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.

"I need that to eventually slow down," he said.

Castillo questioned Banner's March date to go live in preparation for full implementation for fall 2010. The program's first go live date was November 2004.

Vela said the district may have to run Banner parallel with the current system, Passport, before Banner is complete.

"We have people resistant to change," he said, "but there's no negotiation anymore."

Castillo brought up the problem that administrators were the only employees of the district learning about Banner and because they are always in meetings, it keeps other employees from having the opportunity to learn the system.

Vela said he is dedicated to ensuring faculty and staff will comprehend everything. "I can honestly say that to you."

Two or three people on campus called "super users" will be available in case a user gets stuck, almost like having the college's personal support system, he said. A problem with the current system is that everyone is allowed to access everything.

One example is the duplication of records, which can happen when multiple employees create the same file, he said, adding there have been about 15,000 duplicate records.

"Everybody who works at this college has access to everything," he said, but with Banner, people will only have access to their department depending on their title "instead of tackling the monster."

After Vela left, Castillo remembered another question: Many people have multiple jobs to oversee, but which job description will the administrators use when deciding how much access one receives on Banner?

In a Thursday phone interview, Dr. Thomas Cleary, vice chancellor for planning, performance and information technology systems, said Banner access is need-based and depends on the employee's role and function.

Employees in career services do not require Social Security information, Cleary said, adding, "we want to tighten up security."

He said, "The No. 1 concern is record security," so the district needs more stringent and internal controls.

Cleary said the grants and finance modules are up and running. The human resources and payroll modules will be active in January, registration later in spring and the student module in September 2010.

On another topic, Vela said his division is responsible for admissions and records, student life, disability support services, the women's center and financial aid, and is to ensure all students are provided for.

"It's a lot because student issues are very important; we all need to help students succeed."

President-Elect Anthony Perez questioned if Vela receives many students with problems in financial aid. Vela said there are a lot of students who ignore the chain of command and directly visit his office before seeing Tomás Campos, director of student financial services.

Vela said, "There's a protocol and we need to work with it."

There will still be problems occurring, he said. "We can't avoid that with an institution this size."

Nick Benedetto, Staff Council reporter, said the faculty and staff need more positive feedback from administration.

Vela said, "We're all in the business of student success whether it's a job or your calling."

Concluding his visit, Vela said, "I don't have a crystal ball, but I do have faith. We just have to hold our heads up high and be proud of where we work."