Classified Senate
Through the Years
On April 24, 1991, a group of classified staff came together to develop a campus classified
senate. On November 20, 1991, the Board of Trustees approved the formation of the
Classified Senate as the 34th community college classified senate in California. The
Senate was created to provide classified staff the opportunity to participate effectively
in college governance. Its purpose is to provide the classified staff with a formal
representative voice in determining institutional policies, procedures, and regulations.
Senate representatives took office for the first time in January 1992 under the leadership of the first Classified Senate Executive Board: President Paul Mercier, President-Elect Jan Freeman, Recorder Joanne Lesinski, and Directors Don Hurdle, Jimmy Jimenez and Maureen Schrock.
The Classified Senate constitution was used as a model for the Statewide Classified Senate's constitution and by-laws. Since the formation of the Classified Senate, it has assumed responsibility for Classified Staff Week. In August 1995 the Academic Senate approved a proposal from the Classified Senate which allows a classified senator to attend one Academic Senate meeting each semester presenting one agenda item and vice versa.
Prior to the passage of SB 235, the Classified Senate served as the main voice for the classified staff related to shared governance. Currently, that role belongs to the College's two classified bargaining units. The Senate's revised role is to provide Classified employees with a formal participatory voice in supporting the College's mission, vision and core values.
The Senate is continually striving to support classified staff in achieving their personal and professional goals. Through its various fundraising efforts, the Classified Senate is able to provide growth opportunities to staff with the Professional Growth Scholarship. This scholarship provides classified employees the opportunity to achieve continuous quality improvement that is necessary to be leaders and innovators.
The Senate is currently comprised of 15 classified staff and 1 confidential who are elected by the membership of their functional units: secretarial/clerical; technical / paraprofessional, and professional non-faculty; service/maintenance and skilled crafts; auxiliary services; at-large/general campus. Senators serve three fiscal-year terms. The Executive Board consists of the President, First VP, Second VP, Secretary, Past-President, Treasurer. The president presides at all meetings of the Senate, is the official spokesperson of the unit, and represents the Senate at each meeting of the Board of Trustees.
