CONSTITUTION
OF
THE NORCO COMMUNITY COLLEGE ACADEMIC SENATE

ARTICLE I. NAME AND MISSION

Section 1. The name of the representative organization hereby established shall be the Academic Senate for the Norco Community College (herein called the "Academic Senate"). The Academic Senate is established pursuant to the philosophy contained within Appendix A of the Academic Senate By-Laws: A Statement on Collegial Governance and Responsibilities.

Section 2. Mission of the Academic Senate:

A. The Academic Senate operates pursuant to Title 5, Subchapter 2,
Sections 53200 – 53206, California Education Code.

B. The Academic Senate shall concern itself with making recommendations to the College President and the District Chancellor and the District Academic
Senate, and the College Vice President for Academic Affairs with respect to policy development and the implementation of matters in the following areas:

1. curriculum, including establishing prerequisites and placing courses within disciplines

2. degree and certificate requirements

3. grading policies

4. educational program development

5. standards or policies regarding student preparation and success

6. district and college governance structures, as related to faculty roles

7. faculty roles and involvements in accreditation processes, including self study and annual reports

8. policies for faculty professional development activities

9. processes for program review

10. processes for institutional planning and budget development

11. other academic and professional matters as mutually agreed upon between the Board of Trustees and the Academic Senate.April 8, 2004

C. The Academic Senate shall consider in good faith any recommendation submitted for Academic Senate action by a member of the faculty, classified staff, associated students government, or administration.

D. The By-Laws of the Academic Senate shall be enacted or amended by the Academic Senate in accordance with the Constitution of the Community College Campus Academic Senate (Article IV, Section 8).

ARTICLE II. PURPOSES

The purposes of the Academic Senate shall be (1) to participate in the formation of policies and procedures in academic and professional matters; (2) to coordinate communication from the Riverside District Academic Senate and the Academic Senates of the Moreno Valley, and Riverside Community Colleges; and (3) to facilitate communication between the administration, faculty, students, and the Board of Trustees in all matters relating to community college education.

ARTICLE III. REPRESENTATION

Section 1. Scope of Representation: The Academic Senate represents all faculty members employed at the Community College, (herein called the "College"). Faculty shall include those persons who teach full-time or part-time in the College or any other persons who are hired pursuant to the List of Disciplines and who do not perform any services for the College that are identified in the College structure as administrative or supervisory.

Section 2. All members of the Academic Senate except those representing the part-time faculty shall be elected by the full-time faculty of the College. The term "Full-time" shall be expanded to include those faculty members who are under yearly contract as well as those who are under a yearly contract but carry a reduced load. Senators from the ranks of the part-time College faculty shall be elected by the part-time faculty.

Section 3. The Academic Senate shall be composed of its members, who are the President, Vice-President, Secretary/Treasurer; Chairs of the standing committees (as defined in the Academic Senate By-Laws); Senators representing the College's areas of study or other groupings of faculty members as defined in the Academic Senate By-Laws; and Senator(s) representing the College's part-time faculty.

Section 4. All terms of office shall be two years. The beginning and ending criteria for all terms of office will be provided for in the Academic Senate By-Laws.

Section 5. All officers and senators are expected to regularly attend Academic Senate meetings. The Academic Senate may, through its By-Laws, determine procedures to be used in the case of excessive absences on the part of officers and senators.

Section 6. A majority of the Academic Senate members constitutes a quorum.

Section 7. One-third of the faculty constitutes a quorum at a general faculty meeting.

Section 8. The Academic Senate President may put the Academic Senate into executive session at any time for purposes of protecting the privacy of individuals or for consideration of personnel matters. Attendance at the executive sessions shall be limited to the Academic Senate officers, Chairs of Academic Senate standing committees, and designees of the Academic Senate President.

ARTICLE IV. THE ACADEMIC SENATE

Section 1. The Academic Senate shall:

A. Initiate studies relating to policies and procedures on academic and professional matters.

B. Provide and maintain channels of communication between students, faculty, administration, and Board of Trustees.

C. Hear, investigate, deliberate, negotiate, recommend or refer any matters brought to its attention by a member of the faculty, and shall be the representative body in all academic and professional matters.

D. participate with Board of Trustees in the joint development of institutional policies such as minimum qualifications, equivalencies, and hiring procedures; and, with the bargaining agent, in the development of personnel policies ( e.g., tenure review and evaluation procedures and faculty service areas and evaluation procedures).

E. Coordinate with and advise the District Academic Senate.

Section 2. The Academic Senate shall hold regular meetings not less than three times during the fall semester and three times during the spring semester. The time and place of regular meetings shall be determined by the Academic Senate and published in the By-laws for the information of the faculty. A quorum, consisting of a simple majority of the Academic Senate, shall be necessary for the conduct of official business. All academic Senate votes will be decided on the basis of one vote per member, however, the Academic Senate President or anyone acting in place of the President shall not have a vote, except he or she shall vote to break a tie. Proxy voting is not allowed.

Section 3. Special meetings of the Academic Senate or the faculty may be called when necessary by the President or by five members of the Senate as provided by the Academic Senate By-Laws. The Academic Senate may provide for the holding of summer and/or winter meetings in its By-Laws.

Section 4. All meetings of the Academic Senate, and all agencies authorized under Academic Senate auspices, shall be open to all members of the faculty, the administration, students, and the public, except as provided in Article III, Section 8.

Section 5. The Academic Senate shall establish its own agenda by simple majority vote of the members present. Any member of the Academic Senate may submit agenda items to the Academic Senate. Suspension of the established agenda may be made by majority vote.

Section 6. The Academic Senate shall address academic and professional matters of the College faculty. On petition of 10 members of the faculty or by a simple majority of the Academic Senate, any items of business shall be put to a vote of the Academic Senate.

Section 7. The Academic Senate shall deliberate as a body, but the right of the entire constituency to be heard in a Academic Senate meeting shall be affirmed by an open hearing opportunity listed in every meeting agenda.

Section 8. The Academic Senate shall establish, by a majority vote, its own rules and regulations. Such rules and regulations shall be published as the Academic Senate By-Laws. No rules or regulations shall supersede or be contrary to this Constitution.

ARTICLE V. OFFICERS

Section 1. Officers for the Academic Senate shall be a President, a Vice-President, and a Secretary /Treasurer.

Section 2. Officers of the Academic Senate, shall be elected by the full-time faculty (Article III, Section 2) under the provisions of Article VII of this Constitution. A vacancy in any elected officer's position shall be filled by a majority vote of the Academic Senate.

Section 3. Elected officers of the Academic Senate shall be selected in odd numbered years and the term of office shall be two years.

Section 4. All officers of the Academic Senate are accountable to all members of the College, faculty and represent the views and positions of the Academic Senate in carrying out their various responsibilities and functions as follows:

Section 5. The President shall:

A. develop agendas and conduct meetings of the Academic Senate and convene and preside over general meetings of the faculty (full and/or
part-time) called by the Academic Senate.

B. serve as the official spokesperson and advocate on academic and professional matters for the Academic Senate.

C. regularly meet with the College President and the District Chancellor, meet with other administrators and staff as needed, and report to the Academic Senate on relevant issues.

D. represent before the College President any faculty matter within the purview of the Academic Senate.

E. provide representation of the Academic Senate at meetings of the Board of Trustees and before all appropriate College administrative agencies.

F. participate, as requested, in the evaluation of administrative staff.

G. represent the Academic Senate on any campus-wide, District-wide and/ or administrative council.

H. represent the Academic Senate as an ex-officio member of all standing committees of the Academic Senate.

I. meet or select a designee to meet regularly with the College and District leadership of the bargaining agent to ensure that the academic and professional aspects of negotiable issues reflect Academic Senate concerns and to help maintain open lines of communication and cooperation.

J. work with or select a designee to work with the leadership of classified and student groups to maintain open lines of communication and cooperation.

K. upon consent of the Academic Senate, register Academic Senate endorsement of documents sent to relevant authorities such as 50% Law,
Matriculation Plan, Accreditation Report, Staff Development Plan, Affirmative Action Plan, and Facilities Plan.

L. address or select a designee to address academic and professional aspects of regulatory issues in the Education Code and Title 5, and organize an Academic Senate response in a collegial and timely manner.

M. interact with the District Academic Senate and the Academic Senates in Riverside and Moreno Valley as well as for the academic senates of other California Community Colleges, and attend conferences, meetings, and seminars of organizations that relate to California Community Colleges.

N. assure adequate resources for Academic Senate operations and, with the Secretary/Treasurer, manage them.

O. allocate Academic Senate resources, including secretarial support within constraints of budget adopted by the Academic Senate.

P. meet with or select a designee to meet with new faculty members to discuss their concerns and to further familiarize them with collegial governance and Senate operations.

Q. appoint faculty members to college committees, task forces, or other work groups, and maintain communication with Senate representatives on those groups.

R. appoint an editor of the Academic Senate newsletter.

S. appoint a Parliamentarian from among the Senators.

T. make appointments not otherwise provided for in this Constitution, such appointments to be ratified by a simple majority of the Academic Senate.

U. perform such other functions as the Academic Senate assigns in carrying out the purposes and policies of the Academic Senate.

Section 6. The Vice-President shall:

A. act in the capacity of the President in any case where the President is unable to serve.

B. preside at meetings of the Nomination Committee and at all faculty meetings called to seek nominations for elections.

C. conduct nominations and elections for the Academic Senate under the provisions of Article VII of this Constitution.

D. convene the first yearly meeting of any standing committee whenever such a committee shall be without a chairperson.

E. participate with the Academic Senate President in monthly meetings with the College President, and other administrators and staff as needed.

F. Serve as liaison to local area UC and CSU Academic Senates and report to the Academic Senate on relevant issues.

G. perform such other functions as the Academic Senate or the Academic Senate President assigns in carrying out the purposes and policies of the Senate.

Section 7. The Secretary/Treasurer shall:

A. keep minutes of the Academic Senate meetings.

B. keep minutes of any general faculty meeting called by the Academic Senate.

C. make these records available to the entire faculty following Senate approval.

D. maintain a file of all minutes and official documents ( e.g. dated copy of Constitution and By-Laws, expiration dates of all terms of office of officers, committee members, and members of the Academic Senate, etc.).

E. maintain a resource file on faculty affairs for the use of the members of the Academic Senate.

F. communicate all official Academic Senate proceedings to the faculty.

G. ensure the currency of all mailing lists of the Academic Senate.

H. ensure that all written material be prepared in a timely manner for dissemination at general sessions of the Academic Senate.

I. circulate the agenda for upcoming Academic Senate meetings to all members of the Academic Senate at least two days prior to the scheduled meetings.

J. help coordinate the activities associated with the faculty lecture: presentation of lecture, faculty lecture luncheon, helps supervise the production of brochures, and other activities necessary to make the lecture a success.

K. keep the accounts, books, tax status, and other financial records up-to-date and in good order.

L. give oral and written testimony as relates to the financial status of the Academic Senate upon request from the Academic Senate President or the Academic Senate.

M. with the approval of the Academic Senate President, make all properly authorized payments which are not inconsistent with the Constitution, the By-Laws, or Academic Senate orders, and which do not threaten the solvency of the Academic Senate.

N. assist the Academic Senate President in preparing an annual budget to be submitted to the Academic Senate for adoption at its first meeting in each school year.

O. serve as liaison to other College agencies with respect to institutional budget development.

P. maintain records on Academic Senate fund raising activities and supervise all contracts for services provided by hotels and other businesses.

Q. perform such other functions as the Academic Senate or the Academic Senate President assigns in carrying out the purposes and policies of the Senate.

ARTICLE VI. ACADEMIC SENATE COMMITTEES

Section 1. The Academic Senate shall create such standing committees as it deems necessary for the fulfillment of its role in the governance of the College. Standing committees shall be listed, their functions and their membership described, and their membership selection processes explained in the Academic Senate By-Laws.

Section 2. The Academic Senate shall create such ad hoc committees as it determines are necessary to conduct the business of the Academic Senate or to fulfill any of its governance responsibilities. Membership on ad hoc committees may come from the Academic Senate or from the faculty at large or from a combination of sources as the Senate sees fit. The President shall name members of ad hoc committees with the approval, by majority vote or by consensus, of the Academic Senate.

ARTICLE VII NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS

Section 1. The Vice-President of the Academic Senate shall convene meetings of the Nomination Committee and, with the assistance of the Nomination Committee, conduct official Academic Senate elections.

Section 2. The Nomination Committee shall be composed of the Vice-President and four Senators named by the Academic Senate. No officer other than the Vice-President shall be eligible to serve on the Nomination Committee.

Section 3. The Nomination Committee shall prepare a ballot for the following positions in the Academic Senate and shall make every attempt to provide for each office at least two nominees for each position:

President
Vice-President
Secretary /Treasurer
at least one Part-time Senator
Standing committees ( as provided for in the By-Laws)
Distinguished Faculty Lecturer

Section 4. All positions listed in Section 3, above, will be elected before the end of March in odd numbered years or when otherwise needed, except the Distinguished Faculty Lecturer, which will be elected as provided in the Academic Senate By-Laws. Elections specified in Sections 5 and 6, below, will occur in April or May of odd numbered years or when otherwise needed.

Section 5. Each of the College's areas of study, (as listed in the By-Laws) shall choose the number of full-time faculty member(s) specified in the By-Laws as its Senator(s) to serve on the Academic Senate. The highest priority should be given to electing a tenured faculty member as the Senate representative from the area of study. Such Senator shall be chosen by a democratic process with each full-time faculty member of the area of study having one vote for each member to be elected. Faculty members with assignments in two or more areas of study will exercise their one vote in their designated primary areas of study. Areas of study representatives shall serve for two years from the first day of service of the school calendar. Areas of study may change representatives at any time for the remainder of any existing term as long as a democratic process is followed. All disputes concerning the selection of representation shall be resolved by the Academic Senate. Academic Senate decisions with regard to processes and eligibility shall be final.

Section 6. The number of part-time Senator specified in the By-Laws shall serve on the Academic Senate representing the part-time faculty. Such part-time Senator shall be chosen by a democratic process with each part-time faculty member having one vote for each Senator to be elected. The part-time Senator's term is for two years and begins on the first contract day of service in the school calendar. If for any reason the elected part-time Senator is unable to serve, the Academic Senate shall appoint to the position the eligible nominee who received the next highest number of votes. If these provisions can not be fulfilled, then Article VII, Section 11 shall prevail.

Section 7. The Nomination Committee's proposed ballot for the Academic Senate officers, committee members, Distinguished Faculty Lecturer, and any other general elective offices shall be presented to the faculty in advance of the election. The Nomination Committee will verify the consent of nominees, either verbally or in writing, prior to the printing of ballots.

Section 8. Academic Senate officers, Senators representing part-time faculty, and the Distinguished Faculty Lecturer shall be elected by majority vote. Members of standing committees, when elected shall be chosen by plurality vote. Area of study Senators shall be elected by majority vote within their area of study Article VII, Section 5). In all elections the appropriate faculty members shall have one vote each.

Section 9. Academic Senate officers, Senators, and committee members shall, unless otherwise established by some other provision of this Constitution or the By-Laws, take office on the first day of the academic year as defined by the District contract with the faculty. Special appointments of the Academic Senate are effective immediately.

Section 10. In the event of a vacancy for any reason in any elected position not otherwise provided for in this Constitution, the Nomination Committee shall submit the name(s) of one or more replacement representative candidates to the Academic Senate. Upon presentation of the name(s) of the candidate(s) the Senate shall appoint the candidate who receives a majority of the votes from the Academic Senate members present. The replacement candidate shall complete the term of office of the original representative.

Section 11. Additional rules and regulations setting specific conditions for the holding of elections shall be published in the Academic Senate By-Laws.

ARTICLE VIII. PETITIONS, REFERENDUM, AND RECALL

Section 1. Petitions:

A. Anyone may submit a petition proposing an action or policy for the Academic Senate, and the Academic Senate officers shall determine if the petition will be heard by the Academic Senate.

B. A petition signed by at least 10 members of the full-time faculty will be heard by the Academic Senate.

C. Upon receipt of a petition signed by at least 10 members of the full-time faculty, the Academic Senate President shall submit the proposed action or policy to the Academic Senate at its next regular meeting for its adoption or rejection.

Section 2. Referendum:

A. Within four weeks following an official action of the Academic Senate, except for emergency actions (specifically declared as such by the Academic Senate at the time of passage), a petition signed by at least 10 full-time faculty members to reverse or reconsider such action may be filed. At least 10 signatures of the full-time faculty shall be required to validate this petition. Upon receipt of a such petition by the Academic Senate President, the Academic Senate shall arrange for a vote of the faculty to take place within fifteen calendar days of the petition's filing. A majority of those faculty members voting shall be necessary to rescind an action of the Academic Senate.

Section 3. Recall:

A. Officers may be recalled from office by a vote of 2/3 of the appropriate full time faculty at an election conducted by the Academic Senate. A petition signed by 1/3 of the appropriate full-time faculty, or a vote of 2/3 of the Academic Senate, shall be necessary before such an election can be called. The Part-time Senator may be recalled by a vote of 2/3 of the appropriate part-time faculty at an election conducted by the Academic Senate. A petition signed by 1/3 of the part-time faculty constituency, or a vote of 2/3 of the Academic Senate, shall be necessary before such an election can be called. Recall elections shall take place only during the fall and spring semesters in not less than ten calendar days nor more than 21 calendar days following the receipt of the petition by the Academic Senate or the vote authorizing the recall election by the Academic Senate.

B. The Nomination Committee shall conduct any recall election. However, in the event the officer being recalled is the Vice-President, another Senator shall benamed to take his/her place on the Nomination Committee.

C. In the event of a successful recall election, a separate election shall be held to determine a replacement officer or Senator. Such election shall be held only in the fall and spring semesters in not less than ten calendar days nor more than 21 calendar days from the date of the recall election and shall be conducted in the same manner as a regular election for the affected position (Article VII).

D. The recall of elected standing committee members may be provided for in the Academic Senate By-Laws.

ARTICLE IX. PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

The Academic Senate By-Laws shall establish the parliamentary rules, which govern the meetings of the Academic Senate and its agencies.

ARTICLE X. AMENDMENTS

Section 1. Any article or section of this Constitution may be amended only during the fall and Spring semesters by a majority of the votes cast by the full-time faculty in an election held for the purpose of amendment, provided that written notice of the proposed amendment has been given one week in advance of the day of the election.

Section 2. Amendments may be proposed by a majority vote of the Academic Senate
or by petition signed by 10 full-time faculty members.

ARTICLE XI. EVALUATION AND REVISION

The District is undergoing change. The continued growth and development of the College will require future constitutional change. The Academic Senate will evaluate this Constitution annually to make certain that it serves the mission and purposes delineated in Article I, Section 2 and in Article II. The Academic Senate will propose such revisions as may seem useful to the fulfillment of its mission and purposes.

BY-LAWS OF THE NORCO COMMUNITY COLLEGE
ACADEMIC SENATE
PREAMBLE

The Academic Senate can propose, change, and amend its By-Laws by a majority vote of all its members providing (1) that motions to amend the By-Laws must be proposed in writing, (2) that two weeks must elapse between the making of a motion to amend and any vote to adopt the motion, and (3) that a quorum must be present when the vote is taken.

ARTICLE I

Section 1 - Regular Academic Senate meetings are held from 2:30 until 4:30 on the 2nd Monday (contract holidays excepted) of each month during the spring and fall semesters at a location announced by the President.

Section 2 - Academic Senate meetings and faculty meetings called by the Academic Senate are conducted under the parliamentary guidance of Robert's Rules of Order, Revised, unless otherwise stipulated in the Constitution. The resolution process will be used. If the Senate declares that an emergency action is necessary, motions may be entertained.

Section 3 – The Academic Senate shall establish its own agenda by simple majority vote of the members present. The agenda must be established in accordance with State laws and regulations. Any member of the college faculty may submit agenda items to the Academic Senate. The established agenda may be abridged by majority vote or by consensus of the members present.

Section 4 – The Academic Senate President will contact any Senator who misses three regularly scheduled meetings to assess the problem. If appropriate, the Academic Senate President will contact the Senator's Department Chair regarding such absenteeism, with the hope of resolving the situation and avoiding under-representation. Replacement of such absentee Senator may be necessary.

Section 5 – Summer and winter meetings: In critical situations where Academic Senate approval for some college action (particularly involving state mandates) is required, the Academic Senate may act under direction of the Academic Senate President (or, in the absence of the President, the Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer, in that order) by holding a meeting by telephone ballot. A majority of all Senators must vote to support an action.

Section 6 – Special meetings of the Academic Senate may be called by the President or any five members of the Academic Senate.

ARTICLE II

Section 1 – Duties and Responsibilities of Senators:

A. Representatives of the Academic Senate, herein call "Senators" are accountable to all members of the college faculty.
Senators are responsible for:

B. Participating in regularly scheduled Academic Senate meetings as active and informed representatives of their electoral constituencies.

C. Ratifying appointments by the Academic Senate President.

D. Authorizing the execution of contracts and other agreements entered into by the Academic Senate.

E. Approving the annual budget submitted by the Academic Senate President.

F. Informing their electoral constituencies concerning problems facing the College in general and pending Academic Senate business in particular.

G. Keeping the Academic Senate President apprised of relevant electoral concerns of developments for necessary action in the appropriate committee of the Academic Senate.

H. Assisting the Academic Senate President in gathering data for research projects of the Academic Senate.

I. Communicating with other Senators in order to foster better communications between the Academic Senate and the faculty, classified staff, student government, admissions, district staff, and the Board of Trustees.

J. Informing potential or newly elected Senators of the purposes and policies of the Academic Senate.

K. Serving, when possible, on the Academic Senate's ad hoc committees and other committees as requested by the Academic Senate President.

L. Encouraging faculty members to become involved in the Academic Senate participation in Academic Senate committees and attendance at general session meetings.

ARTICLE III

Section 1 – Conducting the Election:

A. Elections are conducted according to Article VII of the Constitution.

B. The call for nominations shall be made at least three weeks in advance of the holding of an open faculty meeting which will constitute the closing of nominations.

C. In those years when the offices of President, Vice President, and Secretary/Treasurer are open for election, the Academic Senate shall arrange in a timely manner through its committees for an open forum at which candidates for these positions may present themselves and their programs to the voting faculty.

D. Elections shall be conducted by campus mail in such a manner as to maximize the integrity of the electoral process.

E. The Nominations Committee shall establish the dates and times for distribution, collection, and counting of ballots so that the results can be posted as quickly as possible after votes are counted. The Nominations Committee will conduct the election during the month of March.

F. The Nominations Committee shall request the areas of study to hold elections for Senators at an area of study meeting in April/May and shall inform the areas of study in a timely manner whenever a special need exists to fill a vacancy. Areas of study will notify the President of the Academic Senate of the outcome of elections by June 1st.

a. Terms of office for Senators shall be two (2) years with no limitation on the number of consecutive terms to which a member may be elected as a Senator.

i. The area of study representative elections shall be held as follows:

1. The following areas of study shall elect representatives in odd-numbered years

a. Business and Engineering
b. English
c. Speech and Social Sciences (Econ., Phil., Soc., Psych., History)
d. Math

2. The following areas of study shall elect representatives in even-numbered years:

a. Art, Theater and CIS
b. Counseling and Student Services
c. P.E. and Sciences (Chemistry, Physics)
d. Reading, Lang., ESL, and Library

b. In the event that an elected Senator from an area of study is unable to serve due to extended medical leave, semester-abroad assignment, sabbatical leave, load-bank leave, other leave of absence, or is otherwise unable to regularly attend Senate meetings, the area of study shall elect a replacement representative for the balance of the term or an alternate.

G. The Nominations Committee shall request the part-time faculty to hold elections for one part-time faculty Senator in April/May. The part-time faculty will notify the President of the Academic Senate of the outcome of the election by June 1st.

H. The Nominations Committee will conduct an election for Distinguished Faculty Lecturer at a spring meeting of the Senate. The names of nominees must have been presented at a previous meeting of the Senate.

I. Where the Constitution requires election by majority vote, a run-off election will be held between the top two vote getters. In some cases involving tie votes, a run-off between more than two candidates could occur.

J. Ballots and election results shall be kept on file in the Academic Senate office and shall be available for review for 30 days.

ARTICLE IV

All full time faculty are members of the area of study to which they were hired. Areas of study are designated by the Academic Senate of the Colleges. The right to vote on matters of curriculum and other discipline issues shall be enjoyed by members of the area of study. The right of all faculty to participate in curricular discussion shall not be abridged. Faculty may maintain voting rights in only one area of study. Faculty members may vote in the area of study in which they taught a majority of their contract load in the previous academic year.

Upon petition, a group of three or more full time faculty members may petition the Academic Senate to constitute an area of study at the College.

ARTICLE V COMMITTEES

The purpose of standing committees is to facilitate the work of the Academic Senate in the areas described in 1.2.B of the Constitution. Each Committee shall, at its first meeting, elect a chairperson to serve for one year and to represent this committee on the Academic Senate and to the Academic Senate Executive Committee. Each committee shall meet regularly, but no less than once monthly during the full months of the fall and spring semesters. The chairperson may delegate this duty to any member of the committee, with the approval of the Academic Senate.

Section 1 – The Curriculum Committee

A. The College faculty shall establish a Curriculum Committee, which shall serve for the purpose of representing the faculty to the Administration and through the Senate to the District Academic Senate, the District, and the Board of Trustees on all matters relating to any courses offered by this college. The Committee may freely utilize the expertise of all colleagues in questions regarding specific courses, and shall direct special attention to the general issues of curriculum philosophy and development.

B. The Curriculum Committee shall be composed of Department representatives serving two (2) year terms of office. When new Departments are established and if their routine election year specified in the by-laws revision is not synchronous with the time of scheduled elections or by-laws revision, the representative shall be elected to fill the length of the term remaining until the next scheduled year election.

a. In the event that a departmentally elected Curriculum Committee representative is unable to serve due to extended medical leave, semester-abroad assignment, sabbatical leave, load-bank leave, other leave of absence, the Department shall elect a replacement representative for the balance of the term.

i. The following Departments shall elect representatives in even-numbered years:

1. Engineering, Industrial & Business Technologies
2. Mathematics, Sciences & Information Systems

ii. The following Departments shall elect representatives in odd-numbered years:

1. Communications, Humanities and Social Sciences

C. Election of members of the Curriculum Committee shall take place by the full-time faculty members of the Departments in the same manner as Senators are chosen (see Constitution, Article VII, Section 5). Curriculum Committee members shall serve beginning on the first day of service of the school calendar.

D. The Curriculum Committee may at any time, independently of the larger College Curriculum Committee, hold meetings to consider policy and other matters which relate to curriculum or to extra-curricular matters that may have a bearing on curriculum.

E. The chairperson of the Curriculum Committee shall represent the Curriculum Committee to the Academic Senate. The chairperson may delegate this duty to any member of the committee, with the approval of the Academic Senate.

Section 2 – Other Committees

The Academic Senate shall consider the need for standing committees such as a Professional Growth and Sabbatical Leave Committee, a Legislative and Finance Committee, and an Academic Standards Committee.