Glendale Community College Faculty Senate

Meeting of October 28, 2004

Approved Minutes

 

(Please note: General interest issues or meetings & notifications are listed below in bold to allow them to be located more easily.)

 

 

I. General

 

A.                 Call to Order:  A quorum being present, President Carmela Arnoldt called the meeting to order at 2:30 P.M.  Senators present included: President Carmela Arnoldt, Vice-President Jim Reed, Treasurer Jim Daugherty and Secretary Pam Nelson, as well as Senators Larry Bohlender, Doug Brenner, Paula Davis, Fernando García, Rachelle Hall, Robert Hubbard, Steve Kadel, Connie LaBuhn, Carlos Nuñez, Alicia Ottenberg, Robert Reavis, Frank Rivera and Joy Wingersky. Executive Councilor-at-Large David Rodriguez was also present.

 

B.         Introduction of Guests – including, but not limited to, Joseph Bednorz, Ruth Callahan, Frank Gonzalez, Mary Jane Onnen, Debra Palok and Lyle Walcott.  GCC President Phil Randolph also visited with Senate during the first part of the meeting.

 

Interim: GCC President Dr. Phil Randolph

 

Dr. Randolph discussed several issues with Senate:

·        GCC growth has continued; both FTSE and headcount have gone up this semester.

·        Next year’s budget process is underway; Dr. Randolph thanked Senate and the campus community for their continuing support of the process.

·        Higher Learning Commission (HLC) Reports continue to be drafted.  Dr. Randolph reported good responses to the Climate Survey Listing Sessions.

·        Although Dr. Randolph gave an initial date of his retirement of January 15th, he has agreed to stay on until a new President has been chosen.  He will offer his services to help the next President transition into the new role.  He currently expects to “be around” until July 1st.  Dr. Randolph informed Senate that an outside firm will help gather qualified and diverse candidates for the position and that the search committee, comprised of students, employees, and community members, will recommend several finalists to Dr Glasper.

·        VP Reed raised an issue regarding travel & conference funds.  He made Senate aware that while full-time faculty are able to apply for travel funds after one year of employment and adjuncts can apply for up to $500/year within the adjunct program, that OSOs and OYOs were “caught between” and did not have a source of travel and conference funds.  Asked if it would be possible to look into this inequity, Dr. Randolph replied that this is an RFP issue that cannot be dealt with on individual campuses.

·        Senate agreed to take a few of the agenda items out of sequence in order for Dr. Randolph to provide additional information prior to leaving the meeting.  Please see II. D. Travel Request Facilitator and III. E.  Disruptive Student Admin. Response below for more details.

 

      C.        The proposed meeting agenda was adopted as amended. 

 

      D.        The minutes from the September 23, 2004 meeting were approved unanimously.

 

      E.         Treasurer Daugherty reported a balance of $15,689.49 for all accounts.

 

      F.         President Arnoldt reported:

·        President Arnoldt requested that Senate be sure to review the initial draft of the MEMO/Computing Resource Standards that they received via MEMO earlier in the week.

·        President Arnoldt informed Senate that she had been named in a public records request and asked to provide all of her MEMOs that referred to the Bond or Capital Planning.  The East Valley Tribune had made the request of several leaders at various MCCCD locations.

·        President Arnoldt informed Senate that the Presidential Search Committee, consisting of approximately 26 members representing a diverse group of College, District and community members, had met. Representatives from all major constituency groups are included.

 

 

G.  FEC (Faculty Executive Council) Report - Vice-President Reed

·        VP Reed & President Arnoldt reported that FEC is still examining Transfer Policy language in the RFP.  The right for Faculty to apply for transfer does not guarantee the Faculty member the position.  Senate briefly discussed the “paradox” of how one Faculty member, selected as proficient at one college, might not be suitable for a similar position at another college.  Discussion about multiple courses taught and academic flexibility was included.

·        President Arnoldt reminded Senate that she is serving on the Meet & Confer team this year.  One issue under discussion is defining “office hours” for faculty who teach in alternate formats or on weekends. She requested that suggestions on this topic be sent to her.

·        VP Reed asked Senator Nelson to speak briefly about her experience at the Board Strategic Conversation held on September 12th, 2004.  Senator Nelson reported on the “active learning” exercises that attendees took part in as part of a presentation on shared governance made by members of FEC to the Board and attendees.  Senator Nelson reported her surprise that at least one member of the Board did not show much respect for the Faculty or the process.  She also reported that the exercise was entertaining, and that the summary presented at the end of the evening (which all Faculty received via MEMO following the event) was especially timely--encouraging Board Members who lack respect for Faculty to get out of the way AND for Faculty who don’t respect the Board Members to do the same.  It is time that communication and respect improve between the Faculty and District leadership.

 

H.     Governing Board Report.  President Arnoldt

·        See Above

 

II. Old Business

A. College Plan Review Subcommittee – Daugherty

·        President Arnoldt reminded Senate that GCC President Randolph is still reviewing last semester’s College Plan revision.

·        Senator Daugherty informed Senate that the subcommittee had met since the last Senate meeting.  The committee reviewed, edited, and culled the list of questions used in the Department Chair review that was piloted with the Math department last Spring.  The subcommittee also received a few suggestions from Dean Abel, which the members agreed to accept.

·        Senator Daugherty was asked to forward the changes recommended by Dean Abel to Senate; Senator Daugherty offered to send the College Plan Dept Chair evaluation questions to the Senate.

 

B.  Faculty Committee Service Review - Arnoldt

·        President Arnoldt informed Senate that she had received a “couple of dozen” responses to the Committee Review questionnaire.  President Arnoldt asked Senate to remind their constituents to return their Committee Review sheets that they received a month ago.

·        President Arnoldt informed Senate that she had received requests from Faculty who thought they were on a committee but were not and reiterated that Faculty are obligated to review the Committee assignment sheets they receive prior to the end of the year.  Occasionally, for the good of the institution, it is necessary that Faculty be assigned to committees other than those requested.

 

C. Faculty Offices - Bohlender

·        Senator Bohlender reminded Senate that, as space is at a premium, 49% faculty and faculty on sabbatical may be asked to share or give up their offices. One situation nearly had someone on sabbatical have an office appropriated.  Although this was resolved prior to the office being entered, it raises questions of Faculty rights with respect to offices and workspace.

·        Senator Bohlender reminded Senate that GCC will hire 26 new Faculty in the up-coming year and that not all of these accommodate retirements and replacements.  As the number of Faculty continues to increase and the amount of office space does not, creative ways of providing Faculty with office space may have to be implemented.

·        A brief discussion ensued about the possibilities that have been suggested at various times in GCC’s history, including utilizing space now used by adjuncts and/or 49% faculty.  Senators were not pleased with either of these options but acknowledged that the situation presents a problem.

 

D. GCC Faculty Travel Request Processor - Arnoldt

·        This item was discussed while GCC President Randolph was present and conversing with Senate.

·        GCC President Randolph shared the history of how travel requests have been handled on campus and at District through his tenure in the District.

·        GCC President Randolph reported that he had received Senate’s motion from the preceding meeting and had begun exploring the possibilities of ways in which processing travel requests could be made more efficient for the campus community.

·        GCC President Randolph stated that a Business Services employee might be able to offer proactive assistance to help campus faculty/staff complete travel requests.  He will have to obtain agreement from several parties before a formal arrangement is made.

·        GCC President Randolph implied that hiring a budget-position employee to handle these requests might be possible in the future.

 

E.   Membership - Nelson

·        Senator Nelson distributed updated membership lists that include the names of each of their constituents to each Senator; new lists also include 49% retirees.  Senator Nelson strongly encouraged Senators to contact constituents and ask for their membership in the Faculty Association.  She also encouraged Senators to act as a contact conduit to Senate, regardless if the individual chose to join the Association.

·        Senator Nelson reminded Senate that the deadline for joining the Faculty Association with full benefits was November 15th.

 

 

III. New Business

 

A. Senate Statement on Affirmative Action - Hubbard

·        Senator Hubbard offered to draft a statement for the next meeting that would express support for faculty diversity and increasing the proportion of minority faculty to a level more proportionate with the student population.  Senator Hubbard stated that he felt it was necessary that Senate show continuing support for diversity concerns and address varying opinions concerning a climate of “hate” that prompted last month’s rally.

·        Senate discussed the possibility of drafting such a statement.  Senators expressed a variety of opinions on the statement and topic, including:

o       Support of a statement in general but with reservations about some of the qualifiers that may be included.

o       The difficult position of supporting free speech while protecting the academic freedom of Faculty.

o       Discomfort with use of the word “hate” when some feel there is no clear evidence of a hateful environment campus-wide.  The question arose whether a better term to describe the over-all atmosphere (vs. the response to the actions of one person) would be “dissatisfaction.”

o       Acknowledgement of the proposed limits to be made to MCCCD web and email policies that will make it more difficult for situations such as those that have arisen over the last year.

o       A few Senators’ belief that some minority Faculty are choosing not to apply for or remain in the pools for jobs at GCC due to the perceived inhospitable environment.  Other Senators questioned how and why this information had been dispersed so widely and whether or not the information that had been dispersed regarding the campus climate was accurate.  Extreme concern was raised regarding the possibility that minority Faculty are deciding or being convinced not to apply for GCC jobs, as this is one of the main objectives of the Chancellor, President, and GCC leadership: to improve diversity at the college.

o       President Arnoldt sought to compare the current situation with a prior situation with another Faculty.  Senator Hubbard took extreme offense to the comparison and retracted his offer to write the statement.  President Arnoldt apologized for her statement, and several Senators asked that Senator Hubbard reconsider his decision.  After further discussion, Senator Hubbard agreed to write the statement. 

o       Several Senators discussed the problem that exists in defining diversity District-wide.  If hiring practices seek to obtain diversity, a group consensus needs to define diversity. 

o       Several Senators questioned the issues existing within the minority population beyond the most recent Web-incited events that are fueling the idea that GCC holds a “hostile environment for minorities.”

o       Senators discussed the hiring practices that affect and direct hiring of a more diverse pool.  Several Senators discussed including questions during the interview process that would ask candidates to describe specific actions they had done to be inclusive of a diverse population.

o       One Senator expressed concern over the perception of the community- at-large given recent events.

·        Senators offered several suggestions for other things that should be included in the statement, including encouraging an increase in diversity of Faculty applicants and requesting a question specifically targeting the applicant’s attempts or success at working with diverse populations in the past.

·        Senator Hubbard agreed to write up several ideas for a statement to be presented to Senate at the next meeting.

 

 

 

B.  MCCCD Safety Department Policy Change - Arnoldt

·        Debra Palok visited with Senate regarding potential changes in Security forces on MCCCD campuses.

·        Senator Davis presented Senate with a letter written by an AZ POST Certified Officer Glendale Police Officer and GCC Adjunct Faculty supporting the arming of Certified Officers on MCCCD campuses.  Senator Davis also asserted that she had heard that the colleges have had difficulty filling Certified Officer positions due to weapons restrictions.

·        Ms. Palok provided information on the discussion from the last Senate meeting about the possibility of changing from college Security to Police.  Ms. Palok and Senate President Arnoldt expressed concern to Senate that Ms. Palok had been invited to help clarify misinformation.

·        Ms. Palok provided a history of the current proposal, beginning with the MCCCD Board’s decision about a year ago to continue Certified Officers not being allowed to carry weapons on MCCCD campuses.  College Safety Directors from various colleges were asked at that time to create a proposal that would include improving Security forces through restructuring the system.

·        The original Proposal was put together over six months by all of the College Safety Directors, several Deans & certified police officers from various campuses.  The proposal was presented to the Chancellor who then forwarded it to a “workforce group” consisting of District, campus and community members.  The group examined the proposal.  The workforce group then presented an alternative recommendation to the Chancellor, which essentially entailed keeping the Security forces as they currently are at the colleges with only a few minor changes.  The two proposals will soon be forwarded to the Governing Board.

·        The original Security Director proposal includes the following points:

o       Increase number of certified officers (eliminating temporary positions and hiring full-time certified officers instead)

o       Budget increase of approximately $1.5M over 5 years (because many positions are conversions rather than new hires as the $3M quoted at the last meeting implied.)

o       GCC presently has 4 Certified Police Officers and approx. 25 temporary or part-time security officers.  The new proposal would call for 4 CPOs/college + 1 additional per 5000 students.  This would mean GCC would get an additional 4 CPOs.  The proposal also requests additional Certified Safety Officers (different than those above) up to a level of 4 per college, a dispatcher per college and an office coordinator per college (many of which GCC already has).

o       Proposal also calls for an Executive Director of Safety housed at District who would over-see departments, standardize training, etc.  This is not intended as a step towards centralization.

 

 

·        Senators questioned why such a large increase of officers would be necessary.  Ms. Palok explained that their proposal was drawn up using comparative numbers of other community college districts (e.g., Pima) and university campuses serving communities of similar size, and that the proposal was parallel to other school systems.

·        The “arming issue” is tied with the preceding proposal, as the increase in CPOs would be linked with their ability to carry firearms.  Given that pieces of the proposal listed above would be positive changes for the campuses without the arming being approved, some Senators expressed concern that these two issues would be linked in such a way.  The linkage may set up both to pass or fail without full consideration of the separate issues.

·        President Arnoldt informed Senate that although FEC has not yet received a detailed written copy of the report, it seemed unlikely that FEC would support the proposal and asked Senators to indicate their positions on both the proposal and arming.

 

 

C.  Faculty Convocation Raffle Donation – VP Reed

·        Vice President Reed informed Senate that FEC is working with the Convocation Planning Committee to return the focus of Convocation to Faculty interests.  President Arnoldt is serving on the committee.

·        As one way of drawing Faculty interest, FEC is helping sponsor Raffle/Door Prizes for the event.  VP Reed requested that Senate consider a donation to help fund these prizes.

·        The following motion was made and seconded, “Move that Senate donate $500 to the Faculty Convocation Prize Fund.”  The motion passed unanimously.

·        Vice President Reed also requested that Senate or other Faculty submit photos of long-time faculty to support one part of the event.

 

 

D.  Readfest Donation – Daugherty

·        Senate received a request for a donation to this year’s Readfest, to be held on November 10th, 2004.  Senate has historically donated funds and volunteers to run a popcorn machine.  This year regulations prevent Faculty and Staff from handling food, so snow cones and pre-wrapped candies will have to be purchased, which may be more expensive.

·        The following motion was made and seconded. “Move that Senate donate a sum of no more than $1500 to GCC Readfest.”  The motion passed unanimously.

·        Vice President Reed encouraged Senators to donate time and/or money to the Readfest campaign individually.

·        Exec-Rep-At-Large Rodriguez encouraged Readfest organizers to apply for college budget funds to help run this event.

 

 

 

E.  Disruptive Student &Administrative Response – Garcia/Nuñez

·        This item was initially discussed while GCC President Randolph was present and conversing with Senate (italicized section) and was further discussed at its regular position in the agenda order (regular text).

·        Senators Garcia and Nuñez brought forth information about a recent event in which a student had been excessively confrontational and verbally abusive to both an instructor and a Dept. Chair.  The student had been sent back to class without prior approval from the Dept. Chair following the episode.  The line of communication between the Asst. Dean and Chair had not been followed and the Deans had made an executive decision without consulting or informing either the Dept. Chair or the course instructor.

·        Because of the excessive nature of the confrontation, the Dept Chair had also filed an Incident Report with Security regarding the hostile student.

·        GCC President Randolph described the usual chain-of-command for student complaints (Course faculty to Dept. Chair to Association Dean to Dean to President).  Dr. Randolph stated that he had just recently heard about the episode and apologized if the situation had been handled improperly.  He stated that he would look into the situation further.  He commended the Dept Chair for following the chain of command and for appropriately filing the Incident Report.

·        Senate and President Randolph discussed the problem of knowing which policies might apply to which situations.  Since this was a behavioral issue, the question arose whether the student should have been referred to Student Life or to Instruction because of its relation to classroom/ instructional activity.  A request was made to consider formalizing a procedure to deal with situations like these.

·        During the later part of the meeting, Senator Nuñez further described the student’s behavior and where and how it occurred.  President Arnoldt expressed the opinion that the situation may have been exacerbated by Associate Dean White’s extended absence from campus.

·        A comparison was drawn between the “hateful behavior” of the student when being confrontational to the Chair and recent events involving the treatment of Hispanic Faculty by another Faculty member.  The opinion was expressed that both situations would have been better handled with more civil behavior.

 

 

 

IV. Information

 

A.    Faculty Service on External Community/Business Committees - Arnoldt

·        Faculty in Business/Consumer Science/ Nursing, etc. are often required to sit on off-campus committees related to their job. 

·        Some of these Faculty have requested that membership on external committees be included as their committee assignment, stating that often these committees take much more time commitment than on-campus committees and that they are a service to the community above and beyond the job description. The discussion will continue.

·        Senator Nelson added that some constituents have asked that District committees (e.g. ATF, Instructional Council, etc.) be counted toward the RFP committee requirement.

 

B.  Faculty Comment/Commencement 2005 - Arnoldt

·        President Arnoldt requested that Senate send recommendations to her recommending colleagues who might give the Faculty Comment at Commencement.

 

C.  Faculty Salaries - Reavis

·        Senator Reavis provided Senate with a document that summarized GCC Faculty salaries over the last 10 years.  The document included information about the percentile ranking of GCC & PC Faculty salaries compared with the rest of the country (as provided in ACADEME) as well as information about how Faculty base salaries have been affected when inflation is included in the calculation.

·        Senator Reavis thanked several people, including Senator Rivera, for their help in compiling the information.

·        Senate encouraged Senator Reavis to send the document out to the rest of the Faculty sometime prior to the next meeting but after the rush of the election.

 

Meeting was adjourned at 5:20 pm.

 

Next meeting of the GCC Faculty will take place one week later than usual (due to Thanksgiving holiday) on December 2nd @ 2:30pm.