We did not hold negotiations today after all.  Some of our team were unable to make it, and President Rocha was unavailable, so we declined to meet until next week.

Surveys have been distributed to all full and part-time instructors.  We look forward to receiving them back soon.

The Calendar Committee held a rather intense meeting this week. C217 was filled with people.  Many voiced concern during opening public comment.  Several faculty condemned the abrupt and unilateral cancellation of Winter and questioned the practicality and feasibility of the new “tentative student calendar.”  Students spoke eloquently about pedagogical and curricular needs that would be circumvented or ignored by Rocha’s so-called “trimester.”  Committee members were uniformly appalled by the blatant disregard for shared governance.  Danny Hammond from the FA made the point that if the tentative calendar were imposed by the District, it would be a violation of shared governance, a contract violation, and an unfair labor practice.  (Read entire comment here: Public Comment Questions and Address to the Calendar Committee on 9-27-12.) Several others noted that the administration’s ad in the courier says one thing, while the “tentative” calendar that was distributed says another.  Dr. Bell admitted that there were discrepancies in the planning.  It should be noted that the “tentative student calendar” has not been vetted or discussed by any shared governance committee; it is the invention of the administration only.  At the end of an hour of intelligent discussion, including an excellent presentation on the Brown Act guidelines by AS president Simon Fraser and a definition of shared governance according  to Assembly Bill 1725, a motion was made and seconded to oppose the “tentative student calendar.”  Nine voted yes to oppose it; 1 abstained, and 1, Dr. Bell, voted no to the opposition.  The committee adjourned after that; we did not take any further action.

What will happen next?  Who can say?  The District has a choice:  it can respond to the  needs and concerns of students, faculty, and staff, all of who have been operating under the approved 2012-2013 calendar distributed to everyone in May 2012, including the Chancellor, and it can negotiate the faculty contract in good faith, or it can unilaterally impose the “trimester” and face the consequences.