The faculty senate convened on Jan. 27 to make a few announcements and discuss a number of issues facing both students and faculty on campus.

The Academic Excellence awards ceremony was one of the first topics of note, all applications are to be turned in by Feb. 12 with the ceremony itself scheduled to take place on March 24.

It was also stated that an agreement regarding the ongoing issues with summer sessions had been reached, with the first session being split into two parts, the first portion will commence as scheduled with the second part being rolled into the second session.

Faculty Senate President Bryan Reece also spoke about a new campaign known as Habits of Mind, which is solely for the purpose of student success.

A task force to run the new campaign is going to be formed and will meet on the first and third Mondays of every month at 3 p.m.

Once the floor was opened up to senate discussion, it became clear that the hot button issue at this meeting was undoubtedly the ACCJC accreditation report.

On June 30, 2008, the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges placed Cerritos College on warning status and citied eight sets of issues that need to be addressed, four by March 1, 2009, and the remaining four by June, 2010.

Several senators voiced concern over the report, and the discussion became heated quickly with several senators stating that the report contained numerous inaccuracies.

One senator even requested that an emergency meeting be called in order to address the issue.

CCFF Liaison Ted Stolze expressed concern over the lack of communication between the administration and the Cerritos College Faculty Federation, feeling that on numerous critical occasions the senate failed to consult the union.

Although he feels that in certain instances the standpoint of the union has been excluded, Stolze was quick to point out that they have continued to speak up.

He went on to say that the senate performs best when working in unison with the CCFF.

Reece asserted solidarity with the CCFF and the Senate, explaining that, while they play different roles, they are both often concerned with the same issues, agreeing that there were several matters that require consultation and an ongoing campus dialogue.

He also stated that many of the senators who have made attempts to get involved in more meaningful ways have become frustrated, but feels that overall Cerritos College is not in jeopardy and he remains optimistic about the future.