Northridge Campus Student/Board Forum Notes Tuesday, October 21, 2014, Student Life Lounge-Building 1000 Trustee Attending:

Dr. Barbara Mink

Facilitator:

Joe Anderson, Student Life Specialist

1.

Can the Board of Trustees explain their role within ACC to the students of Northridge? The Board operates under policy governance. Some questions are for staff. The Board only has one employee, the President. The Board stays at the policy level and then the Executive staff acts to implement the policy.

2.

Earlier this year, the Board made a decision to charge students for the bus passes via Cap Metro. One of the reasons this was done was to re-allocate those funds to other sustainability initiatives. Could the board elaborate on what exactly those initiatives will be? Contact Andy Kim ([email protected]). He is in charge of sustainability and funding for bus passes and other efforts. Capital Metro raised their rates. For 2015 the City of Austin is challenged to reduce waste to landfills by 50%. There is effort focused on composting or recycling and this will be extended to this campus. Lighting has been changed to LED lighting. There are solar panels which benefit campuses. It offsets cost which affects program costs.

3.

At the beginning of the semester a survey was sent out to gauge the climate for LGBT students? What have the initial responses to the survey been? What will be the results of this survey after all responses have been received? Over 600 responses were received. The Associate Vice President, Dr. Richard Armenta, is working with the Student Success & Equity Committee looking at ways to make changes. The Student Life Leadership & Diversity Conference will be held on November 21, 2014 at 9 a.m. at Highland Campus.

4.

The costs of textbooks have continued to skyrocket. College students are finding it increasingly difficult to purchase textbooks for their classes. Has the board thought of any initiatives outside of the ones we currently use that will allow students the option of having cheaper textbooks? Faculty have the choice on books. Part of the answer is for students to shop around. Departments and faculty are diverse, and the advice for students is to get involved in student government, etc. For now, use online sources, shop around. This is not a Professor against student problem. Books are just expensive. There is a text book collection at Highland Learning Center. ACC bookstores are contracted with Barnes & Noble to operate. Our contract says Barnes & Noble has first right to sell. The Interim Vice President, Student Services, Dr. Wade Bradfute, will look into this problem.

5.

With the addition of the Elgin campus and the Hays and Highland Mall campuses, how will the Board of Trustees ensure that Austin Community College District is operating as one college with students receiving the same, information across the board? Several students have complained that they receive different information on different campuses in regards to important services. Degree Map seems to be helping. A lot of students come in and don’t know where classes are, etc. Students need groups to take them around. A proposal to have student ambassadors on campuses is being considered.

6.

With the recent opening of three new campuses at Elgin, Highland, and Hays, are there plans to add gym facilities to any of the new campuses? It would be a great opportunity to integrate some of our ACC programs while providing jobs for students on campus. Student Life proposed facilities in Highland Learning Center. There are two gyms which have been put in by private companies in that area. Special programs are offered only at some campuses due to limited resources and facilities. Student Life offers the intramural sports of basketball, volleyball, soccer, and football. Contact Tracy Partin, Intramural Coordinator at [email protected], (512) 223-3167 for more information.

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7.

Do the Board of Trustees and/or ACC Administration plan on offering non-traditional students specific services? For example, drop off day care on campuses, specialty counselors, etc. There will be day care at Highland Learning Center. At the last board meeting, there was a resolution passed by the Board that, where feasible, the College will put child care on each campus.

8.

Currently there are two bonds on the election ballot that concern ACC. When specifically talking about Northridge, how does the board see these bonds helping the students at the Northridge campus? Some programs will be moving from Northridge to the Highland Campus. This will help with parking. It is a future piece. All campuses will be renovated.

9.

Students that drive to campus sometimes find that there are small dents or damages to their vehicle. This is due in large part to the small/close together parking spaces on this campus. An example can be seen when large cars park in spaces reserved for compact cars. How will the board address these issues that happen on campus to prevent them from happening in the future? As new campuses are opened and facilities are renovated, current campus crowding will be reduced.

10. Currently there is no form of public transportation to Round Rock and limited transportation to Cypress Creek, which are the two schools that could alleviate some of the student congestion on our campus. What does the future look like in regards to public transportation access within the district? There is a need for the Round Rock area to work on an agreement with Capital Metro. Round Rock Campus It is our understanding that the Capital Metro is evaluating service expansion options with the City of Round Rock, but at this time no transit service is offered in the City of Round Rock. The City of Round Rock doesn’t have a funding mechanism to support the public transportation like in Austin (1% of sales tax). However Round Rock does offer limited transportation service within the City. http://www.roundrocktexas.gov/docs/updates_-_august_2014_-_posting_purposes.pdf. Cypress Creek Campus In 2012, ACC made an agreement with the Capital Metro to provide a limited bus service at the Cypress Creek Campus. Like the City of Round Rock, the City of Cedar Park doesn’t have a funding mechanism to support the public transportation at this time, therefore Capital Metro can’t provide transit services inside of the City of Cedar Park. 11. The Board of Trustee members are not only examining the present condition of ACC, but are always looking towards the future. What direction does the board plan on taking ACC in the next 5-10 years? What direction will the board take Northridge in 5-10 years? Plans are in the bond for a new campus in Leander and land for a workforce campus in southeast Travis County. The second proposition is renovation on all campuses. All campuses need to be updated. The tax increase will allow for maintenance of the buildings. We need all three propositions. The next Student Forum will be November 7, 2014, Elgin Campus, 1:30 p.m., Student Life Lounge. For further information: http://www.austincc.edu/support-and-services/student-experience-and-community/specialevents-and-activities/board-of-trustees-student-forums.

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