By Sienna Hennessy Machado-Hildalgo
The Academic Senate discussed resolution ideas for the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges’ Spring 2023 Plenary session on Mar. 3.
The ASCCC website says the plenary sessions are used to inform senate officers and faculty of hot topics, receive training to strengthen effectiveness, select representatives and officers and provide the Executive Committee direction through state resolution and voting processes.
Academic Senate President Jeffrey Hernandez said he wrote a resolution for the ASCCC spring plenary that recommends reconfiguring state metrics of student success to remedy the lack of priority part-time students face based on recent reports.
He said some part-time students’ goals may not align with the Guided Pathways two-year completion model.
Media Arts and Technology Chairperson Robert Aaron Lyle said he cautions the senate not to make too much of correlations based on limited data.
South Gate College Counselor Sokie Quintero said the senate should consider bringing back local alternative programs that would help part-time students, such as the no longer active Parent and Community Engagement program.
Counselor Alice Figueroa said she hopes the resolution will help the part-time students she works with who are unable to be full-time.
Hernandez also said he requested that the ASCCC Legislative Committee consider a resolution recommending the inclusion of local academic senates in a bill planned to be proposed by the the Student Senate for California Community Colleges.
The SSCCC has plans to propose a bill to exempt student organizations and committees from the Brown Act.
The Brown Act is intended to provide public access to meetings of local government agencies.
Representatives for Architecture, Art, Engineering and Technologies and Public Safety Affiliates were absent.