WHEREAS, in spring 2015 roughly 160 classes were cancelled, and
WHEREAS, classes cancelled at the last minute have both short-term and long-term negative effects on departments, faculty, and students, and
WHEREAS, in the short-term, part-time faculty in particular suffer as they lose part of their livelihood, and students suffer from losing a class they have counted on and need to try, if possible, to rearrange their schedule to fill the gap in order to avoid derailing their academic plan, and
WHEREAS, in the long-term, a high number of cancelled classes leads to problems attracting qualified part-time faculty and attracting and retaining students, both of whom may go elsewhere, and
WHEREAS, students may be derailed from the important goal of completing their educational plans in a timely manner, and
WHEREAS, Palomar College is committed to student success, and last-minute cancellation of classes works against that commitment, and
WHEREAS, two significant issues Palomar College faces are attracting and retaining excellent part-time instructors, and attracting and retaining students in a time of declining enrollment,
BE IT RESOLVED that comprehensive and consistent planning is essential to avoid this kind of situation in the future, and faculty need to be part of the planning from the onset, and
Be It Further RESOLVED, significant input from department chairs is needed before a class is cancelled, and there must be a commitment to, whenever possible, avoiding cancelling classes the week prior to classes starting, due to the short-term and long-term negative impacts on the college, faculty, and students.
The motion carried.
Resolution on Presidential Search • October 27, 2014
WHEREAS Palomar College is in the midst of preparing for our Accreditation visit in March, meaning the faculty, staff, and administrative leadership is
preoccupied with completing the work required for the accreditation visit and would not be able to devote the time and energy required to a presidential search; and
WHEREAS the Faculty wants to have a deliberative process and not be rushed into making a decision; and
WHEREAS the search procedure is more than simply recruitment, paper screening, and interviews, it requires time to reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of the current administration and the direction the remaining employees would like for the future of the College; and
WHEREAS the Faculty, Staff, and Administration who will be working with the new President for years to come should have significant influence over the selection process; and
WHEREAS in order to promote diversity, we need a comprehensive and deliberate process;
BE IT RESOLVED that:
• _the Faculty request a search committee is formed in a timely manner and that the search committee then recommend the timeline for a Presidential search.
• _the Faculty request the District to hire an outside Interim President effective 7/1/15.
• _those faculty, staff, and administrators who are retiring in 2015 refrain from the participation in the search process.

The motion carried.

WHEREAS, the anticipated Supplemental Early Retirement Plan (SERP) will drastically reduce the number of full-time faculty, as well as administrators and staff, and

WHEREAS, the announcement deadline of 4/3/15 does not leave sufficient time for a district of Palomar’s size and stature to effectively plan for or prepare for the loss of faculty, staff, and administrators in key leadership positions, and
WHEREAS, the Faculty Senate of Palomar College has been waiting for notification of a transition plan for the expected retirements of valuable faculty, staff, and administrators in key leadership positions and has not been notified by administration of any transition plan, and
WHEREAS, replacement or interim staffing of key leadership positions, such as Articulation Officer, Supervisor of Records and Evaluations, Deans, and Vice Presidents, requires some level of familiarity with the roles and duties before stepping into each permanent position, and
WHEREAS, there has been a historical precedent of vacated positions either being filled by short-term, part-time, or hourly employees or left unfilled, and never returning to their previous status as full-time positions, and
WHEREAS, the Faculty Senate feels strongly that positions currently held by faculty should not be turned into administrative or managerial positions by default through this interim period, and
WHEREAS, part-time faculty can teach the classes of retiring full-time faculty, but cannot easily or appropriately fulfill the remaining job duties such as committee work, departmental leadership and organization (including but not limited to PRPs, faculty requests, and other paperwork), and SLO facilitation, and
WHEREAS, Palomar College must continue operating effectively to appropriately meet the needs of students, faculty, and staff,
BE IT RESOLVED that the Faculty Senate requests that the Palomar College Governing Board:
Advocate that potential retirees in key positions announce their intentions earlier, rather than later, and provide a list of expected retirements in key leadership and staffing positions to the Faculty Senate for planning purposes by 1/30/15, with the understanding that these retirements will not be confirmed until 4/3/15
Demonstrate a commitment to maintaining high operating standards by providing the necessary funds for release time, stipends, or NOHE as appropriate for the Spring 2015 semester to allow for faculty and staff to shadow/train in key leadership and staffing positions during Spring and Spring Intersession 2015.
Recognize the amount of work that will be left to remaining faculty and staff with the expected retirements by providing appropriate support, monetary and otherwise.
Fill all necessary vacant administrative positions with interim positions, recognizing that certain administrative positions will be most appropriately filled by internal candidates for the interim, until the new president/superintendent can lead search committees for permanent replacements.
Direct administrators to share duties in the interim where possible, much as faculty has historically been expected to do. One recommendation is for remaining deans to share the workload of any retiring deans until a president/superintendent is hired.
Mandate that staff positions, such as ADAs, be filled within 60 days of the 4/3/15 deadline for SERP notification.
Require faculty input on filling each interim position.
The motion carried.

WHEREAS, the California State Budget is the strongest it has been in years; and
WHEREAS, many programs that benefit temporary faculty and contribute to student success and retention have been cut or eliminated during the Great Recession and have yet to be restored; and
WHEREAS, temporary faculty now comprise 75 percent of higher education instructors in the United States; and
WHEREAS, temporary part-time faculty are required to hold the same academic qualifications and credentials as their full-time colleagues; and
WHEREAS, at most colleges full-time instructors are paid significantly more than part-time faculty for the same duties of preparation, teaching, and grading/assessment; and
WHEREAS, many colleges do not fund or underfund office hours for temporary faculty; and
WHEREAS, due to poor prospects for career advancement and inadequate pay many qualified temporary faculty leave the profession annually; and
WHEREAS, the retention of qualified instructors supports institutional viability and directly contributes to student success; and
WHEREAS, most temporary instructors are not compensated for, yet are essential to, the task of realigning courses and updating programs to meet the needs of a changing world; and
WHEREAS, recent studies have shown that a well-paid, stable faculty workforce contributes to student success and retention; and
WHEREAS, student access to faculty outside of the classroom and during office hours is an important contributor to student success; and
WHEREAS, current full-time faculty are already overworked and overburdened with many of the responsibilities of shared governance and serving student needs;
Therefore, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Faculty Senate of Palomar Community College requests that the Governor and the Department of Finance allocate additional funds in the January 2015 budget proposal for parity/equity compensation and paid office hours for part-time temporary faculty in the California Community College system in the amount of $30 million for paid office hours, and $50 million for parity/equity compensation; and
Therefore, be it further RESOLVED that the Faculty Senate of Palomar Community College requests that the Governor and the State Legislature allocate $100 million for the conversion of existing part-time temporary faculty to full-time faculty status

WHEREAS, at Palomar College we comply with Title 5 for distance education; and WHEREAS we evaluate our distance education courses according to the following specific Title 5 regulations:

instructor-student contact
identifying at-risk students
student access to resources
accessibility
security
evaluation
faculty selection according to established minimum qualifications
WHEREAS, our approval of courses delivered via Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) should be based on the same scrutiny of compliance with Title 5 regulations and student success for all online courses.
WHEREAS, faculty at Palomar College are concerned with the following issues:

diversity
non-independent learners working independently in online MOOCs
faculty as evaluators of student success as well as course content and delivery

WHEREAS, there is ample evidence of poor completion rates for MOOCs (please see recent research on documented completion rates of less than 20% in MOOCs: http://www.katyjordan.com/MOOCproject.html), in particular those classes that are impacted.

Therefore, BE IT RESOLVED that the faculty at Palomar College strongly oppose accepting MOOCs as substitutions or equivalent courses for college credit.
The motion carried.

WHEREAS Palomar College supports Academic Freedom in both board policy and the Palomar Faculty Federation/District Agreement, and
WHEREAS Palomar College faculty are legally obligated to follow the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) guidelines,
BE IT RESOLVED that any observations of a course be it face-to-face or online outside of contractual evaluations must have the expressed permission of the faculty member.
The motion carried unanimously.

WHEREAS, The U.S. system of regional accreditation has been well-established and has provided essential guarantees of quality education in America’s post-secondary institutions since the 1950s; and
WHEREAS, Keys to the overall success of this unique system are a spirit of collaboration and mutual respect between the regional commissions and their member institutions as well as a shared focus on the needs and interests of the students who attend these institutions; and

WHEREAS, For the last decade, the relationship in the Western region between the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) and many of California’s 113 public community colleges has been contentious; and
WHEREAS, The ACCJC has sanctioned California Community Colleges with a higher frequency and severity compared to other regions and four-year institutions accredited by Western Association Schools and Colleges (WASC);

Therefore, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Faculty Senate of Palomar College hereby expresses deep concern over the combative nature of the relationships between the ACCJC and many of California’s Community Colleges as well as the future of public education in California; and be it

Further RESOLVED, That this Faculty Senate urges the U.S. Dept. of Education (USDOE) to carefully scrutinize the ACCJC’s work as a regional accreditor during the upcoming review of the ACCJC for federal recognition; and be it
Finally RESOLVED, That this Faculty Senate joins the Academic Senate for the California Community Colleges* in recognizing that the ACCJC’s contentious relationship with the California Community Colleges and the severity of the commission’s sanctions threaten to undermine the original mission of the California Community Colleges which is to provide quality public education to all.
*The letter dated September 5th, 2013 from Beth Smith to Kay Gilcher, Director of the USDOE accreditation division, and the letter dated September 6th, 2013 from the Academic Senate for the California Community Colleges to the USDOE Accreditation committee.
The motion carried.