This past October has been a crucial decision-making month for members of the Academic Senate. The Physical Education and Speech departments asked the senate to require students to take classes in their departments for the AA/AS degree starting in the fall of 2001. In addition, the Math Department has asked for an increase in the math requirements.

But, lately, the proposed changes for the rise in the math requirement for the AA/AS degree have ignited campus-wide debate, causing intense and divided faculty senate meetings.

The past two Academic Senate meetings were well attended by student leaders, who, according to Senator Clara Lam, brought in 700 signatures, a DASB vote of 10-4, and an endorsement by eight student clubs in favor of the proposal by faculty members Jean Miller and Cynthia Kaufman. The proposal states that the AA/AS requirement to include Math 105 should consider the Master Plan goals of student success and student equity.

“The students are here because they care … We have to accept their sacrifice,” Senator Jean Miller said.

According to Kaufman, the essence of the proposal said that students should be learning math, but that it is important to raise the standards on the faculty before raising them on the students.

Senator Rich Wood said that if students in his class are failing then it is also his responsibility, as an instructor, to find out the reasons for their failure.

“The proposal is not saying that we shouldn’t raise the math [requirement], it is just saying that it [should meet] the two conditions,” student Roshan Pourabdollah said.

De Anza Student Body Senator Les Leonardo said, “It’s a fine compromise that students will support.”

Student Cory Helmle said, “[The math department] has no right to raise the standards until there is equity.”

Math instructor Susan Dean said that GE proficiency proposals should not be tied to student equity.

She said that tying equity to a math requirement and not tying it to all GE requirements is discriminatory. Dean says that De Anza needs to discuss equity and each division needs to take action to meet equity and success as defined in the Master Plan. “I want student equity to be discussed as a group,” she said.

“You cannot hold math to a different standard than you hold the rest of the departments. It is unfair and discriminatory,” Dean said.

Kaufman said that it is important to come up with ways larger numbers of underserved students do well in those classes before we impose a new requirement. “I don’t support raising the requirements, before we faculty figure out how better to serve the students,” she said.

“The math department does not support systematic student equity plans … they support voluntary student equity plans,” Senator Rich Wood said.

Dean said that the math department has instituted a number of programs to help students succeed in math. “Not one student has come to me personally, nor to the PSME [Physical Science Math and Engineering] dean to talk about what the math department has to offer students,” Dean said.

She says that she has information that explains what the department is doing, including small group instruction, tutoring using the listserv, computer-aided instruction, and some special programs.

But some students say these services are not enough.

“People need services … the tutorials are under-funded … math is severely budgeted out,” DASB senator Geraldine Garcia said.

“I know money gets pumped into the tutorial center … but it’s still hard to find tutors,” student Adriene Hypolite said. When a tutor walks in, Hypolite said that he or she is bombarded with students needing help.

“I am a failure at math, but, I am a very intelligent person,” Garcia said. She says that she challenges anyone in the math department to get her through her math courses.

At the Oct. 30 meeting, the Academic Senate passed the Math 105 requirement by a slim margin. The motion was as follows:

“The Executive Committee accepted the Ad Hoc Committee’s recommendation to raise the mathematics proficiency level to the equivalent of Math 105 beginning Fall 2001, and that the Senate will work with the administration and other contituencies to ensure that the necessary support and plans are in place to ensure student success.”

There is concern by some students with the proposal because there could be a loophole. They say that the math department may not keep track of these statistics and that won’t be available for public record.

“Why do students feel the math department won’t keep track of statistics? I think you ought to ask the students where they get this idea! It just doesn’t make any sense,” Dean said.

According to DASB senator David Sarkis, since most current students will be gone when the proposal is enforced, new students will not know about this controversy and will not track down the math department if they don’t live up to the promised services.

“I think students are right to be skeptical. Anything that is passed should have clear accountability measures built into it,” Kaufman said.

At this meeting, a raise to the math requirement to one level above 105 in 2003 failed, while the proposal for a speech requirement for an AA/AS degree passed unanimously.

At the Nov. 6 Academic Senate meeting, several compromises on the Math 105 requirement were brought forward.

One compromise was to “sunset” the new requirement in three years. That is, the new requirement would automatically revert back to Math 101 if Master Plan goals of student success have not been reached. This means the class must have a 75 percent or higher completion rate with no more than a five percent variance among student groups.

Senator Carolyn Wilkins-Greene said, “[75 percent or higher and student equity] is what we should be working toward.”

Leonardo addressed the senate with a reading of Title V from the Master:

“Students shall be provided an opportunity to participate in formulation and development of district and college policies and procedures that have or will have a significant effect on students. This right includes the opportunity to participate in processes for jointly developing recommendations to the governing board regarding such policies and procedures.”

According to Kaufman, the Master Plan, which is supposed to guide instructors’ work for the next five years, says that student equity is a college wide commitment.

“I think [GE] deserves an entire campus-wide discussion,” said student Cory Helmle.