The Academic Senate reconvened for the spring semester with updates on the StanBooks program, a proposal to reorganize college structures within academic affairs and the introduction of a new Pre-Clinical Laboratory Science Certificate.

FBAC Chair John Brandt gave an update on StanBooks, noting that the program’s webpage has been expanded to address questions and concerns raised by those opposed to the program. The webpage now includes a more details on how the program works.

A survey will be going out to all students and faculty next week to get their views on the program. ASI will be holding a student town hall meeting as well.

“ASI will be holding a student town hall meeting on StanBooks in early March,” Brandt said.

Speaker of the Senate Arya Alami, updated the senate on the proposal to reorganize college structures within academic affairs.

“So I’m going to overly simplify it,” Alami said. “In this proposal, Ogle calls for the programs of Nursing, Psychology and Child Development within the whole College of Science, to move to the College of Education, Kinesiology & Social Work.”

As a first reading item, a Pre-Clinical Laboratory Science Certificate was introduced to the senate.

“The rational Pre-Clinical Lab Science Certificate is designed to provide students with the foundational knowledge and lab skills to obtain the California Clinical Laboratory Science Trainee License and to apply to Clinical Laboratory Science,” UEPC Chair Andrew Dorsey said.

Dorsey also noted that this field has a projected 14.6% employment growth in California by 2030.

“I would just want to add my appreciation to Biology for putting this together early,” Provost Ogle said in response to the proposal.

During the open forum portion of the meeting, senators paid tribute to President Emerita Marvalene Hughes, who passed away on Jan. 3. Hughes served as Stan State’s president from 1994 to 2005.

Brandt reflected on Hughes’ dedication to the Stockton campus and expressed disappointment that subsequent administrations did not continue that level of support.

“She was coming from a good place even when there was some real faculty disagreement,” he said.

Senators Alfred Petrosky and Bret Carroll shared memories of Hughes as the president when they first arrived at Stan State, noting her impact on the campus beauty.

Senator Koni Stone recounted a memory of how Hughes is the reason why the school now has Naraghi Hall, with Hughes taking the time to bring a trustee member to campus to see what they had. Stone inadvertently managed to stage a capsaicin release since the hoods did not work properly.

“She just looked over at the trustee and said, ‘I think we need a new building’ and we got one,” Stone said.

Contributors to this article: Kaihli Miner-Hill and Emaan Nawabi