Agenda

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Minutes

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Taft College Academic Senate Council Minutes

Tuesday, August 15, 2023

Cafeteria Conference Room

10:10 am-11:00 am

Call to Order

The meeting was called to order at 10:13am by C. Duron

Attendees

 

Public Comment

There was no public commentary.

Action Items

Approval of the Minutes

April 19, 2023 Meeting:  V. Jacobi moved and S. Eveland seconded.  C. Chung-Wee and M. Oja abstained.  Motion passed with no “nay’s”. 

 

New Business

• TC Academic Senate 2023-2024 Goals

The following were the goals presented by C. Duron:

Identify and Advance Local Policy Reform:

• AP 7120 Recruitment and Hiring Procedure
• AP 7211 Faculty Service Areas Minimum Qualifications and Equivalencies
• AP 4259 Probation
• AP 5075 Course Adds and Drops
• Creation of a BP & AP on work experience formerly a Cooperative Education Work
• Experience Plan

Support an Active Partnership with Associated Student Organization (ASO):

Work towards having a student representative on all Academic Senate Subcommittees with the

possibility of it being a student-worker position.

 

During discussion of the AP’s, S. Eveland further suggested that AS create an equivalencies committee.  There was a lot of questions and discussion about equivalencies and the AP’s.  V. Jacobi suggested that each AP has a sub-committee of faculty to work on them.  Jacobi provided background on the Cooperative Education Work Experience plan and its relation to Ed. Code.

Additional goals were suggested by Eveland, including continuing the work from the January 20221 resolution on DEIA and working with the Faculty Association on the faculty evaluation process to include equity and inclusion as required by legislation.  Faculty evaluations are a shared responsibility area between Academic Senate and the union. 

 

The following goals were approved by the Council with a motion by Eveland and a second by D. Bogle:

Identify and Advance Local Policy Reform:

• AP 7120 Recruitment and Hiring Procedure
• AP 7211 Faculty Service Areas Minimum Qualifications and Equivalencies
• AP 4259 Probation
• AP 5075 Course Adds and Drops
• Creation of a BP & AP on work experience formerly a Cooperative Education Work Experience Plan

 

Support an Active Partnership with Associated Student Organization (ASO):

Work towards having a student representative on all Academic Senate Subcommittees with the possibility of it being a student-worker position.

 

Work in consultation with the Faculty Association:

Implementation of the Title 5 to include Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Standards in the Evaluation and Tenure Review Process.

 

Work in collaboration with the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee:

Make progress towards the Taft College Academic Senate Diversity Equity and Inclusion recommendation (2021_01_15):

• The Taft College Academic Senate requests that the office of Institutional Research, Assessment, and Planning assist in surveying students, non-tenured faculty, adjunct faculty, and administration anonymously regarding inclusive and anti-racist classroom climate. The Taft College Academic Senate recommends to the Faculty Professional Development Committee that anti-racism education related topics be included as flex opportunities, including in-service activities or individual flex activities, for TC faculty on an ongoing basis.
• The Taft College Academic Senate requests an ASCCC visit on anti-racism education. The Taft College Academic Senate recommends to the Strategic Planning Committee that a component of program review include aligning academic programs’ mission statements to Taft College’s mission to provide “an equitable learning environment defined by applied knowledge leading to students’ achievement of their educational goals” and that this update be captured in the How-to Guide.
• The Taft College Academic Senate recommends that the Curriculum & General Education Committee include an evaluation and discussion of all courses’ “diversity of representation and culturally responsive content” as part of regular curriculum review.
• The Taft College Academic Senate recommends to the Taft College Faculty Association that faculty evaluation procedures be reviewed to determine if cultural competency is adequately addressed in the existing faculty evaluation processes.
• The Taft College Academic Senate recommends that the Equal Employment Opportunity Committee in consultation with the Faculty Association to review the existing faculty evaluation process to determine if there are systematic barriers for continued employment (tenure or re-hiring adjunct faculty) that might apply to faculty of color.

 

Provide forums for faculty to discuss, debate, and formalize faculty opinions and resolutions

Creation of an Academic Sub-committee for determining equivalencies.

 

 

 

• TC Academic Senate Resolution: ASR-05-01 Resolution in Support of Single User Restrooms, Infant Changing, Lactation Room, and First Aid Station Conversion of S-11

1. Jacobi introduced that there’s a law about accommodations. She learned from T. Hampton that a conversion of S-11 would be expensive but that these could be included in the new vocational building. As a short-term solution, D. Bogle suggested adding something in the Veteran’s Center. 

There was a discussion about why format this as a resolution, and Jacobi said that she’s worked on gender-neutral bathrooms before and hasn’t gotten traction so was hoping that a more formal request would work.

1. Jimenez Murguia suggested that the resolution includes three issues: restroom/toilet, lactation, and first aid.
2. Eveland suggested that the specific 10+1 area(s) that this resolution is most related to should be included in the resolution, and that the wording should include “respectfully request”.
3. Jacobi withdraws her resolution. She will submit another resolution that is more focused on restrooms and includes more 10+1 connections.

Informational/Discussion Items

Membership

1. Duron shared the current memberships:

• Academic Senate Membership (from the AS Constitution and Bylaws)
  • All full-time faculty are members of the Senate-of-the-whole and entitled to all rights and responsibilities as such.
  • Adjunct faculty currently employed by the West Kern Community College District who wish to become members of the Academic Senate must express their desire to do so prior to the end of the second week of each academic term that they desire service. An email or verbal request to the current academic senate president from the adjunct faculty member will indicate a desire to serve. All adjunct faculty who follow this procedure will be granted full membership and all of the rights and responsibilities of full membership of the Senate-of-the-whole for one semester.
• Academic Senate Council Representatives
  • President: Candace Duron
  • Vice President: Vicki Jacobi
  • Secretary: Michelle Oja
  • Past President: Sharyn Eveland
  • Learning Support Division: Darcy Bogle
  • English: Chris Chung-Wee
  • Social Sciences: Salvador Jimenez Murguia
  • Business, Arts and Humanities: Lori Travis
  • Allied Health and Applied Technology: Kanoe Bandy
  • Science and Mathematics: Nathan Cahoon
  • Career and Technical Education: Vacant
  • Adjunct: Vacant
• Academic Senate Subcommittees
  • Academic Development Committee (ADC): Danielle Kerr
  • Academic Policies & Procedures (AP&P): Michelle Beasley
  • Career Technical Education (CTE): Darcy Bogle
  • Curriculum and General Education: Vicki Jacobi
  • Distance Learning & Education Committee: Vacant
  • Dual Enrollment: Greg Golling
  • Faculty Professional Development: Ruby Payne
  • Student Learning Outcomes Assessment Steering Committee (SLOASC): Tina Mendoza
• Academic Senate Liaisons
  • Legislative: Candace Duron
  • Career and Technical Education: Vacant
  • Guided Pathways: Vicki Jacobi
  • Open Education Resources: Michelle Oja
  • Part-time/Adjunct: Vacant
  • Rising Scholars: Vacant

Unfinished Business

The following were shared as informational items

• Student Equity Plan: We were reminded that AS gave former AS President Eveland authority to approve this report.  Duron noted that page 11 includes a new diversity coordinator position.

 

• Guided Pathways Plan: Jacobi noted that faculty worked on the report last year and over the summer, but that the plan doesn’t have to be approved by AS.  Based on participatory governance, the report should have gone to the AS and AS sub-committees, but it might not have. 

 

• New Full-time Faculty Position Updates
  • History: Ken Smith
  • Physical Education/Softball Coach: Amanda Clark
  • Political Science: Wesley Nishiyama
  • Communications: Deborah Zipnick was hired, but declined the position.
  • Librarian: Postponed

 

• Education Master Plan Request for Proposal: The search process failed, but will be started again. 

CCCCO Vision 2030

1. Duron shared the newest Vision, and asked the council to review.

Open Forum

1. Duron let us know that the Business office is able to provide lunch for the Council but not for the Senate-as-a-Whole.

There was a question about what happens to the now-open Communications position.  C. Duron wasn’t sure, so she’ll bring that up in her meetings with administrators. 

Adjournment

S. Eveland motioned to adjurn and N. Cahoon seconded.  Motion passed at 11:05am.

Minutes

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PDF of approved Minuts for 8/18/23 Senate meeting