Faculty Senate challenges need for outside activity approval

A procedure stating full-time district employees cannot have another full-time employment outside the district was brought to the table at the Faculty Senate meeting Wednesday.

Human services Professor Kathryn Miller voiced opposition to district Procedure D.2.4.3. Conflict of Interest: Assignments and Outside Activities, because she thought it invaded her privacy.

Employees may have additional assignments as an adjunct or continuing education instructor within the district.

Miller wanted to make it clear that she understands the need for the procedure.

“If they are here when they are supposed to be here and they’re doing what they’re supposed to do, I’m not quite convinced that the district has a right to know what we do on our off duty time,” Miller said. “I do see it as an invasion of privacy.”

She also disagrees with employees having to ask permission from officials for outside activity.

Vice presidents or associate vice chancellors must evaluate outside activity requests to approve or deny that activity.

The activity must be disclosed in writing to supervisors at least a month before the start of the outside work assignment or a month before the start of an Alamo Colleges semester if an outside teaching assignment.

“What if I wanted to umpire little league on a Saturday?” philosophy Professor John Visintainer said.

Larry Rosinbaum, Faculty Senate chair and business professor, said President Robert Zeigler said that having off-duty activities is a problem because it may affect production here.

Math Professor Gerald Busald said he will talk to the Faculty Legal Action Association about this procedure.

Busald said he would discuss the input from the association during the next Faculty Senate meeting.

Busald is the president of the association, which monitors actions made by the board of trustees that the association believes could be illegal.

Miller brought up another privacy issue about students recording in class.

Rosinbaum said Zeigler said that students can record lectures as long as they are not video recording.

Zeigler said Thursday that video recording is not needed if audio recording can be done.

He said it is up to the discretion of the professor if students can video record, but professors cannot prohibit audio recording.

Student development Professor Dehlia Wallis said if professors feel violated, they should file a SOBI report.

SOBI, an acronym for Strategies of Behaviorial Intervention, is a process for reporting behavior problems.

Miller said students are authorized to audio record lectures, although it is recommended to notify the instructor.

Texas Penal Code Sec. 16. 2 says recording is legal if one party of the conversation consents to the recording.

“The part that bugs me, I guess, is it just seems like not a civil way to run things,” Miller said. “It’s disrespectful.”

Miller said she does not mind being recorded, but she would like to know about it.

“To me, it’s one more example of over-reaching into our privacy,” Miller said. “Why does it have to be without my knowledge?”

English Chair Mike Burton said he advises professors to record meetings with students if they feel the student is recording to avoid fabrication from students.

In other news, kinesiology and dance Chair Bill Richardson said a committee will form to decide the placement of one of the two college seals.

Alamo Colleges logos were placed on top of the college seals on the college monument west of Gonzales and McCreless halls on San Pedro Avenue during the 2010 winter break without notice to the college.

Chancellor Bruce Leslie wanted an image that was consistent with the five Alamo Colleges.

The two seals were removed in April when talks began of where to put the seals.

Richardson, English Professor Alex Bernal and architecture Professor Michael Connor will form the committee, along with a student and staff member chosen by Zeigler.

One seal is currently placed on the wall of the executive conference room in Fletcher Administration Center.

Richardson said he would like to see the other seal in a 4-by-6-foot monument in the mall so it can be visible.

Bernal said he would like to see in on the west side of Moody Learning Center in the middle of the campus.

“It’s just a part of student life, faculty life,” Bernal said. “Almost every institution that I’ve been to has some sort of seal at the center.”

Richardson said the committee will meet this semester, though no dates have been scheduled.

“I think the sooner we do it, the better, cause the more you talk about it, the more you may draw the hackles unintentionally from district,” Bernal said.

Zeigler was at the meeting for a question-and-answer session and first talked about the construction around campus.

Construction or remodeling is being done in Moody Learning Center, Fletcher Administration Center and Scobee Planetarium, which will house the Challenger Learning Center.