Ventura College Academic Senate
Minutes
Thursday, March 19, 2009
1:30-3:30 pm
Campus Center Conference Room

I.	Call to Order
	This meeting was called to order at 1:31 p.m.
	The following senate members were present:

Algiers, Kammy
Anderson, Lisa
Chen, Albert (new member, Social Sciences)

Haines, Robbie
Hendricks, Bill (replacing Ann Bittl)
Lange, Cari (Secretary)
Lew, Warren (Treasurer) 

Mitchell, Nancy
Morris, Terry
Pauley, Mark
Pollack, Deborah (VP)
Sezzi, Peter (President)
II.	Approval of minutes
a.	Dec 12, 2008
Motioned by Pauley, seconded by Anderson. Aprroved with Lew and Haines abstaining.
b.	March 5, 2009
Motioned by Morris, seconded by Pauley. Unanimously approved.
III.	Action Items
a.	Academic Senate Meeting Day and Time (1st and 3rd Wed, 3:00-5:00pm) commencing  Fall 2009 (Second Reading)
	Considerable discussion revealed that there are too many schedule conflicts to change the day and time for Academic Senate meetings starting Fall 2009. Meetings will remain on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month, from 1:30-3:30 p.m. In the event of scheduling conflicts with district meetings, the Senate Vice President will run the Academic Senate meeting, allowing the President to attend the district meetings. 
b.	DCSL:  Academic Procedures 4010, 4020, 4022, 4050, 4070, 4101, 4230, 4232, 4235, 4240, 4300 (Second Reading)
Academic Procedure 4010: Motioned by Pollack, seconded by Pauley. Unanimously approved.
Academic Procedure 4020: Motioned by Lew, seconded by Pauley. Approved 11-0-1, with Haines abstaining. 
Academic Procedure 4022: Motioned by Lew, seconded by Hendricks. Approved 11-0-1, with Haines abstaining. 
Academic Procedure 4050: Motioned by Lew, seconded by Hendricks. Unanimously approved.
Academic Procedure 4070: Motioned by Lew, seconded by Mitchell. 
	Further discussion- Sezzi clarified questions that arose during the first reading. It was disclosed that instructors may not unofficially audit a class. Further, no person may unofficially sit in on a class, even if they are accompanying a minor. Only one course may be audited per semester as per interpretation of the educational code. With these clarifications, the motion was approved 10-1-1, with Lew voting against and Haines abstaining. 
Academic Procedure 4101: Motioned by Lew, seconded by Hendricks. Unanimously approved.
Academic Procedure 4230: Motioned by Pauley, seconded by Algiers. 
	Further discussion- At the request of all involved, Sezzi added language to the “Incomplete” grade designation that states an “I” grade must be requested prior to the submission of the final course grade, and with approval of the instructor. 
	In regards to the “withdrawal” or “W” designation, Sezzi clarified for the Senate that Title V requires all colleges within the district to agree on the “W” deadline. DCSL is voting on the matter the week of March 23rd, so if the Senate wishes propose modification to the “W” deadline, we must do so next academic year. Further debate centered on the pros and cons to potentially modifying the ‘W” deadline, with no consensus reached. 
	Pauley moved to table the item due to non-consensus, thus allowing Sezzi to bring up the “W” deadline policy discussion at future district wide meetings. Sezzi agrees to abstain if this item comes to vote this academic year. Algiers seconded. All agreed to table this item. 
Academic Procedure 4232: Motioned by Lew, seconded by Pauley. Unanimously approved.
Academic Procedure 4235: Motioned by Lew, seconded by Hendricks. 
	Further discussion- Sezzi informed the Senate that no resolution was reached on how the credit by examination fees will effect the nursing program. Sezzi agrees to abstain if this item comes to vote, and the nursing program has not been specifically addressed. Approved 11-0-1, with Haines abstaining.
Academic Procedure 4240: Motioned by Lew, seconded by Pauley. Unanimously approved.
Academic Procedure 4300: Motioned by Lew, seconded by Algiers. 
	Further discussion- procedural code was corrected to include the names of the forms that were inadvertently missed in the original verbiage. With this correction, the procedure was unanimously approved.
c.	DCHR: Honorific Academic Rank/Titles (Second Reading)
	Motioned by Lew, seconded by Morris. 
	Further discussion- In order to make a more cohesive Honorific Academic Rank/Title system among the three colleges in the district, the sitting Academic Senate presidents developed a system that blended the existing systems. The revised Honorific Academic Rank/Titles system (Attached as addendum A) was unanimously approved.
d.	Establishment of Academic Senate Scholarship Endowment via the Ventura College Foundation.
		Motioned by Lange, seconded by Anderson. 
		Further discussion- Pollack proposesd that the Academic Senate transfers $5500 to the Foundation's endowment fund by March 31, due to the fact that the Foundation is matching, dollar for dollar, any donations over $5000 made in the month of March. 
		Lew brought up the concern that if we donate $5500 to the Foundation, the students that would be immediately served by the Academic Senate's Scholarship fund, will not be served this academic year. He emphasized that the current financial climate means that more students are in immediate need. 
		Others rationally stated that the Senate should contribute as much as we are possibly able to due to the fact that our donation will be matched, there by immediately doubling the amount put into scholarship funds. Lew argued that the scholarship pay out will be low for the first couple of years of the endowment. Others felt that the long term benefit of establishing an endowment now, with as much money put into it as possible, would better serve Ventura College students indefinitely. 
It was suggested that the Senate donates the minimum $5000 in order to earn the matching bonus and uses any surplus money for immediate scholarship needs. It was pointed out that $500 would not fulfill very many immediate needs, but in the long term that same $500, matched to $1000, would benefit many students. 
Sezzi will speak to the Foundation about matching the Senate's contributions in the future, which will have a significant long term impact. 
The original motion of transferring $5500 to the Foundation was rescinded. 
	The new motion, transferring $5000 to the Foundation's scholarship fund and using $1000 this academic year to fund some student scholarships, was motioned by Lange and seconded by Anderson.  The motion was approved 10-0-2, with Haines and Hendricks voting against.

IV.	President’s Report
a.	Board of Trustees meeting report
		Nothing to report.
b.	Administrative Council report
Lange has been attending Administrative Council on behalf of Sezzi. Lange reported that a Due Process Task Force has been formed to address a possible revision to the campus and district wide disciplinary procedures. Some Academic Senate members expressed the need to have the disciplinary code specifically address cheating, especially in programs, such as nursing, that offer a vocational certificate. 
	Admin council is also exploring the benefits and practicality of “dark” Fridays and/or Saturdays for the summer sessions. 
c.	Consultation Council report
		Nothing to report.
d.	DCAS/DCSL/DCHR/DTRW/DACW reports
i.	DCHR: Recruitment and Selection Procedures for F/T Academic Hires
The section of the Recruitment and Selection Procedures for F/T Academic Hires detailing the College President’s interview is of concern. It states that the College president has the sole discretion in determining who is present during the presidential interview of any full time hire candidate. It is the feeling of the Academic Senate that without a representative from the candidate’s interview committee present, there will be no system to supply feedback as to the rationale behind the President’s decisions. The situation has occurred where the President has not chosen to hire any of the candidates forwarded to the Presidential interview for a particular position, and little to no explanation as to why was given. There is no way for the hiring committee to know if the Presidential interview was in fact fair or even legitimate. This is of great concern to those faculty who spend countless hours on the hiring committee, and have determined that a candidate is worthy of, from their perspective, the full time position. At the bare minimum, the Diversity Facilitator should be present at the Presidential level interview, it was noted.
Sezzi presented the Senate with suggestions drafted by longtime Staff Diversity Facilitator Becky Hull for modifications to this section of the Recruitment and Selection Procedures for F/T Academic Hires policy. The revision allows for the Diversity Facilitator and/or the faculty co-chair of the hiring committee to be present. The role the co-chair would fill during the Presidential interview would be at the discretion of the President. 
This item will be presented at the Academic Senate meeting on April 2	as a second reading action item.
ii.	DLTF: Replacement committee member needed
		Two replacements have been appointed.
e.	Due Process Task Force report
Albert Chen volunteered to represent the Academic Senate at the March 24th meeting.
V.	Vice-President’s Report
		Pollack’s reported on the Curriculum Committee report as detailed in section VII
VI.	Treasurer’s Report
a.	Budget Meeting (March 17)
Minutes from this meeting are posted on Luminis as a file under the “Groups” section. Lew attended this meeting on behalf of the Senate Exec and reported out about the meeting.
b.	Faculty Recognition/Appreciation
		The Senate Executive Members have agreed that certificates of 				appreciation and gift certificates for a local restaurant will be given out this year.
VII.	Committee reports
a.	Curriculum Committee report
Pollack has been attending Curriculum Committee on behalf of Sezzi. Pollack reports that the Mathematics Department’s of the three colleges have met and agreed upon competency requirements as is required by the changes in Title V. The District’s English Department’s are worked on reaching an agreed upon competency requirement per the Title V regulations.  
VIII.	 Information Items
a.	Appointment of Academic Senate Treasurer for 2009-2011
This will be an action item at the Senate meeting on April 2. Individuals who received a write in vote during the formal election will each be asked if they would like to serve. If more than one candidate agrees to serve, there will be a run off election for the position. If none of the write in candidates wishes to serve, the Academic Senate 	will appoint a person to the position.
b.	Statewide Academic Senate Spring Plenary Session Resolutions
		This item will be up for a first reading at the Senate meeting on April 2.
IX.	Adjournment
			The meeting adjourned at 3:35 pm.