Part III. Ensuring the Effectiveness of the Local Senate

A. Placement in the College's Governance Structure

As we have discussed earlier, Education Code and Title 5 clearly shape the position of the local senate within the college's governance structure (Appendix E). That delegation of authority places the local academic senate in a unique position: you have direct access to the board of trustees and can bring forward items to be placed on the board agenda without filtering by other administrators; your voice as faculty must be given primacy on the academic and professional matters called out in Education Code and Title 5 (See Part I, Section B. 1. of this document). A remark made earlier bears repeating:

"Effective participation" means that affected parties must be afforded opportunity to review and comment upon recommendations, proposals, etc.; having given due and reasonable consideration to those comments, however, the academic senate shall retain its primacy in the 10 + 1 items . . . and need not adopt, accommodate, or reach consensus on concerns raised by other constituent groups. ("Delegation of Authority," Part I. B. 2.)

Yet, even with the clear language in regards to the role of the senate in governance, you may find yourself in a situation where academic and professional matters are agendized for a meeting of a college council or similar all-campus governance group. If the academic and professional matters are agendized for information/general discussion and comment, that in itself is not necessarily cause for concern or alarm. On the other hand, if those academic and professional matters are agendized for some type of action or a recommendation to the board or your chancellor/ superintendent or president, that would not be appropriate.

Under these circumstances, as senate president, you must dissuade them from taking "action," using the opportunity to educate the committee as to the privilege and primacy of the academic senate on these matters. You may wish to distribute the portions of Title 5 53200 shown on page 5 of this document; you may further urge them to declare this matter an academic and professional matter, indicating their acknowledgement of your official status on the issue at hand. While you welcome and even want to encourage the interest and opinions of your classified staff colleagues, management colleagues, and students, the recommendation will come from the official voice of the faculty--the academic senate--on these academic and professional matters.

An observation made by the Academic Senate/CCLC document seems useful here:

Many colleges have found coordinating councils useful, but some cautions are warranted. . . a coordinating council is not the appropriate body to make recommendations to the governing board or designee on academic and professional matters. These issues are appropriately within the purview of the academic senate. Furthermore, care should be taken in placing decision-making authority in the hands of coordinating councils. The strength of participatory governance lies in recommendations being made by those who have the necessary expertise and are most affected by the decision.” (Question 18, “Participating Effectively in District and College Governance” Academic Senate/CCLC, 1998)

Clearly, a communication channel that permits timely and orderly exchange of information at every level of the governance structure is critical to your work as a senate officer. As the local senate president, your primary responsibility is first to ASK your senate to deliberate on policy and procedural questions that affect academic and professional matters, enabling you to act as both the principal watchdog for the faculty and their chief spokesperson, once the senate has voiced its stance. At the same time, a senate president must avoid appearing to speak for the senate prematurely, for administrators may have a tendency to assume that if they have consulted with the senate president, they have consulted with the senate itself. Local senate presidents must be nimble, articulate, persuasive, diplomatic, but most of all, determined.

B. Constitutions and Bylaws

Each local academic senate needs a constitution, and each would benefit from having a set of bylaws in place, as well. Though the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, technically the constitution of an organization sets out the fundamental principles that govern a group's nature, function and limitations of governance. A constitution also explains how the body is “constituted,” and it typically defines who the officers are and how they are selected for (or removed from) office. Thus, the constitution might identify the purposes of the local academic senate and define which officers comprise the senate’s executive committee.

Bylaws, on the other hand, are guidelines or operating procedures to implement the constitution. Bylaws spell out precise things the organization does in conducting its business, and bylaws may even specify the time period during which they will be done. Thus, a typical set of bylaws will articulate the senate’s election process, including the composition of the election committee, voting procedure, vote counting procedure, duration of the election period, announcement of results, and assumption of office by elected faculty. Typically, bylaws also address development and distribution processes for meeting agendas and any other similar procedural matter.

The Academic Senate Website offers several examples of both constitutions and bylaws that local senates can use to develop or revise their own documents.

C. Effective Participatory Governance

While earlier we intimated something about the legal nature of effective participatory governance (see "Delegation of Authority"), we offer in this next section some strategies to ensure that the senate itself benefits from effective participation. To be wholly effective and participatory, the senate must see your own leadership as open, encouraging of a free exchange of information, respectful of those who express divergent, even unpopular points of view. In exchange, as faculty serve the senate on committees and task forces, they must report back to and receive their direction from the senate: they must carry forth the expressed will of the local senate.

1. Goal Setting, Status Reports and Annual Reports

Many local senates determine annual goals, building upon the subsequent years' achievements, as well as residual tasks yet to be completed. If your senate has not considered developing a workplan for the year, a good place to begin is with an examination of senate responsibilities as detailed in statute and policy. Appendix F-1 illustrates how a poll of faculty at one college was predicated on those defined responsibilities; based on those obligations, faculty determined what areas needed their attention and thus formulated specific goals for the year (Appendix F-2).

Once the senate (or its officers, depending upon your bylaws) has articulated and publicized its goals, the senate will want to examine its progress periodically and produce a year-end report that can be shared with all faculty as well as with other governance groups and the local board. This annual report, such as those appearing in Appendix G, complete with any recommendations for the coming year, provides the foundation for subsequent senates and their officers and permits them to set priorities that are proactive rather than reactive.

2. Local Senate Meetings

a. Compliance with the Open Meeting Acts

One of the obligations local senate presidents encounter with some trepidation are the requirements of the Open Meetings Act (Government Code 54950-54960.5), also called the Ralph M. Brown Act, as well as the Bagley-Keene Act (Government Code 11120 et seq.), cited as the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act governing "state bodies." The latter law has been recently revised to accommodate exchanges of information through teleconferencing and Internet posting; it is worth reviewing as an indication of how technology-mediated meetings must conform to the spirit of the open meetings laws.

These two laws have direct bearing on how the state Board of Governors, and districts, advisory groups to elected officials (including the local senates), and subcommittees of those groups must conduct their business. You will want to familiarize yourself with these two acts, available on numerous Websites, including http://www.leginfo.ca.gov (click on “California Law”). You will want to review and determine how these sections will shape how you convene your senate, and how you monitor other meetings you attend. Of particular interest, then are these sections:

• groups covered by these laws
• notice of meeting
• closed and open sessions
• actions requiring remedy
• options if these laws are being violated

For your convenience, Appendix H contains excerpted portions, either quoted or summarized, of particular interest and urgency, followed by notations about their applicability to your local circumstances. These significant excerpts are derived from the full text. More information appears on the Leadership page of the Academic Senate Website.

b. Setting and Posting Agendas

While the Open Meetings Acts outline the legal responsibilities for posting of an agenda, they do not fully spell out acceptable or pragmatic suggestions for setting and subsequently posting agendas for meetings of the local senate or its standing committees. Generally, the president meets with officers prior to the 72 hour deadline for posting of the agenda; at that time, the officers can identify carry-over items, new business, needed reports, and other matters of business called for by faculty or even administrators who have asked to have an item placed upon the agenda. While the determination of the agenda is conventionally the prerogative of the president alone, consultation with other officers is helpful. Moreover, to encourage faculty deliberation of academic and professional matters, and to ensure the effective participation of other governance groups as required by law, the local senate should extend an open, standing invitation to the college community to present items to be considered for placement on an agenda. Some local senates hold regular Executive Council or Cabinet meetings on the "off" weeks to plan their agendas for the forthcoming weeks and to take up urgent matters. Such meetings provide a convenient deadline for the submission of items to be considered at future meetings.

District senates face the same obligations--and strategic dilemma--as campus senates do. Agendas are generally distributed to the local senate presidents and committee chairs (e.g., curriculum) on each campus; the obligations of additional posting then fall to the local senates. Electronic posting of agendas makes it possible to email them to all faculty, depending upon local choice or need.

1. The Order of Business

   The order of business of your senate meeting may well already be spelled out in your local senate bylaws or you may use the standard order of business recommended under the parliamentary procedures outlined in Roberts Rules of Order. Appendix I offers sample agendas, but a common pattern to order the meeting follows:

   Call to Order
   Public Commentary
   Record of the Previous Meeting
   Agenda of the Current Meeting
   Consent Calendar
   Reports of Standing Committees
   Reports of Special Committees
   Special Orders
   Unfinished Business
   New Business
   President's Report
   Announcements and Open Forum
   Adjournment

2. Public Comments at Meetings
   A significant feature of the sample agenda above is its placement of public commentary, a requirement of the Open Meetings Acts. The laws permit the body to determine the placement and manner of public commentary; in other words, the local senate can determine for itself the length of time allotted to each speaker, as well as the placement on the agenda when non-senate members can address the body on matters both on the agenda or on matters of a more general nature. In the example above, the "Public Commentary" is intended to elicit comments on matters on the agenda for the current meeting, while the "Open Forum" section permits visitors--and senators--to bring to the floor matters not currently on the agenda, though action may not be taken on such items. Again, the law permits you to establish time limits. Significantly, however, the law is explicit in its insistence that speakers do NOT need to sign "permission to speak" slips or in other ways provide identifying information about themselves other than on the most voluntary basis. While this is less likely to be of concern during local senate meetings, it is occasionally a ploy of governing boards to restrict the freedom of redress by its citizens.

   As you weigh the options your local senate has, consider these strategies adopted by local senates throughout the state:

   • Permit non-senators (including faculty, students, administrators, or other interested parties) to address the body on agenda items only at the beginning or the end of the meeting:
     Advantages: makes it more convenient for non-senators who may find it difficult to remain through the entire meeting until the agenda item of interest to them comes up.
     Disadvantages: earlier comments will not be as fresh when the item comes up for discussion later in the agenda; commentators lose opportunity to hear and participate in the more full debate on the issue; speakers may be rushed or discouraged from participation when public comments are placed at the end of the agenda.
   • Permit non-senators (including faculty, students, administrators, or other interested parties) to address the body on agenda items as those items appear on the agenda. Again, even under this arrangement, there are options: do they speak before the senators, during the debate, or only at the end of the discussion prior to any vote taken?
     1. In the first arrangement, non-senate participants who speak before the senators begin their debate enable the senators to be fully informed about the views of others and to respond to their comments or questions.
     2. If allowed to participate in the debate itself, outside voices can raise pertinent questions and provide points of information or clarification. However, their voices may receive undue weight and extend their participation beyond any established time period generally allotted for "public commentary."
     3. If non-senate participants are asked to withhold their comments until the senate has conducted its debate, important observations may not be shared or may not subsequently be subject to refutation or rebuttal by the senate.
   • Permit non-senators (including faculty, students, administrators, or other interested parties) to address the body on matters of interest not on the agenda at the end of the meeting or in writing.
   • Create and use consultation forms to be circulated among other governance groups to afford them due opportunity to review and comment and provide written or oral testimony at senate meetings if necessary. Sample forms are included as Appendix B.
   • Create combinations of these strategies to reflect your campus culture while ensuring broad and effective participation. As is indicated in the sample agenda above, the Public Commentary segment invites comments on agenda items prior to debate, while the "Open Forum" section permits both visitors and senators to introduce matters of concern that will, most likely, be added to a future agenda, if a matter of senate purview.
3. Posting Agendas
   The appropriate and reasonable posting of the agendas is perhaps one of the most contested of the Open Meeting Acts requirements. If the law seeks to permit full and effective participation of the community served, the local senates must identify the means and location of posting to enable interested parties to attend the meeting or to communicate with their elected representatives prior to the scheduled meeting. This obligation is even more critical for colleges with affiliated centers or for district senates having multiple colleges with whom they must communicate. Among the effective means of posting senate agendas are these:
   • a bulletin board near the local senate office, in an administrative area, or other boards accessible and available to the college community, perhaps at several locations on a larger campus.
   • an email posting to the entire college faculty, staff, and student government
   • a website posting on the local senate website, in a form that can be easily down-loaded or reproduced.
   • combinations of these methods.

   Not in the spirit of the law: bulletin boards in offices or other areas inaccessible to the general public for much of the day or week; affixed to interior windows or behind other barriers that do not permit viewing of the full document; obscured by other documents or postings

c. Conducting Senate Meetings

1. Standing Rules

   Local senate presidents, usually in conjunction with other officers, can generate local senate standing rules. Generally, the body need not adopt these, but good practice may persuade you to discuss these rules before implementing them. Standing rules may never circumvent or supercede law, local policies, or bylaws; they can, however, enable you to prescribe implementation strategies: who speaks, in what order, for how long, under what conditions, how agenda items may be submitted and by when, etc. Standing rules can also stipulate deadlines for materials submitted for senate consideration or for your signature as senate president.

2. About Parliamentary Procedures

   Having established and posted an agenda, you will find it useful to review the use of parliamentary procedures. In their excellent reference work, The Practical Guide to Parliamentary Procedure (2nd Edition), Edward S. Strotherland and David W. Shepard point to four essential benefits offered by parliamentary procedure. They argue that parliamentary procedure is:

   an orderly way to conduct the affairs of an organization;
   a way to determine the will of the majority;
   a way to protect the minority;
   a way to protect the rights of an individual member.

   Some groups, particularly smaller committees, avoid using parliamentary procedure because of their misperception that it will inhibit their business. Such is not the case; in fact, parliamentary procedure will help move business, particularly if the senate president or committee chair assists the group participants in remembering these simple guidelines:

   LISTEN CAREFULLY: The senate president or chair will clarify what ideas (motions) are "on the floor," and declare what sorts of comments are germane to a particular motion.

   ASK QUESTIONS: The Academic Senate, at its plenary meetings, provides a parliamentary mike at which observers may ask the presiding officer what is happening, what sort of motion is relevant to the discussion, how to properly accomplish a desired goal, or how to challenge a ruling or determination. Participants at your senate meeting should be encouraged to seek such clarification, and if not provided by your bylaws, your parliamentarian might make clear to those attending how to ask questions during discussion of business.

   SPEAK TO THE POINT: The senate president or chair will ensure that remarks apply to the specific motion on the floor or, if not, are ruled "out of order."

   Below we offer a brief illustration (Illustration 1) of how commonly used parliamentary motions may be responded to within your senate Appendix J offers additional helpful information from the Academic Senate's official Parliamentarian about conducting the meeting under parliamentary procedures.

   Diagram of Parliamentary Motions in order of Precedence

3. A Strategy for Conducting Discussions of Agenda Items

   To expedite discussions during your meetings, you may wish to consider Standing Rules to provide order while ensuring that effective participation occurs. We have noted that the senate may determine time limits and establish who may speak and under what conditions. The Academic Senate, at its plenary sessions, asks members wishing to speak to an item to queue before a "pro" microphone on one side of the room, or at a "con" microphone on the opposite side, or to ask questions about parliamentary procedure at a "parliamentary" microphone located mid-room. This procedure provides for an orderly discussion of the issues within the allotted time, enables the President to terminate discussion when no one appears to speak further in support or in opposition, and generally eliminates redundant comments. Your senate may wish to consider a similar arrangement.

4. Strategies for Voting on Agenda Items

   Procedures for voting during a meeting should be determined locally, particularly if the goal is to keep the meetings progressing in an orderly fashion.

   Some items on an agenda may be handled by what is known as approval by consent. If there is no perceived opposition to items such as approval of the minutes of the previous meeting, approval of the agenda, and acceptance of reports from various committees that do not require action by the senate, the president may list them on the agenda under the "consent calendar," and declare them passed by general consent. Should any senator wish to discuss, amend or vote on such items, the party should ask to have the item removed from the calendar for separate consideration after the bulk of the consent items has been approved. You should always honor such a request to have an item removed.

   Voting on action items must take place publicly, (see Brown Act 54953 (c)), but the methods used will depend upon the issues being discussed and the need to determine which side has achieved a majority. When the senate votes on a resolution, for example, a simple voice vote may be sufficient; on the other hand, because of the magnitude of some resolutions, senate bylaws may call for a roll call vote. A president can very often easily determine the majority vote by voices alone. However, in cases where the voice vote is perhaps too close to call without controversy, the president or any member of your senate may request a show of hands or a “division of the house,” in which each side stands in turn to show its support or opposition. If the president rules on a simple voice vote when it appears to be close, any member of the senate should be able to question the ruling and call for a show of hands or other public method of determining majority. It is wise to have more than one person count hands or votes. In addition, parliamentary procedures permit any member of the body to request a roll call vote on an action item; the minutes will then record, by name, each aye, nay or abstention.

   Balloting for officers, for candidates for committee seats or other appointments, especially if there is competition, is slightly more difficult within the context of the law. Your senate may decide that uncontested elections can be held by voice vote (including acclamation) or by a show of hands. However, the law did not anticipate the complexities of voting for individual office seekers--especially when such votes, if taken publicly, might adversely affect the voters' security in the workplace. To protect the sanctity of the ballot box, the elections held by the Academic Senate model an acceptable compromise that guarantees anonymity of the voter, while recording who cast votes and providing a measure of security. Under the Academic Senate's procedures, any ballot for the election of an officer is placed inside a blank envelope, which is sealed and then placed inside a second, outer envelope on which the voter (whether a senator or a any faculty in a campus-wide election) has printed his or her name and affixed his or her signature. The Academic Senate Office can be contacted for additional information about such election procedures.

   It should be noted however, that a few colleges have academic senates of the whole (rather than representative senates). In these cases, even voting in elections must be conducted in public. Either votes must be taken by a show of hands or voice in the meeting, or if by written ballot, the ballots must be signed, and be kept available for public inspection.

   Regardless of the method used, the results should be announced or posted, although the decision of how to publicize the outcome of elections should take into account the emotional reaction of participants in the election. An elections committee (including at least one officer), whose membership is determined well in advance of an election, can help determine appropriate logistics, provide necessary security, and can supervise the counting of ballots. Their neutral presence ensures the integrity of the process and enables you to announce the results at the same meeting or within a reasonable time if the election is being conducted on a campus-wide basis.

d. Adapting the Resolution Process for your Local Use

The Academic Senate conducts its business using the resolution process (described in Appendix K), and recommends that local senates do likewise; many senates, however, reserve resolutions only for the most urgent of their statements and recommendations. Resolutions are designed for local senates to urge or recommend policy or action to the Board of Trustees, chancellors or college presidents, other local groups, or the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges. Resolutions differ significantly from motions made on the floor of a senate meeting. Consider the following points of contrast:

Motions

Made by elected representatives/officers
Made orally on the floor
May be acted upon at that time
May be enacted by a simple majority
Does not retain the force of the arguments made on their behalf

Resolutions

Presented by committee, senators or officers
Presented in writing prior to meeting as part of agenda, and shared broadly with all faculty
Generally receive first reading and adopted at a subsequent meeting
Retain the force of the argument in the "whereas" clauses of the argument
Make clear the actions to be carried out
May require a roll-call vote

The suggestions below and the appendices associated with them illustrate how resolutions may become an effective implement for your senate.

Writing Resolutions:

(See Appendix L, "Sample Resolution Form for Use by Local Senates" and "Sample Resolution, Annotated explaining what a resolutions typically contain).

1. Though resolutions should be submitted for first readings and then for action at a following meeting, this process may be altered by calling for a "suspension of the rules" to accommodate urgent circumstances.
2. Resolutions should receive wide distribution prior to being acted upon; additional copies should be available at the senate meeting at which it will be discussed.
3. Resolutions should be represented as a separate agenda item under the appropriate agenda category.

Revising Resolutions:

1. Resolutions may be amended for further clarification/addition/deletions.
2. Preferably, this amendment should be submitted in writing, although verbal submissions are possible depending upon the desire of the local senate and its bylaws or standing rules.
3. Resolutions may be substituted with another resolution on the same topic; however, this should be submitted in writing before considering the original resolution for action.
4. Resolution amendments/substitutions will be considered prior to the original resolution.

Discussing and Adopting Resolutions

1. Discussion on resolutions or any amendments should have a pre-set time limit.
2. Any attendee at the meeting should be permitted to engage in the debate.
3. The president may recognize pro and con arguments alternately. When there is no speaker on one side of the motion, debate on that question is closed.
4. Only official senate representatives may vote. The nature of the voting itself (voice, ballot, roll-call votes--see "Strategies on Voting" above), as well as determination of what constitutes a successful or a failed vote, should be spelled out by the local senate bylaws.

Disposition of the Resolution

1. Resolutions should be forwarded to the appropriate parties by the local senate president or designee with an expectation of a written reply that can be shared with the voting body.
2. The official record of the senate meeting should indicate the status of the resolution, and, if required by bylaws or constitution, the nature of voting itself.
3. Compilations of resolutions adopted by the local senate can be submitted as part of a year-end report and widely disseminated among governance groups as your statement of accomplishment as well as evidence of your philosophy. (See Appendix M.)
4. All resolutions, including their justifying "whereas" clauses, should be archived, perhaps in a single binder, as well as included as attachments to minutes and within related "topic" files.

3. Keeping the Faculty Informed

An informed faculty is more likely to become involved in the work of the academic senate. The electronic convenience of email and the limitless possibilities of the World Wide Web enhance face-to-face communication and can increase faculty participation within the college community. Many of the suggestions below encourage use of these electronic opportunities, often in tandem with more traditional means of communication.

Create a Website for Your Local Senate

A senate Website on your college server, with appropriate links to other campus and state governance groups, is the most efficient mechanism to promote your work, publicize your meetings and accomplishments, and provide resources to your faculty. The Academic Senate Website provides a template you may use to build your own local website. To aid the campus community in building and using Websites, you may wish to approach your campus public information officer for electronic photographs of the campus or campus events that can be electronically archived and made accessible for use by the senate and its faculty. While the senate Website can be maintained by staff assigned to your senate, local senates without such support can create a senate officer for this important communication function, can seek a stipend for a faculty member to do so, or can offer flex credit or other incentives to ensure that the necessary postings are timely and complete.

Use Campus Email

Email is an effective tool for communicating issues and soliciting input on senate concerns. Work to ensure that all faculty--full and part-time--have access to electronic mail; then encourage them to use the state Academic Senate Website as a means for keeping informed about state issues. The objective is to make senate business and faculty involvement in campus and system-wide governance a very public and noticeable enterprise.

Create a Senate Logo and Letterhead

Use a senate letterhead and perhaps a specific paper color for your correspondence. These techniques readily identify senate information and communication among numerous documents in college mailboxes.

Publish a Newsletter

A regular senate newsletter can include summaries of meetings of the senate, the governing board and college council; photographs of senators and senate activities; department and individual faculty news; a forum for editorials; announcements of grants, workshops or other opportunities; and information on senate issues and concerns. This newsletter can also be electronic in its format to save printing and publication costs.

Develop a Senate Events Calendar

At the beginning of each year or semester, publish a calendar of all meetings and activities with times, dates and locations. Regular meeting times lend a predictability that makes it easier for faculty to attend and participate.

Write a Column for the Campus Newspaper

A regular senate column in the campus newspaper will communicate the role, views and activities of the senate to the entire campus and illustrate for students the vital roles their faculty assume on their behalf. Smaller community newspapers may also consider running a weekly or monthly column featuring the activities of your college faculty.

Publicize the Names of Senate Representatives

If all faculty know the names of their senate representatives, they will have increased opportunity for communication and involvement. Publish a roster of senators, senate officers and senate-appointed faculty members of campus and/or district committees and include campus phone numbers and/or email so that all faculty members may contact them for more information or to contribute to ongoing discussions. This roster can easily be included as part of your senate Website, perhaps with convenient email links.

Publicize Senate Meetings

Try to inform the faculty twice about each upcoming senate meeting. The first notice should be published about one week ahead of the meeting, or within the time frame required by the Open Meetings Act. The second notice should be occur 24 hours prior to the meeting time. Voice mail messages or email messages are an excellent way to remind faculty, saving paper and avoiding the notice getting lost in the paper crush. A posted notice of the meeting located by the faculty mailboxes will also serve as a last-minute reminder. These notices, also posted on your senate Website, are important whether your campus is small (where the questionable assumption is that all faculty already know the dates and agenda matters) or large (where communication is more difficult and faculty are more likely to feel disinterest or disengagement from governance work).

Publish Senate Agendas and Minutes

Publishing the agenda and minutes of each senate meeting in advance and making them available to faculty at least one week in advance of the meeting can generate interest in the issues and increase attendance. The agenda should provide readers enough information on the items to be discussed. If large agendas are sent to representative senators, send a one-page agenda with short, informative paragraphs on the issues to be discussed to each faculty member. Equally effective is an email message sent to all faculty and campus staff, as well as to other senate presidents in your district. If these messages contain links to the agenda posted on the Website, all may have immediate access to the information and may respond or download it as needed.

Use the Resolution Process

A local senate resolution process can recommend or direct a particular action and provides the rationale for that action. Include the wording of the proposed resolutions in the agenda distributed before the meeting. Distribute draft and approved resolutions in the minutes to serve as an effective educational tool. Section III c.2.in this handbook provides you with additional information about the resolution process, while Appendices L-N offer samples, though their formats may not be consonant with the resolution format adopted for use by the Academic Senate at its plenary sessions.

Maintain Senate Bulletin Boards--Electronic and Physical

Your senate Website might also offer an electronic bulletin board where faculty may post comments pertinent to senate deliberations or announcements of interest to the general college community. In addition to a senate Website, a conveniently located bulletin board in each division or area is another good way to publicize senate events and issues. The bulletin board is an effective place to post copies of state correspondence and reports, senate agendas and minutes, grant and conference opportunities, and even relevant cartoons, photographs and articles. Certainly you will want to publish committee reports to keep faculty informed of the governance efforts that are taking place in senate, campus, and/or district committees. Ask a senator in the division or area to be responsible for the bulletin board and to remind faculty of the importance of perusing the materials.

Develop a Governance Handbook

The handbook should include governance committee memberships, policies, and committee responsibilities. The policies and procedures in such a handbook will be somewhat dynamic and subject to formal alteration after appropriate consultation. However, an historical record and explanation of how and why processes occur, will persist beyond changes in personnel and the inevitable erosion of institutional memory. The creation of such a handbook is even more crucial if your institution currently enjoys a healthy climate of participatory governance: the whims of one individual can change that atmosphere overnight. Having such a published governance handbook will provide clear evidence of past practice and consensus. Several current examples appear on the Leadership page of the Academic Senate Website. The handbook might readily be posted on your senate's Website.

4. Faculty Participation

a) Soliciting Faculty Participation

Soliciting participation will be an easier task with an informed faculty that realizes the need for and value of participation. However, some recruiting efforts are still needed to get the desired level of broad-based participation. Leaders' mettle is evidenced by their ability to include and accommodate those with alternative views and approaches, by their ability to showcase the talents of others, and by their ability to elicit constructive contributions from many.

Among the worthy colleagues you may wish to invite explicitly are the part-time faculty whose teaching experience, professional training, and sense of commitment to our students may be highlighted in the academic and professional work we all share. Many local senates have devised strategies to increase the participation of their part-time faculty, and the sample constitutions and bylaws available on the Leadership page of the Academic Senate Website indicate how those senates formally give voice to their part-time colleagues. The Academic Senate has also adopted many resolutions urging local senates to consider ways to involve part-time faculty in our academic and professional work; we want to echo that request here.

Below are some techniques recommended by other senate leaders for soliciting wider faculty participation. As you review each point, consider how you and your senate might apply these suggestions to address the needs of your full- and part-time colleagues across the campus.

Meet Personally With the Faculty

The personal touch is the most effective means of communicating, particularly when making a request. Some senate leaders set the goal of visiting several faculty members each week. Remember that people need to be asked to participate and acknowledged when they do serve!

Listen to Opinions

The individual interests and skills of faculty members will be revealed in their comments, and these faculty members who speak out can be a valuable source of expertise for senate activities. Electronic bulletin boards, for example, can ensure that even the most disgruntled are afforded an opportunity to be heard and their views responded to by an even broader constituency.

Conduct Faculty Opinion Polls

Formal or informal opinion polls allow faculty members to indicate their opinions on issues. Polls can be used to identify faculty concerns, establish senate priorities, and develop senate positions. While you will want to be careful not to include collective bargaining issues in senate polls, you may wish to collaborate with your bargaining unit as, in response to labor law, it seeks the local senate advice about issues the senate wishes to see addressed prior to entering into negotiations. It is important to communicate the polling results to the faculty so that they are included in the entire process.

Turn the Suggestion Box Into a Volunteer Recruiting Center

Faculty leaders frequently hear suggestions and complaints from colleagues on a variety of issues. Faculty members who care enough to talk about their concerns can also be the faculty members who are willing to develop a solution to the issue raised. A volunteer can be recruited with a simple comment such as this: "Thanks for bringing your concern to my attention. Could you get two other faculty members to work with you and present a resolution at the next senate meeting?" The faculty member is thereby encouraged to become involved, and valuable contributions may emerge. Comments that are ignored may breed ill will that is difficult to overcome for years thereafter.

Provide an Orientation for New Faculty

Too frequently, faculty orientation is seen as an administrative function with the senate being given five minutes to present "an overview of its role." However, orientation to the academic and professional obligations--both as they apply to the larger profession and to the specific campus culture--are arguably more appropriately conducted by the faculty themselves. Title 5 53200 specifically notes that the academic senate shall be responsible for "policies for professional development." If you have not reached a formal agreement, and particularly if you are excluded from such orientations, ask to consult collegially on a process for this important orientation and professional development function.

Several faculty orientation models are used on campuses throughout California:

1. Arrange for an orientation session, or several brief orientation sessions for new faculty members on an individual or small group basis. In the session, senators encourage involvement and provide basic introductory information about the work of the senate and faculty within the larger governance structure. Past senate leaders and campus administrators can be invited to present their perspectives.
2. Consider a semester-long or yearlong orientation process that may be awarded flex credit, committee assignment-status, or reassigned time. Meeting regularly with faculty members of a senate committee, the faculty new to full-time status at the college would discuss the campus' educational climate and educational philosophy, the general education model, and the academic and professional roles of faculty, the governance structure, and the student and instructional support services available to them and their students.
3. Build into the probationary period opportunities for these same faculty to have appropriate and meaningful participation in senate activities, including the orientation of new faculty in subsequent years.

Obviously any such orientation program should also be open to your part-time faculty who need to understand our shared professional responsibilities and the options they have to become more involved in the on-going governance work of faculty.

Create a Faculty Governance Flex Activity

Flex activities can be an effective way to highlight specific faculty governance issues and other local senate activities. For example, consider sponsoring a forum composed of senate leaders and administrators where faculty can ask tough questions; explain the role of the senate and senate committees; or survey the faculty to find topics or speakers of interest to them.

Hold a Senate Retreat.

Setting aside a day or two for a senate retreat is a good way to gain perspective about issues and ideas as well as train senators and generate enthusiasm for the work of the senate. By including faculty members who are not senators, new people who might become valuable resources can be introduced to senate activities.

Make Committee Opportunities Known

Publicize a general request for volunteers, and, at the same time, ask individuals to volunteer for specific senate-appointed committee assignments. A variety of involvement opportunities, some with short-term responsibilities, will allow faculty members to match their interests and time commitments with senate needs. Remember to invite volunteers and committee applicants from diverse disciplines and ethnicities to ensure broad representation and a plurality of views. Review the opportunities afforded to part-time faculty as well, including appointments on campus and district committees; part-time faculty across the state serve on staff development, part-time hiring, and curriculum committees.

Invite State Academic Senate Representatives to Speak to Faculty

Extend invitations to your Academic Senate Area Representative, to members of the Relations with Local Senates Committee, and to other members of the Executive Committee of the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges to visit your campus, address specific needs, or bolster faculty enthusiasm for governance work.

Take Faculty to Academic Senate Sessions and Leadership Training

The annual fall and spring sessions, Area meetings, and the summer Leadership Institute of the Academic Senate are all excellent opportunities to involve and train faculty. Your campus' Staff Development funds should be available for this purpose; most college presidents and chancellors understand the need for well-trained faculty leaders and can help you identify appropriate local funds to enable your senate's full participation in these essential training opportunities.

b. Maintaining Faculty Participation

Once faculty members have become active, senate leaders need to reward and nurture that participation to enhance faculty's commitment to and enjoyment of senate and governance involvement.

Develop Professional Recognition of Faculty

Publicly recognizing the achievements of faculty is an important and effective element of building morale in any organization. You may use memos, campus and local newspaper articles, award ceremonies, and Board and Foundation presentations to highlight faculty accomplishments.

Give Credit Where Credit Is Due

A genuine "thank you" goes a long way towards acknowledging faculty members who work on senate and participatory governance assignments. Print the senate logo on thank you cards, and send a note to faculty members (and other college staff) who have helped further the work of the college. Remember that participation includes a host of division, area, department and other campus activities which may not be directly perceived as being the work of the local senate; however faculty who serve on hiring committees, on college-wide and district-wide committees, or as advisors for student organizations are indeed furthering the senate obligations for effective participation in governance.

Make Senate Involvement an Evaluation Criterion

Often forgotten in tenure and post-tenure evaluations is the obligatory, professional responsibility faculty have for participation in governance activities. The senate should consult with the collective bargaining unit to include and use involvement in governance as a criterion in the evaluation process to reinforce the importance of this serious professional responsibility.

Discuss Governance Participation in the Hiring Interview

Develop an expectation of involvement with each new faculty member by discussing it as a professional responsibility both in the hiring interview and during new faculty orientation. Suggest senate and other governance activities that the new faculty member may choose for participation.

Sponsor a Breakfast, Lunch or Coffee Hour

Food is a successful inducement to encourage faculty to attend an event. The event can then be used to inform, engage in discussion, train, acknowledge and/or thank those who participate.

Provide Incentives for Participation

Consult with the collective bargaining unit to develop incentives such as overload banking credit, professional growth step credits, etc. for participation in senate activities.

5. Resources Available in Your Senate Files

On the following page appears a checklist of essential materials. In the left-hand column are items you should find readily in your senate files, while in the right-hand column are analogous materials available to you at the Academic Senate Website.

Key Resources for Senate Officers, Senators and Committee Chairs

Local Resources

List of email and phone numbers of all senators (including home numbers, if willing to share)

Local Senate Website

Constitution and By Laws
Agendas and Minutes
Local Senate Goals
College Mission Statement and Goals
Committee Assignments, Reports

Communications

Local faculty newsletters
Copies of local reports from task forces, planning committees

Regulations

Governance Agreement
Full-time Faculty Hiring Agreement
Part-time Faculty Hiring Agreement
Peer Evaluation Process
Administrative Retreat Rights
Administrative Evaluation
FSA's
Disciplines List
Equivalency Determination Procedure
Board Policies and Regulations, particularly for: Governance, Program Review, Tenure, Curriculum Approval

Models for:
Curriculum Approval
Policy Committees and Objectives
The Brown Act
Student Equity
Planning and Budgeting
Faculty Internships

State-wide Resources

The Academic Senate statewide directory of:
Executive Committee Members
Local Senate Presidents/President-elects /Vice Presidents

Academic Senate Website

http://www.asccc.org
Bylaws and Rules
List of the Academic Senate publications
Agendas and Minutes of Executive Committee
Committee Descriptions and Rosters

Communications

Rostrum (statements, articles of official positions on issues and topical matters)
The Academic Senate Legislative Report
Updates (President's messages)
Forum (collection of faculty artistic expression)

Regulations

Consultation Process
Minimum Qualifications and Equivalencies
Strengthening Senates
Role and Staff and Students in Governance
[Links to Title 5 and the Education Code are contained on the Academic Senate Website]

Interpretations of Regulations

“Participating Effectively in District and College Governance” Academic Senate and CCLC, Fall 1998.

Chancellor's Office Web Site

http://www.cccco.edu/
BOG & Consultation Council agendas minutes,
MIS data (e.g., total apportionment dollars for each district,
Legal opinions and advisories
Grant information
Links to all the units and CO personnel

D. Institutionalizing Your Senate's Effectiveness:

Seeking Technical Assistance to Ensure Compliance

This document and the rich resources of the Academic Senate, including its elected Executive Committee and office staff, its institutes and publications, are dedicated to ensuring your success as a local senate president. Despite your best efforts, occasionally, laws and regulations concerning participatory governance need further clarification, or perhaps a particular academic and professional issue has seriously divided faculty from administrators or trustees. Sometimes, regrettably, a local senate may experience serious discord with administrators or trustees concerning the appropriate roles of the faculty in governance or an interpretation of compliance issues. At other times, the college or district would profit from a workshop or presentation on a single feature of the governance process.

In such instances, the Academic Senate is prepared to assist your senate, your faculty and staff, students, administrators, and trustees understand their appropriate roles in effective participatory governance. The Academic Senate partners with the Community College League of California (CCLC) to send representatives to meet with local personnel on the campus. Often called "technical assistance," there are actually four kinds of assistance available to you through the collaborative efforts of these two organizations. To identify which option is best suited for your particular needs, review with your college or district administrator the options. Appendix N describes the variety of technical assistance offerings and concludes with an Assistance Request Form you may copy and submit if your senate seeks these services. Remember that

• requests must be signed by representatives of both the local senate and the college president or chancellor, as appropriate; AND
• colleges or districts must underwrite the travel costs incurred by the visiting team.

Beyond that, your local senate is linked to the larger body of faculty through the Academic Senate's formal relationship with the American Association with University Professors (AAUP). Appendix O outlines this relationship and indicates how additional technical assistance and review may be possible through association with this national professional organization.