January 13, 2025

I. Call to Order

---

Welcome

Erik Woodbury welcomed everyone to the first 2025 Academic Senate meeting. He introduced new college president Omar Torres, joining virtually online.

Erik Woodbury reminded representatives to complete their report out.

There will be no meeting next week to observe the Martin Luther King, Jr holiday.

---

Approval of Agenda and Minutes from  December 2nd, 2024. 

James Tallent moved, LK Sengupta seconded to approve. No objection. Agenda and minutes approved by unanimous consent.

---

Public Comment 

Veronica Acevedo acknowledged and expressed appreciation for the new president and his 100 days of listening.

President Omar Torres sent his new year greetings and good wishes to everyone. The devastating wildfires in southern California served as a reminder for him to work with the district office to establish campus safety protocol for emergencies. It has been a wonderful first week for him. He will be engaged in his 100 days of listening. Schedule with his assistant Nathaly Aguilar for a time to meet with him.

Mark Landefeld brought up the recruitment challenge Athletics is encountering related to the different application of the Promise Program in competing schools. The De Anza Promise Program caps at 15 units per quarter while there is no cap at neighboring schools like Foothill and West Valley.

---

II. Consent Calendar

---

Consent Calendar: (Attachment)

Tenure Review Committee

Hiring Committees

• Math Instructor
• Manager, Operations
• Associate Vice Chancellor of Human Resources

Jayanti Roy moved to approve the consent calendar. Lisa Mesh seconded. No objections. Approved by unanimous consent.

---

III. Needs and Confirmation

---

District and College Needs (Attachment)

General Education Review Committee

Area 3 Arts and Humanities needed a representative

There was also the need for a second counselor. 

COOL Committee

Need a few more people to fill the vacancies.

Tenure Review At-Large Representatives

They need to recruit more representatives to get training and be ready to serve.  

EO Representatives 

Ongoing needs

Academic Senate Representatives

Ongoing needs

Go to the Senate website to view current needs.

---

Confirmations (Attachment)

PT At-large Representative, Academic Senate

Ismael Tarikh, Political Science, SSH

GE Review Committee 

Area 7, Physical Education and Wellness.

Danielle Altman, Athletics, PE

Sherwin Mendoza moved to approve, Shagun Kaur seconded. No objections. Approved by unanimous consent.

RFP Committee for Dining Services
There were 3 volunteers for 1 position.

• Christina Wright, Film/TV, Creative Arts
• Cecilia Hui, Library, Academic Services
• Cheryl Owiesney, Athletics, PE

Voting members received a link to cast their ballot using the Rank Choice Voting Process. Each voting member has the option to designate their first, second, and third choice for the position.

Cecilia Hui was elected to serve as faculty representative on the RFP Committee for Dining Services.

---

V. New & Continuing Business

---

Quick Notes:

ICE Response Posters in Classrooms: 

At the end of the fall quarter and during the break these posters were placed in classrooms across campus. The response to ICE on campus was to send them directly to the president’s office. There is no need for any other actions. If anyone notices a room without a poster, they should reach out to the marketing office or Cynthia Kaufman. Someone suggested having a QR code for people to download the information onto their module devices.

Combined December/January Board meeting Jan 13th. 

There has been a series of scheduled, cancelled, rescheduled, cancelled, rescheduled meetings. People were encouraged to tune in. Contact Erik Woodbury if anyone would like him to highlight anything in his leadership report to the board..

President Torres- 100 days of listening

Reach out to Nathaly to schedule a time to share with him your interests and concerns for the college.

Reduced Speed Limits around Campus

Please note that the speed limits have been reduced on roads and streets surrounding campus. Cupertino is among more than 40 communities across the United States that have adopted a Vision Zero plan, part of an international effort to eliminate fatal and serious traffic incidents. The Cupertino City Council adopted the Vision Zero plan in July to increase pedestrian safety.

AB 705/1705 Guidance Review Board of Governors 1/14

At the end of last quarter, the beginning of December, the chancellor's office issued new guidance on AB 705 1705 with regards to math courses. Under this ordinance, De Anza will not be able to offer pre-Calculus classes starting next fall. In response to an outpouring of concern and criticism, the chancellor's office has revised the guidance to allow pre-calculus through spring ‘27. There will be a Board of Governors meeting 1/14, 4-5 pm. The deadline for written comments has passed. The meeting will be accessible online. People may log in, listen, and make public comments online.

---

Goal Setting

Identify topics for discussion and action for Winter-Spring 2025
Updates on previous goals from Fall 24

• Mentoring, onboarding, recruitment, and training for new senators.
• Community building in the Senate.
• Ways to support undocumented and trans communities. The Senate has passed two resolutions that addressed concerns for both groups.
• Update from the office of enrollment on filtering out fake students.
• On the issue of fake students. There has been collateral damage to regular students who are not robots but were treated like robots.
• Appreciation for the budget overview from Lydia Hearn. Would like to have more such briefings.
• Enrollment management. More clarity on the college’s direction, like late start classes, online versus hybrid. Need more direction, more guidance, and a clear path forward.
• OER
• Collaborate with Foothill on security and safety concerns like locking mechanisms for door security. Concerns for equipment and computer thefts.
• Campus updates. Measure G, medical center, Flint Center demolition, air quality monitoring around construction sites.
• Affordable housing updates
• Senate Election in the spring. Form Nomination Committee.
• Equity rubric
• ASCCC plenary reports. Plenary scholarships to encourage participation.
• Curriculum development. Co-teaching interdisciplinary, integrated classes.

---

Budget and Finance Report

Financial Report

The Senate income and expenditure have been consistent with a stable ending balance. The annual expenses include attendance in the fall and spring ASCCC plenaries and stipends for elected part-time Senate representatives. The Senate has co-sponsored college events and funded special requests. 

Budget Proposal

In the last three years, Senate officers have proposed an annual budget that included event plans as well as plans to establish and implement a scholarship to meet student needs.

Senate income comes from dues collected from contributing members through voluntary payroll deduction. The income remained flat as the dues from retired contributing members were replaced by new dues paying members. 

The Senate will need increased contribution and income to support its proposed work such as scholarship for faculty to attend the ASCCC plenaries, supporting college events like the Math competition, celebrating tenure recipients, and honoring retirees.

There were suggestions and discussions on diverting some of the money into the scholarship fund.

Ravjeet Singh brought up several cases last year when international students were defrauded out of their apartments they were renting. She inquired about assistance available for non-residents and if the Senate funds have restrictions related to residency.

Veronica Acevedo motioned to amend the proposed budget by adding $5000 for the scholarship fund. Cynthia Kaufman seconded.

Discussion and calculation followed. Adding $5000 to the endowed scholarship fund would yield $200-250 per year. The money once deposited cannot be withdrawn from the endowment back into the Senate account. It was suggested that the Senate directly fund specific requests to the Senate. Someone suggested having Senate sponsored events like a speaker series to foster community building and engagement.

Veronica Acevedo withdrew her motion to amend the proposed budget.

Mary Pape moved to approve the financial report and proposed budget. Jayanti Roy seconded. No objections. Budget and report approved.

---

FW Grade Assignment

Discussion and explanation on current practice and the desire for change.

The current grade definition for FW on the college website.

Failing: 0 points. This grade indicates that a student has stopped participating in a course after the last day to officially withdraw, without achieving a final passing grade, and the student has not received college authorization to withdraw under extenuating circumstances.

FW has caused confusion for faculty. What is the purpose of FW? What is the responsibility of the instructor in assigning FW? Are faculty obligated to drop students so they get the W or do students just get an F? What are the differences between the F, W, or FW grades? What are the impacts for students, faculty, and the college? How is the FW grade used by the administration and what it means on a transcript?

Nazy Galoyan, Dean of Enrollment Services,  gave the history and explanation for the FW.

Discussion on FW started in the 2018 academic year. The college implemented FW in summer 2019. This was due to Title IV audits on issues related to students on financial aid that received a great number of F grades. The college was in danger of being monetarily penalized for the financial aid funds. One of the proposals from the Department of Education was to implement FW grade. Nazy and Lisa Mandy went to the district and Academic Senate to start the FW implementation. FW is not a requirement from the state but it's a recommendation from the Department of Education for Title IV purposes.

This grade indicates that a student did not participate in a course after the last day to officially withdraw without achieving a final passing grade. And the student has not received college authorization to withdraw under extenuating circumstances. Faculty are asked to provide the last date of participation when they assign the FW grade.

The enrollment report will go to the Department of Education where they check to determine the financial aid eligibility for the college. There are annual audits for financial aid to review when a student stops attending or participating in a class. Financial aid needs the last attendance date if a student does not drop the class and gets an F. And if the student has a lot of F's, that will prompt a review by financial aid. It won't change their grade but may impact their financial aid eligibility.

In some cases, the student may have to return Title IV money like Pell Grants or loans depending on how much of the course the student has completed in the term. If a student stopped participating, came to class and they didn't take final, those are clear FWs. However, Instructors are not required to assign FWs.

There were concerns for students like veteran students who will become ineligible for funds and international students who will be in violation of their visa.

The terms attendance and participation have been used interchangeably. These need more clarity and an institutional definition. Also, there were concerns regarding how to determine attendance and participation in online classes.

It is very important for faculty to state clearly their drop policy, the timeline for withdrawal, and grading scale in their syllabus. Faculty are not required to assign FW but it is critical for the financial office to have the last date of attendance to be compliant with financial audits.

Nazy suggested that faculty drop students who never attended before week 2. Between weeks 3 and 8 faculty should monitor their roster to track student attendance and participation. Remind students in week 7 regarding the deadline for withdrawal. Keep track and note the student's last day of attendance.

This conversation will continue next week.

Erik Woodbury suggested that faculty bring their thoughts, your questions, your confusions for further  discussion.

---

Good of the Order

Please review all report outs

RAPP (resource allocation and program planning)

Final three weeks of hiring prioritization. RAPP meets Tuesdays 10 to 11:30.

Everyone is welcome to attend, conversation is limited to the committee members. 

Please contact your faculty reps with questions, concerns, and thoughts on prioritization. 

Air Quality Testing

There is an independent contractor whose only job is to monitor air quality during the demolition throughout the remaining life of the project. They brought in the extra monitor as a result of the extensive asbestos and other hazardous materials . They follow the Bay Area Quality Management requirements for abatement and air quality.

Kudos to Shagun Kaur for help securing $1.6 million funding for VTC work.

Mary Donahue: 

The De Anza Outdoor Club is continuing signups for a weekend winter quarter trip to Yosemite National Park.  Camp or cabin or hotel room.  Cookout or cafeteria or restaurant.  No experience necessary.

Lynn Ling, International Student Retention & Communications, put the trip on the ISP calendar to make it not only an  Outdoor Club trip, but also an event for international students to see the best of California (2025 will be the 35th annual trip).

Hikes to viewpoints above Yosemite valley or to the top of one of the tallest waterfalls in the world, nature walk with a park ranger, ice skating, rollerblading, biking, climbing, (sometimes the weather is good enough for these) snow sculpture building, snowboarding/skiing (lessons and/or rentals - cheaper lift tickets than Tahoe), ranger naturalist snowshoe walk (snowshoes provided by the park), photo tour that you create the route for, of places to photograph iconic Yosemite landmarks.

For details: https://marydonahue.org/snow-camp

https://marydonahue.org/in-advance-of-the-yosemite-trip

And for your own Yosemite vacation, overnight accommodations in Yosemite Valley:

Yosemite Valley Lodge: https://marydonahue.org/yosemite-valley-lodge-rooms-views-building-layouts-reservations-tips-with-maps

The Ahwahnee hotel: https://marydonahue.org/ahwahnee-hotel-map

Curry Village tent cabins https://marydonahue.org/yosemite-valley-tent-cabins-tips-and-tricks

The list of things you must bring, should not bring and will wish you brought is at:

https://marydonahue.org/snow-or-rain-camp-must-haves

Instructions for people who have never camped (or camped in the winter but did not enjoy it), are at:

https://marydonahue.org/first-timers-instructions

Things to do during a Yosemite snow storm besides hiding in your tent or the cafeteria

https://marydonahue.org/things-to-do-during-a-yosemite-snow-storm-besides-hiding-in-your-tent

Worth consulting before the drive: https://marydonahue.org/parking-and-traffic-jams-in-yosemite-valley-tips-and-tricks

You can create your own photo tour of places to photograph iconic Yosemite landmarks

El Capitan:   https://marydonahue.org/places-to-take-photos-of-el-capitan-in-yosemite-national-park-includes-maps

Half Dome: https://marydonahue.org/places-to-take-photos-of-half-dome-in-yosemite-national-park-with-maps

Yosemite Falls:  https://marydonahue.org/places-to-take-photos-of-yosemite-falls-in-yosemite-national-park-with-maps

Bridalveil Falls: https://marydonahue.org/places-to-take-photos-of-bridalveil-fall-in-yosemite-national-park

Staircase Falls:  https://marydonahue.org/places-to-take-photos-of-staircase-falls-in-yosemite-national-park

---

Adjournment

Cynthia Kaufman motioned, James Tallent seconded, to adjourn, no objection.

---

Attendance

In person

Erik Woodbury, Patty Guitron, So Kam Lee, 

Veronica Avila Acevedo,Viviana Alcazar, *Sam Bliss, James Capurso, Umar Douglas, Mark Hamer, Kevin Glapion, Lauren Gordon, Julie Hughes, Rusty Johnson, Cynthia Kaufman, Shagun Kaur, Mark Landefeld, Sherwin Mendoza, Lisa Mesh, Mary Pape, Christian Rodriguez, Jayanti Roy, Lakshmikanta "LK" Sengupta, Sukhjit Bob Singh, James Tallent, Ismael Tarikh, Lianna Wong

Online

Mary Donahue, Ravjeet Singh, *Aura Ozturk

Absent

 James Adams, *Deborah Armstrong, Alicia Mullens, Leah Smith, 

*Non-voting members