Prepare for Meetings

Explore Further: Understanding Senate Meeting Agendas and Your Individual Process

Throughout the semester, the Senate's agenda follows a consistent pattern but will range in topics and issues. It's important to remind ourselves that we all will come to each new agenda with a diversity of experience and levels of awareness. Being intentional in your reading and preparation habits can help you feel more confident. Here are a few tips prior Senators have shared:

• glance over the agenda early in the week to organize your time for items requiring lengthy review, further research, or extra steps

• read according to your individualized process as a representative of your faculty colleagues

  • read early in the week so you have time to mull over issues or read late in the week so your memory of issues is fresh

  • read with the intention of sharing key agenda items and discussion with your constituents

  • read items that may be particularly contentious with intention to process emotional and intellectual response

  • read with your particular pedagogical, discipline, and other specialized lenses

  • read after reviewing your notes and minutes from the prior meeting to refresh your knowledge of current discussions

• get to know and rely on your Senate colleagues expertise and focus so you may prioritize which agenda items to read closely and which to simply read

Reading the Meeting Agenda

The basic organization of the agenda

The key areas of focus in preparing for a meeting are

• Consent Calendar

• Reports

• New Business

• Old Business

• Information / Discussion

Consent Calendar items will be presented at the beginning of the meeting as items to be passed under unanimous consent. This means instead of voting for or against each item, all items on consent are presented together, and if no senator objects, then the all items are approved. Any senator can request an item be pulled from the Consent Calendar. 

Reports are standing agenda items and typically designate space for the AS President, College Superintendent, Classified Senate President, and Associate Student Government Representative to report. 

New Business and Old Business list items upon which the senate will likely take action. Items under business are typically presented for a "first read" and items under Old Business are presented for a "second read" and vote. 

Information / Discussion items are not voted on. Items under this category are presented to educate or inform the senate or to seek advice and guidance from the senate. 

Accessing content using links

Hyperlinks are embedded within each category of the agenda and appear as text enclosed in a rectangle. Many of these hyperlinks link to sections of the agenda document. Some of these hyperlinks link to content outside of the agenda file, and may require a login to different district systems. 

If you experience trouble navigating various systems linked in the agenda, please contact the Senate President

Submit a Request to Add Agenda Items

Want to include something on the agenda? Please fill out the Agenda Item Request Form and email it to Debby Adler at dadler@miracosta.edu.