Whereas, Title 5 53021 (a) mandates that all full-time faculty and administrative positions must be posted on the Equal Employment Opportunity Registry (Registry);
Whereas, The Registry also has the capacity to post part-time faculty and classified staff positions as well as the capacity to maintain the names of those seeking faculty positions, whether full- or part-time;
Whereas, The successful implementation of an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Plan requires training, resources, recruitment, revised job descriptions and interview processes that measure "cultural proficiency";
Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges work with the System Office to disseminate best practices in diversity hiring. MSC Disposition: Local Senates
Whereas, The Academic Senate embraces the concept of increasing diversity in faculty hiring;
Whereas, The Board of Governors has approved a new model Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Plan that will be the basis for future hiring plans for California community colleges;
Whereas, Each district must adopt an EEO plan by November 2007; and
Whereas, Title 5 53005 requires each district to establish an EEO Advisory Committee to assist the district in developing its plan;
Whereas, Less than 30% of part-time community college faculty are of color (California Community Colleges System Office Data Mart, Fall 2004 data);
Whereas, A change in the 60% law that permits the teaching of more sections by individual instructors creates less opportunity for increasing faculty diversity since fewer part-time instructors teach more classes and this may reduce opportunities for those from diverse backgrounds seeking community college teaching experience;
Whereas, The Board of Governors has approved a new Model Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Plan that will be the basis for future hiring plans for all California community colleges and embraces the concept of diversity hiring;
Whereas, Each district must adopt an EEO Plan;
Whereas, Community college faculty should play a major role in the drafting of their district's EEO Plan and in the hiring process for faculty; and
Whereas, Once the plans are created there will be a need for resources to assist in diversity hiring training;
Whereas, Faculty, administrators, and students in several individual California community colleges participate in the Equity for All and the Campus Change Network initiatives, which focus on student equity issues;
Whereas, The California Community College System Office, including the Chancellor and the Equity and Diversity Advisory Committee, has supported these initiatives in hopes of boosting student equity;
Whereas, The participating colleges have begun to assess their experiences and findings in achieving student equity; and
Whereas, Updated Student Equity Plans were due into the System Office by January 31, 2005; and
Whereas, There is no coherent statewide approach to addressing system-wide equity issues;
Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges work with the System Office to examine statewide student equity data, including aggregate statewide data for the five indicators of student success: access, retention, degree and certificate completion, ESL and basic skills completion, and transfer;
Whereas, The composition of the faculty in California community colleges does not reflect the diversity of the students;
Whereas, Research studies indicate that a diverse faculty can improve critical thinking and enhance learning outcomes for all students;
Whereas, Coalitions of education organizations say that students achieve better when there are campus faculty that reflect their diverse background; and
Whereas, A diverse faculty can improve education across the board and can help narrow the achievement gap;
Whereas, California community colleges are bound by state and federal legislation to provide a working and learning environment that reflects the rights of all students to study and to access services in an environment which is equitable and free from discrimination and harassment;
Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges considers a diverse faculty to be of great benefit, not only to all members of the campus community but also to the larger community of which the campus is a part;
Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges believes that conformity to the Affirmative Action Regulations of Title 5 constitutes no more than the exercise of sound hiring practices; and