The Academic Senate discussed the necessity to hire four full time faculty to meet the state’s mandated legal staffing ratios.

Staffing ratios were instituted by the Board of Governors 19 years ago as a means to guarantee and endear full time employees to the institution with whom they are employed.

The Board of Governors believes in keeping a connection between the faculty and the institution results in a more in-depth pool of talent which directly benefits the institution’s student body.

Chris Frazier said the state can fine a district for noncompliance in maintaining this required ratio of full time employees in the amount of approximately $67,000 per noncompliance employee.

Barbara Hanfling, executive director of the San Jose Evergreen Faculty Association, said , “I seem to recall that several years ago several colleges in the state were fined for noncompliance in meeting their Full Time Faculty Obligation.

Hanfling said hiring these new full time faculty at SJCC will not negatively impact the college budget or its classified employees, in that the new hires are filling attrition positions of current staff who are retiring.

“Over the last three to five years this college district has experienced a reduction of 30 full-time faculty and are now at its minimum faculty obligation of 234 full time faculty,” Frazier said.

“The district will probably hire six or seven full time faculty. The college deans had forwarded to the Academic Senate nine departments which the deans felt the Senate should consider in placing four full time faculty. We (the Senate) in turn and after careful review have forward four recommendations to the college president which was accepted. Now the hiring process will move forward and the hiring committee should be formed by April 5.”

Frazier said, “If the voters fail to extend temporary tax increases enacted under the Schwarzenegger administration in 2009, the college will not function as we are now. We would probably have to cut another 200 classes; from 1,100 classes two years ago, down to 900 hundred, then down to 700 classes.”

Professor Merylee Shelton, communication studies instructor, said “I am concerned about a physical education track and field position. SJCC is close to violation of Title IX.”

The U.S. Department of Labor states that Title IX states no person in the U.S. shall, on the basis of sex be excluded from participation in, or denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving federal aid.

“Title IX guarantees that a female athlete is afforded the same opportunity as a male athletes. We actually offer less opportunity to our female athletes and the director of that department has made it very clear that this was our time to come into compliance of Title IX by hiring for this position. How long do we not want to be in compliance with Title IX? It troubles me that woman may not have same rights as our male athletes.”