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EL CAMINO COLLEGE
February, 28, 2013
Torrance, California
Anthropological art on campus EC warned again of poten-
tial accreditation loss Steven Tran Staff Writer
Amira Petrus/ Union Kimberli Shigeta, 20, Nursing major, snaps a photo of the “Roman Amphora,” an ancient Roman vessel on campus.
Accreditation for EC is at riskagain. During a recent meeting, the board of trustees addressed a warning from the Accreditation Commission of Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) based on problems with SLOs on EC’s campus. “The bar keeps raising as far as SLOs go with the Accreditation board,” Jean Nishime, vice president of Student and Community Advancement and Accreditation Liaison Officer said. We should have been at proficiency in the fall. EC will be expected to be beyond proficiency in October she added. According to the Commission letter from ACCJC, “El Camino College must correct the deficiencies noted no later than October 15, 2013 or the Commission will be compelled to act.” A glitch in the database, Curricunet, may have added to the trouble of retrieving data for the assessments. The database that has been
used does not allow to pull out the reports that are needed, Nishime said. “As courses are revised, the assessment that is completed for the course disappears and we can’t retrieve it,” she added. “Now we are having to go back and trace the reports back by hand to see what has been done and what needs to be completed.” According to the Commission letter from ACCJC, there is a two year time period where monitoring progress is essential for maintaining accreditation. Currently at a “high level development stage,” EC will require some additional work to meet proficiency, In order to progress properly, the utilization of SLOs (student learning outcomes) and assessments is increasingly important. “In six months the plan is to show them that we are on track. I’m optimistic we will, we want to equip the administration and staff with the proper tools to get the job done,” Kenneth A. Brown, board of trustees vice president said. The EC faculty has progressed on SLOs and assessments, Chris-
tina Gold, professor of history and Academic Senate President said. They have begun “weaving” SLOs and assessments into instruction, curriculum, programs, planning and budgetting, she added. According to an External Evaluation report from Dec. 2012, EC was on accreditation warning in Jan. 2009 as well, however the ACCJC “reaffirmed” accreditation on Jan. 29, 2010. “We have come a very long way in a short period of time,” Gold said. Remaining positive on the actions that EC plans to take, Brown feels strongly that accreditation will not be revoked if the proper steps are taken. “We are not going to sit on our hands,” Brown said. Not wanting to point fingers, Nishime is ready to help EC in taking on the challenge of exceeding the proficiency requirement. “I don’t want to make excuses for any of it, we should have been further along,” Nishime said.“Now we know and now we need to get to 100 percent by the fall and that is our ultimate goal,” she added.
Contract extension for President Fallo buys EC time for search Monique Judge
Co-Opinion Editor
As Sean Puffy P. Diddy Combs said, it’s all about the Benjamins. Thomas Fallo, president of EC, surprised the board of trustees by announcing his plans to retire at the November 2012 meeting. He has now been granted a four-year contract extension that includes a significant pay increase to stay on as president and superintendent of the ditrict. In an email to EC faculty written in January and available on the board of trustee’s website, Christina Gold, President of the Academic Senate wrote, “President Fallo is returning with a significant pay increase. This has upset many people in the campus community who wonder how President Fallo
can justify accepting a substantial raise when so many deep sacrifices have been made by students, staff and faculty in the name of budget cuts.” According to documents available on the board of trustees website, the contract extension grants Fallo a new four-year agreement, a nearly $40,000 pay increase for 2013 and 5 percent incremental pay increases for each additional year that he stays on at EC. Luukia Smith, president of the El Camino Classified Employees Union is not a fan of the pay increase. Her feelings echo those expressed in Gold’s email. “We all went through really difficult negotiations last year,” Smith said, referring to contract negotiations for EC faculty and
staff. “I think the timing is bad.” One of Smith’s concerns is that Fallo will not serve the full four
“The proof is in the pudding, people are complaining that he got more money, but they are saying nothing about the new classes and sections we’ve opened.”
—Board of trustees vice president, Ken Brown
years of his contract. “He’ll only be here for three of the four years of his contract,”
Smith said. The biggest factor in the decision to offer Fallo more money was the time required to find a new president. At the time of his announcement, the board would have had six months to find a new president for EC. “Money was part of it, but from my perspective that wasn’t the big deal,” Brown said. “The big deal is I need help to find a replacement and we need time for that.” Now that Fallo’s contract has been extended, he will serve the next two years as EC president and will announce his retirement at the end of 2014. This time frame will allow the board and the district one year to find his replacement.
In the same email to faculty, Gold also felt this was a good thing. “On the other hand, President Fallo’s decision to stay can be viewed as an opportunity. The college will continue to benefit from his outstanding management of our fiscal and facility resources,” Gold wrote. I hope that President Fallo will extend his leadership into critical areas, Gold added. Brown thinks that focusing on the money is focusing on the wrong thing. “The proof is in the pudding. People are complaining that he got more money, but they are saying nothing about the new classes and sections we’ve opened,” Brown said. “I think if you look around
at other campuses and compare what’s happening at our campus, students, faculty and the public will be happy with what’s going on. We’re putting the right foot forward,” Brown added. Smith remains skeptical. “It appeared to me as though the board members got afraid that there wouldn’t be enough leadership here,” Smith said. Brown thinks Fallo’s decision to stay should be viewed as a positive. “I appreciate Dr Fallo’s decision because he’s helping the district. He’s helping me personally; he’s helping the students and the faculty that are here by rescinding his resignation; he’s giving the board a little bit more time to get their act together by staying.”
Proposition 30 expected to increase budget and responsibilities for community colleges Eric Hsieh
Staff Writer
NEWS LINE
The future looks bright for California schools with the passage of Proposition 30 on last fall’s November ballot. However, EC may expierience that with great privilege, comes great responsibility Sponsored by Gov. Jerry Brown, Prop 30 increases the state’s sales tax by a quarter cent until 2016 and increased income tax on earnings over
By Emerson Keenan
$250,000 until 2019. “Prop. 30 is already making a difference,” Tom Lew, dean of humanities, said. EC is only one of 112 community colleges recieving a portion of the $210 million in funds, but we’re also one of the largest, Lew added. Benefits of Proposition 30 are highly anticipated after numbers of cuts the last few years. “Approximately 3,300 classes will be added to the system,” according to a press
release by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office. “The measure makes room for an additional 20,000 students.” However, Lew warns that this money may come with renewed expectations from the powers that be and that EC will have to prove it’s making good use of the revenue it receives. “He (Brown) is saying ‘Now that you’re getting some money for the first time in a number of years, I want you to take things seriously
or more seriously than you have in the past.’” The governor specified an array of reforms he hopes to see from community colleges. In addition to improving numbers and accountability, he proposed that schools make high-demand classes and placement tests available to students through the Internet. According to the 2013-14 Governor’s Budget, the initiative will include the creation of a “virtual campus
to increase statewide student access to 250 new courses delivered through technology,” as well as options for students to explore new environments for education. If an additional initiative within the budget is approved, students can expect changes in EC’s course policies. There would be greater pressure on students to move through community colleges and achieve their degrees at a quicker pace. Community college stu-
dents “will be allowed to take no more than 90 semester credit units starting in 2013-14,” according to the budget’s proposals. Those that exceed this unit cap “will be required to pay the full cost of instruction” while the community colleges “will not receive any state funding for these students,” according to the Governor’s budget. It seems inevitable that EC students, teachers, and administrators will be tasked with new responsibilities in
the upcoming years. Lew remains optimistic however, feeling that whatever changes come from Proposition 30, will ultimately be for the better. “I’m looking forward to the future now that it appears that the years of successive budget cuts are over,” Lew said. “It will give us a better opportunity to serve our students and do a better job to ensure they succeed in their educational goals.”
One week left to apply for graduation
Community College Day Financial aid workshop at UC Riverside tomorrow Monday
Math, Business, Allied Health Building tour
Writing Center hours have been updated
March 7 is the last day to apply for graduation and certificates. Students who qualify for an associate degree in June must apply for graduation by next Thursday. Graduation intents can be sent to the Admissions Office and no late requests will be accepted.
Tomorrow the Transfer Center will be chartering a group to UC Riverside’s Community College Day. The van will leave campus at 7:00 a.m. and will return at 4:00 p.m. Those attending must pay a $5 refundable deposit. For more info and to sign up, visit the Transfer Center.
A tour of the new Math, Business and Allied Health Building will take place on Wednesday from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. This is a great opportunity to explore the new building that EC has been waiting for.
Writing Center tutoring is now available Monday through Friday from 7:15 a.m. to 12:40 p.m, Monday through Thursday 1:30 to 5:40 p.m. and Friday from 1:30 to 4:10 p.m. The Writing Center is located in H-122. Please bring a current student ID and printed assignment sheet or prompt.
Students interested in applying for financial aid can attend a financial aid workshop Monday from 2 to 4 p.m. in SSC 204-G. All financial aid applications must be submitted no later than Tuesday. To register or for more information, contact the Financial Aid Office.