March BTF Meeting, March 1, 2002
Meeting Began at 9: A.M.
Discussion and Debate
1 The current ACC travel policy was presented and deemed too ponderous. BTF members were
asked
2 Safety Policy Issues
A) Several items from the developing safety policies were presented and discussed. All labs
will have a safety sheet listing dangers and safety requirements. Unless exempted from
specific requirements, a lab must follow all the procedures of the lab safety policy. The
ACC Science Safety Committee’s target date for finalizing the safety policy is April 29th.
1) The BTF discussed when to require closed-toe shoes in labs. Should all labs
courses require students to wear closed-toe shoes (like Biotech does) or should
select courses be exempt, i.e. A&P I,1406 and 1408? If a student comes to lab in
open toed shoes, booties (preferably an obnoxious color) will be provided.
2) Students who do not have the proper eyewear will not be able to be in that lab.
Several questions arose: Should safety goggles be required in all labs? Are they
necessary in 1406 and 1408? Should the BTF buy goggles for the students and
sterilization equipment (e.g. UV cases) for those goggles? What does the CDC
handbook recommend?
a) There was no consensus on the question of purchasing the goggles for
students or making the students responsible for their own eyewear. 5
BTF members thought it would be a good idea to provide the students
with goggles; 3 thought it would be a bad idea and the rest wished to
consider it some more. The major questions are the cost (from $3-$8
per pair) and the feasibility of sterilizing so many pairs of goggles when
the labs are at almost capacity. The suggestion was made to approach
the administration for funding (unlikely in the current budget crunch) or
outside donors.
b) If the students are responsible for their eyewear, the goggles will be
available in the bookstore or they may purchase them elsewhere if they
meet the stated safety specifications.
3) The safety policy as it will apply to field trips was discussed. The consensus was
that each field trip should have a safety sheet listing safety issues and
requirements to go on that trip. The standards set for a trip in rough country or to
the sewage plant would be different from those set for a trip to the Wildflower
Center.
4) A brief description of the development and role of the ACC Science Safety
Committee was presented
3 There was a discussion of offering 1408 as a PCM class. Passed Unanimously. There was a
motion to allow PCM as an option for 1308 and 2306 given the understanding that the class size
would remain at 50. Passed.
4 The BTF discussed what the minimum standard for passing in the Associate’s degree should
be. Is C the minimum passing? D? Should it be based on the GPA? Should it only apply to
Science courses? 2.0 average required for the degree? Tabled for further discussion.
5 The BTF voted to add all Biology courses (except Critical Thinking) as options for the core
curriculum.
6 Preliminary Common Course Objectives for 1407, 2106 and 2206 were presented for comment
and discussion.
7 D’Maris Allen-Mierl discussed the problems with the Media people and the difficulty in setting up
and using media before and between classes.
.
8 Changes to campus offerings in the fall:
CYP: Fewer sections of 1406 and 1408, more sections of 1714, 1724 and
1704.
NRG: Fewer sections of 1407 (losing a lab to the Water Sampling course in
Environmental Tech), more 1406 and 1408.
PIN: More sections of 1724
RGC: More 1714, 1704 and 1407. Add Aquatic.
Meeting ended at 12:00 P.M.