairs have been forwarded to President Valles for
consideration.
 Accreditation Update – The accreditation follow-up visit to our campus will occur during late
April or early May 2008.
 State Academic Senate (ASCCC) – The Spring 2008 Senate Plenary Session of the State
Academic Senate (ASCCC) will take place in San Francisco April 17-19, and the Area C
meeting will take place on April 5 at Mount San Antonio College. Angela will represent our
college at both meetings. For a complete list of the resolutions to be considered, visit the
ASCCC website at http://www.asccc.org/events/sessions/spring2008/materials.html.
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B.
As part of a two-year review cycle, new proposed changes for minimum qualifications for
faculty of the California Community Colleges will be reviewed this next year (see the attached
report for the full timeline). Proposals must be submitted to the ASCCC Office by September
2008.
Chancellor Mark Drummond – Chancellor Drummond will visit our campus on Tuesday,
April 8, from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. in Campus Center Main. Everyone is invited.
Academic Reorganization – A task force of the EPC and Senate E-Board is working on
revising the current academic reorganization policies. The current policies will remain in effect
until a new policy is adopted. Three reorganization proposals have been submitted to the Senate
and Educational Planning Committee. The EPC will discuss these proposals at its meeting on
April 14 and make recommendations to the Senate and Senate E-Board.
Proposition J Construction Bond – The LACCD is exploring the possibility of placing a third
bond measure on the ballot. The purpose of the bond would be to fund construction projects that
have not been funded by Propositions A/AA such as the Student Services Building and the
Media Arts Building; the bond may also propose additional facilities such as an Allied Health
Building and an Environmental/Industrial Careers Building.
Treasurer – Louis Zandalasini
Louis gave a report on the accounts at the First American Bank:
 Faculty Senate Checking Account
$ 1,734.10
 Carla Bowman Scholarship
$4,144.90
 David Lee Moss Scholarship
$557.33
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April 3, 2008
Page 3
Membership dues are used for scholarship funds. Faculty checks for membership dues should be
made out to the Faculty Academic Senate.
IV. Public Address: None
V. Reports of Senate Committee Meetings
A. Academic Rank – Margie Long
The following three full-time faculty have been approved for the academic rank of Professor:
 Gary Prostak – Professor of English as a Second Language
 Lilamani De Silva – Professor of Child Development
 Pat Flood – Professor of Computer Applications and Office Technologies
The closing date for the spring 2008 academic rank paperwork submissions has been extended to
April 10, 2008. Applications for academic rank change are to be submitted to the committee no later
than noon on April 10. Applications can be picked up at Margie Long’s office. If you have any
questions about the process, contact one of the committee members: Margie Long, Phoebe Rivera,
Donna Ayers, or Julie Ruelas.
B. Curriculum – Said Pazirandeh
Said Pazirandeh said that the District Curriculum Committee has been meeting about the Non-Credit
Task Force recommendations and will meet next Friday to vote on them. New proposals are being put
forth by the District to establish a uniform policy for the Advanced Placement exam. Madelline
Hernandez added that with the new policy, the results of the exam could be accepted as meeting
requirements for an associate’s degree but not the units, so students would have to use other units to
fulfill their requirements. For example, if a student passes the AP exam for English 101, he/she would
meet the English 101 requirement for the associate’s degree, but the student would have to take
additional courses to make up those units from their schedule total. The AP exam would not count for
campus credit, unless the campus determines that the results of the AP exam meet the rigor to receive
course/unit credit.
The Curriculum Committee decided that to be consistent with other colleges, it will replace the term
PNCR with Course Outline of Record (COR), and the Curriculum website will be updated to reflect
this.
Said also mentioned that Luis Cordova, who had been the Curriculum Committee Secretary, has
transferred to City College and Said has taken over his duties until they can hire another secretary;
therefore, any Curriculum materials should be submitted directly to Said.
The last meeting of Curriculum Committee for the year is scheduled for May 6. The final deadline for
all courses for the Fall 2008 Schedule of Classes, including District and State Approvals (if
applicable), is Friday, April 11, 2008. These deadlines are listed on the LAMC Curriculum website at
www.lamission.edu/Curriculum.
C. District Academic Senate – Angela Echeverri said the DAS met March 13 at Valley College and
they had a heated discussion on student discipline. The vice presidents of Student Services are
proposing an administrative regulation to place permanent notations on students’ transcripts when
they are suspended or expelled for academic dishonesty. Some faculty at the DAS meeting felt this
was extremely punitive as it would follow the student the rest of his/her life. Angela described some
cases that were reported by the vice presidents of Student Services which were egregious to illustrate
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April 3, 2008
Page 4
why the vice presidents feel there should be some notation on transcripts. A student can appeal to the
Board of Trustees to have the notation removed. The Cal State system has complained that they are
not receiving any warning about students with a record of academic dishonesty. The next meeting of
the DAS will be on May 8 at West LA College.
D. EPAC – No report
E. Education Planning Committee Report and Unit Assessment – Jan Silver
 Basic Skills Taskforce – The Basic Skills Task force presented a list of prioritized action items
for review and approval to be discussed at the April 21 meeting.
 Proposition J Proposal and Educational Master Plan – Karen Hoefel presented an update on
the Proposition J proposal and its connection to our Educational Master Plan update. Maury Pearl
presented current findings regarding current and projected job growth in major industrial sectors
as well as new emerging technologies. This information will be included in the Mission College
Educational Master Plan Update.
 A.A. Revision – Madelline Hernandez presented a proposal for the requirements of a second
A.A. Degree based on practices at other campuses as well as the needs of our students. The
recommendation stated that a second degree in Plan A would require 18 additional units, and a
second degree in Plan B would require 36 additional units (units required for majors in each). The
units must be approved by Counseling, which will include consultation with the discipline
involved. The motion was approved, and it will be sent to the Curriculum Committee and then to
the Senate.
 Departmental Reorganization – Three proposals were presented by Angela Echeverri for
review (see the Academic Senate President’s Report). A task force is scheduled to meet April 14
to review these proposals and to make a recommendation to the Senate and E-Board.
 Unit Assessment Review Process – The unit assessment review process was discussed including
a review of the previous processes and report forms. A joint meeting of the EPC and Budget and
Planning will meet April 7 to design and develop the current procedure for review and to assign
review teams. Jan Silver said that we are aiming for 15 teams, each of which will be assigned
three or four units to review.
F. Budget and Planning Committee – Leslie Milke
The Budget and Planning Committee (B&P) met on Thursday, March 13, and Leslie announced:
1. New AFT Classified Representative – Luz Nunez was introduced and welcomed to the
committee as the AFT Classified representative.
2. EPC/B&P Task Force – It was decided unanimously that members of the B&P Committee
will serve on the EPC Unit Assessment Plan task forces. Each unit assessment plan task force
will have one member representing B&P.
3. College Financial Projection – The latest college financial projection was presented to the
committee along with ideas/plans for savings reductions. To date, the college has a $676,000
projected deficit for the coming year.
4. Block Grant Requests – Maury Pearl has extrapolated requests from the completed academic
unit assessments and he will give the list to B&P. The committee decided to wait for the unit
assessments to be reviewed before sending out a call to the units on campus who are not in the
academic unit assessment cycle. These units will be given an opportunity to request block
grant funds using the old Request for Resource form. The committee will put a call out to
these units in the next three weeks.
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April 3, 2008
Page 5
5. Title V Cooperative Grant – Young-Ji Lee came to the meeting to give a report regarding
the Title V Cooperative Grant in an effort to educate the committee on the various funds on
campus. This marked the first in a series of presentations that the committee will be hearing in
an effort to enable the members to be educated about the various sources of funds on campus.
6. The next B&P meeting will be held April 10, 12:30 – 2:00, in CC4.
VI. Old Business
 Call for Committee Members – Angela Echeverri and Louie Zandalasini requested committee
members for the following committees:
1. Budget and Planning Committee – An additional member is needed to replace Clive Gordon. The
present members are Gary Prostak (ESL), Leslie Milke (Arts, Health, and P.E.), Sandy Thomsen
(Library), Lil de Silva (Professional Studies).
2. Scholarship Committee – Louie Zandalasini said that numerous scholarships are available—
David Lee Moss, Carla Bowman, full-time and part–time scholarships—and committee members
are needed. Louie said he will e-mail people on the committee from last semester and he
requested that faculty e-mail him if they would like to be on the committee. Myriam Mekleburg
volunteered. Leslie Milke announced that the Spring Honors Ceremony will be on Friday,
April 18, at 5:00 p.m. in the Campus Center and encouraged faculty to participate. Angela
Echeverri mentioned that there also will be a scholarship presentation in May.
3. Unit Assessment Validation Teams – Angela Echeverri requested that if anyone would like to
volunteer to be on the Unit Assessment Validation Teams, to let Jan Silver know.
 Project Match – Angela Echeverri stated that the District Senate’s funds for Project Match have
been tripled for 2008-2009 and they are looking for mentors for 50 interns. Project Match pairs
interns who hold minimum qualifications and are interested in teaching at a community college with
a full-time or part-time mentor in their discipline. Both the mentor and the intern receive a stipend
(approximately $800). Applications for Project Match can be found on the District Senate website.
Faculty mentors are needed in all disciplines, especially math and English. Several faculty members
present stated that they had mentored interns through Project Match and that their experience had
been very positive.
 Accreditation Progress Report and April 2008 Visit (See Senate President’s Report) Angela
Echeverri reminded faculty that accreditation recommendations must be resolved within two years
or else a college can be put on warning.
 SLO’s and Assessments – Pat Flood
Pat reported that the SLO Committee has been meeting twice a month. In addition, an SLO task
force has been formed to review SLOs that have been submitted. Pat stated that she attended the
Regional SLO Coordinators’ meeting on Friday, March 28, and the District SLO coordinators’
meeting April 3, both of which emphasized assessments. She encouraged faculty to continue to
work on their SLOs and especially assessments as our accreditation can be jeopardized if we have
not made sufficient progress on these and subsequent course improvements. Pat mentioned that to
distinguish between our Institutional SLOs and our General Education SLOs, our present G.E.
SLOs (7) will be renamed as Core Competencies. This was discussed at the Curriculum Committee
and agreed upon by consensus. Members of the Senate also agreed by consensus to support this
change
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April 3, 2008
Page 6
VII. New Business
 Academic Reorganization Proposals:
1. Discipline Move Requests:
 Non-credit ESL to Credit ESL, English/ Journalism Department – Louise Barbato withdrew
her proposal as she felt it was counter productive since the college has a plan to improve the
coordination of all non-credit courses, has hired a non-credit associate dean, Alfred Romulo,
and is in the process of hiring a noncredit coordinator. Louise went over information from
the CCSF Pathways Report (January 7, 2008) which states that the limited transition of noncredit ESL students into the credit ESL program is a statewide problem. Transition is
limited because students in the non-credit ESL may not have the motivation, time or
residency requirements to participate in a degree program. Lastly, Louise requested that this
dialogue concerning strengthening credit and non-credit offerings for all disciplines be
continued in the proper forum—unit assessment, a process which all disciplines is presently
undergoing.
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2. Petitions for the Establishment of a New Department – Angela Echeverri
 Life Sciences and Physical Sciences Departments – Said Pazirandeh stated that Life
Sciences and Physical Sciences split on a temporary basis this year and it seems to have
worked well. They would like to continue as separate departments as a result.
 ESL-Credit and Non-credit Department – Gary Prostak said that on April 14 the EPC will
be discussing the ESL proposal to form a separate department from English and Journalism.
The EPC will make a recommendation to the Senate after the April 14 meeting. Angela
Echeverri stated that the current policy is that the Senate E-Board votes on the establishment
of new departments and this policy will continue in effect until it is revised. This is a
separate policy from moving a discipline. If we want to move a discipline, we would vote as
a body. If we want to create a new department, it goes to the E-Board. The establishment of
the new department does not require the full vote of the Senate. The policy to move a
department is on the website. Louise Barbato argued that this proposal is a hybrid as it
involves both the establishment of a new department and a movement—splitting of a
department. The EPC is in the process of reviewing the request and will make a
recommendation to the Senate. Jan Silver stated that there needs to be a very thoughtful
review of the policy because academic reorganizations will have a ripple effect on the
planning and building schedule, and we have to have some process in place where everyone
has an opportunity to share their concerns. She added that anyone who has strong feelings
about this should have a voice. Leslie Milke said that the proposal should be allowed to go
to the EPC, which is part of Senate, and at that point there should be the opportunity for
people to voice their opinions. After hearing all the concerns, the EPC will make a
recommendation to the Senate. Bob Smazenka moved that we table the discussion until we
can examine the policy and discuss what the issues are. Myriam Mekleburg seconded the
motion and it passed unanimously.
Department Chair Election timelines – Gary Prostak said that he met with Academic Affairs
Vice President Alma Johnson and set the date of May 12 for department chair elections. Academic
Affairs will notify faculty of the elections by April 21, which meets the required time period of
three weeks before the election. On May 12 the voting probably will be in the Academic Affairs
Office from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Both an e-mail and hard copy notice will be mailed about this.
Proposition J: Proposed LACCD Construction Bond – Angela Echeverri (See Academic
Senate President’s Report)
LAMC Academic Senate Minutes
April 3, 2008
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VIII. Announcements
 Farewell reception for President Moreno – Angela Echeverri announced that a farewell
reception for President Moreno will be held on Thursday, April 10, from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m., in
the Campus Center Main and all were encouraged to attend.
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Spring Fest – The annual Spring Fest will be held Saturday, May 10, 2008.
Cost: $50 for members of the community and $35 for faculty and staff.
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The next Senate meeting will be May 1, 2008, Campus Center 5, 1:30 p.m.
The meeting was adjourned at 3:11 p.m.
Submitted by Pat Flood – Acting Secretary
LAMC Academic Senate Minutes
April 3, 2008
Page 8
ATTACHED PRESIDENT’S REPORT
L.A. MISSION COLLEGE ACADEMIC SENATE
PRESIDENT’S REPORT April 3, 2008
Submitted by Angela C. Echeverri
1. Administrative Update:
 LAMC President: On Tuesday, April 1st Judith Valles started her tenure as permanent LAMC
president. The Senate Executive Board will meet with President Valles on Monday, 4/7/08.
There will be a transition period of several weeks during which both President Moreno and
President Valles will be on campus. A farewell reception for President Moreno will be held on
Thursday, April 10th from 12:30 to 2:00 pm in the Campus Center Main.
 Vice President of Academic Affairs-Permanent: The selection committee met yesterday (4/2/08)
and interviewed six candidates. Two finalists were forwarded to President Valles for
consideration. Faculty representatives on the selection committee are Leslie Milke, Angela
Echeverri, Gary Prostak, and John Morales.
2. Accreditation Update
The progress report was approved by the Board of Trustees in February and submitted to the
ACCJC in March. According to Jack Pond at the ACCJC, the follow-up campus visit by team
members will occur during late April (after the 21st) or possibly early May, 2008. They are
searching for an alternate chair because the chair of the accreditation team will not be able to visit
the campus this time.
3. Academic Senate of California Community Colleges:
A. Spring 2008 Plenary Session: The ASCCC Spring Plenary Session will take place in San
Francisco on April 17-19 (Thursday-Saturday). The Area C meeting will take place on Saturday,
4/5/08 at Mount San Antonio College. I will be attending both meetings as the LAMC delegate.
Resolutions to be considered include the adoption of the following papers:
 The Course Outline of Record: A Curriculum Reference Guide
 Ensuring the Appropriate Use of Educational Technology: An Update for Local Senates
 Promoting Thoughtful Faculty Conversations about Grade Distributions
 Sabbaticals: Effective Practices for Proposals, Implementation, and Follow-Up
Other resolutions to be considered include several on concurrent enrollment, advanced
placement exam equivalencies, proposal for a new disciplines list format, Title 5 changes for nonmaster’s degrees in the discipline list, noncredit accountability measures, and reducing textbook
costs.
For a complete list of resolutions visit the ASCCC website at:
http://www.asccc.org/Events/sessions/spring2008/materials.html
B. Discipline List Proposal Process: The minimum qualifications for faculty of the California
Community Colleges are reviewed on a two-year cycle. New proposed changes may be submitted
through local/district academic senates or through a recognized discipline or professional
organization. The following timeline will apply:
March-September, 2008: Submission of Proposals to the ASCCC Office.
April 17, 2008: Spring Plenary Session. First hearing on process any proposals received. All
testimony is collected.
September 30, 2008: Deadline for proposals; no new proposals will be accepted for this cycle.
November 6, 2008: Fall Plenary Session. Second hearing on process and any proposals received.
April, 2009: Spring Plenary Session. Third hearing on process and any proposals received.
Delegates vote on discipline changes. After consultation with various parties, approved changes
are submitted to the Board of Governors.
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April 3, 2008
Page 9
4. Chancellor’s Visit to LAMC: Chancellor Drummond will hold an open forum at LAMC on Tuesday
April 8, 2008 from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm in Campus Center Main.
5. Academic Reorganization Policies: A task force of the EPC and Senate E-Board is working on
revising the current academic reorganization policies. The current policies will remain in effect
until a new policy is adopted. Three reorganization proposals have been submitted to the
Senate and Educational Planning Committee. The EPC will discuss these proposals at its
meeting on 4/14/08 and make recommendations to the Senate and Senate E-Board.
6. Proposition J Construction Bond: The LACCD is exploring the possibility of placing a third bond
measure on the ballot. The purpose of the bond would be to fund construction projects that
have not been funded by Props A/AA. This would include the Student Services Building, Media
Arts Building, and others. The bond may also propose additional facilities such as an Allied
Health Building and a Environmental/Industrial Careers Building.