Ongoing

Whereas, The United States Constitution guarantees all persons living in the United States fundamental rights including freedom of religion, speech, assembly and privacy; protection from unreasonable searches and seizures; due process and equal protection to any person; equality before the law and the presumption of innocence; access to counsel in judicial proceedings; and a fair, speedy and public trial;

Whereas, The USA Patriot Act contradicts fundamental Constitutional rights;

Whereas, The System Office agency review may include evaluation and adjustment of the way technology services are provided to the system; and

Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges has many existing positions regarding technology;

Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges support changes in the System Office that:
create a more effective technology oversight and budgeting structure;ensure the academic integrity of distance education offerings by providing training, support and stable infrastructure;

Whereas, AB1725 proposed program-based funding and established educational quality standards that funding should address;

Whereas, The program-based funding model has never been adequately funded;

Whereas, The Governor's current commitment to equalization has been an additional allocation on top of base apportionment; and

Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges has a long-standing concern about the relationship between funding and educational quality standards;

Whereas, There currently exists a funding disparity between noncredit and credit funding, as the current rate of apportionment funding for noncredit is approximately 56% of the credit rate and does not provide adequate funding for program elements that are critical to the success of noncredit students, such as full-time faculty, general support costs, office hours, libraries, learning resources centers, and tutors;

Whereas the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges has a long established position of supporting technology that will enhance the educational experience of students, and of supporting college funding that makes this a priority, and the current draft of the Technology II Plan contains significant funding for centralized projects that will have little immediate impact on students, and that would extend the capacity and/or role of the Chancellor's Office in the provision of distance education and student services in significant ways, and

Whereas, The 2002 Accreditation Standards for California Community Colleges require specified Student Learning Outcomes and assessments; and

Whereas, The Student Learning Outcomes are written, coordinated, managed and integrated through a faculty-driven process;

Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges urge the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) to ensure that faculty comprise a minimum of 25% of the site visiting teams; and

Whereas, Section II.A.6 of the 2002 Accreditation Standards states, "In every class section students receive a course syllabus that specifies learning objectives [emphasis added] consistent with those in the institution's officially approved course outline," and Commission representatives have interpreted "learning objectives" as Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs), thus creating confusion in the field;

Whereas, The Board of Governors waives registration fees for some students and reimburses colleges for that lost revenue;

Whereas, The Board of Governors waives student health fees for some students but does not reimburse colleges for that lost revenue;

Whereas, For many students, the only access to health care is the college's student health center; and

Whereas, The Board of Governors' practice of waiving health fees for those students places an unfair burden on the students who pay those fees to support the health center;

Whereas, Students have the right to expect that their community college education will include appropriate use of current technology;

Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges supports the Technology II Plan to fund technology hardware, software, support, and training at the local college level in a manner separate from regular apportionment; and

Whereas, The nationally recognized Gartner Group consultants recommended a Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) model that is now under attack in the Governor's January budget proposal;

Resolved, That the Academic Senate pursue multi-level strategies to respond to accreditation draft B and any subsequent drafts including:
to continue to seek dialogue with the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC), seek extension of the timeline for adoption, and work in concert with other interested groups to create opportunities for continued discussion on future accrediting standards,
to continue to develop analyses of the proposals and suggest alternative proposals and wording,
to continue to respond in writing and via public testimony,