A Rostrum article was authored by Phil Smith in November 2013.
Whereas, Budget cuts at the California community colleges have led to increasingly dwindling staff, including full-time faculty;
Whereas, Certain processes such as accreditation take a monumental amount of work and expertise that may lead some schools, especially the smaller ones, to hire out significant portions of areas such as the self study process;
Whereas, In addition to depending upon outsiders to gather data, many schools may also commit to using technology, including particular data bases, that requires expensive upkeep; and
Whereas, The use of outside researchers to gather data for the Educational Master Plan or other future-shaping plans for colleges may have negative implications, especially when said researchers are unfamiliar with the colleges for which they are working;
Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges encourage local senates to consider the ramifications of hiring outside parties to conduct research for their self studies and, when possible, to share any concerns with their local administrations and boards.
MSC Disposition: Local Senates