Requests to College Council for Consideration | 2019-2020 Academic Year

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I consult on a regular basis with multiple campus entities, including Academic Senate, ASO, and representatives of our various bargaining units.  Through these conversations, several campus-wide issues or concerns have surfaced.  As a result, I have asked  College Council to consider through the participatory governance process, and as part of their 2019-2020 agenda, the following topics.  

1.       CAMPUS SMOKING POLICY.
·       Rationale:  The Work Environment Committee (WEC) has recommended that the College become a completely smoke-free campus.  I have indicated to the Committee that I am forwarding their recommendation to College Council for further deliberation and submittal of a final recommendation.  

2.       cAMPUS EMAIL POLICY.
·       Rationale:  Since my arrival on campus, concerns have been voiced about who gains access to the “All Faculty, All Staff, All Administrators” email distribution lists.  It is my understanding that this topic was addressed in previous years, but I can find no record of any conclusions or recommendations.  Given that we now have a new email system, it seems prudent to resurrect this discussion.

3.       MASTER MEETING/ACTIVITIES/EVENT CALENDAR.
·       Rationale:  AFT 1521 has requested that the College explore the development of a master calendar, and I concur with this request.  Said calendar would establish campus functions that are stated priorities of the College and that, as a result, should not have other events scheduled at the same time that could draw much of the same audience; e.g., College Council, Commencement, Academic Senate, Work Environment Committee, union meetings.  I am asking that College Council consider in its deliberations those campus functions that could be considered as priority and any recommendations regarding implementation of a master calendar.

Additionally, I have observed since my arrival on campus that selected national, statewide, or local holidays or customs deserve annual observance on our campus within an educational context; e.g., Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Martin Luther King’s Birthday, African-American History Month, Asian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Constitution Day.  I have asked the College Council to deliberate on what types of events and/or observances could provide the best educational opportunities for our students.  I have further asked the Council to explore the logistics of implementation of an annual schedule.  It is important to note at this point that hiring an activities director is not a viable option given projections of a District-wide enrollment downturn and the resulting impact on the College’s budget.