The agenda was approved as written.

The minutes were approved as written.

President's Report

As President of the Senate, Laura Ore presented the following information regarding meetings and issues:

• ACC Board meeting, December 3, 2001-The Senate President addressed the Board and made clear the Senate's dissatisfaction with the alternative study for the upcoming SACS visit. She reported that the Senate did not have input into the decision to apply for the alternative study nor did the Senate think that such a study would focus on the real problem areas of the college. She presented the Senate's resolution calling for the inspection and testing of the Rio Grande campus by the Environmental Protection Agency and explained that many of the faculty were concerned about the storage of chemicals and about possible health hazards. She also expressed the Senate's concerns about the ability of the school to pay the full-time faculty an average wage and requested that John Cise be given all information that he had requested.
• Faculty Senate Officers and Administration, December 4, 2001-Senate Officers discussed the issues that the Senate President had raised with the Board on the previous day. EVP Stephen Kinslow gave an update explaining the recent testing of RGC and the oral report that he had received from the Texas Department of Health. He noted that no toxic levels of mercury had been found. The issue of the alternative study was also raised. The faculty was encouraged to support the study and to participate in it as fully as possible. Faculty input was to be most needed in the various committees on which the faculty serves.
• Letter to Environmental Protection Agency, December 5, 2001-Senate President Ore wrote to the Regional Director for the Environmental Protection Agency asking for his/her help in addressing the Senate's concerns about the Rio Grande campus. At this time, she came to understand that this agency does not conduct indoor testing, so she sent a copy of the letter to the Director of the Toxic Substances Division of the Texas Department of Health. An assistant director of the EPA called her from Washington during the winter vacation. She has yet to be able to reach him but has left a message outlining the problem.
• EVP Team Meeting, December 14, 2001-The Senate President attended the EVP Team meeting which included further updates about the progress of testing at RGC and a long list of necessary appointments to a variety of committees. The following appointments were made to committees:
  • Quality Initiative Committee-Dan Traverso
  • Professional Development Committee-Linda Caplin and Shannon Bailey
  • College-Wide Technology Committee-Mary Kohls

The Senate discussed whether it had taken appropriate action in passing at the previous Senate meeting the resolution regarding the problems at Rio Grande Campus. After much discussion, the Senate agreed that it had acted appropriately given the circumstances. The faculty also agreed to consult with the Administration before taking action whenever possible and appropriate. The Senate asked the Senate Officers to address this issue at the next Officers' meeting in order to mend fences and open the lines of communication with the Administration.

The Senate discussed at length the two resolutions passed unanimously by the Senate on September 15, 2000. The Senate agreed that many of the problems resulting in these votes of no confidence in President Fonte, his Vice Presidential Staff, and the ACC Board of Trustees are still unresolved.

The Senate asked President Ore to express to the Board of Trustees at the December 3 Board Meeting the Senate's disappointment and surprise regarding Dr. Fonte's recent evaluation and pay raise. The Senate also asked President Ore to emphasize that major fundamental problems still exist including, but not limited to, the following:

• No meaningful concept of any shared governance exists to ensure that the faculty can affect the course of the College.
• President Fonte has failed to implement administrative rules intended to provide adequate support for the faculty and students at the campus level.
• President Fonte has not actively pursued the Faculty Senate's request for a State Comptroller's financial and performance audit of the College.

It was reported that the Math Task Force Chair and his College-wide Assistant Task Force Chairs tried to change this year's Evaluation Process, which was supposed to be a continuation of the Three-year Pilot Evaluation Process approved by the Administration and the Math Task Force. At a special meeting held earlier today, Math full-time faculty members protested the way in which this matter was being handled, put a stop to the changes these individuals were trying to make to the process, and asked that the matter be referred to the Evaluation Process Committee of the Math Task Force for future consideration. The Faculty Senate expressed concerns and pointed out that it is the responsibility of each Task Force Chair to carry out the will of the Task Force.

On behalf of the Datatel Student System Steering Committee, David Lydic presented information on course prerequisite checking in Datatel. He pointed out that Datatel prerequisite checking will not prohibit students from enrolling in any course and emphasized the positive reasons for not doing so. He also gave examples of prerequisites that Datatel can and cannot check. For more information, please contact David Lydic at 223-3386.

The Senate discussed potential problems with air quality of all ACC buildings. Though faculty members expressed gratitude that testing has been done at most locations, they also expressed concerns that testing results have not been shared with affected employees at those locations. The Senate decided to ask the Administration to provide to the Senate's Facilities Committee the detailed results of the most recent air quality studies performed at each location, including information about type of testing and which entity performed the tests. The Facilities Committee will compile the results, determine whether reliable entities have performed the tests, and ask for appropriate retesting as needed.

The following announcements were made:

• The ACC Men's Golf Team needs members. Please ask your students who may be interested to contact Dr. Roland Hayes at 223-5166. Potential members need to shoot in the 70's.
• David Lydic announced that TASP Status and Skill Placement Levels will now be printed on class rosters.
• Faculty members are asked to participate in Austin's 2002 MLK Celebration by joining ACC in the March and Rally on Monday, January 21, at 9 AM, from Huston Tillotson College to the Capitol.
• The next Senate meeting will be February 1st.

The meeting was adjourned.

The following Senators were absent: Patrick Goines, Steve Kirschner, John Maynard, Nick Sarantakes, Morgan Stout, and David Tobey.