In response to a survey sent to faculty re: proposed academic calendar permutations, faculty statements including this one were read at the December 2 Academic Senate meeting. Many of its concerns fall under FA purview. Faculty are not opposed to change, so long as there are tangible data directing true represented Shared Governance. The FA’s glad to represent its members’ interests on every issue.

“On Tuesday, November 26, 2019 members of the Social Sciences Division met to discuss the survey that had been Senate-sent pertaining to the calendar.

The result of the meeting was that Social Sciences faculty are confused and there are more questions than answers. We respectfully ask the Academic Senate place the following questions into public record and answer them as soon as possible so that Social Sciences can make an informed choice about the calendar:

• What is the impetus for this change? Is the current calendar not working?
• Where is the data to support any change?
• Why was the survey so brief and unclear?
• Where is the data to support that students will be more successful with a calendar that ends by June with shorter semesters and a shorter Winter Intersession?
• Why were all constituent groups not surveyed at the same time as faculty?
• Why did the survey not provide the option of not changing the current six week Winter Intersession?
• What are the faculty workload and financial implications to shorten the semesters?
• What are the faculty workload and financial implications to shorten Winter Intersession?
• What are the workload and financial implications for the faculty who teach 3 unit courses as opposed to 4 or 5?
• What are the numbers of students that would miss out on getting internships and jobs if we do not end in June as opposed to the numbers of that attend and successfully complete Intersession courses?
• Where is the data from years ago when we offered two summer sessions prior to eliminating the second session in favor of a Winter 6-week session?

The end results of this meeting, and there will be follow up meetings, was that these are very large changes that faculty are being asked to make without enough information and data. We must be able to make rational choices that would be best for the college and students.

Please provide as soon as possible.”

12/05 Update: Another survey is out? . . . Better that concrete data instead should drive our discussions.