West Campus Faculty Senate Minutes
March 13, 2003
Members Present:
Gene Adams, Graeme Lindbeck, Jim Johnson, Gloria Hines, Dan Kimble, Fran Frierson, Stan Melnick, Louise Pitts, George Dow, Boris Nguyen, Marilyn Santos, Russell Takashima, Mary Sugeir, Tom Byrnes
Present:
Call to Order
President Tom Byrnes called the meeting to order at 1:20 p.m.
Approval of Minutes
George Dow moved the February minutes be accepted as corrected. Stan Melnick seconded the motion.
New Business
Tom Byrnes reported for Maryke Lee the developments of the Faculty Compensation Taskforce. Many faculty members have been scheduled to meet with the consultants. Comments will be gathered and a search for the best solution will be completed. The Faculty Compensation Taskforce will review the report and a recommendation at the end of August. The end of September the official recommendation will be presented. We were told to expect a 2% raise this year.
Senate members were urged to email ideas for welcoming Dr. Paula Gastenveld to Tom Byrnes. A discussion followed concerning a provost’s report to the senate. It was suggested that the report would be more productive if the members received a list of the items before the meeting so they would be ready with questions and information. A luncheon, a bat, and a plant were discussed as possible welcoming gifts.
The new college calendar was discussed. Questions concerning night class length and how labs would be handled were left unanswered. Preparation time was added to each semester. Polling students this summer would give information concerning their reaction to the changes.
It was suggested that DR.. Hooks come to next meeting to clarify some of the confusion. The time table may not allow this. The other campus senates will be consulted for their views and faculty senators were encouraged to poll their department colleagues
The following motion was made and seconded:
The West Campus Senate is concerned that compressed instruction days and the increased time per class during the summer session would be detrimental to learning.
The motion passed unanimously.
President’s Report
Tom Byrnes talked with Mr. Lopez about a new parking fine program. The college attorney told Mr. Lopez there was a bill in legislation that would impact the fines.
Bob Austin reported to Tom that a consultant has looked at our insurance coverage and reported that our self-financed program was “as good as it gets.”
Mr. Bob Kearfott from Collegis has been hired to lead the smart classroom initiative at Valencia. He will talk with faculty about what they would like to see in these classrooms.
Lisa Armour reported that The College-Wide Faculty Association board has formed a committee to consider workload issues.
The following motion was made and seconded:
If construction goes on during class hours, the noise should not be so loud that it disrupts classroom learning and/or instruction. i.e. jack hammers, concrete drills, etc.
The motion passed unanimously.
It was recommended that a copy of the motion be forwarded to the provost office, Jim Reinschmidt, and the President of the College.
Gloria Hines reported that Jennifer Berry-Chen was hired as the international student advisor. She also reported that the redesign of student services is being implemented.
Louise Pitts reported that a new student advisor has been hired to assist students in Nursing.
The meeting adjourned at 2:45.