Local Senates

Addressing the Health and Well-being Crisis Among California's Community College Students

Whereas, The physical health and mental well-being of California's young adults is currently at a crisis level, with potential devastating long-term effects on both the health status and financial stability of the state [1], and the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges affirmed the value of lifelong learning courses, including health, kinesiology, and physical education, in the Spring of 2023 with Resolution 15.02 [2];

Supporting Equal Rights for Part-time Faculty

Whereas, Many resolutions of the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges support assuring that part-time faculty have the same rights as full-time faculty in different, specific areas, including 01.02 F20 Develop a Resource to Communicate and Encourage Part-time Faculty Leadership [1], 19.01 S21 Create a Paper on Part-Time Faculty Equity [2], 17.02 S22 Increase Part-time Faculty Representation and Communication through Local Part-time Faculty Liaisons [3], and 01.01

Part-time Faculty Inclusion in OER and ZTC Pathways

Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges (ASCCC) is committed to the participation of part-time faculty in all academic and professional matters, as evidenced by the inclusion and recognition of part-time faculty though committee appointments, numerous resolutions, position papers, and the adoption of Resolution 01.01 S23 Add a Designated At-Large Part-time Representative to the Executive Committee [1];

Sustainability and Institutionalization of Zero-Textbook-Cost Pathway Efforts

Whereas, California Education Code §78052 [1] requires that districts “Develop degrees with consideration for sustainability after grant funding is exhausted, including how content is updated and presented,” and the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges (ASCCC) recognizes open educational resources as the preferred and most sustainable mechanism for eliminating course costs as stated in Resolution 03.05 F21 Zero Means Zero Textbook Cost [2];

Adopt Student Senate for California Community Colleges Low-Cost Recommendation

Whereas, Resolution 03.04 F21, “Develop Statewide Recommendation for Definition of Low-Cost Course Materials” tasked the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges to work with the Student Senate for California Community Colleges and the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office to identify a recommended definition of low-cost to be considered for adoption throughout the California Community College system; and

Whereas, The Student Senate for California Community Colleges Board of Directors has recommended $30 as the definition for “low-cost”;

Advancing Equal Employment Opportunity Policies and Practices within Hiring Committees

Whereas, Funds have been allocated from the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office to California community colleges for Equal Employment Opportunity implementation;

Whereas, California community colleges need to move beyond performative statements and awareness to operational processes for hiring faculty to increase the diversity of candidates applying and being interviewed for full-time faculty positions;

Using Zero Textbook Cost Funds to Support an Open Educational Resource/Zero Textbook Costs Faculty Coordinator

Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges has urged local academic senates to identify an open educational resources (OER) liaison (Resolution F18 17.02) [1] and subsequently encouraged local colleges to identify and support a faculty OER coordinator because various opportunities for obtaining funding for local OER efforts require that a coordinator be identified to oversee the work and significant increases in OER usage are reported when a local advocate has dedicated time to support OER adoption (Resolution S19 13.02)

Textbook Automatic Billing Concerns

Whereas, Automatic billing or inclusive access strategies have been introduced by publishers and bookstore vendors as a mechanism to grant students access to course resources by billing them for those resources at the time of registration and requiring that a student opt out of the program for all courses if the student determines the program is not beneficial;

Establishing an Equitable Placement and Student Success Liaison

Whereas, After the passage of AB 705 (Irwin, 2017), [1] the November 2020 California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office “Validation of Practices Memo” [2] clarified specific guidance on how community colleges are to place students in English and mathematics, directing them in most cases to place students directly into transfer level English and mathematics;

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