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ranger Serving San Antonio College and the Alamo Colleges
An independent forum of free voices
Volume 91 Issue 7 • Oct. 31, 2016
210-486-1773 • Single copies free
Feline friendship Campus cats, caring students: purr-fect match Page 3
Legislative agenda assembled among three Despite abiding by the Texas Open Meetings Act, meeting raises concern. By Wally Perez
gperez239@student.alamo.edu
The Alamo Colleges legislative agenda for 2017, which was approved by the board of trustees Oct. 18, was discussed without
public knowledge during a meeting Oct. 7. The meeting was not posted anywhere in advance, unlike most of the board of trustees and committee meetings, which are
required to be posted 72 hours in advance in compliance with the Texas Open Meetings Act. The only exception is an emergency-called meeting, which requires two hours notice to the media. Janel Santos, administrative assistant for special projects and acting board liaison, said in an
email to The Ranger that committee meetings are not necessarily subject to the Open Meetings Act. The Texas Open Meetings Act specifies that if a quorum of members of a governing board of a public institution discusses public business in more than an “incidental” way, it must be in a public meeting.
District General Counsel Ross Laughead said in a phone interview Oct. 25 there is no general prohibition at all in the act to have a meeting of the committee. “We have to be big enough to have a quorum,” Laughead said. Most committees are made up
See AGENDA, Page 7
online now Director of outreach touches community SLAC lab offers workshops
District requires EDUC 1300 Curriculum Committee not sure it has to approve change. By Kyle R. Cotton
kcotton11@student.alamo.edu
Math freshman Ingrid Zamora concentrates on painting her pumpkin for the decorating contest hosted by the Campus Activities Board Oct. 24 in the Fiesta Room of Loftin. There will be one winner for each category, creative/
original, funniest and scariest, who will receive a Kindle Fire. The winners will be announced at Screamfest, this college’s Halloween festival 9 a.m.-2 p.m. today in the mall. Read the story online. Josue Hernandez
Faculty Senate clarifies anti-poverty initiative Names were submitted, but with a focus on the food pantry. By Christian Erevia
cerevia@student.alamo.edu
Faculty Senate discussed clarification about this college’s contest to name its anti-poverty initiative Oct. 21 at their second meeting of the semester. The anti-poverty initiative, which includes a campus food pantry, clothes closet and support services for students in need, is still awaiting a name. Names have been submitted by students and reviewed by the anti-poverty committee, which will choose a name for the program. The problem with the contest is that the suggested names have been focused on the food pantry as opposed to all of the services, Faculty Senate President Tiffany Cox Hernandez said. “We’ve received tons and tons and tons of really great suggestions, but they focus primarily on the food pantry portion, and I think that was from the communication that went out from Vanessa (Torres), which is
100 percent my responsibility,” Hernandez said. “I think it was a little unclear so that we’re not just talking about the food pantry, but we’re talking about all the services.” Aside from the food pantry, students in need will be able to access a clothes closet with donated clothing; they will also have one-on-one help with emergency aid and other tasks, such as filling out government aid forms. “It’s food pantry and clothing closet,” Hernandez said. “More importantly, it’s that case management with students so they can go in there if they have an emergency need or just need help filling out their state aid assistance form or whatever else it may be.” Students may use the antipoverty services as long as they are enrolled at this college. “It’s a one-stop shop, but it’s not an ‘in-and-out and that’s all the help you will get,’” Hernandez said. “It should be an ongoing support while you’re a student here at San Antonio College.” The committee working on
All students at Alamo Colleges who score at least at the ninth-grade reading level will be required to take EDUC 1300, Learning Frameworks, and they may decide at graduation whether to count it as an elective in a 60-hour degree, according to a summary of the presidents, vice chancellor and chancellor meeting Oct. 10. PVC also approved requiring EDUC 1300 in all pre-major pathways. The agreement by PVC was to correct “inconsistencies across the colleges,” according to the summary emailed by Chancellor Bruce Leslie Oct. 17. For the last 14 years, the Alamo Colleges have required a student development course for first-time-in-college students or transfer students with 15 or fewer credit hours, Jo-Carol Fabianke, vice chancellor
See EDUC, Page 7
Distinguished grads get head start Application period opens this month, and students can apply online. Faculty Senate President Tiffany Cox Hernandez discusses progress updates with senate members during a meeting Oct. 21 in Room 643 of Moody. Alison Graef the clothes closet has not developed a plan for a clothes drive. Their focus has been on the food pantry, Hernandez said. “That (the clothes closet) will be addressed. I just don’t know what it is yet,” Hernandez said. Several senate members asked whether the clothes closet will be equipped with a washing machine and dryer so donations can be washed and students may do laundry. “That’s a good point. I’ll look into that,”Hernandez said. The anti-poverty committee is also exploring the option of reserving post office boxes for
students in the program. “Having some in the UPS store, some boxes that can be assigned to students so that just while you’re at SAC, this is yours,” Hernandez said. “We’ll look into that.” Hernandez said Faculty Senate is looking for a name that encompasses all the antipoverty services and includes the actual location of these services, which will be available in Room 323 of Chance. Support services are available now. The anti-poverty initiative’s name will be announced Nov. 15.
By Rachel Cooper
sac-ranger@alamo.edu
Students who are eligible for graduation in December or May can apply to be the distinguished graduate for their program. The application opens today, and the deadline is Jan. 27. This year the application will be available online, and once students complete the application, they must turn it in to their academic department, said Lauren Sjulin, coordinator of student success. In the past, forms have been submitted to the office of outreach and recruitment, Sjulin said. Last year students could apply around the middle of November, Sjulin said. “We moved it up a little,” she said. The deadline was changed so students can apply earlier. “We try to make sure everyone is includ-
See GRADS, Page 7