MHCC’s policy councils get reorganized for efficiency

When I pictured MHCC President Debbie Derr’s office, I imagined corporate fat cats in impeccable suits; tiger-skin rugs; a blue haze of cigar smoke.

In reality, her office is well-lit and delightfully smoke-free. I sat down with Derr to discuss some of the upcoming changes in Mt. Hood’s participatory governance structures.

A brief overview: We currently have 11 councils contributing, in some way or another, to the policy-shaping and decision-making process at Mt. Hood. Each includes a mix of MHCC faculty and staff members, and department or administrative managers. (A full list of the councils can be found on the left side of my.mhcc.edu, under the “Resources” tab).

Eleven of these councils is a lot, and has, at times, resulted in some needless confusion.

That’s why, with the backing of the college’s board of education, MHCC is keeping two of its current councils (People Strategies, and Access, Diversity and Inclusion) and creating three new ones: Institutional Effectiveness; College Infrastructure; and Learner Success. Any existing councils not listed above have submitted alignment plans to Derr’s office to determine where they will fit, if at all, in this new framework.

The decision to revise the council organization came, in part, from feedback surveys indicating that “there were…too many councils, too many meetings, confusion about how decisions are made…” Derr explained. “(W)e need to revise our council structure.”

Student involvement in participatory governance is encouraged. After all, it’s your college, your classes, your money (be it tax-funded or otherwise) paying for tuition, and you should have a say in what goes on here.

The best way to get your voice heard is by utilizing the ASG, or Associated Student Government. President Kelly Bernardino and Vice President Santiago Velasco will be included on the Access, Diversity and Inclusion Council, and will be assigning ASG representatives to the other councils when meeting times and locations have been established (ideally early in Winter Term).

Any requests, complaints or concerns can be addressed to either Bernardino ([email protected]) or Velasco ([email protected]) to ensure your student voice gets heard at these councils.