April 19, 2018: Shite hits fan

Senate meeting, April 19

Big issue: the Tracy Fahimi problem (just below)

Manzanar trip still on.

Opening of new school/building at ATEP was nice

Heritage Day soon

Executive report:

June M, Senate Prez:

We need bodies for these committees:

Assist. director of fiscal services (initial screening mid May)

Dist Central Service Manager

3^rd.

Anyone who thinks we need to scrape someone up for each of these committees? (Some senators pitch for importance of providing representation.)

Reminder: stipend work group meeting. Process of how stipends are given at IVC. We have a revised policy.

Preface: I turned 55 this year. Paid arbitrator/dispute resolution. I do not have conflicts in my life. Been doing it for decades. 

I have been left with “zero” choice. Tried to resolve this problem. I’ve been dissed, ignored. I need to call someone out. A waste of cabinet resources. (We all exhibited a WTF face.)

Senate can no longer work with Dean Tracy Fahimi. Disrespectful things are happening, have been happening. I’ve tried everything. Nothing works. Tracy is not someone I dislike. I have one more year in this gig. I will not get done what I want to get done if I have to spend time fighting someone who doesn’t understand the role they have been given. Doesn’t understand 10+1.

Did not arrange for her to be absent today. (She is absent; after a few minutes, she appears. Not sure if she heard any of this.)

Tracy tells June, “You don’t understand.” Some of my personal info was shared. I complained about it. “I asked you. not to share this info,” but it was shared anyway, repeatedly

The VPI delegated to this dean curriculum prof dev academic programs. Interpretation of what that means was very unclear. 

Jeff: there is no dean over senate. Never has been. (Does Tracy imagine that she’s “over” the senate?)

Brittany: 10+1 issue?

Professional development. That’s ours, not yours. But Fahimi keeps sending memos and such. Got a disrespectful memo back. Prof development issues chronic, weekly. Further complicated—senate was given Guided Pathways. Dean got GPs also. Innumerable, chronic. I solve all my problems. This problem I can’t solve.She’s a good dean, person. Still, I can’t work with her. 

Kerry: suggested: lack of clarity of roles perhaps. Is it she is trying to do a good job but is going too far, stepping on toes. (I do believe that Kerry would claim that there’s  middle ground to find between Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty, as the tumble down the Reichenbach Falls.)  

Ilknur asked if this is a senate issue. June: yes. “I’m at the point that senate work can’t get done.” This is not a “June thing.” The whole cabinet experiences this. (The rest of the Senate wore their best poker faces, but it became clear later that they were substantially in agreement with June.)

One member of the cabinet spoke up: agreed that micromanagement is afoot

Some suggested that this problem is broader: something coming from VPI. Lots of micromanaging. Perhaps

There’s something mysterious (says Dan D) going on; Jeff too; it seems that issues that should get to the senate never get there. 

VP [Jeff K] report:

Perhaps IVC will be able to show more growth than SC. Maybe shake a little cash loose from the allocations process. We need that given the cliff before us. 

SC borrowed to avoid a cliff; that cliff is coming up soon for our colleagues to the south You watch. “They’re the ones holding the stinky bag,” said Jeff.

Jeff discussed further construction at IVC.  The Last building on bare ground (not revision of existing spaces) is the coming Art building. After that, all construction will be redos. 

Dan D: Ac Affairs: clarification and adjustment faculty hiring listdevelopment. With VPI. We’ll be voting on suggestions at our next meeting. Will come to senate. 

Also because of continual IT issues…. Prof development software… changes in request and reimbursement system. The system will line up with how SC does it. Everything processed the same way across the district. June 1: date accepting prof development requests for next year starting July 1

Curriculum (Diane): 

I’ve been with many deans working with curriculum. She talks to them like this: You are on my team; you are here to help me. The dean should be emissary to the VPI. Every now and then there’s been conflict. I’ve been able to manage it well from my perspective. (I guess she was suggesting that she has not had a problem with Tracy.)

April 2^nd– revisions are due Look at left hand nav bar on curricunet.

Was at Plenary last weekend. Signed memo of understanding between state chancellor and UC(s). MOU. Now we have to work out all the dirty details. Transfer students. Chemistry, physics, policy sci, anthro. 21 areas. 

Someone mention that there’s an LA Times article a couple days ago that covers all this. 

BPs and ARs

We passed all the bp up for vote.

Pathways Update.

Passed out two sheets pithily presenting advantage to students securing degrees rather than ignoring AAs and going for transfer. Also: what the workgroup has done and will be doing.

We’re trying to get everyone to provide input.  

Roopa: guided pathways is NOT for all students. 

JEFF: fundamental flaw here (a reference to the new Bill that will move more toward community colleges providing the “first two years”). 

Crash and burn campuses. Students unfiltered.

We’re eating away at the one thingwe can sell: intimacy. We need to be aware of this as we go foward

J. School of Library and Online Education 

The plan is to create a School of “Library and Online Educatio.”

^{Lots of carping about this new school, school of Library and “online instruction”}

^{I asked, “How can there by a school of OI when there is OI in each school?”}

Lots of yammering. We voted no on this thing.

K. Josh Dorman, Research Analyst 

Josh Dorman from the Office of Research, Planning and Accreditation 

Josh will share data on student achievement gaps at IVC. 

^{Josh says he’s a research} analyst. Been here for 6 mos.

Disproportionate impact – how do we determine that? Percentage point gap method.

Blah blah blah

L. SenateElections:CurriculumCommitteeChair 

Nomination for curric chair. Rich D.

April 5, 2018: meeting of IVC Academic Senate, Rep Council - CANVAS, FERPA, etc.

Agenda

https://inside.ivc.edu/committees/asenate/Meetings/2017-18/18-04-05/Rep%20Council%20Agenda%20040518.pdf

Melanie: “IDEA,” the new building. Two problems. (1) IT problem more evident. Completely understaffed. IT personnel here are now spread out beyond IVC over to ATEP, the new building.  “We need permanent IT over there.” (2) Student Resources place has been taken over by something else. So where does SR go now? ALSO, there’s no coffee there. We need the support and services THERE that we have HERE. 

Eddie: showed a newsletter. A trip to Manzanarup on the 395. Wanna go? Welcome. 

Exec report:

June:

Cabinet met. Important that we document IT issues. Email me, says June. Would like to have anecdotes to wield, etc. 

NO MONEY, they say.

CANVAS [transition from Blackboard] conversation. The district is not paying for it; we’repaying for it(the transition, conversion, I gather). We were told that the FA (union) had things worked out, but no. Turns out many of us at IVC never used Blackboard. 

Evidently the two interim chancellors saw things differently, where the money would come from. Much skepticism about what we’re being told. 

Jeff: there’s so much turnover in the district, people don’t have the history. Both colleges will be paying. Hits us (at IVC) worse. 

Jeff: Saddleback’s way ahead of us. People are getting checks there. No form available for faculty here. There are problems with the form we’re now using. 

June: one more thing. PLANNING PROCESS going on at district ignoring older plans paid for; some vendor

There’s a workgroup. They need input. 

Was supposed to be done a year and a half ago. But with so many changes, wasn’t done.

Jeff: new revised state funding model. Things keep changing. Fluid condition re budget right now. Will it be favorable for IVC? Maybe.

Projected deficit: $1.9 – 4 million deficit. Not clear.

New construction; fiber optic installation. 

Something about money for presenting kimonos.

June asked: do you recall being part of conversation: what will be done with money saved, Blackboard conversion?

Did you know that FA was negotiating with district, getting stipend for Blackboard conversion. Brittany: yes, we had heard about this in senate. “We knew it was coming but didn’t know we’d be paying for it.”

Dan D: serious problem with professional development software. On positive side: training for Canvas still available.

Flex week: over 40 submissions for next Flex Week, (half even on time!). 

Diana: if you are going to revise your courses Fall 18/spring 19 April 22. Blah blah blah.

BPs and ARs. 

AR 3605 Employee Travel – Payment of Employee Travel Expenses 

Involved parties have “put in”—i.e., provided input. There’s an attempt to incorporate all concerns.

Auditor looked at this. 

No reimbursements (for lodging?) unless event over 50 miles away.

Tips will not be reimbursed

Meetings about this policy are sometimes 3 hours long. 

The most recent version. Let’s email it to everyone.

GUIDED PATHWAYS update

Flexweek proposal submitted. Group of us attended the [whatsit]. Something about a “circle of balloons.”

Lots of these folks [on campus] are not yet involved in the conversation. There’s a chart, the product of quick brainstorm.

June: I’ve volunteered all senators to be a conduit for information concerning Guided Pathways. 

TIM VAN NORMAN is the new IT contact for Canvas. He spoke. Replaces Joe San Juan (who has retired)

We’ve now moved onto Canvas. Call me, email me. I’m here to troubleshoot issues. Feel free tocall 

Let me know before issues become problems.

Some resources:

Training.ivc.edu

Its specific for faculty and staff (no pesky students)

I put on workshops. 

A couple of tips:

When setting up Canvas, make menu at left as short as possible. Only leave modules.

Use icons; people like pictures. Students move through course quickly with icons.

I hear a lot from faculty: “I don’t want to change for Canvas.” Luckily I usually can make Canvas change for you! (Chirp, chirp.)

A neat little feature: students like blah blah blah

You’ll see “tips and tricks” emails from me every other week

Go to training.ivc.edu – see classes, workshops

FERPA

Arlene and Ben:

Presentation.

Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974.

We must comply with it.

Shouldn’t make students’ email available. 

Personally identifiable information   

In some cases, FERPA is amazingly restrictive

Deejay Santiago will give a brief update regarding Laser Week 2018. 

Laser Week 2017

Supplemental orientation; establishing a sense of community

March 15, 2018: "Go back to your home country"

My notes of the March 15 meeting of the IVC Academic Senate Rep Council

Agenda here:

https://inside.ivc.edu/committees/asenate/Meetings/2017-18/18-03-15/Rep%20Council%20Agenda%20031518.pdf

We discussed the recent incident involving a Golden West College Counselor running into an Asian American (on a walk in the neighborhood) and saying to him (and to his wife), “go back to your home country.”

See

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-W_8tVVc9w

According to the Times, the patriot in question is “Tarin Olson, a professor and counselor at Golden West.” She was contacted by a reporter and she said:

"I feel my perspective will be twisted if discussing the skewed video which cut out part of the incident," she said in a statement to the station. "If you would like to have a full normal interview about the displacement of European-Americans, then I gladly am available to enlighten the public."

“Displacement of European-Americans” is a thing in the alt-right world, the Brightbart News world. Sheesh.

 We all agreed that it would be appropriate to pursue dialogue/conversation about this odd incident. Officials at the college rejected the counselor’s sentiments. Not sure what else has happened. Olson’s on a leave of absence

Two part-timer senators were appointed

We discussed the ongoing review of BPs and ARs. June underscored the BP about evaluation of administrators, et al.

Evaluating administrators happens everywhere, all the time, yet some in our district oppose the idea that instructors and others should have a role in evaluations of administrators. Send input to asenate@ivc.edu

Jeff K: BARC meeting last week. District IT. SPAC. Moved forward without “alterations to that list.” Jeff: a jaw dropping amount of money. Something close to $10 mil. We need to be more attentive: some involved in the process have a cavalier attitude about spending. The spending cycle is a “self-perpetuating beast.” Things can collectively go awry. $9-10 million dollars. Jeff expressed skepticism about the process and the data.

I asked about the auditor who visited the senate not long ago. Can’t he look at this stuff? Make recommendations?

Yep.

Please collect you IT anecdotes. We need that.

“Bruce wants our support.”

Jeff reminded us that, in the case of the district calendar, we at IVC just acted like victims for years until we finally came in with guns blazing and things finally changed. They’re not used to having people stand up and be prepared to question things.  These people need to do a lot more explaining (it all might be justified, of course).

Please send anecdotes about IT issues to June. She’ll collect them and we’ll review and arrive at an approach, maybe adopt a resolution.

DIANA: the head of courses discussed the new residency rules.

Honestly, I had no idea what she was  saying. Some people love their acronyms and such.

BPs and ARs:

BPs and ARs for review:

· AR 3605 Employee Travel – Payment of Employee Travel Expenses BPs and ARs for voting on March 15, 2018:

·  BP / AR 5611 Open Enrollment

·  BP / AR 6105 Prerequisites, Co-Requisites, Advisories, and Limitations on

Enrollment

·  BP / AR 4345 Catastrophic Leave

Pathways Update

Rebecca: workgroup is mostly focused on Fall, what we need to do now for Fall. A summit. Trying to get staff and students to participate. Met with Loris? Focus groups with our students on campus. 1st year students. Focus groups come first, then surveys that “drill down.”

April 10 – district tech guy Jim Gaston will be coming to meeting. Feel free to join us or email us questions, issues.

Please, we need more people on our workgroup. We always have snacks, she said. Yum.

Cessa: commencement work group. Blah blah blah, see handout.

Seemed to say that it really helps when a faculty support a student for student speaker. Let us know who’s out there. Nominate people.

If you’re planning on not attending, let your dean know. Arrive at around 3:30.

There’ll be a faculty gauntlet.

New last year: providing dinner immediately after. A really nice spread at cafeteria.

I raised the spectre of prayer. Cessa finally asked me if I wanted prayer. No, I said.

K. CTEatIVC

Presentation on the inner workings of Career Technical Education (CTE) at IVC.

CTE at IVC is very “academic” compared to other colleges, said Merry Kim, Director, Career Technical Education. “Blah blah blah,” she continued.

I asked what she meant by saying that CTE is very “academic” at IVC.

It just is, I guess.

(Strikes me as pretty unacademic.)