Yesterday the Academic Senate held their regularly scheduled meeting via zoom, where they discussed the fall semester schedule and a new ethnic studies requirement. The Student Preparation Equity and Achievement Council was approved.

The fall semester schedule is soon to be assembled with loose guidelines in place. As previously mentioned at the last meeting, a proposed 80% in-person and 20% online contact hours requirement will be generally followed per department. For the most part each department will have jurisdiction over which classes will be online versus in-person but there are certain classes, such as labs, that will need to be in-person indefinitely.

Chrisato Uyeki better explained these guidelines.

“When we build the schedule, there are for sure arguments to be made that in some disciplines you’re not going to be at that 80/20,” she said. “Maybe you’re more of a 50/50 model.”

Faculty continued to express their concerns as well as ask many questions about this. Uyeki simply answered that plans and guidelines are still not concrete and will be continually worked on as information is updated.

Additionally regarding fall 2021, a new Ethnic Studies class requirement will come into effect for incoming freshmen. This requirement will be a part of necessary GE requirements to graduate per the CCCCO’s newly passed bill.

The Academic Senate is currently working on recommendations for prefixes of classes that will be offered for this credit and will present them at the next executive meeting. Executive members made it clear that suggestions of classes and prefixes are welcome from any member who believes they meet the requirements.

The Student Preparation Equity and Achievement Council was the only action item at the meeting and was unanimously approved. Some of the council’s plans include providing opportunities for increased diversity and equity for all across campus, securing funding that supports exemplary programs and services, ensuring that curricular, articulation and counseling efforts are aligned to maximize students’ successful university transfer, and improving the effectiveness and consistency of dialogue between and among departments, committees, teams and employee groups across the campus.

Senate members wanted to remind everyone of upcoming events including the mountie mentor meeting happening on March 11 and Dr. Bettina’s Living A Hip Hop & Abolitionist Life: Resistance, Creativity, Hip Hop Civics Ed, Intersectionality, & Black Joy webinar happening on March 18.

The next Academic Senate meeting will take place on March 18.