December 1, 2025

I. Call to Order

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Welcome

Erik Woodbury reminded representatives to complete their report out for the last Academic Senate meeting for the fall quarter.

Voting Members attending in person and those joining online with their names and meeting locations published on the agenda may use the roll call vote  link to establish quorum. They also used the same link to approve the agenda, the previous meeting minutes, and the consent calendar.

Roll Call Vote (24)

Veronica Avila Acevedo, James Adams, Christopher Bradley, Dave Capitolo, James Capurso, Yuri Chang, Barbara Dahlke, Umar Douglas, Mary Donahue, Kevin Glapion, Mark Hamer, Rusty Johnson, Shagun Kaur, Mark Landefeld, So Kam Lee, Sherwin Mendoza, Steve Nava, Mary Pape, Jamie Pelusi, Sukhjit Bob Singh, Lakshmikanta Sengupta, Leah Smith, Danielle Vlahos, Angela Winch

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II. Agenda, Minutes, and Consent Calendar

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Approval of Agenda, Minutes from November 24, 2025 and Consent Calendar

Approval of Agenda

Yes 24: Veronica Avila Acevedo, James Adams, Christopher Bradley, Dave Capitolo, James Capurso, Yuri Chang, Barbara Dahlke, Umar Douglas, Mary Donahue, Kevin Glapion, Mark Hamer, Rusty Johnson, Shagun Kaur, Mark Landefeld, So Kam Lee, Sherwin Mendoza, Steve Nava, Mary Pape, Jamie Pelusi, Sukhjit Bob Singh, Lakshmikanta Sengupta, Leah Smith, Danielle Vlahos, Angela Winch

Agenda approved.

Approval of Minutes from November 24, 2025

Yes 23: Veronica Avila Acevedo, James Adams, Christopher Bradley, Dave Capitolo, James Capurso, Yuri Chang, Barbara Dahlke, Umar Douglas, Mary Donahue, Kevin Glapion, Mark Hamer, Rusty Johnson, Shagun Kaur, Mark Landefeld, So Kam Lee, Sherwin Mendoza, Steve Nava, Mary Pape, Jamie Pelusi, Sukhjit Bob Singh, Lakshmikanta Sengupta, Leah Smith, Danielle Vlahos 

Abstain 1: Angela Winch

Minutes approved.

Approval of Consent Calendar

Updates to Academic Senate Bylaws

1. Update dues language to reflect $15 per month, with options for payroll deduction or annual check submission.
2. Update the Executive Vice President’s duty to serve as Tri-Chair of the ResourceAllocation and Program Planning Committee (RAPP).
3. Update Part-Time Faculty Compensation to specify that the two at-large Part-Time Senators and any Part-Time Faculty serving as designated representatives on shared governance committees will each receive a $1,000 quarterly stipend.

Yes 24: Veronica Avila Acevedo, James Adams, Christopher Bradley, Dave Capitolo, James Capurso, Yuri Chang, Barbara Dahlke, Umar Douglas, Mary Donahue, Kevin Glapion, Mark Hamer, Rusty Johnson, Shagun Kaur, Mark Landefeld, So Kam Lee, Sherwin Mendoza, Steve Nava, Mary Pape, Jamie Pelusi, Sukhjit Bob Singh, Lakshmikanta Sengupta, Leah Smith, Danielle Vlahos, Angela Winch

Consent Calendar approved

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Public Comment

RAPP Update

Veronica Avila Acevedo: RAPP was in the midst of their reconciliation process. RAPP will forward the following positions in three buckets of 5 (ranked high/medium/low) to the College Council. 

Bucket #1: Business, Political Science, 2D/3D Design and Art, English as a Second Language, and Anatomy Physiology/BIO.   

Bucket #2: Geography, Computer Information Systems, CETH/NAIS, Art History, and Math.

Bucket #3: General Bio, Communication Studies, Film Studies, Business, Chemistry. 

Tomorrow, Tues Dec. 1 starting at 9 am, RAPP will continue the reconciliation process for non-instructional positions. The meeting is open to the public. Go to the RAPP website for the meeting link.

RAPP recommendations will be forwarded to the College Council, then the recommendations will go to the President for final decisions.

GE Committee Update

Erik Woodbury: The committee was still working on their charges. They will present an update at the first meeting in the winter quarter.

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III. Needs and Confirmation

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District and College Needs

De Anza Academic Senate Executive Vice President

Senate President Erik Woodbury will go on sabbatical in the spring quarter. Vice President Shagun Kaur will step into the President position. The Senate will need to appoint an interim Vice President for the spring quarter. They are looking for someone interested in taking on the Senate Executive Vice President role for a quarter. This will be a good opportunity for anyone interested in a similar leadership position in the future.

RAPP Members (Winter 2026-Fall 2027)

2 RAPP seats are up for re-election

Non-instructional Faculty, first preference 

At-Large Faculty, open to any faculty

Use the Request to Serve button on the Academic Senate website to volunteer.

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Confirmations

None

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IV. New & Continuing Business

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Quick Notes:

ASCCC Hayward Award for Excellence in Education

Hayward Award: https://www.asccc.org/events/hayward-award-0

This statewide award honors one full-time and one part-time faculty member who display excellence in supporting education and student success

Feel free to nominate full-time and part-time faculty for this award. To nominate someone, see Erik’s email from last Friday. 

Since the application is due by Dec 16, the Senate had no objection to the officers handling the nominations.

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Proposed Syllabus Language - 1st Read

Draft-Potential Academic Freedom Syllabus Language

Presentors: Sal Breiter, Roseanne Quinn, Kim Palmore, Sarah Wilker

A team of faculty led by members in the Language Arts division has been meeting every Friday since Opening Day to work on proposed syllabus language as a pedagogical tool that upholds faculty academic freedom and acknowledges the nuances and complexities in students' lives.

The team has researched and looked at academic freedom policies at other campuses and organizations to come up with approachable and accessible ways to talk about these issues.  

The intent of the draft was to provide guidance for suggested syllabus languages in 4 areas: Academic Freedom, Diverse Perspectives & Experiences, Sensitive Topics, and Mutual Respect

This collegial gesture of suggested syllabus language was not a policy and was not meant to be prescriptive but descriptive. The purpose was to provide comfortable spaces that supported and empowered people to share ideas and to listen to ideas different from their own.

The team has brought the proposal to the Senate for discussion and to gather feedback on making these languages inviting and accessible both for students and for faculty. They would like AS support and affirmation of a language/model to promote academic freedom and enable student success.

They realized that everyone has different needs around their syllabi, and syllabi are very personal and are a core element of academic freedom.

For Students: offer guidance in the syllabus and encouragement for them to explore ideas and express diverse experiences/perspectives.

For Faculty: enhance their ability to navigate these conversations with clear expectations in a supportive manner.

Kim Palmore has developed different models for different learning modalities that they will share in their next presentation.

There were discussions on how this could be applied in different disciplines. Some faculty may wish to explore how these languages may be actionable, measurable, implementable. The team will take these suggestions as well as student perspectives into consideration to update the draft.

Next steps: Feedback welcome, reach out directly to Roseanne Quinn and Sal Breiter with suggestions that will be incorporated into the 2nd read

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Curriculum Update/Equity In Curriculum Update

Title V updates

What is new for Curriculum?

Many of these updates have to do with DEI/equity in the curriculum specifically in the COR (course outline of record)

The Curriculum Committee has developed an Equity Process Guide (approved 11/19/2025; attached and available here) to review all CORs and ensure they meet these updated equity requirements. 

That document has been sent out to deans and department heads, as well as both part-time and full-time faculty.

There will be a 3-part workshop on these updates (Cracking the COR Code: Equity, Title 5, and the Course Revision Process) offered twice per quarter during Winter and Spring 2026. These workshops will introduce the Title V updates, walk through the Equity Process Guide, and provide discipline-specific guidance and resources to support faculty in making intentional equity-minded revisions to CORs.

See 12/1/2025 email from Sarah Wilker “Support and Updates: Equity and Title V” and Curriculum website for resources. Reach out to her with questions, comments, and concerns

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AI in Education 

Agentic AI and Canvas Concerns and Recommendations

Foothill Document

Example of Agentic AI Use

Reopen discussion on Agentic AI.  Last week the Senate watched a video that showed someone using Agentic AI to complete an assignment.

They also looked at the draft for a Foothill letter to Jory Hadsell, Vice Chancellor, Technology & Innovation requesting them to create and implement tools to block Agentic AI in Canvas. 

What action, if any, does De Anza want to take?

Motion

Mark Landefeld moved to endorse the Foothill letter, Mary Donahue seconded

Discussion:

Bob Singh requested that the body reconsider the motion to stop/block but to look at how AI may be incorporated into the lives of students and faculty. AI can be a tool to enable more productive learning and creative teaching. He proposed not an outright stop as the letter requests, but to incorporate and adapt AI with clear understanding of its potentials and concerns.

Have a workshop on teaching methodology that adopts AI to augment learning and not encourage cheating.

Some people expressed the need for guardrails but at what level. The reality is that AI is here to stay. Encourage the use of AI to learn. 

Assessments. How to use AI to ensure student learning?  The product should reflect their knowledge and understanding. Some students are skipping the learning process, just going straight to the product.

There were concerns regarding equity, privacy, accountability. Some students may not have the knowledge or resources to use the AI tools; Some tools are very expensive, preventing access to better AI tools. A secure system to prevent fraudulent use of student credentials and information. Clarity on ways to use tools responsibly

AI literary. More learning and training with intentionality and accountability. Know what is out there, what is feasible/possible, to make informed decisions. It takes time to incorporate technology.

Canvas is used in 50% of educational institutions. AI is changing, evolving and developing at a rapid speed of development. The solution should be to adapt, not stop. 

Doli Bambhania: There are many aspects to the role of AI in education. Two important but separate questions are: 1) What is the appropriate role of AI in student learning and how does it inform what we should be teaching? 2) What best practices get us to authentic assessments?

Yuri Chang: AI’s negative impact on brain research by MIT lab: https://www.media.mit.edu/publications/your-brain-on-chatgpt/

Karen Chow: CVC has a white paper they just released on this topic with recommendations for discussion and next steps. https://www.cvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Safeguarding-Academic-Integrity-in-the-Age-of-Agentic-AI.pdf

Call for a vote on the motion

Yes (12): Angela Winch, Danielle Vlahos, Dave Capitolo, Jamie Pelusi, Kevin Glapien, Mark Hamer, Mark Landefeld, Mary Donahue, Rusty Johnson, Sherwin Mendoza, Viviana Alcazar, Yuri Chang

No (11): Barbara Dahlke, James Adams, LK Sengupta, Leah Smith, Mary Pape, Shagun Kaur, So Kam Lee, Steve Nava, Bob Singh, Umar Douglas, Veronica Acevedo

The motion carried. The De Anza Senate will endorse the Foothill letter.

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Reflection on Fall 2025 and Planning for Winter 2026

Fall 2025 recaps:

• Senate financial awards. The Senate Scholarship Committee started reviewing and granting awards.
• Welcome Thanksgiving lunch for new faculty was well attended and successful.
• Realignment proposal and discussions. Feedback has been collected and discussed in Senate and open faculty meetings. The Senate will revisit this topic in January.
• AI discussions.
• Reviewed the three plans that set the direction for the college: strategic, strategic enrollment management, and equity. 
• Reviewed Campus Climate survey from last spring.
• Faculty only forums where people can express their voices openly.
• Smooth transition for AS new dues that went into effect this October. Bob Singh volunteered to head the marketing campaign to recruit more supporting members.
• EquiTea. Senate funding for faculty programs and projects. There will be more events on tea culture in the winter and spring.
• Looked at priority registration for some affinity groups

Next Quarter:

• Continuation on ongoing discussions like AI/Agentic AI
• More marketing for AS
• Getting people more involved 
• More engaging and inviting meeting format. Fun activities.
• More faculty only forums without administrators

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Good of the Order

Please review all report outs

View only link for public access

Erik Woodbury:  No meeting next week. He reminded everyone that the Senate does not meet the first and last week of the quarter. The next meeting will be January 12, 2026. He requested that executive members confirm their continual service for the upcoming quarters. Please inform the officers of any replacements for Senate representatives.

Veronica Acevedo: Tomorrow is Gracias Tuesday, the Latinx version of Giving Tuesday. DALA scholarship fundraiser. Pizza My Heart, 19409 Stevens Creek, 4 to 9 pm. Dining for Dollars. DALA will receive 30% of the purchase.

James Adams: Research & Information Literacy Orientations, Database Research Orientations, and AI Literacy Orientations are available to be scheduled for WI26. Contact adamsjames@fhda.edu to schedule.

Librarians highly suggest having orientations earlier in the quarter, so students can use the information presented to them.

Shagun Kaur: Please fill out your ZTC/OER surveys - it’s helpful and it's required for compliance.

Best wishes for a smooth last week of classes and a joyful holiday!!!

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Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 4:28 pm.

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Attendance

In person

Erik Woodbury,  Shagun Kaur, So Kam Lee

Veronica Avila Acevedo, James Adams, Viviana Alcazar, Christopher Bradley, Dave Capitolo,*Jacob Chen, Barbara Dahlke, Umar Douglas, Kevin Glapion, Mark Hamer, Mark Landefeld, Sherwin Mendoza, Steve Nava, Mary Pape, Lakshmikanta "LK" Sengupta, Sukhjit Bob Singh, Leah Smith, *Ram Subramaniam, Danielle Vlahos, Angela Winch

Online

Yuri Chang, Mary Donahue, Rusty Johnson, Jamie Pelusi, Christian Rodriguez 

Absent

*Deborah Armstrong,  Doli Bambhania,  James Capurso, Lauren Gordon, Dawnis Guevara, Kevin Lee  

*Non-voting members