2021

Whereas, Current and formerly incarcerated students face significant barriers in pursuing their educational goals, especially in higher education, due to restricted access to educational opportunities, instruction, materials, and services stemming from legal policies and financial limitations; and

Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges has numerous positions supporting the provision of equitable educational opportunities and support services for current and formerly incarcerated students 1; and

Whereas, California Education Code §84362, also known as the 50% Law, designates a minimum of 50% of a college’s general fund budget for direct instruction, but the current definition of instruction under the 50% law does not include support faculty such as counselors, librarians, tutorial coordinators, and any other faculty not actively in a classroom, and thus the 50% law becomes a fiscal and structural barrier to student support;

Whereas, The California Community Colleges system in 2018 took a systemic approach to institutional redesign through the implementation of a guided pathways framework that was supported by a $150 Million California Community Colleges Guided Pathways Grant Program;

Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges’ Inclusivity Statement

Whereas, The California Community Colleges system has prioritized inclusion, diversity, equity and anti-racism (IDEA) work—including through the CCCCO Call to Action, the DEI Task Force Recommendations, and the Vision for Success goals—to eliminate equity gaps;

Whereas, Local academic senates have an integral role in advancing inclusion, diversity, equity, and anti-racism through academic and professional matters; and

Given that one of the missions of the California community colleges is providing opportunities for students to prepare for transfer to four-year institutions, the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges has long been engaged in the work of streamlining the transfer process.

Academic senates and student governments can create a critical partnership in addressing systemic changes to support equitable student success. Through the guided pathways framework, colleges have learned to design with students in mind. The best way to keep students at the forefront of discussions is to partner with student governments.

The system-wide effort to diversify faculty rests on evidence that a diverse faculty improves the retention and success of diverse students served by the California community colleges. The 2019 Literature Review on Faculty, Staff, and Student Diversity compiled by the Board of Governors Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force summarizes a sampling of this research (California Community Colleges Diversity Taskforce, 2019).

California’s Build Back Better effort requires reimagining possibilities. Student success is the key to the economic vitality of the state and of local regions. In a report published by the California Governor’s Council for Post-Secondary Education, Recovery with Equity: A Roadmap for Higher Education After the Pandemic, a series of recommendations were established focused on the following guiding principles: