Members Present:  Jeremy Ball, Carla Campillo, Georgia Clark, Patty Dilko, David Feune, Sebastian Grillo, Jeanne Gross, Ulysses Guadamuz, Teeka James, Adolfo Leiva, Jing Luan, Jane McAteer, Martin Partlan, Richael Young                                                    

Guest Present:  Barbara Christensen                                  

The meeting was called to order at 2:15 p.m. 

Approval of Minutes

It was moved by Richael Young and seconded by Ulysses Guadamuz to approve the minutes of the September 17, 2007 meeting.  The motion carried, with one abstention by Patty Dilko because she was not at the meeting, and all other members voting "Aye."

Public Comments

None

Discussion of the Order of the Agenda

It was agreed that the order of the agenda would be changed and that "Public Safety Policy draft" would be the next item discussed.

Public Safety Policy Draft

Vice Chancellor Luan said the District worked with County Counsel's office on the policy language regarding the implementation of electronic surveillance on the campuses.  The Public Safety Policy draft is provided as information only since it is not an item needing approval by the Council.

Patty Dilko asked for clarification on what types of topics are brought to DSGC as action items and which would be for discussion only.  Ms. Christensen said that Board policy 2.09, which was originally drafted in response to AB 1725, defines the areas in which the District Shared Governance Council shall advise the Board, including: 

5.  The purpose of the District Shared Governance Council is to advise the Board of Trustees, through its designee, the Chancellor, on the following matters:

a.  Faculty, staff, and management hiring and equal employment opportunities;

b.  District governance structure related to separate roles of faculty, staff, students, and management;

c.  Appropriate roles and involvement in accreditation;

d.  Processes for staff development activities;

e.  Processes for program development, program review, program modification, and program discontinuance;

f.  Budget development;

g.  Ethical standards;

h.  Student fees; and

i.  Educational and facilities master planning.

Security is not one of these items; therefore, the policy draft is brought to DSGC for information only.

Ms. Christensen said that the purpose of electronic surveillance is to deter crime, prevent vandalism and to maintain a safe and secure environment for students and staff.   The District does not intend to use electronic surveillance to monitor employee's work or work habits. She offered to amend the policy to clearly state that.

Martin Partlan said the Cañada Academic Senate believes the cameras were put in place at Cañada without a sound process, do not provide for public safety, and potentially are violating the civil liberties of students. He also asked why the videotapes from the cameras need to be kept for six months.  Vice Chancellor Luan said there is no law regarding the length of time to keep the tapes. Sebastian Grillo and Jeanne Gross both suggested that the tapes be kept for a shorter length of time.  Barbara Christensen said that she would consider shortening the period of time tapes would be retained.

Jeremy Ball asked whether it is legal to take photos of people in a public place and use them in publications without permission; Ms. Christensen said it is legal to do so but that the District always tries to get permission to use photos taken of students and staff. 

Teeka James said that, in the spirit of working collaboratively and doing more than is required by the Rules and Regulations, she believes there should have been notification that the cameras were going to be put in place.  Ms. Christensen agreed, noting that the lack of notification was not an intentional: the cameras were installed while the new library building at Cañada was being prepared for Opening Day.  In the confusion, employees were not notified in advance of the surveillance.  Since then, signs have been posted.  

Mr. Partlan said there is concern about how the tapes will be used and whether they can be turned over to other authorities such as the local police or immigration officials.  Ms. Christensen said that, if there is evidence of a crime, the tapes may be shared with local law enforcement in order to catch the criminal.  Other than that, she said tapes would be maintained by the College security offices for a period of time and, generally, would not be released without a subpoena.  She said that the tapes will not be used for employee monitoring or discipline.  Ms. James said that having the pictures creates a record that can be subpoenaed and this puts certain students in jeopardy. 

Jane McAteer asked under what circumstances the tapes will be viewed. Ms. Christensen said it is not expected that the cameras will be monitored 24/7.  However, it is expected that the cameras will be observed in real time by security personnel during certain parts of the day and evening; at other times, if a crime has been committed, they may be viewed after the fact.  Ms. Dilko said clarification is needed on this issue because President Mohr stated at a College Council meeting that the tapes might be viewed regularly at the District level. 

Adolfo Leiva said he does not believe that cameras solve any problems, and that the focus should be on crime prevention.  Ms. Christensen responded that the District believes that security cameras and warnings about security cameras do provide a deterrent to crime. 

Ms. Christensen said the appropriate placement of cameras will be jointly decided by the College administration, security advisors and Facilities staff.  In response to the numerous questions posed, Ms. Christensen offered to have a lawyer from the County Counsel's office come to the next DSGC meeting to discuss the policy and its implications.

Code of Ethics Update

Vice Chancellor Luan said he was asked by the Colleges to report on the discussion of this issue at the last Shared Governance Council meeting so that the Colleges can in turn report to the accreditation team.  He told them that the Council came to an easy agreement to embark on the project, with discussions occurring in the various constituencies.  He also noted that there is an article on the issue in the AFT newsletter, written by Teeka James.  Vice Chancellor Luan asked for updates from the groups.

Patty Dilko said that in the 1990s, the Faculty Senate approved an ethics statement and last year, the District Senate began discussions.  Martin Partlan conducted research and has put together models from other colleges and universities that they will bring to the District Senate and then to the campuses.

Ulysses Guadamuz said dialogue has begun among the classified staff, and they will build upon a basic foundation.

Richael Young has gathered student ethics codes from other schools and identified the main categories to touch upon:  academic honesty, respect for property and for others.  The students will continue working on a policy.

Jeanne Gross said that the Canada administration team has reviewed ACCCA codes and found information considered worthwhile.  Vice Chancellor Luan asked that she forward the information to him and Ms. Dilko.

Rules & Regs 2.29, Policy on Sexual Assault Education & Prevention

Vice Chancellor Luan reminded the Council that having a policy is the law and the District must comply with it.  He asked if any constituents have concerns about the policy.  Jane McAteer said her constituency would like to see faculty and staff included in the policy as well as management.  Ulysses Guadamuz and Teeka James asked for postponement for another month, and Martin Partlan asked for policy wording for the faculty to review.  Vice Chancellor Luan stressed that a policy must be put in place, and asked that all suggested changes be emailed to him and Ms. Dilko.  He added that the policy may go beyond what the law requires.

District Strategic Planning Update

Vice Chancellor Luan noted that Martin Partlan, Patty Dilko, Ulysses Guadamuz and Carla Campillo are on the District Strategic Planning Taskforce, which meets on the first Monday of each month.  At its last meeting, the taskforce reviewed the planning timeline and planning alignment.  It is hoped that the District strategic plan will be in place by spring of 2008.  Each College also has its own strategic plan.  Information on strategic planning will continue to be shared with the District Shared Governance Council.

Proposed District Policies, Rules and Regulations Review

Vice Chancellor Luan distributed a flowchart showing the review process.  Paula Anderson will review Chapter 6 and Carlene Gibson will review Chapter 7.  Some, but not all, of the proposed changes must be approved by the District Shared Governance Council.

Draft SMCCCD Distance Education Guidelines (DEAC)

Vice Chancellor Luan asked for feedback and discussion.  Patty Dilko said it should be made clear that this is a draft.  She asked all members to take the draft to their constituencies for review and discussion.  Martin Partlan said the union feels it should have been involved in discussions on this issue earlier on. Teeka James said the District has not addressed compensation and the number of students in each class.  Ms. Dilko said that AFT has two representatives on the Distance Education Committee, and Vice Chancellor Luan added that union issues are addressed on page 10 of the draft. Ms. Dilko emphasized that the draft is a working document which provides a basis for discussion.  Work is currently proceeding on development of a tool for peer review for Distance Education and for training and syllabus review by CTL.

Agenda Building

Martin Partlan would like to discuss the issue of allowing concurrent enrollment without students having "G" numbers; instead, a registration number is on the brochure.  Vice Chancellor Luan said there will be a report next month on the Futures Initiatives, including the issue of "G" numbers.

Follow-up on the sexual assault prevention policy and code of ethics will also be on the agenda for next month; Vice Chancellor Harry Joel will be present to provide input on these issues.  Public safety/security follow-up will be another topic on the agenda.  Jeremy Ball suggested discussing prerequisites.   Patty Dilko said this would be an issue for the faculty senate, and that an update on degree audit might be more appropriate; however, it may not be ready for next month.

Adjournment

It was moved by Sebastian Grillo and seconded by Richael Young to adjourn the meeting.  The motion passed, all members voting "Aye."  The meeting was adjourned at 4:10 p.m.