State and Legislative Issues

Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges (ASCCC) adopted Resolution S16 06.01 [1] Support Legislation to Increase Cal Grant Awards, as proposed in AB 1721 (Medina, 2016) and AB 1892 (Medina, 2016), at the 2016 Spring Plenary Session;

Whereas, The ASCCC has prioritized support on expansion of Cal Grants [2];

Whereas, The ASCCC continues to advocate for increases to Cal Grant awards [3]; and

Whereas, AB 1111 (Berman, 2021) 1 would require that all California community colleges incorporate common course numbers in their catalogs even though the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges has previously endorsed, through resolution

Whereas, AB 928 (Berman, 2021) proposes an Associate Degree for Transfer Intersegmental Implementation Committee, a body of 16 to 24 members including only one faculty representative from the California Community Colleges system, to serve as the primary entity charged with the oversight of the associate degrees for transfer (ADTs):

Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges passed Resolution

6.1 F19 Reversal of Position Regarding Baccalaureate Degrees and Removal of Pilot Designation to remove its opposition to the creation of baccalaureate degrees in the California Community Colleges system and to urge the removal of the designation of “pilot” from the baccalaureate degree programs; and

Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges passed resolution

Whereas, During the last decade the legislature has provided significant support for online and distance education to improve access to California community colleges, and during the COVID-19 pandemic online course offerings at California community colleges have increased exponentially in both asynchronous and synchronous modalities to support remote student learning while the global public health crisis excludes or limits face-to-face teaching;

Whereas, Meetings of local academic senates and their associated committees are subject to the requirements of the Ralph M. Brown Act (Government Code sections 54950- 54963);

Whereas, The governor’s Executive Order N-29-20 (17 March 2020) states that “All requirements in the Brown Act expressly or impliedly requiring the physical presence of members, the clerk or other personnel of the body, or of the public as a condition of participation in or quorum for a public meeting are hereby waived”; and

Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges recommends in the position paper Noncredit Instruction: Opportunity and Challenge 1 that the ASCCC should work with the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office to revise regulations and the Student Attendance Accounting Manual to provide noncredit attendance accounting options in addition to positive attendance in a manner similar to those available for credit courses;

Whereas, Current and formerly incarcerated students face significant barriers in pursuing their educational goals, especially in higher education, due to restricted access to educational opportunities, instruction, materials, and services stemming from legal policies and financial limitations; and

Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges has numerous positions supporting the provision of equitable educational opportunities and support services for current and formerly incarcerated students 1; and

Whereas, California Education Code §84362, also known as the 50% Law, designates a minimum of 50% of a college’s general fund budget for direct instruction, but the current definition of instruction under the 50% law does not include support faculty such as counselors, librarians, tutorial coordinators, and any other faculty not actively in a classroom, and thus the 50% law becomes a fiscal and structural barrier to student support;

Whereas, Academic Freedom is a fundamental concept, supported by faculty tenure, that exists to ensure that institutions of higher education function for the public good and assures that colleges are constructed on the foundations of genuine trust and integrity but is not codified or protected in California Education Code;