Friday, August 26, 2011
12:00-4:00 p.m.
AMOA Laguna Gloria
Senate Officers: Juan Molina, president; Sam Echevarria-Cruz, president-elect; Jon Luckstead, past president; Stacey Thompson Stover, secretary; Dorothy Martinez, parliamentarian
Senators: Shina Amachigh, Jennifer Beck, Janet Bickham Jack Bucco, David Chavez, Linda Clement, Renee Cornett, Daisy Diaz-Alemany, Dan Dydek, Eduardo Garcia, David Haney, Mocha-Jean Herrup, David Lauderback, Michael McCarthy, Sukisha Moragne, Femi Onabajo, Patti Singleton, Zoe VanSandt, Paul Williams
Visitors: Terry Thomas, FTF; Richard Cutler, AFA past president; Anaka Rivera, AFA vice-president
The Faculty Senate retreat started with a 12:00 luncheon held at Laguna Gloria Museum. Lunch was followed with a presentation by Dr. Cary Nelson, speaking on What Power Senates Can Wield. Dr. Nelson referred to two articles he wrote, "A Faculty Agenda for Hard Times," and "Defining Academic Freedom" to discuss the importance of faculty empowerment. Dr. Nelson stressed that all faculty, adjunct and full-time, need to work together strategically as one unit, and that Senates need to be actively engaged in the arenas of academic freedom, hiring of faculty, curriculum development, and contract renewal. A question and answer session followed, and the presentation ended at 2:45 p.m.
The Faculty Senate meeting started at 3:00 p.m.
President's report
Juan Molina started the meeting with a review of the bylaw amendment changes that were voted on and passed over the summer.
- Adopt Alice Sturgis' "The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure" instead of "Robert's Rules of Order."
- Add a Communications Officer.
- Add a Treasurer
- All Senate committees will have at least 3 representatives instead of the current 7. These include the Auditing and Elections, Bylaws, Policy and Procedure, Academic Affairs, and Facilities Committees. The Nominating and Salary and Benefits Committee will have representation from at least 3 different campuses.
A motion to invalidate the summer election results was submitted and seconded and the discussion focused primarily on two issues. One, some faculty expressed concern that the election was conducted during the summer when some faculty are off contract. According to the bylaws, section 2: Special Elections, "elections during the summer should be avoided." The second issue was the interpretation of the language concerning the number of votes required to pass a bylaw amendment. According to the bylaws, article IX states, "a 2/3 vote of the faculty shall be required to adopt an amendment to the bylaws." Some believe that this sentence is vaguely written and open for interpretation. Because of these concerns, the Senate passed a resolution stating that the bylaws election results be invalidated. Additionally, it was decided that the issue of the language concerning the number of votes required to pass a bylaw amendment be tabled and discussed at the next Senate meeting.
The Faculty Senate has declared that the bylaws election conducted this summer is null and void and another election may be conducted this fall semester.
The motion passed with 16 senators voting for it, 3 senators voting against it, and 0 abstentions.
The secretary and parliamentarian were then elected by acclamation for the 2011/2012 academic year. Stacey Thompson Stover was elected as secretary and Dorothy Martinez was elected as parliamentarian.
Past president's report
Jon Luckstead gave an overview of the 2011 Senate issues. Some of those issues included board policy revisions, late registration concerns, and compensation.
Juan Molina then followed with an overview on the direction of the Senate and introduced some possible issues to address. Some include creating long-term plans for the Senate, reaching out and connecting with our stakeholders, and maintaining and enhancing the image of the Senate.
The meeting adjourned at 4:00 p.m.
Senators Absent: Janet Bickham, Michael McCarthy
PDF copy of minutes and attachments |
