ASSEMBLY UPDATE
May 4, 2010
GOOD OF THE ASSEMBLY
Executive Dean Search Forum
Report for Sunshine Fund 2010
CAMPUS COMMITTEES
Academic Standards
Computing
Curriculum
Campus Life Committee
Committee Serving the Need of People with Disabilities
Community Relations
FOCUS Committee
Nature Preserve
Physical Development
Scholarship
COLLEGE-WIDE COMMITTEES
College-Wide Academic Standards Committee
College-Wide Academic Integrity Committee Policy Subgroup
Banner Users Group
Class Size Committee
1
College Computing Council
College Curriculum Committee
Developmental Studies Advisory Committee
Distance Education Committee
Enrollment Management Committee
Foundations of Excellence
Freshman Seminar Advisory Committee
College Governance Council
College Honors Advisory Committee
Multi-Disciplinary Behavior Assessment
Strategic Planning Council
GOOD OF THE ASSEMBLY
Executive Dean Search Forum
The last of three forums with the finalists to the next Executive Dean of the Grant
Campus is Wednesday, May 5 at 11:30 a.m. in MD105 with Dr. Judith Scherer.
Report for Sunshine Fund 2010
The total amount of amount received by the faculty was 385.00 for the year.
Donations were given to scholarship fund and Haiti relief in the amount of
150.00
A fruit basket was sent to Michelle Fowler for 75.00
A total of 160.00 is left in the account
Respectfully submitted, Ellie Buitron
2
CAMPUS COMMITTEES
Grant Campus Academic Standards
1. The committee met on April 6th.
2. Discussed the report from the College Academic Standards Committee on
an Academic Integrity Policy initiative. There are very few integrity issues
reported and a survey will be sent out to faculty to assess the problem.
3. Discussed membership and service on the committee (2010-2011).
4.
We discussed arena advisement.
Grant Campus
Academic Standards Committee
Report for the Academic Year 2009-2010
Membership: Arts & Humanities
Michaelann Tostanoski
Business & Technology
Nancy Ellis
Communication & Language Arts Alyssa Kaufman
English
Karen Dovell
Health, Wellness & Physical Ed. Karen Carlson
Health Sciences
Lisa Hubbs
Mathematics
Michael Jones
Natural Sciences
Padma Seshadri
Nursing
Victoria Siegel
Social Sciences
Mahin Gosine
Administrator 1
Bernadette Garcia
Administrator 2
Jane Schearer
Student Affairs
Mohini Ratna (sabbatical Spring 2010)
Library
Frank Parrella/Susan DeMasi
Campus Dean
George Tvelia (ex-officio)
Co-Chairs – Nancy Ellis – Professor, Business/Business Law and
Victoria Siegel – Professor, Nursing
Agendas and approved minutes were sent to be posted for the following
meetings:
September 8, 2009
October 13, 2009
December 1, 2009
February 9, 2010
March 9, 2010
April 6, 2010
3
The minutes of the April 6th meeting will be posted after they are approved at the
first meeting of the Committee in Fall 2010.
I. Committee Annual Agenda:
At the first meeting of the 2009/2010 academic year, the committee established
and prioritized a list of issues and concerns. The original list included:






Student advisement
Academic Integrity - Policy Initiative and Public Awareness Initiative
BANNER Concerns –“W” Grade
Student Dismissal Hearings
Class Size – College Resources in light of increased enrollment
Other
o Prerequisite Waivers
o Definition of Web-enabled/DE Courses
GASC committee members continued to play a vital role on both the CollegeWide Academic Standards Committee (CASC) and College Academic Integrity
Committee. The GASC worked collaboratively with the CASC and the CAI and
served as a conduit of information, addressing Grant Campus concerns to both
college-wide committees.
II. Committee Accomplishments:
With regard to committee work and accomplishments the above agenda items
were addressed as follows:
 Advisement: There was much discussion about the issues of advisement.
It is understood that advisement is very important to student success, and
there is a dearth of counselors at the Grant campus. Faculty have stated
that they feel ill prepared to advise students properly and there have been
TLC sessions to address this issue, yet they were poorly attended. Further
complicating advisement is the ability of students to register on line
without advisement. This item will be further discussed and monitored
during the 2010-2011 academic year.
 Academic Integrity - Academic integrity was discussed extensively with
focus on how many faculty handle cases on an individual basis. There lacks
a consistent approach and problems such as cheating are outlined in the
code of conduct along with petty offenses of the campus. The college wide
sub committee has researched this problem in depth and will be conducting
a survey of faculty in the fall to assess the problem in a more concrete way
with data.
o Academic Integrity - Policy Initiative:
The Grant Campus Academic Standards Committee played an
important role in the discussion on possible revisions to the College
4
– Academic Integrity policy. See College-Wide Academic Standards
Committee (Academic Integrity report below and Appendix A).
o Academic Integrity - College Awareness Initiative: GASC
Committee member, Karen Carlson, assisted Gayle Sheridan with
the creation of a You Tube video announcement: What is
Plagarism can be seen at:
http://www.youtube.com/suffolkcccgrant
 BANNER - W Grade: The committee discussed several problems
concerning the “W” grade in light of BANNER – This agenda item was
brought to the College-Wide Standards Committee for further examination.
 Student Dismissal Hearings – August 2009 and January 2010
Members of the Grant Campus Academic Standards Committee assisted
with student dismissal hearings in August 2009 and January 2010.
 Prerequisite Policy: Executive Committee concerns regarding possible
enforcement problems with prerequisite waivers were discussed by the
GASC. It was decided that this agenda item was better addressed by the
College-Wide committee.
 College Resources/Class Size: The committee expressed ongoing
concern about increased college enrollment and college/campus resources
(including Special Services). This agenda item will be addressed and
followed next year.
 Definitions of Web enabled/DE Courses: There seems to be a lack of
clarity on the part of faculty and students regarding DE versus webenabled courses. This concern was addressed by Robin Hill at the College
Academic Standards Committee. The committee determined that perhaps
there should be more departmental oversight of web-enabled courses.
 Please Note: Nancy Ellis and Victoria Siegel were elected CoChairs of the Grant Campus Academic Standards Committee for
the 2009- 2011 term at the April 14, 2009 meeting and will
continue to serve as chairs next year.
Preparation of annual agenda for 2010-2011 is underway.
Grant Campus Computing Committee
No new report.
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Grant Campus Curriculum Committee
Annual Report to the Executive Committee of the Grant Campus Assembly:
Academic year 2009-2010
1. Charge
As the Grant Campus Assembly Constitution states, the charge of the
Assembly Curriculum Committee is
[t]o review proposals to revise or add to the curriculum. The Committee
will assess proposals for completeness and soundness, and recommend
their adoption to the Assembly. The Campus Curriculum Committee will
review only those proposals that affect the Grant Campus exclusively; all
multicampus proposals are reviewed by the College Curriculum
Committee.
2. Activity
The Assembly Curriculum Committee (hereafter ACC) was active throughout
the year. In accordance with the schedule established for the standing elected
committees by the Executive Committee, the ACC met six times.1 All
meetings were well attended, with the exception of a training session that was
held only for newer members on March 9, 2010. Agendas for substantive
meetings were forwarded by the co-chairs for posting on the Governance
website2; the minutes of all meetings were forwarded in a timely manner by
ACC secretary Maria Reitano for posting to the Governance website. 3 Reports
on the work of the ACC were submitted in writing for the Assembly Update
and, when necessary, delivered verbally at Assembly meetings. In accordance
with the Assembly Constitution, the ACC co-chairs attended meetings of the
College Curriculum Committee and the Executive Committee of the Grant
Campus Assembly.
3. Accomplishments
a. Proposals
The committee reviewed and approved six proposals this year:
i. Health Information Technology, Expedited Curriculum Revision
1
Committee calendar was posted on the Governance website:
http://www.sunysuffolk.edu/Governance/curriculum/west/west_calendar.html
2
http://www.sunysuffolk.edu/Governance/curriculum/west/west_agenda.html
3
http://www.sunysuffolk.edu/Governance/curriculum/west/west_minutes.html
6
ii. Course Revision Proposals for four courses in the Veterinary
Science Technology program: VST201: Animal Laboratory
Medicine; VST202: Clinical Lab Techniques I; VST205:
Pharmacy and Pharmacology; and VST206: Veterinary
Cardiology and Radiology.
iii. Radiologic Technology, A.A.S. Degree, New Curriculum
Proposal.
In each case, the committee co-chairs worked with the proposers to
get the proposals in proper form and presented to the committee in a
timely fashion. Following governance procedures, each proposal was
forwarded to the college webmaster and posted on the governance
website at least two weeks prior to the committee votes. The
proposals were presented to the Assembly, and the Assembly and
committee votes were forwarded for posting on the governance
website.4
b. Educational Mission
The committee continued its mission of educating its members about
the curriculum development process. This is done to ensure that the
ACC can provide meaningful commentary on the proposals it receives,
and to allow committee members to take their expertise back to the
departments they represent and serve as an initial source of
information for their colleagues who wish to propose curricular
additions or revisions.
This year, the committee held a session on March 9 dedicated to a
thorough review of the New Course Proposal and College Course
Syllabus Forms. Those in attendance reviewed samples of those forms
in the governance archives and highlighted issues that members need
to be attentive to when reviewing these forms.
c. Representation on the College Curriculum Committee (CCC)
According to guidelines established by the College Curriculum
Committee, the Grant Campus has four representatives on that
committee; the Assembly Constitution requires that those
representatives consist of members of the ACC.
This year, the Grant Campus’ representation on the CCC was once
again strong. In addition to the ACC co-chairs, Kathleen Burger and
Joseph Gatti served the second of their two-year terms on the CCC.
Attendance by the Grant representatives was consistently better than
that of the other two campuses, and we were able to make meaningful
4
http://www.sunysuffolk.edu/Governance/curriculum/west/west_proposals.html
7
contributions to the discussion of proposals and other matters before
the committee. Several proposals considered by the CCC were of
special importance to faculty and departments at the Grant campus,
and our strong representation helped to produce positive results.
In keeping with the reporting duties of all representatives to Collegewide committees, the ACC co-chairs submitted written reports on the
work of the CCC for the Assembly Update and, when necessary,
delivered verbal reports at Executive Committee and Assembly
meetings. CCC proposals were presented to the Assembly, and the
Assembly votes were forwarded for posting on the governance website.5
4. Summary and Future Direction
The ACC has functioned very well this year. The quality of the committee’s
work has been noted by the campus community, with the result that the
co-chairs and other members of the committee are regularly consulted by
faculty and administrators on curricular matters. Likewise, the
consistency of our work at the CCC and our regular compliance with our
reporting duties to the governance website has garnered respect at the
college level.
By continuing its mission of educating all members about the curriculum
revision process, and mentoring newer members for possible leadership
roles in the future, the committee hopes to continue this positive direction
during the coming academic year and beyond.
5. Membership
The Committee membership during academic year 2009-10 and the projected
membership for 2010-11 are summarized in the following table:
5
http://www.sunysuffolk.edu/Governance/curriculum/ccc/ccc_proposals.html
8
Department
2009-2010
2010-2011
ADMINISTRATION
DEAN HECTOR SEPULVEDA
DEAN JANE SHEARER
ADMINISTRATION
MARC FELLENZ
KATHLEEN BURGER
ARTS AND HUMANITIES
JEFF EPSTEIN
MARC FELLENZ
BUSINESS/TECHNOLOGY
ERIC WEINSTEIN
JOANNE GUSHUE
COMMUNICATIONS/LANGUAGE ARTS
CAROL MAURO-NOON
CAROL MAURO-NOON
COUSELING/STUDENT SERVICES
CHERYL EVERY-WURTZ*
CHERYL EVERY-WURTZ
ENGLISH
JOSEPH GATTI
JOSEPH GATTI
HEALTH AND PHYS ED
ANTHONY ZAJAC
ANTHONY ZAJAC
HEALTH SCIENCES
KIRK KAPLAN
KIRK KAPLAN
LIBRARY
MARYPAT TAKACS
MARYPAT TAKACS
MATHEMATICS
JOHN JEROME
LARISSA SAMUILOVA
NATURAL SCIENCES
MARIA REITANO
MARIA REITANO
NURSING
KATHLEEN BURGER
CARMEN KIRALY
SOCIAL SCIENCES
MARTHA KINNEY
MARTHA KINNEY**
STUDENT
NA
TBA
STUDENT
NA
TBA
COMMITTEE CO-CHAIR
MARC FELLENZ
MARC FELLENZ
COMMITTEE CO-CHAIR
MARTHA KINNEY
MARIA REITANO
SECRETARY
MARIA REITANO
MARYPAT TAKACS
COLLEGE COMMITTEE (elected)
KATHLEEN BURGER
KATHLEEN BURGER
COLLEGE COMMITTEE (elected)
JOSEPH GATTI
JOSEPH GATTI
COLLEGE COMMITTEE (co-chair)
MARC FELLENZ
MARC FELLENZ
COLLEGE COMMITTEE (co-chair)
MARTHA KINNEY
MARIA REITANO
NOTES:
*Replaced Andrea Bhella in 2/10
**Will be represented by William Desimini while away on military service
Respectfully submitted,
Martha Kinney
Marc Fellenz
Committee co-chairs
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Campus Life Committee
No new report.
Committee Serving the Needs of Persons with
Disabilities
Committee Serving the Needs of Persons with Disabilities 2009-2010 Annual
report
This year the Committee Serving the Needs of Persons with Disabilities was able
to accomplish several important goals.
The following is our committee report for the academic year 2009/20010:
1. We continue to experience an increase in students with disabilities on our
campus. We currently have over 600students with disabilities and one full
time Disabilities Counselor!!!
2. The committee has continued to work on evaluating the buildings on
campus for ADA compliance and there continue to be several ADA
compliance issues on campus.
3. Victoria Siegel held an evening common hour scheduled to present on
Tourette’s syndrome and co-morbid disabilities: OCD, ADHD, LD.
4. March 10, our committee held a common hour presentation consisting of a
panel of students with disabilities sharing how they overcame difficulties
and they described how they were successful at SCCC.
5. All of the members of the committee, including: Carmen Kiraly; Jessica
Joyce; Anthony Zajac; Karen Dovell; Lisa Hamilton; Carol Mauro and
Victoria Siegel actively worked on the committee to meet the above goals.
Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Dr. Victoria Siegel and
Prof. Carmen Kiraly
Chairpersons
Community Relations Committee
Community Relations Committee
End of Year Report
“The purpose of the Community Relations Committee of the Michael J. Grant
campus of Suffolk County Community College is to act as a liaison with
community and County institutions and organizations for the purpose of
promoting public relations for the Grant Campus.”
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Members:
Anabel Darini, Chair
Dr. Hector Sepulveda, Administrative Advisor
Susanna Maklakov, Secretary
Maria Alzugaray Rodriguez
Anne Menendez
David Moriarty
Colleen Prunier
Joy Borrero
Luckner J. Jerome
Nancy Ellis
Carmen Kiraly
Toni-Anne Nhotsoubahn
Tania Velazquez
Akasha Zahid (student member)
Report on Activities for the 2009-2010 Academic Year
1. Student Member
The committee has been very fortunate to finally acquire a student member.
Akasha has been very helpful in our initiatives, especially on our Volunteer Fair.
We look forward to keep Akasha on our committee next school year.
2. Speaker’s Bureau
The committee has been fortunate enough to have two more volunteers added to
our Speaker’s Bureau. We hope that this will help widen the audience and
increase the request for talks.
3. Volunteer Day
On Wednesday, November 4, 2009 the Grant Campus Community Relations
Committee hosted their 1st Annual Volunteer Fair. A large number of students
turned out to the event that offered volunteer opportunities at many local notfor-profit organizations, including a Grant Campus student organization:
1. Island Nursing and Rehab Center
2. Long Island Maritime Museum
3. Girl Scouts
4. Si Se Puede
5. Make a Wish Foundation
6. Literacy Suffolk
7. Pronto
8. Special Olympics
9. Long Island Cares
10. Greener Grant
11. Bethpage Credit Union
12. Youth Enrichment Services
13. Boy Scouts
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All of the organizations had at least 5 students sign up to be possible
volunteers. The organizations were impressed with the turnout at the Grant
Campus and asked to be re-invited at future fairs. Some were also interested
in working with each other and with the Community Relations Committee in
upcoming community service events. All in all, the Volunteer Fair was a huge
success!
4. Kans 4 Kids
In Spring 2010, the committee was very excited to begin a new initiative – Kans 4
Kids. Through Kans 4 Kids, cans and bottles would be collected and taken for
their deposit. The collected funds would then be donated to non-profit children’s
organizations. The idea was brought to the committee by nursing student,
Bonnie Bingham. Bonnie put a lot of effort into the new project by finding a
company that was willing to donate fifty 44 gallon bins to collect the cans, as well
as finding an organization that was willing to take the cans for deposit and put
them on the machine. Bonnie also contacted local news organizations that were
very interested in the story. Unfortunately, the committee learned the hard way
that donations could not be easily accepted at the college. The committee
contacted the SCC Foundation in March in order to receive the donation
properly. Since then, the committee has not heard back from Mary Lou Araneo
about the donations despite contact via e-mail. The committee is now stuck as to
how to move forward.
Plans
The Community Relations Committee has the following plans for the 2010 – 2011
academic year:
1. Continuation of previous initiatives
a. Expand the audience for the Speaker’s Bureau
b. Host a “Volunteer Day”
c. Collaborate with community/college initiatives that request committee
help, such as seminars and conferences
2. Development of new initiatives as the need arises
3. Vote for Committee Chair and Secretary
Because of a maternity leave scheduled for the Fall 2010 semester, Anabel
Darini will no longer be able to be the chair of the committee. However, after
a call for nominations, there were none. At the present time, the Community
Relations Committee does not have a Chair-Elect for the 2010 – 2011
academic year.
FOCUS Committee
FOCUS held a successful and well-attended event on April 28th called: “Haiti:
Before and Beyond the Earthquake.” A panel of faculty and students discussed a
12
number of the problems and questions highlighted by the recent devastating
earthquake. The panel was co-sponsored by the Haitian Students Association
and the Office of Multi-Cultural Affairs.
Suffolk County Community College
FOCUS Committee
Fostering Open Communication, Understanding and Scholarship
2009-2010 Academic Year
Report to the Academic Assembly
April 26, 2010
Committee Co-chairs
In Fall 2009, Rani Carson continued as the Committee chair, but she stepped down at the end of
the year. Barbara Fox and Alexander Kasiukov were elected as co-chairs in January 2010. Barbara
and Alex will continue as co-chairs in the academic year 2010-2011.
Sponsored Events
FOCUS organized or co-organized the following events during the academic year 2009-2010:
Date
Time Building Room
Title
Description
2009-10-14
11:0012:15
Sagtikos
Building
Room 160
(Library Media
Viewing
Room)
Nigerian Film
Industry and Issues
of Cultural
Imperialism
Lecture by Professor Daniel Awodiya
2009-11-05
15:3017:30
Sagtikos
Building
Room 259260
Sicko
Screening of the Michael Moore's
documentary about American health care
system.
2009-11-18
11:0012:15
Sagtikos
Building
Van Nostrand
Theatre
Health Care Reform
and How It Affects
Students
Panel discussion moderated by Dean
Hector Sepulveda
2010-03-10
11:0012:15
Sagtikos
Building
Van Nostrand
Theatre,
Mezzanine
Vagina Monologues
Reading of selected monologues, followed
by a discussion, to promote awareness
about domestic violence against women.
2010-04-28
11:0012:15
Sagtikos
Building
Van Nostrand
Theatre,
Mezzanine
Haiti: Before and
Beyond the
Earthquake
Panel discussion moderated by Professor
Norman Daniels
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Meeting Agendas and Minutes
The meeting agendas and minutes (as well as the full list of events organized by the committee
since its inception) are available online at http://www2.sunysuffolk.edu/kasiuka/FOCUS/
Committee Membership
The FOCUS Committee experienced a surge in its membership, particularly in the number of
students who joined the committee. The current membership consists of:
First Name
Last Name
Maxwell
Amoako
Khurshid
Anwar
Valerie
Barnwell
Kathryn
Benjamin
Andrew
Bryant
Rani
Carson
Milton
Colon
Norman
Daniels
Tina
De Jesus
Susan
DeMasi
Karen S
Dovell
Alyssa
Eriksen
Flavio
Ferreira
Barbara
Fox
David
Gray
Alexander
Kasiukov
Alyssa
Kauffman
Joy A
Mahabir
David E
Marshall
Nisha
Mehra
Danielle
Mitchell
Louis
Roccanova
Denise
Sariego
Alissandra
Tutino
Committee
Role
Co-Chair
Co-Chair
Secretary
There are no vacancies on the committee, since FOCUS is not an elected committee.
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Recommended Tasks for Next Year
FOCUS is exploring, or in the initial stages of planning, several possible events. These possibilities
include a Campaign Finance Reform Panel, an inquiry into Lynne Stewart's case, and an
investigation of gang activity on Long Island.
Suggested Changes for the Next Year
To capitalize on the recent surge in student involvement, the Committee is looking into ways of
collaborating with Student Activities, improving the visibility of the Committee, and promoting
activism and student involvement at the Grant Campus and beyond.
Nature Preserve
This year the NP was the site of several events celebrating Earth Week:

Nancy Penncavage led a nature walk along the preserve’s interpretive
trail.

Karen Carlson led a session of her popular Yoga Fusion in the Outdoor
Classroom during Common Hour.

James Remsen, Jr. and Jeff Epstein led another walk on Family Fun Day.
Jim is especially knowledgeable about birds, as well as plants and
animals. Jeff discussed the art installations created by students in Lucy
Karwoski’s 3D Design class and temporarily situated throughout the
preserve.

Located at the entrance to the NP is part of another campus-wide art
installation coordinated by Michaelann Tostanoski. SCCC grad, Tonito
Valderama’s project features oversized bird nests placed at 3 locations on
campus. The nests measure 15 feet across, and were built branch-bybranch by Tonito and SCCC student volunteers. It was interesting to hear
Jim discuss the similarities between actual bird nests and the student
constructed versions. Each nest contains large, unhatchable wooden eggs
carved and painted by the students. NOTE: No birds will be tricked or
inconvenienced by this art piece.
Project TREE is now underway with the planting of 10 White Pines near the
College Road entrance to the campus. Dave Dujmovic designed and launched an
attractive and informative website that describes the project and details how to
contribute to this worthy endeavor. Sponsors can buy trees for $10 apiece
(includes small tree, peat moss, mulch, etc.). Donors will be listed on the website
unless you request not to be. Find out more at:
15
http://www2.sunysuffolk.edu/dujmovd/TREE/sponsorship.html
Thanks to everyone who has contacted Mary Ann Oliva to reserve the Outdoor
Classroom this semester. We are glad to see faculty who take their classes out
there getting in the habit of documenting their use of this valuable campus
facility!
Committee to Oversee the Nature Preserve
Year End Report: 2009-2010
This committee’s most important charge is to defend the Grant Campus Nature
Preserve when it is threatened by the prospect of development. Since the courts
determined that the college, and not the county, has the authority to determine
the future of the preserve, it is our sincere hope that Suffolk County Community
College will respect the unanimous wishes of the Grant Assembly and preserve
this tract of natural land as a valuable asset to the college community.
Meanwhile, life continues within the preserve and as people become increasingly
aware of the importance of preserving our environment, its positive influence can
be felt in other aspects of campus life.
PROJECT TREE:
The NP Committee received the approval of Campus Dean George Tvelia to begin
the gradual reforestation of the Grant Campus. Lou Roccanova, Co-chair of the
NPC, spearheaded the initiative and described some of the benefits of planting
trees on campus:
 Reduce carbon dioxide level in our environment
 Function as a wind barrier to maintain the buildings cooler in the summer
and warmer in the winter
 Reduce the lawn area and thus reduce the work for maintaining the lawn
 Provide a place for migratory birds to stop and rest
Dave Dujmovic designed and launched an attractive and informative website that
describes the project and details how to contribute to this worthy endeavor.
http://www2.sunysuffolk.edu/dujmovd/TREE/sponsorship.html
Working closely with Joe Fraccalvieri Director of Plant Operations, Lou, Dave
and Dean Hector Sepulveda have begun the planting with 10 White Pines situated
near the College Road entrance to the Grant Campus. More will follow as
donations and fundraising allow.
16
USE OF THE PRESERVE:
This year the NP was the site of several events celebrating Earth Week
(sponsored by Phi Theta Kappa, Campus Activities Board and the Greener Grant
Committee of the Student Government Association).

Nancy Penncavage, Professor of Natural Sciences, led a nature walk along
the preserve’s interpretive trail.

Karen Carlson led a session of her popular Yoga Fusion in the Outdoor
Classroom during Common Hour.

James Remsen, Jr. and Jeff Epstein led another walk on Family Fun Day.
Jim is especially knowledgeable about birds, as well as plants and
animals. Jeff discussed the art installations created by students in Lucy
Karwoski’s 3D Design class and temporarily situated throughout the
preserve.

Located at the entrance to the NP is part of another campus-wide art
installation coordinated by Michaelann Tostanoski. SCCC grad, Tonito
Valderama’s project features oversized bird nests placed at 3 locations on
campus. The nests measure 15 feet across, and were built branch-bybranch by Tonito and SCCC student volunteers. It was interesting to hear
Jim discuss the similarities between actual bird nests and the studentconstructed versions (While they’re based on bird nest construction, they
don’t represent an identifiable species’ design). Each nest contains large,
unhatchable wooden eggs carved and painted by the students.
A new poster-sized map of the entire NP is now on permanent display on the
message board located at the start of the interpretive trail. A large “you are here”
arrow helps orient visitors and facilitates use of the preserve.
Mary Ann Oliva, coordinator of classrooms, has been taking reservations for the
Outdoor Classroom. English, Drawing, Art Appreciation, 3D Design,
Photography, Science and many Physical Education classes use the classroom
regularly. While the trails can accommodate more than one group
simultaneously, faculty members who wish to use the Outdoor Classroom need to
reserve it. We are happy to report that they are increasingly following the
procedure and encourage everyone who uses the facility to document their visit
by contacting Mary Ann.
17
MAINTENANCE:

Plant Operations continues to do an excellent job maintaining the NP.
Committee member, Tony DeAngelis, acts as liaison to PO. They attend to
the trash barrels, cut the grass and clear the brush that continually
threatens to overgrow the paths. Although most trees and branches that
fall are left to decay as part of the natural cycle within the life of a forest,
they are promptly removed when they obstruct the trails or the Outdoor
Classroom.

The brush was cleared from the entire Bird Field in November and we will
reinstate a schedule of mowing in alternate years to keep the habitat
appropriate for the bird population we seek to attract.

In early spring, committee members cleaned out old nests and evicted the
winter resident mice population from the bird boxes. A recent visit
confirmed 100% occupancy by the insect-eating Tree Swallows.

This year’s series of winter and spring storms brought down lots of trees
and large branches in the area. Many were chipped and donated to the
college by LIPA and distributed along the trails by PO.
GOALS FOR 2010-11
One of SCCC’s college-wide goals is to provide our students with a broad range of
experiences that will enrich their lives. Using the preserve as it exists today to
help them develop an appreciation for the natural world would have benefits not
only for the individual student, but also for Long Island and the world. With this
in mind, the NP Committee will continue to seek Forever Wild status to set an
example for our students of responsible stewardship and protect this valuable
educational resource from development. Additionally:

The committee will proceed with Project TREE. By using it as a vehicle to
increase awareness and understanding of environmental issues, we can
demonstrate that it is possible to make a difference by taking action. We
can also involve and engage almost every student organization in some
aspect of the project, whether it be planting, outreach or fundraising.

The committee will continue to encourage faculty to include the NP in
their courses and list it as a campus resource in their course outlines.

We will also continue to encourage the trend toward documenting usage of
the Outdoor Classroom and NP trails by faculty for their classes. Many
faculty members use the trails regularly in their courses, but since the
18
trails can accommodate more than one group simultaneously, those who
use them generally don’t make a reservation, and consequently the visit is
not documented. To address this situation, we will continue to seek ways
to make it easier for faculty to document usage.

We still need to replace several of the birdhouses have fallen into
disrepair.
OFFICERS FOR 2009-2010:
This document will be updated after elections are held.
Submitted by Jeff Epstein, Co-chair of the Committee to Oversee the Nature Preserve
Physical Development Committee
Physical Development Committee
Spring 2010 Report to the Academic Assembly
The Physical Development Committee has enjoyed its status as a newly
restructured committee since the fall 2008, spring 2009 academic year, but we
have accomplished an enormous amount since then.
The Committee was charged with spending eleven thousand plus dollars
designated for the beautification of the Grant Campus. The monies were collected
during the twenty-fifth Anniversary of the Grant Campus and are entitled the
Twenty-fifth Anniversary fund.
This academic year the committee voted to revisit the idea put forth by Joe
Fraccalvieri and Virginia Horan of creating a garden grotto on campus between
the Sagtikos Building and Captree Commons where students could sit
comfortably on benches purchased by the committee and enjoy the out of doors.
The installation of the Bench Project, as we have come to call it, will commence
today, May 5th 2010, with a ground breaking ceremony at 3:30 PM and should be
completed by summer's end. Joseph Fraccalvieri and his wonderful staff will be
doing all of the work in house and so, for a mere $5,784.00 which is the
remainder of the Physical Development Committee's holdings, plus about
$500.00 extra collected by students under Lisa Hamilton's guidance for the
purpose of installing out door benches on campus. We will be creating a 120 foot
circular garden grotto with berms to deflect sound from the parking lots,
flowering trees that will eventually cause shade, benches to sit on and chess
tables to sit at while looking at and smelling the flowers that will be planted for all
to enjoy. The new garden grotto will welcome all those from the campus and the
community who walk between Sagtikos building and Captree Commons .
The Academic Assembly has unanimously approved the allocation of the
remainder of the funds held by the Physical Development committee for the
19
Bench Project
Next year, The Physical Development Committee will be out of money, having
completed our mission to spend our holdings on projects to beautify and enhance
the Grant Campus, so we will again be forced to re-structure our mission. we
intend to attempt to align ourselves with the architects who are designing the
new proposed buildings on campus, so that we can act on behalf of the faculty to
help the architects create building that are as aesthetically pleasing and as
physically functional as possible.
We are still working on having a number of trees planted on a particular lawn
outside of the Sagtikos Building to lessen the severity and starkness of its
appearance. Joe Fraccalvieri will soon have to remove some trees from another
campus location and will re-plant them at the Sagtikos site. This is a clever idea
because the trees will cost nothing and will allow Mr. Fraccalvieri to acquire a
type of “green credit” for re-using them.
The Physical Development Committee would like to publicly thank Interim
Executive Dean George Tvelia for his exemplary guidance and leadership and
enthusiastic support of the projects we proposed and completed during his
tenure here at the Grant Campus. Dean Tvelia has been a sincere pleasure to
work with.
Right now our membership consists of:
Michaelann Tostanoski………………Chair
Joseph Gansrow………………………Secretary
Maureen D’Elia………………………… Member
Jeff Epstein…………………………….. Member
Joseph Fraccalvieri……………………Member
Lisa Hamilton............................................Member
Thank you for your time, attention and support.
Michaelann Tostanoski
Professor of Visual Art
Physical Development Committee Chair.
Scholarship Committee
Donations- If a faculty member would like to make a donation to an existing
SCCC Scholarship to honor a friend or family member, please contact a member
of the Scholarship Committee.
Book Sale- Over $1,600 was raised by the Book Sale. Sarah Acunzo was the
Chairperson. Many thanks to the donors and the committee, especially Eleanor
20
McCormick, for working at the Book Sale. Book donations, including fiction,
nonfiction, textbooks and books for children, are accepted throughout the year at
the Circulation Desk in the Library.
Scholarship Application Review- The Committee met on Friday, April 30, 2010,
to read the scholarship applications.
Next Meeting- The final meeting of the year is scheduled for Friday, June 4, 2010
in S-221 from 10 am - noon. The Committee will select scholarship winners.
Anyone interested in joining the committee is welcome to attend.
The Scholarship Committee is looking for a new Chairperson for next year, 20102011.
Please contact MaryPat Takacs (x 6349) or a Scholarship Committee member for
more information.
Scholarship Committee Report- 2009-2010
MaryPat Takacs – Chair
Fundraisers:
Sept.-Dec.
2009
Dec. 2009
$745.50
Book Sale Cart in the Library- Raised $106.25
Poinsettia Sale, Eleanor McCormick, Chairperson- Raised
Feb. 2010
Accepted a donation to create the Bert Preston Memorial
Scholarship $300
April 2010
Book Sale, Sarah Acunzo, Chairperson – Raised $2,060.00
(includes Book Cart sales Jan.- April, 2010)
Common Hour Presentation- MaryPat Takacs presented a workshop, “How
to Apply for an SCCC Scholarship,” in March 2010.
Get There From Here Scholarships- MaryPat Takacs is the Grant Campus
representative for the Get There from Here scholarship
review committee. Application reviews should begin in May,
2010.
Grant Campus Scholarships- At the Dec. 11, 2009 meeting, the Committee
read the scholarship applications. In Jan. 2010 the
Committee selected award recipients for the spring 2010
semester. On April 30, 2010 the Committee met again to
review the spring applications. At the last meeting of the
semester, scheduled for June 4, 2010, the Committee will
21
select scholarship recipients for the fall 2010 semester. Ellie
Buitron and Amy Lau created Excel spreadsheets to facilitate
the scholarship reviews.
SCCC College-Wide Scholarships- Elisa Mancuso represented the Grant
Campus on the College-Wide Scholarship Review Committee
in Jan. 2010. She is scheduled to attend the next meeting in
May, 2010.
Scholarship Awards Ceremony – Kevin Reilly was the event Coordinator.
The scholarship recipients for fall 2009 and spring 2010
were recognized in a ceremony on the Grant Campus in Feb.
2010. Sarah Acunzo, Ken Wishnia, MaryPat Takacs, Carmen
Ludemann and Eleanor McCormick assisted. John Jerome
and Elisa Mancuso also attended the ceremony.
o
Documentation of Committee Activities continued to improve:
1) A needs assessment was drafted for Dean George Tvelia
to explain the Scholarship Committee activities and
articulate the need for clerical support at key periods in
the scholarship application cycle.
2) A list of Scholarship Committee activities was drafted to
facilitate faculty sign-up at the organizational meeting at
the beginning of the year.
3) Agendas and minutes of the meetings have been drafted
and posted on the Governance website.
4) Grant Campus Assembly updates were submitted on
time.
5) Clerical support was provided by Carmen Ludemann,
Vanessa Wejuli, Kenia Benjamin, Melissa Lauricella and
Carol Bucicchia.
Future Issues-
1) The Scholarship Committee continues to request an
online scholarship application. No progress was
evident.
2) Timely, reliable, accurate, and consistent clerical support
is needed for the Committee to function with the current
paper application system. The Executive Council of the
Faculty Assembly has been supportive.
3) The last committee meeting is scheduled for June 4 to
select scholarship winners.
4) Letters need to be sent to all scholarship applicants in
June, 2010 to advise students about the scholarship
awards.
22
5) A chairperson for the Scholarship Committee is needed
for the 2010-2011 year.
The Committee would like to recognize the efforts the custodial staff who worked
with the committee during the fundraisers in December and April.
Grant Campus Scholarship Committee
Goals 2010-2011
General1) Find a Chairperson
2) Increase membership
3) Develop college-wide consensus for electronic scholarship applications
and assist the administration in developing a plan to implement it
4) Identify an administrator who is accountable for the scholarship
program
5) Invite that administrator to become an active Scholarship Committee
member
Fundraisers1) Book Salesa. Continue the Book Sale Cart in the Library - ongoing
b. Continue the Spring Book Sale in Sagtikos and HSEC
c. Accept donated books
2) Poinsettia Sale in December
3) Facilitate donations from within the campus- memorials, honorees
4) Create a flyer to solicit donations.
Scholarship Applications1) Present Common Hour seminars in Oct. 2010 and Mar. 2011 to explain
the scholarship application process
2) Resolve issues with clerical support for committee activities
3) Represent the Grant Campus on the College-Wide Scholarship
Committee and on the Get There From Here Committee
Scholarship Awards CeremonyPlan the ceremony and present the scholarship certificates at the Grant
Campus Scholarship Awards Ceremony in February, 2011
23
COLLEGE-WIDE COMMITTEES
College-Wide Academic Standards Committee
College-wide Academic Standards Committee:
1. The committee met on April 8th. The agenda was devoted to
discussion of the findings and recommendations of the College-wide
Academic Integrity Committee (policy sub-group) concerning college
policy on academic integrity including plagiarism and cheating.
College-wide Academic Integrity Committee:
1. The committee met on April 29 and discussed the College-wide AI
survey (Fall -2010) and follow-up on the AI policy initiative.
III.
College-wide Academic Standards Committee:
Michaelann Tostanoski, Victoria Siegel, Michael Jones, Karen Carlson, Frank
Parrella (replaced by Karen Dovell – Spring 2010), and Nancy Ellis serve as
GASC representatives to the CASC. The college-wide committee has met three
times each semester and has addressed/is addressing several important issues
including:
 CASC – Constitution and by-law review:
This is an on-going agenda item with the committee seeking to make
recommendations during the fall 2010 semester.
 Course Repeat Policy: was reviewed and the current policy of repeating
grades was discussed. The current BANNER related policy (second grade
counts) was discussed extensively; college-wide statistics were reviewed.
The statistics of success in a course when repeated, demonstrated that
students were often not successful even if they repeated courses many
times. This agenda item will be addressed next year.
 International Programs – The Committee invited Dean Britton to the
October 2009 meeting to address concerns about the rigors and standards
of the Study Abroad Program. The committee was provided with program
requirements and documents for submitting an international course
proposal. Dean Britton stressed that most courses are already being taught
at SCCC and all courses are taught by Suffolk faculty members. He assured
the committee that these courses are subject to the same academic rigors
and scrutiny as any course offered that we offer including assessment and
site visits.
24
 Excelsior - Deborah Wolfson presented program guidelines and
addressed CASC concerns regarding the Excelsior (Dual Enrollment)
program at the November 5, 2009 CASC meeting. She detailed that the
program was initiated two and a half years ago and allows high school
students to complete SCCC college courses. Currently eighteen high
schools in Suffolk County offer Excelsior courses. Of primary concern to
the CASC was the fact that the courses are being offered in the high
schools and are taught by regular high school faculty. Deborah assured the
committee that Excelsior courses are subject to rigorous oversight; the
course syllabus must align with the SCCC syllabus and the faculty member
must have the same credentials as our adjunct faculty (a Master’s degree
in discipline). Deborah stressed that because of the high transfer rate to
SCCC this is a good transition to college. Deborah further noted that the
program will be subject to NACEP accreditation once it has been in
existence for five years.
 Developmental Courses – The committee held a special meeting on
December 10th, 2009 for the purpose of reviewing the Developmental
Studies recommended course list for the upcoming college catalog. Art
provided a history of the Developmental Studies program adding that
review of this recommended course list properly rests in the hands of the
Developmental Studies Committee with additional governance review by
the College Academic Standards committee. Diane Bosco and Donna Frey
explained the process of reviewing and revising the course list and assured
the CASC that the final course compilation was faculty driven with
extensive departmental and faculty input in the process.
 Catalog Review: The Committee reviewed the college catalog for
possible changes.
 Definitions of Web enabled and DE courses were discussed and it was suggested
that when a student signs up for such a course, it is clearly defined and that the
faculty are also clear on the definitions of these types of courses.
 “W” Grades: Art Lundahl thoroughly researched the BANNER problem with
“W” grades and was ultimately able to assure the CASC that this BANNER
problem had been fixed. We will continue to monitor next year.
 Prerequisite Waivers: The committee discussed Grant Campus concerns
regarding the enforcement of the prerequisite waiver policy. Art Lundahl
suggested that this concern be addressed to the College Governance Council.
25
 2010-2011 Agenda: Possible agenda items for next year:
o Online courses: Completion rates
o W Grade policy
o Special Services
o Academic Integrity Policy
o Part-time faculty and governance
IV. College-wide Academic Integrity Committee:
Karen Carlson, Janet Haff, and Nancy Ellis represent the Grant Campus on the
CAIC. This active committee, chaired by Penny Bealle, worked extensively on
reviewing and making possible recommendations on the college academic
integrity policy (see attachment A). The policy sub-group was chaired by Nancy
Ellis and also included David Marshall from the Grant Campus. Findings and
recommendations were presented at the April 8th, College Academic Standards
Committee meeting. The committee will continue to work over the summer to
solidify recommendations.
The committee (assisted by Gayle Sheridan) also created an informational You
Tube announcement entitled: What is Plagarism.
http://www.youtube.com/suffolkcccgrant
Finally, the AI committee has established web-space on the College Governance
webpage and has also established a Libguide for faculty who are looking for
greater direction and guidance concerning AI issues. Next semester the
committee plans to conduct an AI survey of faculty members.
The work of AI committee was featured in the May 14, 2010 issue of the college
online newsletter: Here and Now.
Respectfully submitted,
Nancy Ellis
Professor – Business/Business Law
Victoria Siegel
Professor - Nursing
Co-Chairs, Grant Academic Standards Committee
26
Academic Integrity Committee
SCCC
Standing Committee of the College Academic Standards Committee
Report on the Findings and Recommendations
of the
College-Wide Academic Integrity Committee - Policy
Subgroup
I. Policy Review – Subgroup
The College Academic Integrity Committee - Policy Subgroup was formed at the
beginning of the 2009-2010 academic year and consists of AI Committee
members from all three campuses and also David Marshall. The subgroup was
given the task of reviewing the current SCCC Special Procedures for Academic
Dishonesty (Section X of the Student Code of Conduct and Student Conduct
Process). Most importantly, the subgroup was asked to consider procedural
implications of the current policy and enforcement across all three campuses.
Finally, the subgroup was asked to consider making recommendations and
developing guidelines to address faculty policy concerns to facilitate enforcement.
The subgroup reviewed policies at other institutions for congruence and
effectiveness and comparison to current SCCC policy. Our review has identified
some institutions with effective practices. At this point we have not focused on
27
SUNY community college sister institutions. (Note: As of this time, the subgroup
has not been given the specific charge to revise the current policy).
II. Current Procedure
Section X of the Student Code of Conduct addresses the special procedure for
academic dishonesty (see flow chart – attachment A). If a faculty member
“concludes that a student has committed an act of academic dishonesty, the
faculty member may initiate student conduct action through the Senior Campus
Student Affairs Administrator” or may:
“1. require the student repeat the assignment or examination; or
2. give the student a failing grade for the assignment or examination; or
3. give the student a failing grade in the course and deny the student
continued access to the course.” (Code of Conduct §10). Students have a right to
appeal through the Grade Grievance Process. Faculty members are encouraged
to report all incidents of academic dishonesty. If the student has a “previous
record”, the matter “should then be” “referred to the Student Conduct Process.”
III. Findings:
The current college policy concerning academic dishonesty is embedded in § 10 of
the Student Code of Conduct. The policy lists prohibited behavior including
cheating and plagiarism (see Section VI). The individual offenses are not carefully
defined and the policy does not include specific examples. This policy may be
difficult if not impossible for the student to find and to fully understand. In
addition, when a student has committed academic dishonesty, he/she is subject
28
to general sanctions, as outlined in the Student Code of Conduct. This means
that the student is subject to the same sanctions as a student who commits
vandalism, assault, or theft; the sanctions are not geared toward academic
integrity violations.
a. Faculty Autonomy: The current policy does stress faculty autonomy; if the
faculty member suspects that an act of dishonesty has been committed they can
either report the violation to the Senior Campus Student Affairs Administrator
and/or resort to one of the faculty imposed sanctions previously listed in Section
II above:
“1. require the student repeat the assignment or examination;
or
2. give the student a failing grade for the assignment or
examination; or
3. give the student a failing grade in the course and deny the
student continued access to the course.” (Code of Conduct
§10).
The faculty member is not required to report the student to the Senior Campus
Student Affairs Administrator.
b. Under-reporting: It is apparent that the numbers of cases/incidents of
academic dishonesty are vastly underreported by faculty; with only a handful of
cases reported per year college-wide. For example, in Academic Year 2007-2008
there were about 35 cases of academic dishonesty reported at SCCC. It is
assumed that most faculty members manage these cases on their own without
campus/college involvement. It is our understanding that many faculty members
29
are concerned about the implications of reporting and don’t “feel supported”
enough by the college policy to pursue their claim against the student. In
addition, many faculty members may feel unsure of the implications of reporting
(both to the student and the faculty member). This would include concerns about
escalating the claim, presenting proof at the student conduct hearing, possible
future litigation and the long-term impact to the student’s transcript.
c. Confidentiality: Because of the laws concerning student confidentiality, any
finding of a student violation must be kept confidential; this information can not
be shared with other faculty members (even those who are brining a subsequent
claim against the a student who has been found in violation by another faculty
member). This confidentiality requirement seems to contradict the Special
Procedures for Academic Dishonesty which states: “[the faculty member} is
encouraged to report the matter to the Senior Campus Student Affairs
Administrator in order to determine whether the accused student has a previous
record of academic dishonesty at any of the College’s three campuses” because,
apparently, the Senior Campus Student Affairs Administrator can’t inform the
faculty member about a previous offense.
d. Uniform Implementation – Across all three campuses:
Upon interviews with all three Campus Associate Dean of Student Affairs it is
evident that the Special Procedure for Academic Dishonesty is not uniformly
enforced across all three campuses. Neither the documents nor procedures for
30
implementation are uniform. Nor is it clear who should be involved with this
process. (For example, are the Department Chairs to be notified)? In addition,
there are no specific deadlines or timelines mentioned in the Special Procedure
for Academic Dishonesty.
e. Due Process: Because of the magnitude of a possible claim of dishonesty,
students must be provided with adequate due process. The current SCCC policy
does little to address the due process rights of students who dispute the
accusation of academic dishonesty. Students are permitted to bring a grade
grievance when their grade has been negatively affected. However, the current
grade grievance process gives final control of the grade to the faculty member.
This means that there could be a “no finding” of academic dishonesty against the
student through the grade grievance process, yet the grade might not be changed
by the steadfast faculty member.
In addition, a faculty member could also bring their accusation to the
Student Conduct Board without first consulting with or notifying the student.
f. “W” grade for students who violate AI policy prior to “W” deadline Any student who is charged with academic dishonesty early in the semester (prior
to the “W” deadline) could withdraw from the class and possibly avoid an “F”
grade on their transcript.
g. Resources:
31
Upon comparing SCCC policy to policy to those of other colleges/universities, we
have found that there are many approaches to addressing academic integrity.
Many schools have committed long-term resources and have staffed offices
devoted to promoting student conduct. For example, the University of
Pennsylvania has an Office of Student Conduct with a Director in charge of
implementation. Stony Brook University has an Academic Judiciary which will
address issues of academic dishonesty. In addition, when there has been a
finding that a student at Stony Brook has been engaged in dishonesty, the student
is required to attend extensive remedial training (or else he/she will have a
permanent designation placed on his/her academic transcript).
IV. Recommendations:
a. Administrative support and recommendations from
Administration:
To go further, the Subgroup must be given a clear mandate by the AIC and the
CASC, with specific direction from college administration (concerning college
objectives and commitment of resources) to make required changes to the
current policies and procedures for promoting academic integrity. In reforming
the policy it is paramount that the interests of the faculty and the objectives of
administration guide any policy development or revision, with student input as
needed.
b. Faculty Survey – The AI Committee plans to conduct a tri-campus AI
survey created by the Center for Academic Integrity in the fall 2010. The
32
information culled from this survey will be vitally important to any policy
revision.
c. Separate and Distinct Policy/Uniform Implementation:
The “Special Procedures for Academic Dishonesty” policy should not be
embedded in the Student Code of Conduct, but should be a separate and distinct
policy prominently displayed for the entire college community. This policy should
address the aforementioned concerns and should be uniformly implemented
across all three campuses.
d. Faculty Automony: A revised policy must maintain faculty autonomy and
also should reinforce college support of the faculty member who chooses to
pursue their claim beyond the classroom level.
e. Uniform – Easily Accessible Forms:
Faculty should be provided with easy to access forms for reporting AI violations.
These forms should be available online (and should be uniform for all three
campuses).
f. Adequate Resources:
Adequate college resources must be committed to ensure effective policy
implementation, including the designation of one office to specifically address AI
violations (across all three campuses); formation of an Academic Judiciary; and
resources to develop a remedial “AI” course for all students who have been found
in violation of academic integrity.
33
g. Guidelines: Once the college policy has been revised, faculty guidelines for
implementation should be created and distributed to all faculty members. Global
notice to the college community is necessary for successful implementation.
h. AI Statement – (posted on all course outlines): Once the policy is
revised, a universal “AI statement” describing the policy and regarding acts of
dishonesty and cheating in the classroom should be drafted with the
recommendation that it be placed on all course outlines and syllabi.
i. Incremental Change: We understand that policy change can take time;
however we also recognize that certain aspects of the current policy are more
problematic than others. We therefore recommend that wherever possible (and
where necessary) the policy be revised incrementally with a goal of complete
revision and implementation by the start of the 2011-2012 academic year.
Respectfully Submitted, 6 April 2010:
COLLEGE-WIDE ACADEMIC INTEGRITY COMMITTEE – POLICY SUBGROUP
Nancy Ellis – Chair
Susan Fanning
Jennifer Farquhar
David Marshall
Alan Weber
Penny Bealle – Academic Integrity Committee Chair
Art Lundahl – College Academic Standards Committee Chair
34
Banner Users Group (BUG)*
Update for the Assembly meeting of May 4, 2010
The Banner Users Group met on March 22, 2010.
1. The group was updated on the ongoing preparation for the installation of
Banner 8.2, which is set for June. All testing of the new version is reportedly
going well, and no major problems with the installation are expected.
However, a problem with our current SAIN modifications has been discovered
and will need to be fixed before the SAIN can be tested in 8.2.
2. The group members were asked to remind the campus communities that to
accomplish the installation of Banner 8.2, the system will be down June 3-10.
Faculty teaching during the first 5 week session should be reminded to
download their course rosters before June 3; likewise, summer students
should be told to download their class schedules prior to that date as well.
The group was informed that access to D2L courses during that period will
not be affected.
3. Dr. Marvin Bright represented the administration at the meeting. Group
Chair Anna Flack raised the list of priority items the group previously has
brought to the attention of the administration and the need for additional IT
support to address those issues. Dr. Bright informed the group that the
College’s current fiscal situation makes the hiring of additional IT personnel
highly unlikely.
4. The group discussed several issues that had been forwarded by faculty and
administrators:
a. Several faculty have complained that the time-out in MySCCC is too
short, requiring repeated log-ins to the system. The consensus of the
group was that the 30 minute log-out time is adequate, and the
inconvenience of having to re-enter the system is trumped by the
security concerns of extending the time-out period.
b. Some faculty have asked that student ID numbers appear on the SAIN
report. However, the group was informed that the ID number could
only be added to the SAIN as part of a block of personal information,
raising security concerns. Also, the information that appeared would
be that of the person who had logged on the MySCCC; thus, if a faculty
member printed a student’s SAIN from his/her office, the faculty
member’s ID, not the student’s would appear.
c. Student services and some faculty have requested that students be able
to limit a search of the course schedule to only those sections that are
still open. Unfortunately, it is not possible to add this as a search
option. The group was told that it is possible to make the student
search of the course schedule only show open sections, but this is an
all-or-nothing installation. Since the student search screen of the
schedule is the easiest and cleanest picture available in Banner, many
faculty and staff rely on it as well. Therefore, the college community is
35
asked to provide feedback on whether it is advisable to limit the search
to only open sections or to keep it the way it is.
d. Students have raised concerns about how blended/hybrid courses and
face-to-face classes that are taught in computer labs are displayed in
the schedule. Many have reportedly registered for such classes without
knowing that they are not traditional face-to-face courses. There is no
way to make these modalities display more clearly. Academic chairs
are advised to follow Gary Campbell’s instructions on how to add
comments to these sections that make their modality more explicit.
e. Some staff have raised concerns about access to personal information—
including SS numbers—that is stored in Banner. The IT department is
working on ways to mask that information from those Banner users
who do not require access to it.
The next meeting is TBA.
* The purpose of the group is to provide a forum where Banner users, administrators and the
Banner implementation team may meet to discuss problems and suggestions for enhancement.
The group is charged with trying to reach consensus about the priority outstanding issues should
be given; the group will also make recommendations to College administration concerning those
issues that involve matters of policy or carry significant financial implications. In addition,
members are to be updated by the Banner team on the status of known issues and the timeline for
resolving them.
Class Size Committee
Based on a majority vote, the Class Size Committee has recommended
passage of the proposal submitted by Albin Cofone to increase honors program
classes college wide from the current 22 students negotiated with the Faculty
Association to 24 as of the Fall 2010 Semester.
College Computing Council
No new report.
College Curriculum Committee*
Update for the Assembly meeting of May 4, 2010
The College Curriculum Committee met on April 22, 2010.
1. The Committee reviewed four proposals.
a. By a vote of 10-0-0, the Committee approved the ENG207: Mass
Media, Course Revision Proposal. The proposal seeks to have the
course recognized as a English Elective. The proposal may be found
on the Governance website:
36
http://www.sunysuffolk.edu/Governance/curriculum/ccc/0910/pr
oposal_docs/eng207_course_revision_021210.doc
b. By a vote of 10-0-0, the Committee approved the MAR111: Marine
Biology Course Adoption Proposal. The course is currently taught
on the East and Ammerman campuses, and the Grant campus is
seeking to adopt it. The proposal may be found on the Governance
website:
http://www.sunysuffolk.edu/Governance/curriculum/ccc/0910/pr
oposal_docs/MAR111_adoption_040610.doc
c. By a vote of 9-0-1, the Committee approved the Communication
Studies, A.A. Degree, New Curriculum Proposal. The proposal
seeks to replace the existing Communications Option under the
Humanities Emphasis of the Liberal Arts degree with a tri-campus,
stand-alone curriculum designed for transfer to four-year
communication studies programs. The proposal may be found on
the Governance website:
http://www.sunysuffolk.edu/Governance/curriculum/ccc/0910/pr
oposal_docs/communication_studies_new_curr_040610.doc
d. The CST112: Introduction to Programming, Course Revision
Proposal was tabled because of controversy about the proposal
among the faculty in the discipline. The proposal may be found on
the Governance website:
http://www.sunysuffolk.edu/Governance/curriculum/ccc/0910/pr
oposal_docs/CST112_course_rev_041510.doc
* The Grant Campus is represented at the College Curriculum committee by Martha Kinney and
Marc Fellenz (co-chairs of the campus curriculum committee) and Kathleen Burger and Joseph
Gatti (elected by the campus curriculum committee).
Developmental Studies Advisory Committee
DSAC Update
No new report.
Distance Education Committee
The meeting for the DE Committee was cut very short due to lack of a quorum
and there is no business to report at this time. We will be voting on several
distance education proposals at the meeting on May 6.
37
Enrollment Management Committee
No new report.
Foundations of Excellence
No new report.
Freshman Seminar Advisory Committee

The committee discussed how to infuse more academic elements into COL
101. Suggestions included: supplying adjuncts with a list of suggested
readings that promote students’ academic enhancement toward critical
thinking. In addition, the college is pursuing ways to encourage more fulltime faculty to teach Freshman Seminar.

Lou Attanassi gave an update on the COL assessment. All assessment
essays should be returned to the program coordinators of each campus by
May 7th. The coordinators will then forward the packets to Institutional
Effectiveness. There will be a norming session on May 21st for all
volunteer graders.

There will be a Freshman Seminar training on May 24th, from 9:30 to 4:00
p.m. in the Mildred Green Lounge, Babylon Student Center, Ammerman
Campus. All full-time faculty are encouraged to attend and adjuncts who
are currently employed at the college may also attend.

Changes were made to the learning outcomes for COL 101. This was a
result of the Grant campus voting down the COL 101 syllabus. The group
made some editorial changes to the learning outcomes. All three
campuses will have to vote on the changes.
College Governance Council
1.
President McKay has pledged that during his presidency he will
never approve class sections of 55 students as was done this
academic year.
The Office of Institutional Effectiveness studied the pass rate in the
10 sections of the three social science classes (HIS 101, PSY 101 and
SOC 101 (Ammerman only)) that had a class size limit of 55 in the
Fall 2009 semester. It found that the passing rate was significantly
lower in those sections (69.8% vs. 77.7%) compared to regular
sections of those courses in the same semester that carried a +2
load and compared to sections in the Fall of 2008 (77.6%).
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The Council sent a letter to Interim President Gatta last May
opposing this expedient as academically unsound, predicting
greater failure and dropout rates and arguing that the larger classes
would
• undermine the College’s reputation for low class sizes,
• diminish the attention and assistance an instructor could
otherwise provide to a class, and
• damage the classroom learning environment by severely limiting
opportunities for discussion, routine writing assignments and
collaborative learning techniques.
The Council believes its predictions have been borne out and thanks
President McKay for his pledge.
2.
FCCC Delegates
The three-year terms of Art Lundahl as the delegate to the Faculty
Council of Community Colleges and of Tina Good as the alternate
delegate expire at the end of the Spring 2010 semester. Each
position has a three-year term. The FCCC delegate is also a member
of the College Governance Council.
The Council has announced that any interested full-time member of
the faculty or any Guild member below the rank of dean is
encouraged to apply. An application letter explaining your interest
in and qualifications for the position should be sent to Jeff Kluewer
(kluewej@sunysuffolk.edu) by May 20, 2010.
3.
Board of Trustees Resolution on George Gatta’s Contract
At its April 10 meeting, the Council discussed the proposed Board of
Trustees resolution to extend the contract of former Interim
President Gatta, now Executive Vice President Gatta, for an
additional year. The Council Chair was authorized to speak for the
campus governance leaders (later joined by the Executive
Committees of the Eastern Congress and the Ammerman Senate) in
opposing the resolution because it undermines President McKay
and, in effect, creates two presidents, each with a contract with the
Board. The resolution was tabled for a second times at the April 15
Board of Trustees meeting.
College Honors Advisory Committee
No new report.
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Multi-Disciplinary Behavior Assessment
No new report.
Strategic Planning Council
No new report.
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