The Academic Senate met at its regularly scheduled meeting at Founders Hall on Nov. 14 and discussed dual enrollment other issues affecting students and faculty.

Dual enrollment refers to a program created to benefit high school students and encourage them as early as ninth grade to enroll in college classes while in high school. The idea was for the students to be able to earn an associate degree by the time they graduate high school and help them visualize themselves as successful college students.

The Senate voiced concern for some students in the program who are enrolling in courses and not completing them and the effect it will have on their financial aid.

According to the report provided to Academic Senate, “In order for a student to maintain their eligibility for Federal Financial Aid, they must successfully complete 67 percent or more of the units that they attempt, calculated as a running total that starts when they first enroll in college.”

By this standard, a student who does not meet this mark will be placed on financial aid probation and may lose their aid.

“High schools are rethinking the wisdom of taking high potential, low performance students and have them take dual enrollment courses,” faculty liaison Phil Wolf said.

Also discussed at the meeting was the elimination of the practice referred to as “trickling” at the Plenary Session of the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges on Nov. 9. Trickling is the process that allows Senate candidates to be considered for a lower position if they do not win their highest election.

Faculty Association Vice President Joan Sholars said she was surprised by the 66-46 vote to remove trickling from their elections and asked what happens for candidates who may be interested in multiple offices.

Legislative Liaison Kelly Rivera then explained that the new process now limits candidates to run for only three positions in total and that the vote only had two more votes than it needed to pass.

There are currently only four nominations for the Senator at Large position.

It was also announced that in the spring semester, a multidisciplinary geography class will be offered regarding geographic information systems, and that there will be an accounting supply chain management event at 5 p.m. on Nov. 20 in room 1000 of building 77.

The Academic Senate will meet again at its regularly scheduled meeting on Dec. 5.