Terry Thomas, chair of our ad hoc committee on the presidential search, is working with Board of Trustee member Barbara Mink to ensure that some of our recommendations are included in the criteria for a search committee consultant. Eventually, there will be a committee reviewing the final document, and the Senate will have representation. The Senate officers met with the administration on June 2, 2003. There we discussed the request for overload hour changes, and a committee was formed to discuss the issue. Administration agreed to our request for help with our web page by assigning those duties to Sylvia Partida (effective fall '03). We requested a 12% increase for the upcoming budget and asked that deans be returned to faculty status. That change will not occur as long as Fonte is president.

We also discussed the upcoming Board Policy changes that would result in the Board approving any organizational changes, which would be a clear violation of SACS 6.1. At the Board meeting of June 2, 2003, President Thompson asked that the faculty have input into the selection of a search firm for our new president. At that some Board meeting Paige Southerland Paige was selected as the architect for the new South Austin Campus.

On June 6, 2003 members of the Faculty Senate and officers attended the Institutional Planning meeting for a refinement and updating of the Master Plan. On June 13, 2003 President Thompson attended the Academic and Campus Affairs Council and discussed the workload administrative rule as well as the faculty evaluation rule. Other administrative rules are still under consideration for today's meeting.

The Senate also discussed at length the need to adjust the overload hours that are allowed for full time faculty. While many in the adjunct faculty oppose our efforts to raise the maximum hours for full time faculty, we feel that the administration should make these decisions.

EVP Steve Kinslow next addressed the Senate on annexation plans. ACC needs to expand its tax base, but it has no legal authority to take in ISD's. We must have a locally-driven movement to bring the surrounding ISD's to our tax base. Adding ISD's to our tax base is extremely challenging. Perhaps Del Valle and San Marcos will join us in the coming years. Supplemental information and talking points for these projects can be found on the web.

Dean Gary Hampton, co-chair for the committee on revision of Board policy D6 spoke to us concerning the work of that committee. The existing administrative rules were too numerous and confusing for practical use. The basic changes included having fewer rules, giving more responsibility to the department chairs, and creating a new committee of grievance to address complaints from adjuncts( to review the incident to see if rules were followed). The wisdom of such a committee was challenged on several points: we currently have a grievance procedure for EVERYONE to follow; the college is pursuing certain individuals' agenda based on false claims; and without power to enforce, the committee will likely be very ineffective. The Board of Trustees evidently feels the need to protect the adjuncts from abuse. The reduction in the number of rules should help everyone and create an 'improved sense of confidence" for adjuncts. Many members of the Senate see the changes in these rules to be special treatment for a special group. If complete responsibility was given to the department chairs, these rules would not be necessary. A motion was made, seconded, and passed that

The Senate rejects the changes proposed in AR 4.06.005 and recommends that the College's current grievance procedure be applied to all College groups.

Policy and Procedures were further discussed after a report from the chairman of that committee, Cary Sowell. A motion was made, seconded, and passed that

AR 4.03.002 be amended to change the 8 credit hours to 9 for fall and spring and from 5.25 in the summer to 6.

The Senate also considered AR 4.06.004. A motion was made, seconded, and passed:

The Senate rejects this rule because it confuses "probation" with "placement," and it is discriminatory because placement should be consistent for all faculty.

Administrative Rule 4.06.003 was also troubling to the Senate as it contains the rules for voting membership for adjuncts. Most departments already have more eligible adjuncts for voting membership than actually participate. A clearer process for becoming a voting member should be in this rule. Again the one-size-fits-all approach to adjunct faculty does not seem to be working. A motion was made, seconded, and passed concerning AR 4.06.003:

Departments need to have options when deciding the number of adjuncts with votes. While we value the contribution of adjunct faculty, the number of voting adjuncts shall be equal to 2/3 of the number of full time faculty.

When discussing the AR for Professional Development Hours, the Senate again expressed the idea that these sorts of decisions need to be in the hands of the department.

The Senate next turned its attention to the Presidential Search Committee. We are very disappointed the Board has rejected the Senate's participation at the beginning of this search. Participation in choosing the search firm was very important to the Senate. We will continue to work with the Board to try to have some input in this search.

Salary and Benefits committee member, Terry Thomas, presented the committee's latest salary data and recommendations. The committee says we are still 10.87% below the metro college average salary, or 1.7 million dollars away from average. It was recommended that the senate's position be that the Board adhere to its own compensation policy; that full-time faculty salaries equal the average state metro college wage. The faculty requests the Board make available the 1.7 million dollars necessary to meet the target of average metro college pay. The committee recommendation was moved, seconded and adopted. The senate president was directed to present the full-time faculty compensation request to the Board at its next meeting. (this paragraph was revised and reposted to the web on 10/14/03.)

Terry Thomas was present for Linda Caplin.