Ventura College Academic Senate
Minutes
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Campus Center Conference Room

I.	Call to Order
This meeting was called to order at 1:32 p.m. The following senate members were present:

Anderson, Lisa - Math & Sciences
Arquilevich, Gabriel – Communication & Learning Resources
Aubry, Michael – Career & Technical Education 
Corbett, P. Scott – Social Sciences & Humanities
Hagerman, Michelle – Math & Sciences
Haines, Robert – Math & Sciences
Hendricks, Bill - Social Sciences & Humanities
Lange, Cari – Senate Secretary
Mitchell, Nancy Rae - Career & Technical Education 
Guillen, Guadalupe – Student Services
Pollack, Deborah - Senate Vice-president
Schoenrock, Kathryn – Communication & Learning Resources
Sezzi, Peter - Senate President
Turner, Steve (Alternate for Munoz, Paula) – Student Services

The following guests were in attendance:

Harrison, Karen 
Kumpf, Dan
Martin, Rebecca – ASVC Secretary
Oliver, David

II.	Approval of minutes
a.	September 3, 2009
Motioned by Arquilevich, seconded by Hendricks.  Approved 13-0-0.  
III.	Guests
a.	Sue Royer – Time Certain:  1:30pm (5 minutes)
	Royer was present to once again review the new on-line text book adoption procedure. She encouraged the senate members to speak to their departments about getting text adoptions submitted on time.

b.	Dave Keebler – Time Certain:  1:35 pm (30 minutes) 
	Keebler was present to clarify for the Academic Senate the role of and faculty involvement in the transformational budgeting committee, which reports to CRC. Keebler provided senate members with a handout outlining the design team purpose, deliverables and outcomes, and proposed time line for this committee. He emphasized that the 2010-11 budget will suffer more pronounced cuts to both categorical funding and base general funding. He implored faculty to take an active role in the process designed to aid in the determination of where budget cuts could be made with the least impact on student instruction and services. This transformational budgeting committee will be the group determining which “low hanging fruit” should be pruned. Due to the fact that these cuts will be happening with or without faculty input, Keebler beseeched us to actively guide the process of systemic change through the work of this committee.
	Concern was raised about who will then be reviewing the work of this group. The transformational budgeting committee will report directly to CRC. Sezzi then recommended that the Academic Senate and Administration Council concurrently review the recommendations of the transformational budgeting committee. Currently, the Academic Senate is not involved in this process, but Sezzi feels it is such a critical matter that we would be shirking a major responsibility to not become involved. 
	 The question was asked about how much overlap the transformational budgeting committee will have with program review. Keebler confirmed that they are two separate but simultaneous processes. Program review may be viewed as a micro process, while the transformational budgeting committee will be working on macro issues such as determining what percentage of the district budget should be dedicated to instruction, academic support, and college services.  It was confirmed that VCCD spends proportionately more on college services (district administration) than other community college districts in the state. The transformational budgeting committee will have the opportunity to address such issues. This committee will be focused on such systemic change, not incremental budgeting. 

IV.	Discussion Items
a.	Transformational Budgeting  / “Core” College Design Teams
	In light of this monumentally important task of the transformational budgeting committee, Corbett motioned for the Academic Senate to affirm our participation in the transformational budgeting committee / “Core” College design team. Mitchell seconded. The motion unanimously carried.
	Discussion then revolved around how to appoint faculty members to the committee. The Senate collectively determined that a team consisting of 11 members ( one representative from each of the seven divisions, three at-large representatives, and the Academic Senate President , designee) would be the most fair and productive constitution. The proposal to sit the transformational budgeting committee in this manner was motioned by Hendricks, and seconded by Haines. This motion unanimously carried.
	Senators were then asked to speak with their respective departments to determine a fair and equitable way to choose the department representative as well as any interested at-large members. Senators were asked to submit the names of divisional representatives and any potential at-large representatives to Sezzi no later than next Thursday, September 24 at 5pm. Proposed at large members will be formally appointed at the Oct. 1, 2009 Academic Senate meeting. 

V.	Action Items
a.	District & College Committee Appointments
	Program review: Senate will be affirming individuals for program review appointment at the Oct. 1, 2009 Academic Senate meeting. We currently have 8 of 15 tentatively filled. Sezzi requested that the senators solicit within their respective departments.
	Accreditation Standard Faculty Co-Chair appointments: Mitchell moved to forward Jennifer Parker to serve on the previously vacant Instruction (Standard 2A) accreditation committee. Pollack seconded. Motion carried 12-0-1 with Haines abstaining. 

b.	District Drafts of Procedures/Forms for “Vehicle & Transportation” and “Student Travel, Field Trip and Excursions” (First Reading)
	These procedures and forms will be a second reading agenda item for the Oct. 1, 2009 meeting.

c.	DCHR:  BP72XX; AP72XX ( Second Reading)
	Procedure BP72XX (Minimum qualifications and equivalencies): motioned for approval by Corbett, and seconded by Arquilevich. The procedure unanimously passed. 
	Procedure AP72XX (Minimum qualifications and equivalencies): Round table discussion revealed that this procedure could not, in all practicality, be implemented in mid-semester hiring situations. Corbett argued that the senate should define a “trigger” point for this type of hiring process review. The senate agreed that this procedure needs further modification, and voting will be moved to the Oct. 1 agenda. 

d.	Senate Resolution on Program Discontinuance (First Reading)
	This resolution will be a second reading item on the next agenda.

VI.	Information Items
a.	Update to VC Website on “Academic Honesty” 
	Sezzi informed us that the Academic Honesty policy listed on our web site needs updating. He asked if anyone were interested in working with him on updating this part of the college webpage.

b.	Textbook Ordering and Adoption
After some discussion regarding  balancing the need of timely book adoption with academic freedom, the Council agreed that Sezzi will bring up this topic at the next Department Chair’s meeting to discuss the ordering process for default (emergency back up) textbooks. 

VII.	President’s Report
a.	Administrative Council report 
	Nothing to report.
b.	DCAS/DCSL/DCHR/DTRW/DACW reports (Peter Sezzi)
i.	Student Discipline Board Policy and Administrative Procedures: BP 5500; AP5500, AP 5520, AP 5530 (First Reading)
First reading of the above proposals revealed that procedure BP 5500 and AP 5500 (Student Code of Conduct) lacks a statement about the course of action taken if a student violates specific vocational or professional codes of conduct or state regulations within a particular field or program (such as would apply within the nursing or criminal justice fields). Mitchell agreed to work with the other vocational instructors to craft a statement to address this issue. These procedures, with the modifications, will be a second reading agenda item for the Oct. 1, 2009 meeting.
	Proposal AP 5520 and AP 5530 will also be slated as a second reading item on the next agenda. 

Sezzi handed out and explained some budget allocation documents from DCAS.

c.	Board of Trustees meeting report
	Nothing to report

VIII.	Vice-President’s Report
Pollack reported about the status of the One Book, One Campus program for both the Spring and Fall 2010 semesters.

IX.	Treasurer’s Report
       Treasurer Mark Pauley was sick so there was no Treasurer’s Report.

X.	Campus Committee reports
Due to time constraints there was no time for campus committee reports.

XI.	Adjournment
	Meeting was adjourned at 3:45 p.m.