Whereas, The Academic Senate supported the System 2006-07 budget proposal, which attempts to resolve a variety of funding inequities in one balanced package;
Whereas, This package included proposed funds for growth, equalization, noncredit, professional development, part-time equity and full-time hiring; and
Whereas, The system may not achieve full use of growth funds in this and future years;
Whereas, Academic Senate means an organization whose primary function is to make recommendations with respect to academic and professional matters (Title 5 53200), and an informed faculty is a vital resource for effective local governance;
Whereas, HR 3039 outlines the definition of higher education and proposes to include all accredited institutions, including for-profit and proprietary institutions, where only public institutions were previously identified;
Whereas, A "single definition" approach would provide funding to profit-making organizations, reducing funding for public education and its broad public mission and responsibilities; and
Whereas, Senate Bill 5 (introduced December 6,2004), also known as "The Student Bill of Rights," proposes that "teachers should not take unfair advantage of a student's immaturity by indoctrinating him or her with the teacher's own opinions" and specifies that "curricula and reading lists in the humanities and social sciences shall respect the uncertainty and unsettled character of all human knowledge in these areas, and provide students with dissenting sources and viewpoints";
Whereas, Health is an important aspect of student success, and community college student health centers provide healthcare that promotes student success;
Whereas, Students who receive Board of Governors fee waivers are exempt from paying an assessed health fee, and rising student fees have increased the number of students eligible for Board of Governor fee waivers, thus decreasing revenues for student healthcare centers;
Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges has long opposed mandatory student fees;
Whereas, Good health is a vital prerequisite to student success, but on-campus health services are experiencing a fiscal crisis; and
Whereas, There is a current legislative proposal to eliminate the health fee waiver for low-income students;
Whereas, Many students are eligible for fee waivers;
Whereas, The number of students eligible for fee waivers increases as fees increase; and
Whereas, A large bureaucracy is required to collect fees and to administer fee waivers;
Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges explore the net cost effect to the State of California and to the local districts of increasing student fees and, indeed, of having any student fees whatsoever.
Whereas, The Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges provides independent oversight and policy direction to the 109 community colleges of our system in a public forum and is subject to the Open Meetings Act and the ethical behavior required by law;
Whereas, The California Performance Review proposes the elimination of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, although the University of California Board of Regents, the California State University's Board of Trustees, and the State Board of Education (K-12) would remain intact;
Whereas, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger commissioned the California Performance Review to identify "fraud, waste, and abuse" in state agencies;
Whereas, The California Performance Review purports that its recommendations would result in savings that practitioners and the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) contend cannot be achieved, and, according to the LAO, these recommendations may, in fact, cost the state considerably more money than is presently expended; and
Whereas, The California Performance Review makes recommendations regarding economic and workforce development;
Whereas, Research conducted by the Career Ladders Project has identified both effective practices and areas in need of improvement, such as student support services and integration with college curriculum; and
Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges has long supported the concepts contained in the Career Ladders Project as an effective means to improve workforce development;