Ohlone Faculty Senate

The Senate is gathering evidence about how the college meets the following Standard II.A.7.c.  The Senate encourages participation from the campus community in the discussion of this standard.  Please feel free to post your comments about how you see that the college might meet this standard, or how you think the college might need to improve.

 c. Institutions that require conformity to specific codes of conduct of staff, faculty, administrators, or students, or that seek to instill specific beliefs or worldviews, give clear prior notice of such policies, including statements in the catalog and/or appropriate faculty or student handbooks.

The Senate is gathering evidence about how the college meets the following Standard II.A.7.b.  The Senate encourages participation from the campus community in the discussion of this standard.  Please feel free to post your comments about how you see that the college might meet this standard, or how you think the college might need to improve.

b. The institution establishes and publishes clear expectations concerning student academic honesty and consequences for dishonesty.

The Senate is gathering evidence about how the college meets the following Standard II.A.7.a.  The Senate encourages participation from the campus community in the discussion of this standard.  Please feel free to post your comments about how you see that the college might meet this standard, or how you think the college might need to improve.

7. In order to assure the academic integrity of the teaching-learning process, the institution uses and makes public governing board adopted policies on academic freedom and responsibility, student academic honesty, and specific institutional beliefs or worldviews. These policies make clear the institution’s commitment to the free pursuit and dissemination of knowledge.

a. Faculty distinguish between personal conviction and professionally accepted views in a discipline. They present data and information fairly and objectively.

The Senate is gathering evidence about how the college meets the following Standard II.A.6.c.  The Senate encourages participation from the campus community in the discussion of this standard.  Please feel free to post your comments about how you see that the college might meet this standard, or how you think the college might need to improve.

c. The institution represents itself clearly, accurately, and consistently to prospective and current students, the public, and its personnel through its catalogs, statements, and publications, including those presented in electronic formats. It regularly reviews institutional policies, procedures, and publications to assure integrity in all representations about its mission, programs, and services.

The Senate is gathering evidence about how the college meets the following Standard II.A.6.b.  The Senate encourages participation from the campus community in the discussion of this standard.  Please feel free to post your comments about how you see that the college might meet this standard, or how you think the college might need to improve.

b. When programs are eliminated or program requirements are significantly changed, the institution makes appropriate arrangements so that enrolled students may complete their education in a timely manner with a minimum of disruption.

The Senate is gathering evidence about how the college meets the following Standards II.A.6 and II.A.6.a.  The Senate encourages participation from the campus community in the discussion of this standard.  Please feel free to post your comments about how you see that the college might meet this standard, or how you think the college might need to improve.

6. The institution assures that students and prospective students receive clear and accurate information about educational courses and programs and transfer policies. The institution describes its degrees and certificates in terms of their purpose, content, course requirements, and expected student learning outcomes. In every class section students receive a course syllabus that specifies learning objectives consistent with those in the institution’s officially approved course outline.

a. The institution makes available to its students clearly stated transfer-of-credit policies in order to facilitate the mobility of students without penalty. In accepting transfer credits to fulfill degree requirements, the institution certifies that the expected learning outcomes for transferred courses are comparable to the learning outcomes of its own courses. Where patterns of student enrollment between institutions are identified, the institution develops articulation agreements as appropriate to its mission.

In Fall 2007, the Faculty Senate undertook updating the Constitution.  A subcommittee of the Senate presented a set of proposed updates to the Governing Council during an open meeting.  The Governing Council voted to give initial approval to these changes;  however, in order for the changes to be ratified, a majority of the entire Senate electorate must vote to approve them.

The proposed changes can be viewed at:

http://www.ohlone.edu/org/faculty_senate/docs/20070301proposedchangestoconstitution.pdf

NOTE:  Proposed additions to the Constitution are underlined and proposed deletions are crossed out. 

Certainly, most significant of the proposed changes to the Constitution is to Article II “Composition of the Senate”.   This article defines the voting membership of the Senate.   This article did generate a good amount of discussion among faculty during the beginning of the Spring 2007 semester.  

Initial discussion of the proposed changes to Article II can be viewed at Sheldon’s Blog: http://article2discussion.blogspot.com

Statewide discussion of adjunct participation is included in “Google Groups” at:

http://groups.google.com/group/CCCSenates