The Academic Senate will be exercising more control over which items will be added to its agendas and discussed at meetings, and voted to approve a revised policy that grants benefits to retirees.

Senators may now look at item proposals and vote to add them themselves. Previously the Academic Senate Steering Committee put together the agenda.

There was an anonymous request that the senate discuss the Non-Teaching Compensation Committee (NTCC), which has been tasked with cutting $125,000 in “leadership stipends” from the college’s budget by the end of March.

“I do think it would be productive in sunshining the work of NTCC,” said Academic Senate President Raeanne Napoleon on whether the discussion should be brought to the next meeting.

The cut is part of Superintendent-President Utpal Goswami’s larger plan to offset the college’s budget deficit. 

“I would like to see a larger faculty role in the work of this committee,” Napoleon said. 

Along with this proposal, Professor Sarah Boggs recommended the senate start a discussion about the administrators’ response, or lack thereof, to COVID-19.

“The concern is the lack of public acknowledgement of the suffering our students and the larger Santa Barbara community has endured,” said Boggs in the document. “We would like to see the college publicly acknowledge the suffering.”

Boggs is directing the Faculty Mentor Project where this issue was first discussed.

A motion was passed and approved unanimously to bring both items to the next Academic Senate meeting for discussion.

The senate also voted on a revised policy for emeritus status, a privilege granted to retired employees under AP 7217.

Emeritus status is designated to recognize the contributions of retirees and to encourage their continued association with the district, according to the new policy.

Benefits to the status include library privileges, campus parking privileges and official documents and recognitions. 

“I am so excited for this,” Napoleon said.

The policy had been discussed at the previous senate meeting, but came back clearer and more defined. An influx in emeritus requests in Spring 2020 prompted the revisions.

The senate also had a guest presentation from representative Ana Garcia and Academic Counselor Camila Acosta about a policy that will forgive students for unfavorable grades.

They presented a powerpoint highlighting the incoming changes to City College’s Academic Renewal Policy, which was approved for revision last April. 

“The motivation here is really our students,” Acosta said.

The new policy aims to alleviate substandard grades without having to retake the course. The current policy is very restrictive in comparison to policies at other colleges. 

The policy will be presented at the Board of Trustees meeting on Feb. 25, and The Channels will cover the exact changes that have been made.

The senate will reconvene on March 3.