Meeting Notes - October 14, 2009

Diversity Advisory Council                   
Student Community Services Conference Room 202
2:30-4:00 p.m.

Present:  D. Kubo (co-chair, IIS Division Dean/Diversity Director), G. Anderson (WRC), J. Cheko (DeAnza Associated Student Body- VP Diversity), M. Custodio (DASB-Pres.), K. Glapion (Disabled Student Services), A. Guevara (Multi-Cultural Staff Association), M. Hughes (Faculty), C. Kaufman (Multi-Cultural Staff Association), V. Marquez (Classified Senate), E. Norte (Diversity/ICCE), J. Okabe-Kubo (Recorder), J. Reza (Staff Dev), P. Lam (Classified Senate).

Welcome & Introductions

Each member introduced her/himself, identifying the constituency group s/he represents.

Update the new Office of Diversity and the EO hiring/training

Duane reported after Marion’s retirement and loss of the 1.5 FTE, the responsibilities were split:  Lydia is responsible for training/hiring of EO representatives, Duane is director of Diversity and co-chair with President Brian Murphy of the Diversity Advisory Council.

Introduce the new faculty Diversity Coordinator

Duane introduced Edmundo Norte, the new ICCE program coordinator and the new faculty Diversity coordinator.

Council membership and constituents

Duane noted that the group has historically been pro-active sponsoring training, and advisory in nature to the shared governance of the college.    With a new IIS Dean to be selected for the next AY 2010-11, Duane recommended part of this year’s mission to be solidifying a strong group that will be sustainable, and drafting a five-year Equity/Diversity Plan.  He also addressed continuing the representation of faculty, classified staff and student constituents.

The Faculty Senate had already confirmed G.Anderson, and K. Glapion will inquire about confirmation.  V. Marquez had been confirmed in an earlier Classified Senate and would request re-confirmation as well as confirmation for P. Lam.  While M. Custodio and J. Cheko had been approved earlier by the De Anza Associated Student Body (DASB).

Meeting times

With faculty teaching and committees, it is always difficult to set a meeting day/time.  The second and fourth Wednesdays of each month, from 2-3:30pm meeting time was proposed and agreed.  Duane mentioned that we are in the “hand over” process of records and meeting material with P.Lam.  Email groups and meeting maker invitations will go out.

Incident on campus regarding posting of flyers

Duane reported that seven to ten posters aimed toward gay students, seemingly from the De Anza Health Services had been posted on campus.  They were taken down right away. J. Cheko circulated one of the posters.  There was no sponsor listed, and it was confirmed that it had not been distributed by Health Services.  Some suggestions were:  “Not In Our Town/Not In Our School” brought to campus for a workshop, Gay Student Alliance (GSA) contact different instructors to schedule classroom presentations, a DASB/GSA/Diversity Advisory Council sponsored “teach-in”, M. Custodio meeting with B. Murphy (President to President) to bring him into the issue, and a “rally or speak out” against homophobia.

Other issues

• C. Kaufman recommended revisiting collaboration teams, tackling multi-year staff development planning, and reviewing the most recent Diversity Plan with a goal to craft a new one.
• B. Hughes suggested a local, smaller scale teaching and learning conference such as a mini-version of the conference last Spring.
• V. Marquez proposed that with an emphasis on basic skills vs. equity issues, that in addition to EOPS, all marginalized students are placed at risk with the proposed budget cuts.
• G. Anderson suggested that a shift of focus to the under-prepared student is another opportunity for equity in retention of the 43-44% of our students who are from low-income areas.

The meeting adjourned at 4:00pm.