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Curriculum change one-sided, faculty say

Faculty Senate Chair Paul Martinez of Northwest Vista College told district officials that faculty have little inclusion in decision-making on curriculum changes and endorsement of district policies. Members of the board of trustees, Chancellor Bruce Leslie and his senior staff appeared for a town hall meeting at the college Monday.

mclendon, town hall, northeast lakeview

Northeast Lakeview discussion turns to metrics

Grace Langford, coordinator of student development at Northeast Lakeview, asked trustees, Chancellor Bruce Leslie and senior staff how they planned to reconcile an obvious disconnect with the faculty and staff across the district after presenting a more than 90 percent vote of no confidence at the September board meeting.

VIA officials, students exchange service views

VIA Metropolitan Transit representatives solicited student input Tuesday at the last Hot Potato lecture of the semester at Methodist Student Center. Three VIA officials told lecture participants that rider input is key in the completion of the transit organization’s plans.

mclaughlin, leslie, blakely fernandez, debra nicholas

Board fills District 7 seat with lawyer

District trustees appointed attorney Blakely Latham Fernandez to represent District 7 after interviewing two applicants at a special meeting Monday. She replaces Charles Conner, who resigned Oct. 28 after seven years on the board and has moved to Corpus Christi. 1 comment

Courtesy patrol available

It happens to everyone and during the most inconvenient time. Remember the last time you accidentally locked the keys in your car? Or how you felt walking up to your car to find a flat tire. Well, if it happens on campus, have no fear because there is a free service available to all students, faculty and staff that will help unlock cars and fill flat tires.

vela, staff council

Vela answers questions about Banner, job duties

Learning to use the student services portion of the Banner system has required many employees to spend time off campus, Dr. Robert Vela, vice president of student affairs, told Staff Council Tuesday. After a question from council member Henry Castillo, an optical scanner in the admissions and records office, Vela said Banner and other tasks required by Alamo Community College District officials are taking away from duties at this college.

SGA elects new officers

Student Government Association President Julianne Cantu was re-elected Nov. 16 to serve until January 2011. Unopposed, the political science sophomore received 120 of 132 votes cast from a student body of about 24,000 potential student voters. Cantu ran again because she said she still had a lot to give, and most of the officers are new representatives.

jeff hunt

Accreditation committee to finalize report Friday

Board chair plans to conduct public meetings about accreditation.

The Accreditation Review Committee is scheduled to meet Friday to complete a final report on the question of whether to pursue single accreditation for the district, co-chair Jeff Hunt said Wednesday. The committee was charged with exploring whether the Alamo Community College District should become an accredited institution or remain at the current structure of individual colleges under a governing district.

load problem, student services

Online traffic causes problems with early registration

The opening day of registration for spring 2010 has brought some expected technological problems for students trying to enroll in Alamo Colleges. Despite repeated tries, access to the system has been denied for many students. Jose Avila, land PC technician for district information technology, told The Ranger Monday afternoon that high traffic has caused login problems to the student services Web page students use for online registration.

Unfinished center contrasts with others

Construction of Loftin Student Center is at a standstill and has been for almost two years. Phase 1 of renovations, which included moving the student life offices to a corner of the second floor and a modernization of the interior, began Sept. 12, 2007.

writer, babitt

Writers share tips on getting published

Writers need to plan on marketing their work, a panel of writers told the Cheshyre Cheese Club Nov. 5. Author Tori Bailey, editor H. Christine Lindblom and blogger Robyn Deangelo shared their expertise on writing, publishing and self-marketing. “You have to believe in yourself,” Bailey said, adding, “Publishing houses no longer spend the big money on marketing your book.

Student skips English class, attends tutoring lab instead

At a forum at Palo Alto College Nov. 4, English Instructor John Fulton said a student admitted skipping an English class to attend an appointment with the writing assistance center. Fulton said during a phone interview Tuesday, this is not something that typically happens, but because it happened once, it is enough. 2 comments

SAC-Cares program to engage faculty, students in community service

The SAC-Cares program will help students and faculty get involved in community service and allow students to learn about issues facing the community and establish career goals, civic engagement coordinator Justin Storrs said Nov. 2. “It’s a good way to network and make contacts,” Storrs said.

cleary, rindfuss, retreat

Board fears low morale will lower student success rate

CORRECTION: The article below misstates the titles of Dr. Jacqueline Claunch and Dr. Ana “Cha” Guzman. Dr. Claunch is president of Northwest Vista College and Dr. Guzman is president of Palo Alto College. The Alamo Community College District board of trustees, district administrators and the five college presidents gathered Saturday for an annual retreat to collaborate efforts to increase student success and achievement. 2 comments

International students share perspectives on studying in U.S.

Some international students say they are asked ridiculous questions when they first come to the United States. Stereotypical questions can include “Do you own a pet camel?” “Have you eaten at Buckingham Palace?” “Do you always carry things on your head?” “Do you know karate?” or perhaps worst of all, “Do you wear clothes at home?” according to several international students at this college.

International Education Week aims to increase cultural awareness

Program includes film, lectures and culture presentations.

International Education Week gives students at this college time to reflect and increase their awareness of different cultures and diversity, said Suzanna Borawski, counselor in this college’s international students office and adviser to the International Student Association.

academic council, vernell walker

Computer agreement in dispute over confidentiality

Academic Council also discusses new classes, parking and end of capital improvements.

A revised district computer security agreement was presented to the College Academic Council Tuesday, but members still disagreed with some of the language. Psychology Chair Thomas Billimek objected to wording concerning breaching confidentiality of access codes by negligence, saying that it needed clarification on who decides what is “negligence.

conner

Longstanding board member, community advocate retires

District 7 trustee Charles Conner admitted, in hindsight, that the board and district administrators could have done a better job in establishing solid communication with faculty and staff. In a telephone interview Nov. 6, the trustee who resigned Oct. 2 comments

fort hood shooting

Fort Hood tragedy hits close to home for psychology chair

UPDATE: Since posting the story below, the alleged shooter, Maj. Malik Nadal Hasan, was found to be alive and is now in custody. Hasan is now the only suspect, and investigators no longer consider the other people previously considered suspects as such any more.