Approval of Agenda

The agenda was approved as written.

Approval of Minutes

The minutes were approved with one correction.

Faculty Advising

AVP Donetta Goodall reported on a faculty advising initiative that began about two years ago. A lot of progress was made, but the project lost momentum when Chair Matthew Daude went on sabbatical. Then under Judy Scholl's leadership, a draft manual was developed and the initiative was piloted last summer. Positive feedback was collected from the pilot, but the project still needs a lot of work. Under this initiative, students meet with faculty advisors after completing 25 hours and again after completing 45 hours. The goal is to increase student retention but not to overload faculty. Appropriate advising is essential. It was suggested that not all faculty members should participate and that compensation is an issue. It was also pointed out that undeclared majors and flagging students in Datatel are potential problems. AVP Goodall left information with Senate President Ore and agreed to come to a future meeting for more discussion. A committee was formed to meet with AVP Goodall: Shannon Bailey, Steve Bradley, Linda Caplin, and Joe Lostracco.

President's Report
Senate President Laura Ore reported on the following:

• ACC Board of Trustees, May 6, 2002-At her presentation, President Ore congratulated President-elect Daniel Traverso and the Senate members for next year. She also thanked the budget committee members by name for all their hard work and time spent and asked that their recommendations not be set aside without due consideration. She also asked that the Senate's salary requests, using the standard and usual practice of aiming at 9-month salaries and adding 1/6 for summer teaching, be honored to bring full-time faculty back up to average in the state among metro community colleges. She also presented the Senate's statement of commitment to quality: "We are committed to delivering a quality education to all who choose ACC for an education and for advancement of job skills. We stand behind this pledge to serve our students."
• Graduation, May 9, 2002-President Ore graciously represented the Senate at graduation by sharing the stage with the Board of Trustees and Administration.
• Letter to Dr. Fonte, May 10, 2002-The letter regarding relocation of the Legal Assistance program was written by Ms. Ore at the request of several faculty members who saw disaster ahead for their programs. The response from Dr. Fonte was sent to all full-time faculty members.
• Board of Trustees Work Session, May 20, 2002-Senate President-elect Stacey Thompson attended on behalf of President Ore, who was out of town. The status of out-of-district students was discussed. Out-of-district fees are too high so many students are going elsewhere, resulting in a loss of income for the college.
• Comptroller's Kick-Off Meeting, May 21, 2002-Since Ms. Ore was still out of town, President-elect Thompson attended this informational meeting.
• Meeting with Comptroller's Team, May 28, 2002-Both President Ore and President-elect Thompson met with Charlotte Biggerstaff to discuss issues that the faculty believes the Comptroller should investigate. Several examples of problems were identified, including lack of communication, lack of shared governance, Datatel, Human Resources, ½ priced tuition, budget crisis, faculty development, faculty evaluation, and e-staffing. Faculty members who have identified other problems should refer to the Announcements section at the bottom of these minutes.

Discussion of Lack of Shared Governance

The Senate continued its discussion on the lack of shared governance at ACC and expressed more concerns. One of the biggest problems is that all communication and decision-making at ACC appears to faculty to be downward. Faculty members believe that input is often sought solely for appearances (to appease faculty, staff, and/or the Board of Trustees) when decisions have actually already been made by the Administration. Jere Hammer, Program Coordinator of Associate Degree Nursing, reported on problems in communication with upper Administration and agreed to present these problems at the next Senate Officers meeting. Faculty members expressed concerns about a top-heavy administration and wondered why ACC has so many Deans of different types and Provosts, especially given the current budget problems. The faculty also expressed concerns about the lack of campus-based support. Counselors still have two positions that have not been filled. In addition to their regular duties, counselors from across campuses are having to work additional hours at the Northridge campus to compensate for these unstaffed positions. Counselors still need a Task Force so that they may collaborate regularly on issues affecting them. A letter from the Budget committee recommending closure of the Downtown Education Center and correspondence regarding relocation of the Legal Assistance program were distributed and discussed.

Discussion of Class Scheduling

Many problems with class scheduling were discussed. Concerns were expressed about moving eight Business Studies sections (established classes) to Cypress Creek and Highland Business Center without consulting appropriate people in Business Studies. Faculty pointed out that this is another egregious example of a lack of shared governance in clear violation of Board Policy C-4. Haphazard rearrangement of classes is causing sections to be cancelled. The Senate asked the Officers to request a report on enrollments for summer classes.

Discussion of Faculty Evaluation Process

The Senate expressed concerns about many aspects of the Faculty Evaluation Process but postponed further discussion until Boyd Bush can meet with the Senate, hopefully at the next Senate meeting. During this exchange, it was discovered that counselors are being evaluated inconsistently across ACC campuses, with the Dean sometimes receiving inappropriate information before evaluating counselors and with the self-evaluation form not corresponding to the Dean's evaluation form. Faculty members asked the Senate to request upward evaluations again and to inquire into the evaluation of Human Resources by focus groups.

Discussion of Possible Meeting with Dr. Fonte

Instead of agreeing to Dr. Fonte's request for a special mediated meeting with Senators, the Senate decided to invite Dr. Fonte to a non-mediated regular Senate meeting which would be open to all full-time faculty.

Report from Salary and Benefits Committee

Chair John Cise reported that approximately $2.4 million (10.3%) is now needed instead of $2.1 million (8.9%) to bring full-time faculty back up to average because Houston Community College faculty just received a significant pay raise. In its Annual Report for Partners in Progress, ACC touts excellent transfer students with great GPAs, and faculty should be paid accordingly. The faculty still wants the Board to change their policy to target 9-month salaries instead of 10.5-month salaries.

Announcements The following announcements were made:

• The faculty was reminded to notify the Comptroller's Office of potential problems at ACC. Concerns should be typed in a professional and neutral manner and may be sent to Sean Murray at Cypress Creek campus for anonymous distribution to an appropriate consultant. Faculty may also express concerns directly to Charlotte Biggerstaff, Senior Consultant of Resource Consultants, Inc., at 306-9741.
• Faculty members were also reminded to participate in the upcoming Comptroller's focus groups and to encourage community members to participate.
• The faculty was encouraged to participate in the meeting on shared governance sponsored by the American Federation of Teachers on June 18 at 3 PM.
• The next Senate meeting will be June 28th in HBC Room 407.

The meeting was adjourned.

The following faculty members substituted for Senators who were unable to attend the meeting: Diane Kramer for Patti Dungan, Renee Cornett for Susan Hord, Al Purcell for Steve Kirschner, Alicia Garza for John Maynard, and Regina Swearengin for Robyn Richter. The following Senators were absent: Patrick Goines, David Tobey, and Larry Willoughby.