Faculty Senate

Our SCC Senate - The Book!

Welcome to our Senate effort to celebrate past leadership-- the accomplishments and past officers of the SCC Senate. Also, this treatise is intended to honor and pass on the experiences and insights of Senate past presidents. Just as important, historical and general information will also be included.

Faculty Senate Presidents

Dick LeMoine's Presidency - 1987

Achievements:
The E - Team (E=excellence):
I truly enjoyed establishing and hosting these T/L sessions in the early '90's. Dr. DeCabooter and Chancellor Elsner established a $12,000 fund ar SCC to revitalize faculty with Classroom Research techniques. These bacame voluntary gatherings about once a month of faculty from any division that met to meet and talk together in an effort to share classroom tactics and teaching methodologies - problem solving sessions. The agendas were loosely structured to allow faculty to come and design their own hour together. The funding provided was for stipends, faculty that wanted to take professional time to retrain or design class projects for improving results in the classroom. We also used funding to provide workbook on Classroom Research/Assessment and to provide a variety of national newsletters focuses on teaching and learning ideas.

At the beginnings of semesters our workshops were also part of SCC's Synergy Week and convocation time.

New Spaces:
Parking for Employees: Up until this time, there was was no special designated parking for faculty and staff though all other district campuses had such. Senate action in 1988 resulted in this. Also, the Fitness Center opened up sections of locker rooms for faculty specifically.

The SCC Handbook:
Though doomed to a short life, this grand undertaking sponsored by Dr. DeCabooter primarily was a one volume tome! Comprising history, budgets, services and an overview of operations here at SCC. No previous attempt had been compiled to pull all such scattered information together. But the paper achievement distributed throughout the campus became obsolete soon due to high technology throughout our system. Web pages and tech communication pull such scattered info. into the office of every SCC employee no, alas.

Leadership Advice:
Efficient Meetings:
In truth, most of the administrative meetings that I've attended during the past 30 years could/should have been greatly restricted or even just summarized on a half page of paper, inserted in my mailbox or sent e-mail and left at that! Remember, the purpose of meetings is deliberation and discussion, not the dissemination of general information.

Suggestions: (terrific time saver!)
- Have a real agenda and post it; don't meet because it's time.
- Information items can be summarized, printed out and distributed on or even before meetings.

Leadership workshops:
Ever noticed how difficult it is to get people to volunteer for Senate positions?

While I was at District Association in the 1980's, Doyle Burke, Assoc. President, sponsored a series of leadership workshops inviting new faculty into the political process. Small luncheons were held and campus presidents were asked to invite "new blood" - faculty that might be interested in serving on future Senates and Assoc. committees. I don't see this wouldn't work again, even on a campus scale.

Lead!
Use the "crown of Senate power" while you have it. Our SCC administration looks for leadership at the grass roots. Works with new ideas, faculty and PSA people as they step forward. In many cases, senate presidents just get the work done that comes along. I share Nancy Lippert's same advice.

Ideas for the Future:
The SCC Senate Newsletter:
Our Senate constitution states that it is the vice president's responsibility to create and distribute a newsletter to inform faculty of our Senate issues. It has become standard (relaxed) practice now to post a web page with current secretarial minutes for those who can fight through these cryptic summations. I think these electronic communiqués are very difficult for non-senators to make sense out of and minutes are less than interesting to read.

In the late '80's these newsletters were written with much more style and comprehension for the regular faculty. Also, this gives the faculty a chance to get to know the political style of the up coming vice president, and this tactic almost forces the vice president to always be up to speed on all Association issues. Finally, it's a great marketing tool for renewing and increasing membership.

Innovation Committee:
One of our best ideas in 1988 was the establishment of the Innovation Committee whose sole function was to think up new ideas, ways to utilize the Senate to improve SCC. The fund raiser with PSA employees, parking spaces, etc. all came through the Innovation Committee first which met infrequently. A great think tank for your forward Senate thinkers!

Nancy Lippert - 1985-86

Achievements:
Hay Study:
When first becoming faculty president, I was unaware of the scope of the job. It is not just about faculty. One of the first things to come up was the Hay Study that forever changed the way MCCD functions. The Hay study was an analysis of the structure and salaries of all of MCCD employees with the exception of faculty. The study was based on a business model. Some employees received rather large increases in salary, while others were redlined. Some positions were added; some were deleted. Job descriptions were rewritten and an appeal process was created.

Although this study did not include faculty, the faculty position was that if it affected any segment of the academic community, we should be concerned. We met regularly with the heads of the other employee groups, as well as kept a united position among the colleges in the district. I met with all of the leaders of the employee groups on our campus to make sure we understood their position as well as they understood ours. This was the widest reaching event to occur during my term.

District Meetings:
Of course there were the regular district faculty meetings. Not yet affiliated with AAUP, we tended to spend a good deal of time fighting among ourselves. We held campus caucuses during executive committee meetings to try to have a stance that represented our college. As I hear now, there is a little less of this kind of discussion. Glendale has even had a female representative!

Establishing SCC's Advisement Center:
In terms of what went on on this campus, the thing that has had the longest lasting effect, has been the advisement center. When I was asked to form a committee to study the issue, I had no idea of what was to come and how I would be a part of that. At the time we had no trained advisors, no resource center for information, no plan the attempt to get quality advisement to the students. The curricula at the colleges and universities was becoming increasingly complicated. The faculty recognized this problem and wanted to find a solution. We were given unlimited support by the administration. It took a year to research, discuss, and develop a plan to plan to develop an advisement center - the model the committee seemed to think would be the best for our campus. It is still considered a model for other institutions.

Working with Faculty:
What took most of the time and was the most rewarding part of the job for me was working with individual faculty members. Their needs varied widely and their frustration levels were generally high by the time they thought to talk to me. I prefer not to give specific examples because of the confidentiality of most of these cases, but they involved evaluations, pay, grievances, and just finding out whom they needed to talk to.

This leads to your next category, my advice to incoming presidents.

Administrative Tips:
1. Never forget the power of your title and use it wisely. This can work both ways. One of the first things I did was sign a petition that did not represent to views of the majority of the faculty. This was brought to my attention within hours. My name meant more than just my opinion when I accepted the role of faculty leader. But on the positive side (which occurred more often) it opened doors, got prompt return phone calls, and made me a part of the decision making process in many areas. This response was not just on the campus level, but also at the district offices. Yes, they can return messages.

2. Respond promptly to all faculty requests - within twenty-four hours if possible. Even if you don't have the problem solved or the information needed, they want to hear from you. Let the faculty members know what is going on. They generally do not come to the faculty president until they are thoroughly frustrated.

3. Have fun! You are in for the ride of your life. You will learn more than you think you wanted to know. And remember, it only lasts a year.

Pat Medeiros - 1995-96

Achievments:
At the campus level, during my term of office, several actions were taken. They are listed in no particular order.

1. The Applied Sciences/Nursing Division was made two separate divisions. The process was initiated by the faculty in the respective divisions, and it was accomplished with minimal disruption.

2. An ongoing dispute between the Staffing Committee and the Administration escalated as the committee struggled to define its role and to exert more influence over the staffing decisions that were made. Issues that were left unresolved were:

Representation on the committee: Should each division be represented, or should the committee members attempt to achieve a more global perspective?

Support for new programs: What is the role of the Staffing Committee in determining what new academic and occupational programs will be initiated and/or when existing programs should be terminated?

Decision-making: How should the Administration respond to the recommendations of the committee? Should they be seen as recommendations only, or should they be binding? This is probably the most difficult issue.

3. On a happier note, we initiated the Friday coffee hours in an attempt to promote collegiality across the campus. The Senate paid for and provided the refreshments for the first year, and then the Administration agreed to take over the project. At first, it was quite successful, but then it became relatively useless, as people dropped by and took pastries back to their own offices, so that only a small handful actually sat and talked.

4. The due date for final grades was extended to give faculty more time to evaluate final exams. In general, the due dates are now the Monday following the end of the final exam period. However, the new due dates are not always observed by Admissions Records, so the Faculty Senate President will need to be sure that this agreement is honored.

At the District level, the Faculty Executive Council pursued its lawsuit against the Governing Board over the issue of multiple-year salary agreements. Although we ultimately lost the case, the experience did have some positive benefits, including a greater awareness among faculty that negotiating with the Board is serious business and requires training and diligence on our part.

Another direct result was our association with AAUP, which not only offered advice regarding the lawsuit, but also identified a very serious problem within the FEC, the competitiveness and even hostility between the colleges in the District. AAUP facilitated a number of sessions in which FEC members were taught to work more cooperatively, and we expect the change in attitude to benefit all faculty for many years to come.

Also as a result of the lawsuit was FEC's recognition that our relationship with the Board was counterproductive. Therefore, we embarked on a deliberate campaign to build more positive relationships with individual Board members, including taking each Board member to lunch and sponsoring retreats and other discussions where each side's views could be explored.

Administrative Tips:
During my term, the FEC adopted new rules for conducting meetings, and SCC also adopted the rules. They require that any new item must first be presented as New Business, and no action may be taken until the next meeting, when the item moves to Old Business, when the group may vote on it. This structure prevents senators and FEC representatives from taking actions without adequate time to gather and research information and others' opinions, and drastically cuts down on time spent revisiting hasty actions.

Tips for meetings:
I personally hate pointless meetings, so I always tried to have a clear agenda, formed several days prior to the meeting in consultation with all Senate officers. It is crucial for the President to keep control of the meeting, and not let discussion go on too long. One of the FEC presidents had good success with indicating time limits for the discussion of each item on the agenda. If the group felt that the discussion was incomplete, the item could be placed on the agenda for the next meeting.

Another principle I keep in mind is that the only reason for holding a meeting is to give those present the opportunity to participate. In other words, pure information should be disseminated through some other medium, so that meeting time is reserved for discussion and decision-making. Meetings are much more efficient when relevant information has been given to the participants ahead of time, either on paper or via email.

Karen Biglin - 1994-95

Frustration & Amusement:
Lawsuit & Laughter:
If my term as Senate President had a title, that would be it! When I read the past minutes, I was simultaneously overcome with two emotions - frustration and amusement.

Frustration because I spent countless hours dealing with the lawsuit, including the better part of three years in meetings with the Faculty Executive Council and the faculty attorney discussing and arguing about the faculty lawsuit against the District. When the Governing Board rescinded the faculty pay raise in 1993/94, it was the beginning of a long downhill slide for faculty compensation, and a devastating breach of trust from which we still have not recovered. I don't know what the answer is, but I know that faculty have to keep working towards some resolution on this issue, even if it looks hopeless at times.

Amusement because through it all, I had a good time with my Senate colleagues and we laughed a lot - those were the days of the really good parties! (OK, I admit it - most of the parties were at my instigation!) The rooftop of The Grapevine seemed to be our favorite place to end up.

Faculty Involvement:
I feel strongly about the importance of all faculty being involved in our system of governance. It just simply can't work without majority participation - and 100% participation would be nice. Every faculty member who refuses to participate or join the Faculty Association hurts our collective efforts towards cohesiveness and strength. At the end of my term, I sent a letter of thanks to the senators and said the following, which still applies:

I commend all of the senators for their involvement. I have a keen appreciation now for how much hard work is necessary in our system of representative governance and I appreciate all those willing to do that work.

It is my hope that as we move into the next century, we faculty can strengthen our positions further through continuing to work on political action initiatives, cultivating collegiality and team-building, developing our leadership abilities, respecting each other and cooperating with one another in order to build and nurture a unified Faculty Association.

Senate Members Early 1970's

Early Days:
These earliest Senate minutes were found, not in any of our archives, but in a colleague's old, dusty files as he cleaned out his office for retirement. Several months of minutes from 1970-74 survived in one tiny folder only. You'll enjoy reading through these delightful chronicles which clearly link the vital role of the SCC Senate to the formation of this campus.

"In the Beginning. . . ." Our campus opened for the first time in Sept. 1970 anticipating about 1000 days students and about 800 evening enrollment. There were only 5 campuses in the District. Dr. Marion Donaldson was our first SCC Campus President, and his vision was to build a full transfer college with special interests in new teaching and learning advances. To implement this design, Dr. Donaldson put his faculty (the teachers) at the heart of his institution, and apparently he utilized their advice to a higher than usual degree in the initial design of SCC.

On Oct. 23rd, 1970 our earliest minutes indicate the SCC Senate constituted six members with a treasury balance of $60.00. In order to be full members in the District Faculty Assoc., we needed $150.00 - $75.00 for each of two representatives from SCC. We therefore wrote an I.O.U. and owed our District dues for quite a while! The District Assoc. allowed us to participate in Executive Council.

SCC Senate Issues of the Early 1970's:
Administrative structure for SCC? There would be two deans: a Dean of Instructional Services and a Dean of Administrative Services.

An Athletic Program: What type? (Dr. Prince had decreed that athletic funds were to be divorced from associated students monies in 1970 so that students no longer had any say or control over these funds.) The infamous Artichoke Scandal was about to begin. It made national news.

Hiring Committee: What responsibility will faculty have in hiring faculty and administrators? (Dr. Francine Choguill - Hardaway, Ruth Cox, John Henderson, Mike Svaco)

Summer School: Director? Program ideas?

SCC Senate Constitution Committee: (Ron Kearns and Bob Winters) SCC Catalog material?

Proposed Divisional Structure - Jan. 1970: (John Henderson and Galen Snell)
English Communications (English, Reading)
Art Form Communications (Art, Drama, Speech, Music)
Collective Studies (Political Science, History, Sociology)
Individual Studies (Psychology, Counseling)
Technical and Quantitative Studies (Math, Natural Sciences)
Economic Structures (Business, Economics)
Foreign Languages (Spanish, German, French)
Library and AV Services

The State Board of Ed. was trying to initiate action whereby the State Board could control all salaries increases. The District Chancellor, Dr. Prince, negated this encroachment.