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Whereas, California Penal Code §2053.1 directs the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to “make college programs available at every state prison for the benefit of inmates” and states that these “college programs shall only be provided by the California Community Colleges, the California State University, the University of California, or other regionally accredited, nonprofit colleges or universities,” and consequently, the CDCR “ shall prioritize colleges and universities that… [d]o not charge incarcerated students or their families for tuition, course materials, or other e

Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges is committed to ensuring that all Californians have access to high-quality education, regardless of their age, background, or life circumstances;

Whereas, Some lifelong learners face a number of barriers to enrolling in classes, including complex application processes, lack of time and resources, and difficulty navigating the system; and

Whereas, To increase transfer completion, the California legislature has prioritized data-informed reforms, such as AB 1705 (Irwin, 2022) [1], with the goal of achieving equitable outcomes;

Whereas, The California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office has interpreted AB 1705 (Irwin, 2022) [1] to require that students “begin in… math coursework that satisfies a requirement of their program,” and the guidance issued in memo ESS 23-19 [2} states that colleges must place students pursuing the Associate Degree for Transfer in Business Administration 2.0 into a business calculus class or other calculus class; and

Whereas, The Procedures and Standing Orders of the Board of Governors (December, 2022)  [1] requires that “any published materials produced under an agreement or sub-agreement using public funds must be subject to a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY),” allowing such materials to be used, modified, and monetized by any entity provided the source is properly attributed;

Whereas, The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), county justice centers, and California community colleges are bound by complicated constraints, including laws, contractual agreements, policies, and funding formulas, and policies, procedures, and processes that meet the needs of incarcerated students, faculty, and collegiate support staff serving the incarcerated students and support the needs of the corrections staff under the memorandum of understanding between the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office  and CDCR need to be established to preserve th

Whereas, The California Community Colleges Vision 2030 [1] merges elements of the Vision for Success and the Governor’s Roadmap for California Community Colleges into three goals of equity in access, equity in support, and equity in success and three strategic directions of equitable baccalaureate attainment, equitable workforce and economic development, and the future of learning, all of which were adopted by the California Community Colleges Board of Governors on September 26, 2023; and

Whereas, AB 607 (Kalra, 2023) [1] modifies California Education Code §66406.9 [2] to expand the cost information required in course schedules, requiring that colleges

Whereas, AB 1705 (Irwin, 2022) [1], signed into law on September 30, 2022, requires California community colleges to place and enroll nearly all students directly into transfer-level English and mathematics courses when enrolling in an English or mathematics course and also establishes that community colleges may not require students to repeat courses taken in high school [2]; and

Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges' (ASCCC) commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity, anti-racism, and accessibility has been affirmed in the following resolutions: 07.02 S23 Ensuring Anti-racist California Community College Online Faculty Training Materials [1], 13.04 S23 Resolution in Support of Academic Freedom/Solidarity with Faculty Across the Nation [2], 01.01 F22 Adopt the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges Mission, Vision, and Values Statements that Include Anti