Tag Archives: BOT

Executive Orders 1100 (revised) and 1110: What’s happened and where things stand

I just noticed that I haven’t posted anything since the October Senate meeting. My apologies for the silence. Things were moving quickly and a lot was happening behind the scenes. Thus let me provide a brief recap of what’s happened concerning Executive Orders 1100 (revised) and 1110. I’ll start with where we are now. For those who are interested, I’ll then rewind back to the October Senate and November Board of Trustees meetings.

Where we are now

EO1100 The Chancellor relented on the elimination of CSUN’s Section F. Here is the letter from EVC Blanchard to President Harrison setting out the terms of the extension:  17-11-21 LJB to Harrison EO 1100 Response v3 . Basically, we have to make some administrative changes to how Section F courses are coded for transfers to other campuses and formalize what we were already doing to ensure we do not violate state law by requiring transfer students to take more units than students who enter as freshmen.

The Chancellor’s Office still expects CSUN to comply with the rest of the revisions to EO1100. The two major issues are requiring students to take 3 units of upper division B (natural sciences) and the loss of upper division section E (lifelong learning). Both sets of changes involve a lot of enrollment (IIRC, there are ~1,500 / year FTES in upper division E; many more will need classes which do not yet exist in upper division B). While the requirements are supposed to be in place by Fall 18, the changes in enrollment patterns will phase in over a few years since they only concern upper-division GE. The Senate decided not to reconsider the decision not to participate in the implementation of the Executive Orders. Thus any of these required changes to our GE program could not be carried out through the normal curricular review process. President Harrison has created a task force of faculty, staff, and students to make recommendations to her on the necessary policy changes.

EO1110 The Chancellor’s Office still expects CSUN to implement the changes mandated by EO1110 (to developmental math and writing) on the original timeline. While that recklessly hasty timeline is likely to cause significant problems on other campuses, CSUN’s faculty had already been undertaking improvements to these programs before the order was issued. The fact that they now coincide with mandated changes in the EO cannot be a reason for preventing these faculty-originated curricular improvements from proceeding through the regular curricular processes. Thus it is likely that we will be compliant with EO1110 on the requisite timeline without ever formally taking action to implement the executive order.

That’s where we are now. Here’s some of what’s happened since my last blog post.

October Senate meeting

The Faculty Senate meeting on 26th October was attended by several hundred students and faculty who passionately demonstrated in support of Section F and urged the Senate not to reconsider its decision not to participate in implementation. If you’re wondering how that many people fit in the usual library basement room, they didn’t: After conversations with the police chief the night before about the unprecedented size of the student protests in the week leading up to the meeting, I decided to move the meeting from the library to the Northridge Center —the largest available venue on campus. I don’t know of any official estimate of the attendance, but the main room was full and the balcony was ~50% occupied. We were also joined by Chris Miller, Chair of the ASCSU.

At the beginning of the meeting, President Harrison announced that Chancellor White had, at the last minute, agreed to allow CSUN to keep section F. After a long and impassioned session of public comment, the Senate voted not to reconsider its decision to not participate in implementation. The Senate then passed this resolution which sets out our grounds for this refusal.

Board of Trustees meeting

Several CSUN faculty members along with several dedicated students traveled to Long Beach for the November Board of Trustees meeting. While they were allowed only a few minutes during the public comment sessions, they were nonetheless forceful advocates for CSUN’s students and values. We should all be proud to have them as colleagues and students.

Here are some of the relevant portions of the meetings:

During the public comment section at the beginning of the Committee on Educational Policy, here are Rosa RiVera-Furumoto (Chicana/o Studies) and Gina Masequesmay (Asian American Studies), Kate Stevenson (Developmental math), and Jennifer Eagan (CFA President and CSUEB Philosophy Professor).

This video also includes a report on the Graduation Initiative which includes a small section on the Executive Orders (designed to technically fulfill the request for discussion of the EOs introduced by now Trustee Emeritus Stepanek at the last meeting)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KOKTdz5EZs&t=2h07m53s . The questions by the BOT begin at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KOKTdz5EZs&t=2h31m40s and include the Chancellor’s Office’s response to CSUN’s Senate actions.

At the plenary session on the second day of the BOT meeting, here are comments by former ASCSU Chair Steven Filing (Accounting at CSU Stanislaus) and our own Brian Burkhart (American Indian Studies) followed by several CSUN students interspersed among other speakers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8uoGne2XtU&t=7m0s .

Finally, here is ASCSU Chair Miller’s report: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8uoGne2XtU&t=59m08s. Without taking anything away from any of our faculty, administrators, and students’ efforts, I believe her report was crucial in getting the Trustees to take our concerns seriously and put pressure on the CO rather than reflexively defending its actions. (Rhetorical strategy connoisseur’s tasting note:  The smackdown she delivers is crisp, refined, and absolutely delicious.)

 

Executive orders materials roundup (now with notes on the Senate agenda)

Here’s the agenda for the Senate meeting: senateagenda102617

Here’s an explanatory note of what’s going to happen: Senate agenda explanation

Here’s a companion flowchart:  Flowchart of agenda

In advance of the upcoming Senate meeting, here are many of the relevant documents in one place:

Abbreviations

CO = Chancellor’s Office

BOT = Board of Trustees

Executive orders, coded memos, and letters

EO1100R

EO1110

LJB to Presidents – Presidents EO 1100R EO 1110 Implementation

The CO has decided to allow limited delays in implementation of EO1100R, but not EO1110. As anticipated, campuses need to submit implementation plans and timelines to receive extensions.

The Placement of Students Based on Their Academic Preparation

This describes the first steps for how the multiple-measures based placement will work.

Clarifying Law and Consultation

This is an email from the EVC to Chair Miller in which he defends the CO’s right to impose GE policy. It was issued largely response to my question to him at the plenary about what to tell my Faculty about the consequences of refusing to comply. Professor Hellenbrand responds to the EVC’s memo in Rights of the senate under CA law: an opinion

CSUN actions

Approved EPC charge to EO1100R task force

Non-participation resolution (from September Senate meeting)

Associated Students resolution

Ethnic studies (et al) letter

‘Consultation’ on draft executive orders and responses

LJB to Pres Request for EO 1100 Feedback

CSU Math council response to ASA-2017-14

2017-06-15 Letter to EVCAA Concerning proposed changes to developmental education SIGNED

Memo on consultation over EOs from EVC

There was some consultation on the EOs. Most faculty believe that it was grossly inadequate consultation. The above memo summarizes some of what occurred. (It may make more sense against the background of Chair Miller’s reports).

 

Ethnic Studies Task Force

This is the final report of the task force convened by Chancellor White to review issues surrounding ethnic studies programs in the CSU

Ethnic Studies Task Force report

Quantitative Reasoning Task Force

The CSU convened a task force to make recommendations on quantitative reasoning education. The report has been cited by the CO to support some of the changes in the Executive Orders.

QRTF report

Blanchard to Miller QR in EO 1100 (1)

This is a letter from EVC Blanchard explaining how the report informed the EOs.

QRTF co-chairs response

This is a response by the co-chairs of the quantitative reasoning task force to the EVC’s letter. They charge that the QRTF report is being misused.

Other CSU campus senate responses

It is clear that EO1100R affects CSUN disproportionately (2 campus have a different problem in that their GE was built around 4 unit courses which the EO requires to be 3 units). Other Senates are upset about the egregious violations of process. No other campus is considering non-compliance. Here are the resolutions which have passed so far:

Campus resolutions

Professor (nee Provost) Hellenbrand’s comments

Rights of the senate under CA law: an opinion

To Hell in a Handbasket: GE and other fiascos

Courses and pathways in the new ge: issues and questions

Statewide Senate and CO responses

ASCSU resolution

CSUCO Responses to ASCSU September 2017

Chair Miller’s presentation to Board of Trustees

Systemwide reports

Faculty Trustee reports

ASCSU Chair reports

Miscellany

The Transfer Maze, The High Cost to Students and the State of California

The Campaign for College Opportunity has presented this report to the BOT. The report identifies a number of issues complicating the transfer process of students from California Community Colleges.

ASCSU Chair Miller at the BOT

 

Here’s the video of ASCSU Chair Miller’s presentation to the Board of Trustees this week. She does a great job of communicating the ASCSU’s views on EO1100 and EO1110.

[I’m having trouble getting the video to start at the right spot. Her report is at 01:06]

 

 

Here is a slightly modified version (to fit without the visuals) of her remarks: ASCSU Chair’s Report to Board September 2017

EO1100 resolutions media coverage

Here’s an article in the LA Times discussing the Statewide Academic Senate resolution (AS-3304) which calls for EO1100 (revised) and EO 1110 to be put in abeyance and the implementation deadline be extended to Fall 2019:

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-cal-state-trustees-meeting-20170919-story.html

Here’s another article in EdSource:

https://edsource.org/2017/csu-faculty-rebel-against-changes-in-remedial-and-math-education-calls-for-delay/587650

I’m glad that the LA Times article picked up on this part

That fact that administrators were moving so fast, the resolution said, suggested that they are “more attuned to the pressures of outside forces than to the needs of its students and continuing faculty efforts to meet those needs.”

That’s the real issue with all this. Well-meaning state officials pressure the Chancellor’s Office. They could politely respond

We trust our campus faculty to design curricula which meet the needs of local employers and reflect the campus and community’s values and needs. California is a big state; artificial uniformity is superficially attractive but risks lasting harm to the state and its workforce.

But instead they make broad and sweeping changes to the entire system in order to demonstrate good faith progress on these officials’ well-meaning, but naive priorities.

That’s the calculus we must find a way to change.

Trustee Stepanek’s request to the BOT re EO1100 and EO1110

At the beginning of a Board of Trustees (BOT) standing committee session Faculty Trustee Stepanek (and CSUN Professor) made the following statement:

Faculty and campuses have been expressing concerns about the impact of EO 1110 and revised EO 1100 on their academic programs and courses. If you are not aware, EO 1110 pertains to changes in developmental programs for math and English, and the revised EO 1100 was intended to provide clarification of the parameters of General Education but has resulted in the need for significant changes to general education on some campuses without sufficient time for appropriate academic review. Both of these executive orders are closely tied to Graduation Initiative 2025 and also have connections to language in the 2017-2018 State Budget Act requiring the CSU Board to adopt several specific academic policy changes by May 1st, 2018.

I am requesting that an informational discussion be agenda-ized for the November 2017 meeting of the Committee on Educational Policy regarding the intent and impact of these executive orders and other activities being considered that relate to the policy changes the Board must approve by state statute by May 1st.

In the packet you received as part of Wednesday’s ASCSU report is an ASCSU resolution passed last week summarizing the concerns of CSU faculty and campuses regarding EO 1110 and the revised 1100. I highly recommend you read through this resolution.

As a bit of context, the BOT cannot discuss issues which weren’t on the publicly announced agenda. His statement should ensure that the discussion occurs at the November BOT meeting.

September BOT

As if there wasn’t enough going on, the Board of Trustees is meeting September 19-20.

A link to livestream the meeting will appear here: https://www2.calstate.edu/csu-system/board-of-trustees

The ASCSU Chair will present the resolutions on recent executive orders during her address. I will update this post if I get advance notice of the time (the BOT schedule is pretty fluid so it’s hard to guess in advance).

The Chancellor’s Office view on compliance with executive orders

At the last ASCSU plenary, I asked Executive Vice Chancellor Blanchard* what would happen if a campus refused to comply with an executive order so that I could respond accurately if am asked during Senate deliberations.

Here is the email he sent to the ASCSU in response. Obviously, caveat lector:

Decisions regarding curricula and required general education courses are specifically excluded from the scope of representation under HEERA, so implementing a change to general education requirements does not give CFA standing to claim a violation of the collective bargaining agreement. The Board of Trustees maintains the power to establish curricula, and may authorize a campus to establish curricula (Ed. Code 40100). The Board has delegated to the Chancellor the authority to establish and oversee all academic programs and issue degrees (BOT Standing Orders). Although we frequently consult with the Academic Senate CSU and the campuses on curriculum issues, there is no requirement to obtain the approval of the Senate prior to implementing changes to general education requirements. Nevertheless, in this case, ASCSU and Academic Affairs Division agreed to the consultation process that was carried out for EO 1100.

Loren J. Blanchard, Ph.D.
Executive Vice Chancellor
Academic and Student Affairs
CSU

For context, a correspondent from the CO sets out their thinking a bit more:

Title 5 gives the Chancellor the authority to establish policy requirements, and faculty create curricula within policy framework. This is a very separate issue from our governance practices, which do involve regular consultation with the senate on ongoing issues and especially in curricular policy development. A strong relationship between Dr. Blanchard and the senate resulted in an agreed-upon consultation process this past March, which you can see in the enclosed memo [ 17-03-15 LJB to C. Miller re EO1100 Memo-1] and in the Chair’s report

In fairness to EVC Blanchard, it is true that they did engage in consultation with members of the ASCSU during the summer prior to issuing the executive orders. Here’s Chair Miller’s report which discusses this: http://www.calstate.edu/AcadSen/Records/Chairs_Reports/documents/ASCSU_Chair-Summer_2017_Report.pdf

Thus it is not fair to say that there was no consultation; the appropriate charge is that it was insufficient. Indeed, during the Plenary EVC Blanchard himself said something to the effect that the exigencies of the situation necessitated moving forward with less consultation than he would’ve liked.**

* His position is analogous to the Provost of the CSU system.

** I won’t speculate on what these perceived exigencies were since I don’t have any direct evidence to proffer.

Chicana/o Studies statement on EO1100 and petition

The following is from Dr. Gabriel Gutiérrez, Chair of Chicana/o studies

It has become evident that each CSU campus is affected in varied ways by the recent Executive Orders (EO 1100 and EO 1110) released by the CSU Chancellor’s Office over the summer.

I am writing to ask that you 1) please share the CSUN Chicana/o Studies Department statement …with your students, staff, faculty and community members to help spread the word about the fight at CSU Northridge. The statement is also available at the following link: https://www.csun.edu/sites/default/files/CHS_EO100_Statement_Sept12-2017.pdf

I also ask that you 2) please sign and share the petition to Repeal EO 1100 as widely as possible. This petition was started by Gina Masequesmay, Chair of Asian American Studies at CSUN.

The petition to Repeal EO 1100 can be found at the following link: https://www.change.org/p/12243754/preview

Thank you once again for your solidarity. There will be more to come.

Board of Trustees: ASCSU report

One final item from this weeks BOT: The report to ASCSU, shared with permission

Report to the ASCSU
Board of Trustees Meeting
May 23 & 24, 2017
Submitted by Kevin Baaske

The BOT convened its public meeting ahead of the 12:45 scheduled start time.

Committee on Institutional Advancement – All motions approved

Naming of Bookstein Hall – California State University, Northridge

Naming of Dignity Health Baseball Clubhouse – California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

Naming of The Bartleson Ranch and Conservatory – California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

‘Naming of The Swanson Cal Poly Golf Program – California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

 

Committee on Campus Planning, Buildings and Grounds Consent—All motions approved

  • Categories and Criteria for the Five-Year Facilities Renewal and Capital Improvement Plan 2018-2019 through 2022-2023, California Environmental Quality Act Annual Report, Information Mark Nelson,
  • California State University Seismic Safety Program Annual Report, Information
  • Intramural Field Upgrade for California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

 

Discussion Items

  • Replacement Space for Residential Life Programs and Conference Center for San Diego State University, amends physical Master Plan. Proposal is to two new facilities replacing the existing Tula/Tenochca conference facility. The new Tenochca Community Space to support student housing will be built on the site of the demolished building, while the new Tula Conference Center will be built in closer proximity to the parking structures and at the terminus of a main campus walkway serving the east campus facilities. 
Cost is estimates at $24 million to be paid for through CSU Systemwide Revenue Bond with the balance funded from housing reserves. Approved
  • Replacement and Expansion of the Equine Center for California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Land use refinements of Physical Master Plan. The Equine Center improvements are the first of four improvements in this revised Master Plan.  Phase 1 primarily includes the renovation of the existing equestrian arena, replacement of the breeding and stallion barns, and expansion of the hay barn at the north end of the Equine Center.  Approved
  • Holloway Avenue Revitalization: Replacement of Student Housing (High Density, Mixed-Use) and Creative Arts for San Francisco State University. Provides housing opportunity for 500 students and commercial properties.  Financed by a private developer.  Creative Arts Replacement Building.  For broadcast and electronic arts departments.  It will serve Broadcast Electronic Communication Arts (BECA) the largest SFSU College, and interdisciplinary inquiry. Paid for through CSU-system bonds and CSU reserves. Approved
  • North Campus Enhancements and Soccer Training Facility for California State University, Los Angeles. Partnership with the Los Angeles Football Club (a new soccer franchise).  Paid for by this club, including maintenance.  The LAFC added money for student athletic support.  Proposal provides new student housing facilities (1,500 beds), additional sport and recreation fields, and a parking structure. Approved

Open Comment

  • Representatives from the CSU Employees Union spoke about the significant adverse consequences of moving of work from CSUEU employees to the private sector (outsourcing) and the need for compensation increases in the next contract.

Committee on Finance Consent Actions

Appointment of Three Members to the Fullerton Arboretum Commission. Approved

Discussion Items

  • Approval to Issue Trustees of the California State University Systemwide Revenue Bonds and Related Debt Instruments for Project at California State University, Los Angeles (Bioscience Incubator, Overseen by University Auxiliary Board). Approved
  • Approval to Issue Trustees of the California State University Systemwide Revenue Bonds and Related Debt Instruments for Project at San Diego State University. Approved
  • Final Approval of a Public-Private Partnership with the Los Angeles Football Club to Develop a Practice Facility at California State University, Los Angeles—described above. Approved
  • Final Approval of a Public-Private Partnership Mixed-Use Development Project at San Francisco State University—described above
Approved

Report on the 2017-2018 Support Budget

As a result of past board of trustees’ discussions, the Chancellor’s Office has implemented an active strategy to obtain an additional $167.7 million from the state than is proposed in the governor’s budget proposal. That amount will bridge the gap between the trustees’ support budget request ($324.9 million) and the governor’s January proposal ($157.2 million).

Governor’s May Revise

  • Proposes $4 million redirected from CSU budget to supplement Cal Grant funding to cover the cost of tuition increases. Increased Cal Grants will cost the State of California $28 million.
  • Governor signaled in the future CSU growth will lead to a 3% budget increase, instead of the 4% CSU has been receiving. This would result in a loss of about $30 million in recurring funds.

Senate Budget Committee

  • Supported $153 million budget, which is consistent with the governor’s may revise
  • Senate added $25 million in one-time funding for graduation initiative 2025

Assembly Budget Committee

  • Taking action today (5/23/17)
  • Restored Middle-Class Scholarship

Open Comment

A CFA representative spoke about the threats posed by Border Patrol and ICE to our students and the need for the BOT and campus presidents to reassure DACA and DACA eligible students.

Legislative Update

I have attached the bill by bill assessment provided to the BOT.  I have highlighted the bills where the CO’s position has changed.

Education Policy Committee

  1. Graduation Initiative 2025

EVC Blanchard read, verbatim, what had been written for the Ed Policy Committee.  Since this is perhaps more relevant to Senators than some of the other things, I have copied it as a separate document (attached).

EVC Blanchard added a couple of points of elaboration.  These are provided below:

Increasing Financial Literacy

Blanchard cited programs at Fresno and Northridge as examples of CSU efforts to explain the financial benefits of graduating sooner rather than later

 

Micro-grants to help students graduate who only need a little more financial help

Fresno State has micro-grants of $150 and more, which can make a difference between a student dropping out and earning a degree. Trustee John Nilon argued for the importance of grants and the need to acquire private funds or to change state law so that public funds can be used.  Trustee Kimbell played “devil’s advocate” arguing that students need to be responsible.  James Minor pointed out that many campuses also have emergency loans.

 

ELM & EPT and the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR)

Trustees asked about these exams/requirements.  The ELM and EPT will be examined by the Academic Preparation Workgroup.  GWAR is not currently under review as the CO is focusing on preparation, but consultation with various entities has raised this as a possible barrier to graduation.

 

Campus allocation in support of GI 2025 plans

$10 million in May for:

Instructional innovations to improve academic preparation

Technology platforms to improve data-drive decision making

Increased hiring of tenure-track faculty, and

Increased course offerings

 

Residency determination

In accordance with the California Education Code, a campus determines each student’s California residency status for tuition purposes at the time of admission. Students who are deemed nonresidents for tuition purposes by the campus may appeal the initial residency status decision or the subsequent reclassification decision.

The proposed policy (which amends Title 5) would establish criteria for appealing this determination.

The campus decision may be appealed only if at least one of the following applies:

The decision was based on:

a significant error of fact;

a significant procedural error; or,

an incorrect application of law 
which, if corrected, would require that the student be reclassified as a resident; and/or,

Significant new information, not previously known or available to the student, became available after the date of the campus decision classifying the student as a nonresident and based on the new information, the classification as a nonresident is incorrect.

Amendments to Title 5 require a public hearing, so the BOT paused and asked if anyone was present to discuss the proposed change to Title 5.  No one did.  The BOT then approved the proposal.

Title 5 Amendments

Doctor of Audiology Degrees


As previously outlined

Bachelor of Arts Degrees


Proposal removes the minimum 40 upper division units required in BA degrees.

What the amendment would allow:

All existing degree programs may maintain existing unit requirements, including 40 overall upper-division units to complete BA degrees.

Through the usual curriculum procedures, campuses would have the authority to decide the number of upper-division units required for BA programs.

What the amendment would not do:

Change any campus’ existing BA policy requirements.

Change any existing BA degree program on any campus.

Prohibit campuses from requiring a minimum number of overall upper-division units in the BA.

These degrees do not specify minimum overall upper-division requirements:

Bachelor of Architecture

Bachelor of Fine Arts

Bachelor of Landscape Architecture

Bachelor of Music

Bachelor of Science

Lower-Division Transfer Patterns

Three Lower-Division Transfer Patterns (LDTP) Title 5 sections are proposed for repeal because LDTP pathways were rendered obsolete when Senate Bill 1440 (Padilla) The Student Transfer Achievement Reform Act (or STAR Act) was signed into law in 2010, creating Associate Degrees for Transfer.

Admission and Transfer

Amendments are proposed to ensure similar admission standards for freshman and transfer students such that grades in specific courses required for transfer applicants will be evaluated in the same manner as the course grades of high school applicants.

Amendments clarified that transfer students must earn a C- or better in the Golden Four.

Proposed amendments to sections 40804 and 40804.1 specify the conditions under which exceptions may be permitted for transfer applicants who have earned fewer than 60 transferable units. These changes will codify what is already admission practice at some CSU campuses, serving as part of an overall enrollment management strategy.

Audit Committee

Provided an overview of campus audits and technology audits, too.

Committee on University and Faculty Personnel

Sally Rausch Interim President San Diego State University

Salary = $420,64 + $60,000 housing allowance—currently waived + auto allowance. Compensation for the San Diego State University Interim President is at 94% of the median of the peers, in other words, it is less than the 50th percentile of peers identified by CSU. That makes the compensation within Board policy

Trustees Silas H. Abrego and Douglas Faigin both spoke against the salary for Dr. Rausch.  Her salary is higher than many (all?) long serving CSU presidents.  They also argued that it was the wrong message to send when also raising tuition.  Trustees Lillian Kimbell, Maggie White, and John Nilon spoke in support of Chancellor White’s request, including Chancellor White’s comparisons to presidential salaries at CSU identified peer institutions.  Trustee Maggie White also noted that the CSU needs to fairly compensate other CSU employees.  Motion passed.  Three “no” votes and one abstention.

Melissa Baird hired as Vice Chancellor of Human Resources

Salary = $287,000; 2% higher than previous Vice Chancellor. That makes the compensation within Board policy

Board of Trustees: Reports

Adam Day, Chair of the Board of Trustees (Chair Eisen was absent)

Thanked and congratulated folks. Spoke glowingly about the diversity of the CSU presidents

Timothy White, Chancellor of the CSU

Cal State East Bay is receiving more applications than they can support and has declared impaction. Los Angeles and Chico have implemented targeted impaction (by major). All campuses complied with the public comment process as required by state law.

Pomona and San Francisco have discontinued specific class level and academic programs for the 2018-2019 year.

Year-round Pell coming!

*In response to student speakers during the public comment period, Chancellor White announced that his office was in constant connection with Cal State LA President Covino, and that he had personally written to the presiding judge of the case overseeing the Claudia Rueda matter.  Ms. Rueda, a Cal State LA student, was recently arrested by the U.S. Border Patrol.

Reports were also given by David Lopez, CSSA President, and Dia S. Poole, President of the CSU Alumni Council.  Lopez presented two awards: Chancellor’s Office Staff Member of the Year: Kathleen Chavira,
Assistant Vice Chancellor Advocacy and State Relations and President of the Year: Judy K. Sakaki (Sonoma State).

 

Board of Trustees: Legislative update

[For those who weren’t able to enjoy the spectacle and pageantry of this week’s BOT meeting, I’m posting some  important items.]

Here’s the update on legislation regarding the CSU which was provided to the BOT (sadly I’ve had to remove the cute little clapboard icons of the original):

Board of Trustees Sponsored Legislation

AB 422 (Arambula) – CSU Authority: Doctor of Nursing Practice Degrees

This bill authorizes the CSU to permanently offer the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree.

  • Status: This bill has been referred to the Assembly Appropriations Committee Suspense File.

 

AB 819 (Medina) – CSU Regulatory Authority

This bill permanently grants the CSU the authority to draft its own regulations, an authority the system has had since 1996.

  • Status: This bill passed the Assembly Appropriations Committee and is awaiting action on the Assembly Floor.

 

SB 363 (Senate Banking and Financial Institutions Committee) – Financial transactions: loans and deposits


This bill provides a modification to the California Government Code that allows the CSU to deposit operational funds for study abroad programs in local accounts in certain foreign countries in which there is no FDIC insurance or an equivalent.

  • Status: This bill is awaiting referral in the Assembly.

 

Two-Year Bills

AB 52 (Cooper) – Public Employees: Orientation

This bill requires public employers to allow unions to provide a presentation during an employee’s orientation.

  • CSU Position: Oppose
  • Status: This bill is now a two-year bill.

 

AB 80 (Arambula) – CSU Authority: Doctoral Program: Agricultural Education

This bill authorizes Fresno State to award an education doctorate in agricultural education.

  • CSU Position: Neutral
  • Status: This bill is now a two-year bill.

 

AB 207 (Arambula) – CSU Authority: Doctor of Medicine Degrees 


This bill authorizes Fresno State to award doctor of medicine degrees.

  • CSU Position: Neutral
  • Status: This bill is now a two-year bill.

 

AB 209 (Mathis) – CSU Authority: Agricultural Education: Professional Doctorate Degrees

This bill authorizes the CSU to offer professional doctorate degrees in agricultural education.

  • CSU Position: Neutral
  • Status: This bill is now a two-year bill.

 

AB 405 (Irwin) – CCC Baccalaureate Degree Cybersecurity Pilot Program

This bill authorizes the California Community Colleges to establish a baccalaureate degree cybersecurity pilot program at up to 10 campuses. The bill includes a requirement that these colleges consult with the CSU and UC.

  • CSU Position: Watch
  • Status: This bill is now a two-year bill.

 

AB 1231 (Weber) – CSU: Support Staff Employees:

Merit Salary Adjustments 
This bill mandates that a support staff employee of the CSU receive a merit salary intermediate step adjustment of an unspecified amount each year that they receive a satisfactory performance evaluation.

  • CSU Position: Oppose
  • Status: This bill is now a two-year bill.

 

Senate Bills

SB 1 (Beall) – Transportation Funding

This bill addresses road infrastructure and funding throughout the state. It includes a provision to direct $2 million annually from the Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account to the CSU for transportation research and transportation-related workforce education, training and development.

  • CSU Position: Support
  • Status: This bill was signed into law on April 28.

 

SB 25 (Portantino) – Public postsecondary education: nonresident tuition exemption

This bill makes statutory changes to ensure that California remains in compliance with federal law regarding benefits under the GI Bill for veterans and dependents.

  • CSU Position: Support
  • Status: This bill passed the Senate Appropriations Committee and is on the Senate Floor Consent Calendar.

 

SB 68 (Lara) – Exemption from Non-resident Tuition 


This bill expands eligibility for the exemption from paying nonresident tuition at California’s public postsecondary institutions established by AB 540 (Firebaugh, Chapter 814, Statutes of 2001) to students who have completed three or more years of attendance at an elementary school, secondary school, adult school and/or California Community College.

  • CSU Position: From Watch to Support
  • Status: This bill has been referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee 
Suspense File.

 

SB 169 (Jackson) – Education: sex equity 


This bill codifies the federal Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights’ “Dear Colleague” letter in the California Education Code.

  • CSU Position: Watch
  • Status: This bill passed the Senate Judiciary Committee and is awaiting 
action in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

 

SB 236 (Nguyen): Public postsecondary education: UC: CSU: student financial assistance: tuition and mandatory systemwide fees: admission of out-of-state students

This bill freezes undergraduate tuition rates for five years at the CSU and UC starting with the 2018-2019 academic year. It also caps out-of-state students at 10 percent of total undergraduate enrollment at each campus of the CSU and UC.

  • CSU Position: Oppose
  • Status: This bill failed passage in the Senate Education Committee.

 

SB 244 (Lara): Privacy: Agencies: Personal Information

This bill restricts the manner in which any state entity, including the CSU, can utilize and keep personal information received from an applicant for public services or programs.

  •  CSU Position: Watch
  • Status: This bill passed the Senate Judiciary Committee and is awaiting 
action in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

 

SB 318 (Portantino) – CSU: Personal Service Contracts

This bill mandates that the CSU follow the State Civil Service Act for the purposes of contracting out. The CSU has historically been exempted from the Civil Service Act and addresses the issue of contracting out through collective bargaining.

  • CSU Position: Oppose
  • Status: This bill has been referred to the Senate Appropriations 
Committee Suspense File.

 

SB 331 (Jackson) – Domestic Violence Counselor-Victim Privileges 


This bill expands the list of employees who enjoy confidential privilege to include a domestic violence counselor who works for a public or private institution of higher education.

  • CSU Position: From Watch to Support
  • Status: This bill passed the Senate Judiciary Committee and is on 
the Senate Floor Consent Calendar.

 

SB 483 (Glazer) – Education Finance: Higher Education Facilities Bond Act of 2018 


This bill enacts the Higher Education Facilities Bond Act of 2018 which, upon approval by voters, would authorize the issue of $2 billion for CSU and UC education facilities, with a fifty-fifty split of the funds between CSU and UC.

  • CSU Position: From Watch to Support
  • Status: This bill passed the Senate Education Committee, the Senate Governance and Finance Committee and is awaiting action in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

 

SB 573 (Lara) – Student financial aid: service learning programs 


This bill requires the three segments of public higher education to provide service learning agreements for students in exchange for grants, fee waivers and reimbursements.

  • CSU Position: Watch
  • Status: This bill passed the Senate Judiciary Committee and is awaiting action in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

 

SB 577 (Dodd) – Community College Districts: Teacher Credentialing Programs of Professional Preparation
This bill expands the authority to offer professional preparation for teacher credentialing programs to include campuses of California Community Colleges.

  • CSU Position: From Watch to Oppose
  • Status: This bill has been referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee Suspense File.

 

SB 769 (Hill) – CCC Baccalaureate Degree Pilot Program

This bill extends the sunset date of the California Community College Baccalaureate Degree Pilot Program from 2023 to 2028; expands the number of pilot projects from 15 to 25; and authorizes participating community colleges to offer bachelor’s degrees similar to the CSU and UC if those programs are located over 100 miles away from a CSU and/or UC campus.

  • CSU Position: From Watch to Oppose
  • Status: This bill passed the Senate Education Committee and is awaiting 
action in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

 

SB 803 (Glazer) – The California Promise

This bill authorizes the trustees to provide specified grants or a tuition freeze to students who participate in the Promise program subject to the provisions of funding for this purpose. The bill also requires the CSU to waive systemwide tuition fees for a participating student unable to complete their degree within 4 years, due to limited space or no course offerings.

  • CSU Position: From Watch to Neutral
  • Status: This bill passed the Senate Education Committee and is awaiting 
action in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

 

Assembly Bills

AB 10 (Garcia) – Feminine Hygiene Product Availability

This bill requires K-12 and higher education segments to supply feminine hygiene products to all female students in school bathrooms.

  •  CSU Position: Watch
  • Status: This bill has been referred to the Assembly Appropriations 
Committee Suspense File.

 

AB 17 (Holden) – Transit Pass Program: Free or Reduced-Fare Transit Passes 


This bill requires the controller to allocate funds to the Department of Transportation to provide free or reduced transit passes to specified students.

  • CSU Position: Support
  • Status: This bill has been referred to the Assembly Appropriations 
Committee Suspense File.

 

AB 21 (Kalra) – Public Postsecondary Education: Access to Education for Every Student 


This bill, among other things, prohibits the CCC, CSU and independent colleges from releasing specified confidential information about students, faculty and staff, and mandates that the institution provide regular guidance about their rights under state and federal immigration laws and how to respond to a federal immigration order. The bill requests that the UC do the same. It also requires staff be available to assist students whose education or employment is at risk because of federal immigration actions. Finally, it requires that the institution ensure that AB 540 students subject to a federal immigration order continue to receive financial aid and other academically related financial benefits.

  •  CSU Position: Watch
  • Status: This bill has been referred to the Assembly Appropriations 
Committee Suspense File.

 

AB 214 (Weber) – Postsecondary education: student hunger 


This bill clarifies existing state and federal policies for purposes of increasing consistency of county-level determinations of student eligibility for CalFresh benefits, with the intent of increasing participation in CalFresh for eligible students.

  •  CSU Position: Watch
  • Status: This bill is awaiting referral in the Senate.

 

AB 393 (Quirk-Silva) – CSU Tuition

This bill, sponsored by the California Faculty Association, freezes tuition and fees at the CSU and CCC until the completion of the 2019-2020 academic year. The bill requests the same of the UC.

  •  CSU Position: Oppose
  • Status: This bill passed the Assembly Higher Education Committee and is 
awaiting action in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

 

AB 394 (Medina) – CSU: assessment and course placement of admitted students

This bill requires the CSU to implement specified measures for determining course placement of admitted students.

  •  CSU Position: Watch
  • Status: This bill is awaiting referral in the Senate.

 

AB 453 (Limon) – Postsecondary education: student hunger 


This bill establishes criteria for a “hungry free campus” and requires the trustees and Board of Governors to designate campuses as such if they meet specified criteria. Meeting this designation would also make campuses eligible for a yet to be determined funding incentive.

  • CSU Position: Watch
  • Status: This bill passed the Assembly Higher Education Committee and is 
awaiting action in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

 

AB 586 (Holden) – Personal income taxes: credits: deductions: qualified teacher: professional development expenses


This bill provides a tax credit up to $500 for teacher professional development expenses.

  • CSU Position: Support
  • Status: This bill passed the Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee 
and is awaiting action in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

 

AB 746 (Gonzalez Fletcher) – Potable Water and Lead Testing 


This bill requires K-12 districts, community colleges, CSU and UC to annually test for lead in the potable water system at every campus. Any part of a campus potable water system with an elevated level is required to be shut down.

  • CSU Position: Watch
  • Status: This bill passed the Assembly Education Committee and is awaiting 
action in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

 

AB 766 (Friedman) – Foster Youth

This bill allows foster youth or former foster youth to use existing dollars (i.e., Aid to Families with Dependent Children-Foster Care AFDC-FC Program) for a minor dependent living in a university dorm or other university designated housing.

  • CSU Position: Support
  • 
Status: This bill is awaiting referral in the Senate.

 

AB 813 (Eggman) – Postsecondary education: California State University: campuses 


This bill adds a Stockton campus to the CSU list of institutions, requires that satellite centers report specified information annually to the legislature, and prohibits any CSU campus that operates a satellite center from disproportionately cutting funding from a center in order to support the main campus.

  • CSU Position: Concern
  • Status: This bill has been referred to the Assembly Appropriations 
Committee Suspense File.

 

AB 847 (Bocanegra) – Academic senates: membership 


The bill requires the Academic Senate to post its membership on its website and to also make the demographic information on their membership, including, race, gender and ethnicity available on request.

  • CSU Position: Watch
  • Status: This bill is awaiting referral in the Senate.

 

AB 848 (McCarty) – Public Contracts: University of California: California State University: Domestic Workers

This bill was amended to prohibit the CSU and the UC from contracting for services with a contractor who uses workers outside of the United States if that contract displaces a career CSU or UC employee.

  • CSU Position: From Watch to Neutral
  • Status: This bill passed the Assembly Appropriations Committee and is 
awaiting action on the Assembly Floor.

 

AB 917 (Arambula) – Student Suicide Prevention Policies

This bill requires the governing boards of the three public segments of higher education to adopt a policy on student suicide prevention.

  •  CSU Position: Support if Amended
  • Status: This bill has been referred to the Assembly Appropriations 
Committee Suspense File.

 

AB 1062 (Levine) – Trustees of the CSU

This bill expands the membership of the Board of Trustees from 25 to 26 by expanding the number of students who serve on the board from two to four members. The measure also removes the restriction of five nominees being presented to the governor and leaves the number of nominees as being open.

  • CSU Position: Watch
  • Status: This bill passed the Assembly Appropriations Committee and is 
awaiting action on the Assembly Floor.

 

AB 1064 (Calderon) – Cost of living for students

This bill requires the CSU to conduct a survey at each campus to determine a student’s annual cost of living every three years.

  • CSU Position: Watch
  • Status: This bill has been referred to the Assembly Appropriations 
Committee Suspense File.

 

AB 1178 (Calderon) – Postsecondary Education: Student Loans

This bill requires each higher education institution to annually send a letter regarding specified information on debt to students who take out loans.

  • CSU Position: Watch
  • Status: This bill has been referred to the Assembly Appropriations 
Committee Suspense File.

 

AB 1435 (Gonzalez Fletcher) – Student Athletes: The College Athlete Protection Act 


This bill creates the Athletic Protection Commission, an 11-member body appointed by the Assembly, Senate and the governor, with the goal of protecting student athletes. The commission will be funded by fees paid by participating institutions. The commission would have the ability to enact regulations and penalties that could include civil penalties, temporary or permanent employment prohibition in higher education, or other penalties imposed by the commission.

  • CSU Position: From Watch to Oppose
  • Status: This bill has been referred to the Assembly Appropriations 
Committee Suspense File.

 

AB 1464 (Weber) – CSU: Tenure Track Positions

This bill requires the CSU to increase the number of tenured faculty to 75 percent by mandating the system hire between 700 to 915 tenure tracked faculty positions each year over the next eight years, without displacing any lecturers in the process.

  •  CSU Position: Oppose
  • Status: This bill has been referred to the Assembly Appropriations 
Committee Suspense File.

 

AB 1622 (Low) – Student Support Services: Dream Resource Liaisons

This bill requires the CCC and CSU, and requests the UC, to designate a Dream Resource Liaison on each of their respective campuses.

  • CSU Position: From Watch to Support
  • Status: This bill has been referred to the Assembly Appropriations 
Committee Suspense File.

 

 

Watch the BOT meeting

The Board meeting has started, and it is, ahem, lively
The meeting can be viewed here:

 

Here’s the agenda:

https://www2.calstate.edu/csu-system/board-of-trustees/Pages/agenda.aspx

— late edit —

Two things of note:

  1. The BOT voted to approve the tuition increase.
  2. The BOT desperately needs a parliamentarian.

Board of Trustees Highlights

Prof. Catherine Nelson, the inimitable vice-chair of the statewide senate has compiled the following brief summary of the highlights of the Jan/Feb 2017 Board of Trustees for statewide senators. I’m thus happy to share this with you:

A few highlights of the Trustees meeting.  Underlying themes included the Graduation Initiative and integral to it hiring more faculty, hiring more advisors and providing more classes so students graduate in a timely manner; and student opposition to the “Tuition Adjustment Proposal” (as one student said, “call it what it is, an increase”). The full Trustees Agenda is available at:

https://www2.calstate.edu/csu-system/board-of-trustees/Pages/agenda.aspx
Tuesday, 1/31/17

Committee on Collective Bargaining

In the public comment section several union representatives spoke about compensation, the need to value duration of service for the institutional memory it provides, career advancement, and the need for a systemwide policy about the time, place and manner of expression that protects union activity and provides for an appeal process for administrative decisions made under the policy.  Successor CBAs with units 2, 5, 7 and 9 were approved (CSUEU, SEIU Local 2579).

Committee on Finance

There was extensive discussion of the CSU 2017-18 support budget request and the “tuition adjustment proposal.” The CSU Administration reported that the governor’s budget proposes a recurring augmentation of $157.2 m of state general fund monies.  That amount is $167.7 less than the trustees’ support budget request of $324.9m.  The governor also proposed phasing out the Middle Class Scholarship Program (http://www.csac.ca.gov/mcs.asp).  Given that the Department of Finance has not forecast an economic downturn, the Administration suggested it is reasonable to argue that the additional reserve funds Governor Brown wants can go to other purposes.  Board discussion included whether financial aid would cover the increase and for whom, the need to fund mandatory costs and the Graduation Initiative, the fact that even with the tuition increase funding for the CSU would still fall $90.2m short of the full support budget request, and the possibility that if the Trustees approve the increase in March, they could revise it during the summer if more funding is forthcoming from the state.

During the committee’s public comment period, students spoke movingly about the need for sanctuary campuses and talked about the direct, negative impact the tuition increase would have on them.  Themes included educational costs, working two or more jobs, student homelessness and food insecurity, and the state legislature’s responsibility to fund public higher education.  Jen Eagan, CFA President, introduced the CFA’s report “Equity, Interrupted:  How California is Cheating It’s Future” that documents the state’s disinvestment in higher education (report available at http://www.calfac.org/sites/main/files/file-attachments/equity_interrupted_1.12.2017.pdf ). In particular the authors find that as the number of students of color has increased, public funding for the CSU has decreased. During Board discussion of the increase, Trustees Morales, White, Abrego and Norton expressed varying degrees of opposition, concern or ambivalence about the increase.

Wang Family Excellence Awards 2017

 https://www2.calstate.edu/csu-system/faculty-staff/wang-award/Pages/default.aspx

  1. Dr. Debra Y. Griffith, SJSU, Outstanding Administrator
  2. Dr. Mariappan Jawaharlal, Cal Poly Pomona, Outstanding Faculty, Natural Sciences, Mathematical and Computer Sciences and Engineering;
  3. Dr. Anita Silvers, SFSU, Outstanding Faculty, Visual and Performing Arts and Letters
  4. Dr. Keith A. Trujillo, CSUSM, Outstanding Faculty, Social and Behavioral Sciences and Public Services;
  5. Dr. Ruth H. Yopp-Edwards, CSU Fullerton, Outstanding Faculty, Education and Professional and Applied Sciences.

Wednesday, 2/1/17

ASCSU Chair Miller’s Report

Using the theme of a meme of a meme about celebrity deaths to frame her report, Chair Miller reported on AS 3282 Opposition to the Proposed Tuition Increase in the California State University (CSU); AS 3281 Advice to the CSU Tenure Density Task Force.AS 3276 Academic Freedom Policy; AS 3274 Support for the CSU Institute for Teaching and Learning (ITL) Summer Institute; AS 3279 Support for the Letter to President Trump from the Leaders of California’s Systems of Higher Education ant the Continuance of DACA; AS 3280 Opposition to the Appointment of Betsy DeVos as US Secretary of Education; and AS 3277 Lactation Resource Policy and Practices in the California State University.  Chair Miller summarized issues addressed by resolutions in first reading including job security for contingent workers, tax reform and funding the Master Plan, and support for DACA students. She discussed progress on establishing the GE Task Force and expressed concern that the Chancellor’s Office was not open to ASCSU recommendations on how best to implement the Quantitative Reasoning Task Force’s recommendations.  She also reminded everyone about the Academic Conference on February 9-10.

CSSA

CSSA President David Lopez (CSU East Bay) highlighted CSSA opposition to the tuition increase and their advocacy plan to oppose it.  Two major themes were the need for the state to understand that the CSU is a public institution and should be funded by the state and the need for a sustainable funding model that doesn’t include a tuition increase but relies on state funding.

Chancellor White’s State of the CSU Address

As of this writing the video of the address or print were not available on the CSU website.  When it is posted, it should be available at: https://www2.calstate.edu/csu-system/chancellor/the-chancellors-communications/Pages/chancellors-communications.aspx

 

BOT meeting

If you want to watch the forces which shape the CSU in action, I bring you the Board of Trustees Jan 31-Feb 1 meeting livestream: https://www2.calstate.edu/csu-system/board-of-trustees/Pages/livestream.aspx

If you are not used to this level of excitement, I recommend titrating up by starting with having it on in the background while you work. To deal with the random moments of terror that come with realizing how little our trustees understand about the CSU and its students, just think of it as a slowly plotted horror film.

Here’s the full agenda in pdf: https://www2.calstate.edu/csu-system/board-of-trustees/past-meetings/2017/Documents/january-31-2017-full-agenda.pdf

Pro tip: Don’t try reading the agenda unless you have insomnia. Use your pdf reader’s find function to search for terms of interest. I usually start with CSUN related stuff (e.g., ‘CSUN’, ‘Northridge’, ‘Harrison’) and then check in on things like GE, fees, and other more parochial matters.

I’d also recommend glancing at the items where the BOT approves settlements of lawsuits. It fosters a sense of empathy for our colleagues in risk management and provides insight into the landscape our administrators see themselves as navigating.