Campus-Wide Topics to Be Addressed at College Council

College Council is West Los Angeles College's central participatory governance entity--the "recommending body to the President of the College on College-wide policy and issues" (WLAC Participatory Governance Manual, 2016).  To that end, I want the campus to be aware of several topics of campus-wide concern that I've asked the Council to address this fall.

Here's the text of the memo that I sent to Dr. Carlos Sermeno, College Council Chair, on May 3. 

The College Council is respectfully requested to consider through the participatory governance process, and as part of their 2019-2020 agenda, the following proposals.  This memorandum provides the rationale for each proposal.

1.       Please deliberate on and prepare a recommendation for a 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.  Documents provided to me by the WEC will be forwarded to Dr. Sermeno for Council-wide distribution prior to the end of the current semester.

2.       Please deliberate on and prepare a recommendation for a 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.       Please deliberate on and prepare a recommendation for a 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 would appreciate the College Council deliberating on what types of events/observances could provide the best educational opportunities for our students and then exploring the feasibility 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.