Monday, December 3, 2012 Cougar Conference Room

Attendees: Jennifer Altenhofel, Darcy Bogle, Kamala Carlson, Joe’ll Chaidez, Bill Devine, Sharyn Eveland, Shelly Getty, Greg Golling, Gary Graupman, Jessica Grimes, Vicki Herder, Brian Jean, Diane Jones,

David Layne, Tim Markowitz, Julian Martinez, Mariza Martinez, Mike Mayfield, Michelle Oja, Ruby Payne, Joseph Polizzotto, Robin Polski, Jeff Ross, Sonja Swenson, Susan Vaughn, Linda West

The meeting was called to order at 12:11 p.m.

Public Commentary

None

Review of November 5, 2012 Senate Minutes

The minutes were approved as presented.

Budget Committee Update      David Layne

David informed the group that the Vice President of Administrative Services is on extended leave. No further information has been released at this time.

Curriculum Committee Update      David Layne

New guidelines regarding prerequisites, corequisites, and advisories have been released by the Chancellor’s Office. In addition, all TMCs (Transfer Model Curriculum) should be completed and approved by 2014. David reported that the committee is working diligently on these issues, as well as routine curriculum committee functions.

AP/CLEP Credit Resolution       Darcy Bogle

The statewide Academic Senate has released resolutions supporting inclusion of AP and CLEP exam credits to meet community college general education requirements. The resolutions include a list of CCC GE area equivalences for each AP and CLEP examination, passing scores, and minimum units to award. Darcy reported that we are seeing an increase in students coming in with AP and CLEP credits. She is currently working on a process to standardize the AP and CLEP credits to meet TC general education requirements. AP credits are already accepted at the CSU and UC level. CLEP credits are accepted at the CSU, but not the UC level. Using AP and CLEP credits to meet major requirements is a more complicated issue. Division chairs will need to establish course equivalency and determine whether or not to include the units to satisfy major requirements in addition to GE requirements.

A motion was made to adopt and approve the statewide Academic Senate resolutions and template regarding AP exam credits for Taft College. The motion was made by Bill Devine and seconded by Vicki Herder. The motion carried.

A motion was made to adopt and approve the statewide Academic Senate resolutions and template regarding CLEP exam credits for Taft College. The motion was made by Bill Devine and seconded by Jeff Ross. The motion carried.

High School Special Admit        Darcy Bogle

Darcy reported that there have been many changes to the High School Special Admit Policy. The changes will go into effect beginning with the Spring 2013 semester. High school special admits must be at least 16 years of age and have completed their sophomore year of high school. They must take an assessment test and meet with a counselor. Their enrollment will be limited to transfer level classes with the exception of MATH 1060. They will now have to obtain instructor approval prior to enrolling to ensure class content is age appropriate for underage students. After the student obtains the appropriate instructor signature, he or she will be cleared to enroll. Once enrolled, students should be treated as any other adult student.

Unfinished Business    Tony Thompson

The subcommittee formed to study the sabbatical policy will report to the Senate at the January meeting.

 President’s Report      Tony Thompson

Tony reported that the Senate hiring recommendations are in process and are moving forward. He will send out an update on December 14th after Dr. Dena Maloney talks to the Board of Trustees.

Tony distributed information from the Academic Senate Fall Plenary Session held in November in Irvine and reported on his impressions of the session. He stated that more participation is needed and he believes funds are available for others who might want to participate. He asked that you let him know if you would like to attend the spring session in San Francisco.

Tony also stated that although our fiscal status has improved with the passage of Proposition 30, we should not have a false sense of security and should manage the funds wisely. It is projected the funding will allow an additional 20,000 students to enroll in California community colleges.

Other

Brian Jean expressed his dissatisfaction with the IT Services Department and felt it might be appropriate for the Senate to submit a “Vote of No Confidence” for the Director of IT Services to Dr. Dena Maloney. Brian stated dissatisfaction over a number of issues including the loss of servers that were not backed up, unreliability of the wireless network, and no tracking on IT service requests.

Since the time allocated for the meeting was running short, Tony asked that we place the topic on the January agenda to allow time for further discussion and to collect more information.

Meeting was adjourned at 1:03 p.m.

The next meeting is scheduled during Spring 2013 in-service activities. Respectfully submitted by

Linda West

Academic Senate Secretary

Minutes-12-03-13

 Taft College

 Monday, December 3, 2012

 12:10-1:00 

Cougar Conference Room

Call to Order

Public Commentary

Approval of Minutes – November 5, 2012

Agenda

1. Budget Committee Update – David Layene – 5 minutes

2. Curriculum Committee Update – David Layne – 5 minutes

3. AP/CLEP Credit Resolution – Darcy Bogle – 10 minutes

4. High School Special Admit – Darcy Bogle – 10 minutes

Unfinished Business – Subcommittee of Eric Berube, Vicki Herder, Dave Berry will update at January meeting during In-Service

President’s Report –Fall Plenary Session

Next Meeting – Tuesday, January 15th, 12:00-2:00pm

Agenda-12-03-12

Monday, November 5, 2012 Cougar Conference Room

Attendees: Jennifer Altenhofel, Kanoe Bandy, Wendy Berry, Darcy Bogle, Kamala Carlson,

Chris Chung-Wee, Bill Devine, Candace Duron, John Eigenauer, Juana Escobedo, Sharyn Eveland, Tori Furman, Shelly Getty, Jessica Grimes, Greg Golling, Vicki Herder, Craig Johnson, Diane Jones, David Layne, Mariza Martinez, Tim Markowitz, Mike Mayfield, Michelle Oja, Ruby Payne,

Joseph Polizzotto, Robin Polski, Jeff Ross, Rebecca Roth, Sonja Swenson, Stefanie Walsh, Linda West The meeting was called to order at 12:07 p.m.

Review of October 1, 2012 Senate Minutes

The minutes were approved as presented.

Division Chair Presentations for Faculty Positions

The following division chairs presented the rationale for new faculty positions:

• Kamala Carlson, Liberal Arts, English
• Sonja Swenson, Liberal Arts, Studio Art
• Sharyn Eveland, Social Science, CJA and Sociology
• Kanoe Bandy, Applied Technology, Business
• Greg Golling, Math/Science, Physical Science, Math, Physical Education
• Vicki Herder, Learning Support, Counselor

Presentation materials for each position are attached to the minutes.

Tony asked faculty to submit ranking sheets for the positions by Wednesday. Submit the sheets to the mailroom or his office. Tony and David Layne will meet on the following Tuesday to compile the results.

Tony stated that Patti Bench assured him we would get two positions and she is working on getting a commitment from Dena Maloney to fill three positions.

Diane Jones reminded the group that the results of the rankings will go forward as recommendations from the Senate.

Meeting was adjourned at 1:00 p.m.

The next meeting is scheduled for 12:10-1:00 p.m. on Monday, December 3rd.

Respectfully submitted by

Linda West, Academic Senate Secretary

Monday, November 5, 2012 12:10-1:00pm

Cougar Conference Room

Call to Order

Public Commentary

Approval of Minutes of October 1st, 2012

Agenda

1. Division Chair Presentations for Faculty Positions 12:10 – 12:15 – Liberal Arts – English –Kamala Carlson

12:15 – 12:20 – Liberal Arts – Studio Art – Sonja Swenson

12:20 – 12:30 –Social Science – CJA – Sociology – Sharyn Eveland 12:30 – 12:40 –Applied Technology –Business – Kanoe Bandy

12:40 – 12:55 – Math/Science – Physical Science, Math, Physical Education – Greg Golling 12:55 – 1:00 – Learning Support Division – Counselor – Vicki Herder

2. Ranking Sheets

Old Business –Next meeting Presidents Report—None

Next meeting – December 3, 2012

Agenda-11-05-12

Monday, October 1, 2012 Cougar Conference Room

Attendees: Jennifer Altenhofel, Kanoe Bandy, Michelle Beasley, David Berry, Wendy Berry, Eric Bérubé, Darcy Bogle, Joe’ll Chaidez, Bill Devine, Candace Duron, , Geoffrey Dyer, John Eigenauer,

Juana Escobedo, Sharyn Eveland, Shelly Getty, Greg Golling, Gary Graupman, Vicki Herder, Brian Jean, Diane Jones, David Layne, Mike Mayfield, Michelle Oja, Ruby Payne, Harold Pease, Joseph Polizzotto, David Reynolds, Jeff Ross, Rebecca Roth, Sonja Swenson, Linda West

The meeting was called to order at 12:15 p.m.

Public Commentary

The group was treated to a fantastic lunch courtesy of Leon Denweed, owner of Big Denweed’s Friendly Catering. Leon is a former student and donated the lunch for the meeting.

Review of September 4, 2012 Senate Minutes

The minutes were approved with one correction.

Dr. Dena Maloney

Dr. Maloney updated the Senate on a number of topics including the current budget, the 50 Percent law, and her goals for the academic year.

The Board of Trustees passed the budget at the September meeting. The budget was constructed based upon the November measure failing to pass. The Board has approved the use of $1.1 million from the reserve. As a result, we can continue as is without making further cuts this year. However, if the measure doesn’t pass, we are looking at budget cuts next academic year because we can’t continue utilizing reserves at the current level.

The college did not comply with the 50 Percent law during the past reporting year. The law states that 50 percent of expenditures must be for faculty salaries and benefits. Although it sounds like a simple requirement, the process of allocating expenses can be complicated. The college missed the requirement by $95,000 and has applied for an exemption. If a college is out of compliance, the amount of the shortfall is set aside out of next year’s budget and state allocation is reduced by that amount. A task force has been formed to analyze factors leading to the root cause of the deficit. Dr. Maloney stated that the cause of the shortfall will be determined and we will move forward to compliance.

Dr. Maloney outlined a number of goals for the college, including:

• Continue working on strategic plan including instructional programs, student success, and Transition to Independent Living program
• Analyze WESTEC operations and its relationship to the college

• Develop a plan for CTE
• Finance, accounting, and business goals including the examination of long-term debt obligations
• Institutional effectiveness
• Facilities Master Plan
  • Phase 1, Measure A
  • Phase 2, explore facilities needed to support future programs
• Examine the college’s funding structure and determine whether or not it makes sense for us. Do we have the right mix of restricted vs. unrestricted funds?

Dr. Maloney stated she wanted to place a big emphasis on open communication with both the campus and off-campus communities. She asked that we please forward newsletter ideas along to her.

CEED Grant Faculty Positions  –  Sam Aunai

Sam Aunai presented a proposal to hire a non-tenure track Engineering and Energy Technology full-time faculty position. The position would be funded by the CEED grant. The college currently has five years remaining on the grant after this academic year. Sam is looking for alternative funding sources to continue the position once the grant ends. A full-time faculty member in this area will serve to provide program consistency through coordination, program development, subject matter expertise, and connection with business and industry. In addition, the instructor will teach some of the program related classes.

Academic Senate Secretary Position     –    Tony Thompson

Linda West was unanimously elected to serve as Academic Senate Secretary.

Sabbatical Task Force      –       Eric Bérubé and Vicki Herder

Although the Faculty Collective Bargaining Agreement states the requirements for taking Sabbatical Leave, there appears to be no clear process in place for doing so. Eric and Vicki suggested forming a task force consisting of three faculty members and an administrator to develop a Sabbatical Leave process to bring back to the Senate. The task force will use the Sabbaticals: Effective Practices for Proposals, Implementation, and Follow-Up guidelines adopted by the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges in Spring 2008 as a foundation. Eric Bérubé, Vicki Herder, and Dave Berry agreed to serve on the task force.

Budget Committee Update  –  David Layne

David Layne reported the Budget Committee is currently reviewing program review goals and developing a list of resources required to meet those goals. He stated the Budget Committee is not a decision-making committee.

Resolution in Support of Proposition 30   –     Tony Thompson

Tony Thompson presented a resolution in support of the passage of Proposition 30 (see attached) to the Board of Trustees at the October meeting for Senate review and approval. The proposal generated some discussion regarding whether or not it was appropriate for the senate to be taking a political stand. It was moved by Diane Jones and seconded by Kanoe Bandy to present the resolution to the Board of Trustees. The motion carried by majority vote with four nays.

Faculty Hiring Process   –   Bill Devine, Division Chairs

It was reported the division chairs have had several meetings regarding the faculty hiring process and have recommended no major change. It was suggested to eliminate the faculty ranking sheets but keep the criteria for use in November division chair presentations. It looks like at least two faculty positions will be filled.

Craig Johnson brought up the necessity of using accurate and consistent data in the presentations and suggested division chairs use the data provided by the Institutional Research office for program review. Craig stated it would be helpful if we could see a comparison sheet of the data. Concern was expressed, however, that each division is different and the data doesn’t apply to all equally. It was also mentioned that we must keep in mind that not all positions count toward the 50% law.

A motion was made by Darcy Bogle and seconded by Jeff Ross to use the existing ranking sheets for division chair presentations and include a sheet provided by the Institutional Research office providing data to support the criteria as it relates to the position. The motion carried.

Meeting was adjourned at 1:03 p.m.

The next meeting is scheduled for 12:10-1:00 p.m. on Monday, November 5th. Respectfully submitted by

Linda West

Academic Senate Secretary Attachment

Resolution in support of Proposition 30 on the November ballot: Temporary Taxes to Fund Education, Guaranteed Local Public Safety Funding

WHEREAS, The California Community Colleges is the nation’s largest system of higher education and provides access to higher education to more than 2.4 million students; and

WHEREAS, The California Community Colleges is the largest workforce training provider in the state and plays an essential role in keeping California’s economy competitive; and

WHEREAS, California’s higher education system is in a crisis situation with insufficient resources at a time of record demand due to high school graduates and unemployed residents seeking retraining; and

WHEREAS, California Community Colleges have been cut by $1 billion or 12 percent from the 2008-09 fiscal year to today; and

WHEREAS, the total revenue cuts to the West Kern Community College District during this same time period total $1.2 million; and

WHEREAS, if Proposition 30 fails, the West Kern Community College would realize a cut in revenue of $1,128,325, which would then bring the total cut in revenue from the 2008-09 fiscal year to $2,328,325; and

WHEREAS, Proposition 30 has a direct positive effect on the K-14 educational systems and Proposition 38 benefits only the K-12 system; and

WHEREAS, if passed, Proposition 30 would provide $34.5 billion in deferral payments and funding restoration over five years, which would allow the West Kern Community College District to maintain status quo, or perhaps give an increase of up to $175,000; and

WHEREAS, California’s locally elected Community College trustees, together with their Administrators, Faculty, staff, and students, are best able to decide where budget reductions can be absorbed while minimizing the impact on their communities; and

WHEREAS, a study conducted this year by University of California researchers concluded that for every

$1 invested in public higher education, the state gets $4.50 in return; and

WHEREAS, the Academic Senates of both the University of California and the California State University systems, and the Board of Governors have adopted resolutions in support of Proposition 30; and

WHEREAS, the Taft College Academic Senate recognizes and is sensitive to, the philosophy that the vast majority of voters are opposed to tax increases; and

WHEREAS, the Taft College Academic Senate views the current fiscal crisis affecting the California Community Colleges as the most severe in the system’s history; be it

RESOLVED, the Taft College Academic Senate supports the passage of Proposition 30 to prevent our community, our college, our students, and our entire staff from enduring the incredible damage we would face if it fails to pass.

Minutes-10-01-12

 Taft College

 Monday, October 1, 2012

 12:10-1:00

 Cougar Conference Room

Call to Order

Public Commentary

Approval of Minutes – September 4, 2012

Agenda

1. Dena Maloney-10 minutes

2. Sam Aunai – CEED Grant, non-tenure track Faculty positions (Energy/Pre-Engineering) – 5 minutes

3. Academic Senate Secretary position (Thompson) – 1 minute

4. Request for Task Force to develop procedure for Sabbatical requests (Berube/Herder) – 5 minutes

5. Budget Committee update – (Layne) 5 minutes

6. Resolution in support of Prop. 30 (Thompson) – 5 minutes

7. Faculty Hiring Criteria process – Division Chairs – Bill Devine – 10 minutes

Unfinished Business

Constitution Reform – Do we want to establish a subcommittee on this?

Other (if time allows) President’s Report

Next Meeting – Monday, November 5th  – 12:10

Agenda-10-01-12

Tuesday, September 4, 2012 Cougar Conference Room

Attendees: Kanoe Bandy, Michelle Beasley, David Berry, Eric Bérubé, Darcy Bogle, Joe’ll Chaidez, Bill Devine, Candace Duron, Juana Escobedo, Sharyn Eveland, Shelly Getty, Lourdes Gonzalez,

Jessica Grimes, Vicki Herder, Diane Jones, David Layne, Julián Martinez, Mariza Martinez, Mike Mayfield, Ruby Payne, Joseph Polizzotto, Susan Vaughan, Linda West

The meeting was called to order at 12:15 p.m.

Public Commentary

 None

Review of May, 2012 Senate Minutes

 The minutes were approved as presented.

High School Special Admit Policy                                                                                            Darcy Bogle

 Darcy presented a summary of Senate discussions and recommendations that have taken place surrounding the issue of special admit high school students at the college. The topic was first introduced at the November 7, 2011 Senate meeting. A taskforce was formed in December, 2011, to study the issue, develop a policy, and report findings back to the Senate. After discussion and input from faculty and student service personnel, a draft of the policy was developed and presented to the Senate for review. The draft policy will be presented to the Board of Trustees at the September 2012 board meeting. The policy aligns with statewide policy and permits high school students who have completed their sophomore year of high school and are at least 16 years of age to take transferrable level courses and Math 1060 at the college on a seats-available basis. Students must obtain permission from a parent, school principal, and instructor of the course. Students will receive college credit upon course completion. Special admit students residing in the West Kern Community District service area are exempt from enrollment fees. Special admit students residing outside of the district service area will pay regular community college enrollment fees.

Faculty will continue to receive a list of minors who are enrolled in their classes. Faculty signatures will be required for special admit high school students beginning with the Spring 2013 semester.

A question was raised about allowing children under the age of 16 to take classes. Julian Martinez shared that research indicates that students benefit by taking foreign language classes at younger ages. Darcy suggested that Julian take the question to Brock McMurray.

Accreditation Midterm Report Update  –Eric Bérubé

 Eric addressed the status of the Accreditation Midterm Report. An electronic copy of the report was distributed to the Senate for review. Completion of the midterm report is required by the accrediting commission and must be submitted three years after the initial accreditation site visit. The report, due in October, describes progress made by the college in addressing the five recommendations made by the site visit team. Eric stated the report satisfactorily addresses all recommendations. The college is making good progress in the areas of program review, strategic planning, and SLOs. A Code of Ethics policy has been developed and approved by the Board of Trustees. The Substantive Change Proposal for distance education courses was submitted and approved by the accrediting commission.

Sonja Swenson made a motion to accept the report as presented. The motion was seconded by Dave Berry and unanimously approved by members in attendance.

SLO Implementation Report – Vicki Herder

 Vicki distributed copies of the Status Report on Student Learning Outcomes Implementation that will be submitted to the Accrediting Commission. The report provides the Commission with a status update regarding our implementation of SLOs. Vicki stated that we should be at the proficiency level at the current time and should be looking into program SLOs. Our biggest problem is in getting adjunct faculty to complete and assess SLOs.

Please provide Vicki with documentation of course improvements we’ve made as a result of our assessments. According to Vicki, we must provide evidence that we’re working towards sustainability. She asked that we please complete and submit the “Roadmap to Sustainability” if we have not already done so.  Vicki stated that we will continue with training that will focus on authentic assessment.

The report was presented to the Governance Council and will go to the Board of Trustees in September.

Academic Senate Charter, By-laws, Constitution on Website  – Bill Devine

 Bill stated the Academic Senate currently has two constitutions and we are following neither of them. The 1979 constitution states voting is open to all faculty, whereas the 1993 constitution states voting is limited to elected Senate representatives. Bill suggested it was time to review the Senate Charter.

 President’s Report   – Tony Thompson

 Tony stated that, as a new president, he is looking for involvement and is currently seeking a volunteer to fill the role of secretary. He said he had spoken to Patti Bench who was in agreement that the position could substitute for a committee assignment.

Tony suggested the possibility of the Senate sponsoring an Adjunct Appreciation Luncheon to acknowledge the contributions of our adjuncts and help make them feel more a part of the college community.

The next Senate meeting is scheduled for Monday, October 1st, at 12:10 p.m. Tony requested you forward all agenda items to him.

Other 

Sharyn Eveland expressed concern that the established Faculty Hiring Process was not followed this summer when the Learning Skills Instructor position was filled due to Jack Gallon’s unexpected retirement. Sharyn stated the Senate had agreed to replace positions due to faculty retiring in Spring 2012 prior to filling any new faculty positions. She didn’t feel that agreement extended beyond the spring semester. It was Bill Devine’s opinion that the process was not technically followed. Vicki Herder stated the Learning Support Division wanted to evaluate restructuring the position and she felt the wishes of the division were overlooked. Diane Jones, Kanoe Bandy, and Michelle Beasley stated they felt the process had been followed. No agreement on the issue was reached other than we will always do the best we can to make sure processes are followed.

Meeting was adjourned at 1:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted by

Linda West

Acting Academic Senate Secretary

Minutes-09-04-12

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

12:10-1:00pm

Cougar Conference Room

Call to order

Public Commentary

Approval of Minutes – May 16, 20012

Agenda

1. High School Special Admit Policy update (Darcy Bogle) 10 minutes

2. Accreditation Midterm Report update (Eric Berube) 5 minutes

3. SLO Implementation Report (Vicki Herder) 20 minutes
4. Academic Senate Charter, By-laws, Constitution on website (Devine) 15 minutes President’s Report

Next Meeting – Monday, October 1st, 12:10-1:00 Adjournment

Agenda-09-04-12

11:45 am, Cougar Room

Present: Oops. Sorry guys, I forgot to check to see who was present and who was absent.

Call to Order – Meeting began at 11:45 am Public Commentary – None

Approval of Minutes – Motion to approve the minutes from previous meeting was made by Diane Jones and seconded by Jessica Grimes. Ratified Unanimously

Agenda

Michelle reminded everyone that the planning days for the August inservice are scheduled for August 22nd and 23rd.

The following persons were nominated for officers for 2012-13: President: Tony Thompson

Vice- President: David Layne Secretary: no nominations

Motion to elect the officer listed above was made by Dave Berry and seconded by Mike Mayfield. Ratified Unanimously

Discussion regarding special admit high school students included questions about how faculty are going to be notified when they have special admit high school students enrolled in their classed and also other special admit students. The policy under consideration maintains a Faculty member’s right to deny access to a special admit high school student if the Faculty member feels that the student is not mature enough to handle to content of the course. Faculty members will begin being notified for the Fall 2012 semester. Faculty agreed to maintain their right to approve access to their courses. Sharyn reminded Faculty that special admit high school students will not be able to enroll in courses until the Faculty member grants approval so please pay attention to those requests and not hold up a student’s registration process.

Sam Aunai explained three upcoming new positions that are being funded by Perkins funds. (see handout) The temporary, one-year positions (may be continued, if funding continues) are for a Career Counselor, Academic Advisor, and Career

Technician. In 2011-12, Taft College received approximately $103,000 in Perkins funds and for 2012-13, Taft College will receive approximately $700,000. Sam explained this increase was due to better reporting of our CTE numbers, which made TC eligible for additional funds. Please contact him if you have additional questions.

Bill asked if everyone had read the Program Discontinuance Policy that he had sent out via email. Eric Berube asked if the policy contained information regarding a substantive change report that would need to be sent to the accrediting commission when a program is discontinued. Bill responded that the Administration is responsible for generating that report, if necessary. Bill said that this policy was similar to policies at other institutions. A motion to approve the policy was made by David Layne and seconded by Sharyn Eveland. Ratified Unanimously

Diane Jones thanked Bill Devine for his service as Academic President for the past four years.

Adjournment – Bill adjourned the meeting at 12:45pm.

2012-5-16-senate-minutes

Taft College

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

12:00-1:00pm

Cougar Conference Room

Call to Order

Public Commentary Approval of Minutes

Agenda

 Announcement: 5 day in-service in August with planning days on 22 and 23 (Devine) Vote for New Executive (Devine)

Special Admit High School Students (Darcy Bogle) Program Staffing (Sam Aunai)

Program Discontinuance Policy (Devine)

President’s Report Announcements Adjournment

Sen-Agnda-5-16-12