Representative Assembly Meeting MINUTES
February 27, 2003

Members Present: Rebecca Anderson, Vini Angel, Garen Baghdasarian, Robin Briggs, Sandi Burnett, Fran Chandler, Tom Chen, Nick DiCamillo, Charlie Donaldson, Gordon Dossett, Gail Edinger, Naja El-Khoury, Don Emery, Carolyn Feruzzi, Mark Foster, Dennis Frisch, Kai Ganado, Bill Hogan, Carolyn Holmes, Marcella Kelly, Ann Maddox, Fran Manion, Ben Martin, Ken Mason, Kym McBride, Colleen McGraw, Richard Mednick, Mitra Moassessi, Dana Morgan, Elaine Morton, Brenda Ness, Lyle Nichols
Jim Pacchioli, Pauli Peter, Saul Rubin, Lantz Simpson, Michael Soldatenko, Lydia Strong, Sumy Takesue, Esau Tovar, Leslie Vaughn, Sal Veas, Alicia Villapando, Andrew Walzer, Betty Wong, David Zehr

Members Absent: Maria Alvarado, Anthony Archer, Ed Bermudez, Juanita Burris, Paul Churchard, Becky Curtis, Patti Del Valle, Claudia Garcia, Teresa Garcia, Ridgeway Knight, Richard LaValle, Jim Lemmon, Arnold Lessing, Karl Lisovsky, Alan Litt, Catherine Matheson, Richard McColl, Melody Nightengale, Ernest Padilla, David Phillips, Juan Quevedo, Boris Ricks, Paul Roberts, Stuart Sam, Christine Schultz, Mario Semere, Elisha Shapiro, Michael Strathearn, Michael Tracey, Denise Travis, Joseph Vargas, Robert Ware,

Members Excused: Robert Flores, John Hoover, George Marcopulos, Robert Massey, Rich Robinson, Eleanor Singleton, Kathy Sucher, Nina Theiss, Beverly Tholen

Guests: Jan Austin, Loring Emile, Elham Gheytanchi, Martin Goldstein, James Martin, Bill Price, Julia Stein, Susan Sterr, Hari Vishwanadha

Meeting was called to order at 11:15 A.M.

I. President's Report-Lantz Simpson
A. The budget shortfall for the state continues to be the big issue with Governor Davis proposing larger cuts for the community colleges statewide than for the K-12 systems, the university systems and the prison system where he proposes a 1 1/2 percent increase. On March 17. faculty, staff, and students will converge on Sacramento to demonstrate the need for attention to the community colleges' importance in the sate. And on Friday, March 28, 11A.M.-1 P.M. there will be a rally in Pershing Square near Governor Davis's headquarters.
B. FACCC elections are approaching. Please vote since three of our SMC faculty members are on the ballot-Dennis Frisch, Ken Mason, and Kym McBride.
C. On March 20 Jonathan Lightman of FACCC will be a speaker at our Assembly meeting.

II. Motion from the Executive Committee
By-laws Revision-First Reading
Article IV, Section B, 8- During the duration of the contract, the Chief Negotiator shall have the authority to develop and sign Memoranda of Understanding subject to approval of the President, the Negotiating Council and the Representative Assembly at its next meeting.

III Bylaws Revision-Second Reading
Replace the title office manager with the title executive secretary for the Faculty Association's secretary.
Charles Donaldson moved and David Zehr seconded and motion was passed unanimously.

IV. Motion from the Executive Committee-Spring Reassigned Time
The Executive Committee recommends that the Representative Assembly authorize up to 1 FTE of additional reassigned time for Faculty Association business for Spring 2003.
Motion passed unanimously.

V. Discussion of Budget Crisis
Current information as of today is that SMC must cut $5 million from this year's budget and must expect to cut $12-15 million for 2003-04. In the Coordinating Council meeting Mr. Lawson announced that such cuts would necessitate a 30% reduction in course offerings and elimination of some programs, perhaps as many as seven or eight. These issues will be addressed at the March 10 special Board of Trustees meeting.
Presently, word is that more than 40 classified positions will be cut, and this will be addressed at the March 3 Board meeting. Unfortunately, many other options for budget cuts have not been explored, for example early retirement incentives, administrator pay cuts, across the board pay cuts, furloughs, full time teachers giving up overload teaching assignments, etc.

Dennis Frisch made the following motion and Charles Donaldson seconded it.
The SMC Faculty Association directs the executive officers to convey to the Board if Trustees their thorough displeasure with the lack of shared governance in the decision making process concerning the budget crisis and the budget cuts.Motion passed unanimously.
Suggestions were made to ask students to write letters to the Board of Trustees and to extend a press release to the community.

VI. For the Good of the Order-Meeting was adjourned at 12:35 P.M.

Respectfully submitted,