This week’s Academic Senate meeting saw the CFA report the approval of its soon-to-be-implemented tentative agreement, the unanimous approval of a new Musical Theatre BA, and discussion around a survey reporting faculty’s top budget concerns.
The February 27th, 2024 Academic Senate meeting also featured a presentation from CSU Stanislaus’ Child Development (CDEV) Program Coordinator and the Director of the Child Development Center (CDC) promoting the value of the CDC, and advocating for assistance in finding funding.
Child Development Center Details their Services and Appeals to Senate for Financial Help 
CDEV Program Coordinator Dr. Rosanne Roy and Director of the CDC Stephani Smith gave a presentation to the Academic Senate to educate the Senate on what the CDC provides and how it ties into the CDEV and Liberal Arts programs at Stan State.
They explained that the CDC serves both an academic and a childcare mission.
In terms of their academic mission, they reported that each year, the CDEV program has roughly 300 students working towards their BA. The CDC serves as the location for their lab courses where they can get experience taking part in or observing childcare.
The CDC also provides childcare for 65 families, ranging from Stan State students, faculty, and staff to families from the surrounding community. They provide care to children ranging from 2 months to 5 years of age.
The CDEV curriculum, they report, is able to hire 20 student interns at the CDC every semester to train them in “high-impact practices” in teaching young children.
They report that while this is a fantastic opportunity for students to get experience in childcare and children’s education, this also leads to instability.
“When the course is over, the center has no more staff,” Dr. Roy said.
This means there is no childcare in the summer or winter semester. The CDC’s operating hours are also limited by regulations on how many hours student interns are able to work.
Smith reported that a majority of the CDC’s operating expenses are not covered by the university, and therefore has to be covered by parent fees. This often puts the CDC in a vulnerable spot.
Dr. Roy made it clear that raising parent fees would jeopardize the CDC, as their affordable and competitive rates allows them to provide a public service to the university.
Dr. Roy and Smith said that, due to a grant that supplemented some families’ parent fees falling through, they recently lost those families and by extension a portion of their income.
They said they are interested in developing a partnership with ASI and are working with Advancements to secure donors to make ends meet, but are looking towards the Senate, and by extension all of Stan State’s faculty and staff, for ideas for funding.
ASI President Adrian Sanchez responded by stating that ASI has a referendum in the works that would divert some funding towards supplementing students’ childcare fees so that more students would be able to use the center.
Faculty Budget Advisory Committee (FBAC) Reviews Faculty Survey Results 
FBAC Chair Andrew Gardner reviewed the results of a survey where faculty gave their opinions on which areas they felt are underfunded at the university.
Gardner reported that 183 faculty members responded to the survey. While the demographics skewed towards professors and librarians who have been on campus for more than ten years, he reported that gender, race, and ethnicity had a wide range of representation.

Faculty workload and compensation were the most frequently raised concerns. Bureaucratic growth, sustainability, physical and technological resources were frequently cited as well.

Besides these concerns, faculty wanted classroom improvement, psychological counselors, and research support to be prioritized in the budget.

The Stockton campus faculty specifically desired upgrades to their library services and improvements to their classrooms.

Senator Gardner plans to send out a budget priority list following their March 27th meeting which will reflect the results of this survey.

CFA Reports Ratification of the Tentative Agreement, ASI Donates New Plaque, and Musical Theatre BA Approved by Senate

ASI President Adrian Sanchez announced an action item the Board of Directors is voting on that will donate a placard to recognize the Yokut land that Stan State is built on.

The placard will be placed at an oak tree near Naraghi Hall.

President Sanchez also reminded the Senate that applications to be nominated in the ASI elections close on March 12th. They are still seeking candidates if any students are interested.

Senator Dave Colnic, a Political Science professor and the Association Vice President of the Northern California division of the CFA, reported that the CFA approved their new contract with the CSU administration with a ratio of 3-to-1.

Dr. Colnic said that, while they are no longer in contract negotiations, the CFA still has important political work to do.

“We’re not in bargaining,” Dr. Colnic said, “But what we are in is in the heat of a political season.”

It is the CFA’s objective to be visible and sell the CSU to California legislators to advocate for more funding.

“The more we advocate for ourselves, the more we tell our story, the better off we are,” Dr. Colnic said.

The Academic Senate also unanimously approved the curriculum for a new BA in Musical Theatre, which has been in the works for quite some time.