Academic Senate for California Community Colleges (ASCCC)

By Dan Crump, American River College, CCL Liaison to the ASCCC

The ASCCC held its Spring Plenary Session this last week (April 20-22) in Orange.  The theme of the Session was “Making Space for Connection and Belonging as We Center Authentic Voices and Lived Experiences in the 10+1.” It was held in a hybrid model, both virtual and in-person.  There were seven general sessions, all hybrid, and three blocks of breakout sessions, each with four fully in-person sessions and two fully online sessions.  

In the first two days of the Session consisted of breakouts and general sessions on a variety of topics of interest to faculty, focusing on academic freedom, equity, anti-racism and inclusion, and ZTC/OER.  I want to include part of the message that ASCCC President Ginni sent to attendees---"As faculty are engaged with many task forces and work groups, busily implementing recent legislation and making improvements to educational and student support opportunities, everyone must work to make space for connection and belonging. All voices must be heard. The people behind those voices, especially the faculty and students that have been traditionally underrepresented, need to be welcomed into the circle to share their experiences and tell their stories…Changes abound. From a new Chancellor of the California Community Colleges system to implementation of recent legislative directives, faculty leadership and voice are critical as community colleges actualize a student-facing common course numbering system, a singular lower division general education transfer pathway, new baccalaureate programs, increased low-cost and zero-cost course materials, new student placement and enrollment mandates, supervised tutoring for degree applicable and transfer-level courses, and a common understanding of academic freedom. Faculty should continue to lead this work to meet the educational needs of the students in the largest and most diverse public system of higher education in the country. The next three days are your time to engage in discussion and debate regarding these issues and more. By working together, making space for connection and belonging, and using the collective voice of the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges, faculty can ensure outstanding educational opportunities and support for the students they serve.”

On the last day of Session, delegates voted on resolutions that will shape the positions and actions of the ASCCC.  The full text of the resolutions is on the ASCCC website. 

It is always great to see fellow librarians at ASCCC events and I saw several at Session---Stephanie Curry (Reedley College), Celia Huston (San Bernardino Valley College), Matt Magnuson (West Hills College-Coalinga), Natalie Lopez (Crafton Hills College), and Nancy Persons (Santa Rosa Junior College). Apologies in advance if you were there and I haven’t acknowledged you. I will blame it on my senioritis and my being the “absent-minded professor!” 

I have the honor and privilege of being the CCL Liaison to the ASCCC and therefore attend their meetings to present the library faculty perspective.  I can attest that they are a hard-working and fantastic group of faculty leaders.  

I also wish to acknowledge the strong and continued support of the ASCCC for the Library Services Platform (LSP). They have been great in every step of the way!

And one last thing---the ASCCC held their elections for the Executive Committee for the upcoming year.

I wish to thank Ginni May, the outgoing President, for all her leadership and support of libraries, and welcome Cheryl Aschenbach as the incoming President.  I have had the privilege of working with Cheryl on a number of issues (especially OER) and look forward to working with her this coming year. 

ASCCC Executive Committee, 2022-2023

President	Cheryl Aschenbach	Lassen College
Vice President	Manuel Vélez	San Diego Mesa College
Secretary	LaTonya Parker	Moreno Valley College
Treasurer	Robert L. Stewart, Jr.	Los Angeles Southwest College
Area A	Stephanie Curry	Reedley College
Area B	Karen Chow	DeAnza College
Area C	Erik Reese	Moorpark College
Area D	Maria-Jose Zeledon-Perez	San Diego City College
North	Mitra Sapienza	San Francisco City College
North	Eric Wada	Folsom Lake College
South	Carlos Guerrero	Los Angeles City College
South	Kimberley Stiemke	North Orange Noncredit
At Large	Christopher Howerton	Woodland City College
At Large	Juan Arzola	College of the Sequoias