By | March 2, 2021
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THE SENATE STANDARD – ISSUE 2.23

ACC Full-Time Faculty Senate Website 

ACC Coronavirus page

Dear Faculty Colleagues,

You back on track, yet?  The Full-Time Faculty Senate is getting there.  Between the pandemic, the weather disaster, and some cranky technology, we struggled to keep processes going. But, we’re back!  A few things to bring to your attention:

  • We have re-opened the senator nomination process, but we had to cut back some on the schedule on the front end in order to meet the goal of completing nominations and elections by, as stated in the Bylaws, “the fourth Friday in April.” See below for all the details. Visit the FTFS Bylaws website if you’re interested in learning the nitty gritty details.
  • The minutes from the last FTFS meeting have been delayed, but we’re working towards having those approved and distributed by the end of next week.
  • The Faculty Senate Leadership Team (FSLT) will meet with Chancellor Rhodes, his cabinet, and all association leaders on Thursday. Our agenda topic focuses on the Video Conference Summit outcomes and next steps. We’ll keep you posted.

Below find information about Explore Law opportunities for ACC students, new pandemic support services from the ACC Employee Wellness program, a list of Distance Education’s Speaker’s Series, and a new “Safety and Emergency Communications site by ACC Marketing and Communications office.

Have a great week!

Wayne

Senate Meetings / Minutes / Agendas

2/12/21 Senate Meeting – The minutes have been delayed due to the shutdown, but we’re working on these now. Once approved by the senators, we’ll share those here.

The next Full-Time Faculty Senate meeting is Friday 3/12 from noon to 1:30PM. Please send agenda items to me at [email protected]

Newsworthy

Explore Law Program Opportunities for Students: We are currently recruiting ACC students for the summer Explore Law program that is a joint effort of the University of Texas, Huston-Tillotson, and ACC.  ACC students participated in this program in 2019 and 2020, and they uniformly praise the opportunity.

For an overview, please look at this website.  We are fortunate this year to have Dr. Eileen Bumphus assisting us with the recruitment of interested students.  Dr. Bumphus has offered to have information sessions or to work with students one-on-one as they consider and apply for this opportunity.  Students are paid a stipend for the four-week intensive program, and they can also do some follow-up engagement work in the Fall and Spring semester after the summer program (e.g., mentoring from law students, possible internships, etc.).

The beauty of this program is partly the multi-institutional focus, but also the “non-traditional” recruitment.  We don’t just want students majoring in Government or Criminal Justice to consider applying – we would love to see students applying from a variety of majors to see what it might be like to go to law school.  Please encourage students to consider this opportunity, and ask them to contact Dr. Bumphus if they have questions.

Distance Education Speaker’s Series [Starts Friday, March 5th]: Last fall, ACC was awarded the InFocus Grant to support the College’s work toward closing equity gaps and increasing student success. Attendees will learn about the strategies we’re employing to improve course design and increase students’ academic support. Look for the opportunities below and more on the Faculty Events Calendar! Filter options using the “DistanceEd” tag.Here’s the line up:

The Communications and Marketing Creates “Safety & Emergency Communications” site – We have developed a “Safety & Emergency Communications” webpage for additional ACC details during the ongoing fallout from the winter weather event. The page is now live and includes student, employee, and resource information.

Pandemic Resources: Our Deer Oaks EAP has shared with us their 2021 Pandemic Support Series and we hope you may find some of the sessions helpful during this challenging time. Visit “Mental Health Resources” on ACC’s COVID-19 page, as well as on the Employee Wellness Online Resources page along with a variety of other webinars on wellness-related topics.  Please reach out to Mauri Winters at [email protected] if there is anything you need in regards to Employee Wellness.

Faculty and Staff Mental Health Resources: Stress, anxiety, social isolation, and financial pressures are all on the rise due to COVID-19 and the current pandemic we are facing. This may have an impact on your mental and physical health. ACC HR & the Employee Wellness Program has put together some webinars and additional resources to help you during this challenging time. See our list of Webinars and Online Resources that may be helpful during this time. Check back regularly, as we will be adding more webinars, articles, and resources as they become available.

We have compiled a list of Mental Health Resources to highlight some of the options available to you. In addition, we’d like to make note that All BCBS-TX HealthSelect participants have access to medical and mental health virtual visitsthrough Doctor on Demand and MDLIVE. These visits are no cost to you at this time. For questions, please reach out to ACC Employee Wellness Coordinator, Mauri Winters at [email protected]. 

2021 Eco Conference [March 29-30, 2021] – This year’s Texas Regional Alliance for Campus Sustainability (TRACS) conference will be VIRTUAL (surprise!) and free to all students and employees. This year, we are featuring UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Earth Week [April 19-23] – It is that time of year again! This year we are celebrating the 51st Anniversary of “Earth Day,” VIRTUALLY! We have put together a list of potential SAFE activities to get ideas flowing. Click Here to Host your own event.

New Action Items [please check due dates below!]

2021-2022 Full-Time Faculty Senate Nominations [Due March 10th by 5PM ]: We are resuming the nomination process to select senators and a president-elect for the 21-22 senate. All Full-Time Faculty should have received the nomination email by now, but just in case you haven’t seen it yet, you will find the following links helpful:

  • Current President-Elect and incoming President Dr. Samantha Croft has created a video offering details about her goals for the 21-22 Senate and why you should consider running. We highly recommend you take a look.
  • Nominations for Faculty Senate Seat
  • Nominations for President-Elect Seat
  • For questions about the nomination process or forms, contact Nominations Committee Chair Professor Jennifer Brimberry at [email protected]

Current Action Items (These are reminders for things I’ve already sent out):

Nominate Students for The Chancellor’s Student Achievement Award [Deadline: March 12, 2021] The Chancellor’s Student Achievement Award is the most prestigious student award given by ACC. The recipient must demonstrate academic excellence, service to the college and community, and commitment to ACC values and vision. Perks of this award include a $500 check, a plaque, and the opportunity to deliver the student address at commencement. In order to be eligible for this award, students must meet the following requirements (Student Life Staff will verify eligibility upon submission. Don’t worry about checking these yourself): Minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA; Attended ACC a minimum of two consecutive semesters; Graduating in Spring 2021. Nominate your outstanding students by March 12, 2021. You can also find additional information about eligibility requirements and the selection process on the Student Life CSAA web page. 

Call for Participation [No deadline provided] : The Center for Peace & Conflict Studies (PACS) is working with students in PSYC 2389: Internship in Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding to collect data about conflicts at ACC. Specifically, we are looking to interview students, faculty and staff about conflicts in which at least one of the parties was a student. Please note that these interviews only aim to understand your experiences. We will not make any attempts to resolve the conflict (if it’s still outstanding), or to guide you toward a resolution. You can read more about this opportunity and sign up for an interview by completing this form. For more details, contact Laila Taraghi at [email protected]

Best,

Wayne