This is going to be an odd assignment, more like a scavenger hunt. It will line up with the written assignments you have as well.
I'm hoping that this will interest you.
Alvin Community College, as you may or may not know, is a single purpose government. These are also known as special districts. The same holds true for independent school districts, municipal utility districts, drainage districts, hospital districts, and many more. We have been created by the state of Texas to implement state laws regarding higher education. They have given us the power to collect property taxes and issue bonds.
A reasonable amount of ACC's revenue comes from the state of Texas and the national government. These are for defined purposes. We can't just spend them on anything we want. We are accountable for the expenditures, and must report what we do with it.
But there are strings attached, and I want you to investigate them.
As you have probably noted, much of what you see on the ACC website refers to HB this and SB that. In addition you've likely seen mention of national legislation regarding hiring practices, student speech rights and responsibilities, and campus, safety. The national government mandates that we not only provide reasonable accommodations to students who need it, but make sure students know this. That's why you will see such language on your syllabus. Look for it.
If we don't do so, we risk losing federal funds.
So here is what I want you to do:
I want you to pour through the ACC website and find at least ten mentions of where state or national law is mentioned and what the purpose of the law is. Why was it passed? How is ACC implementing it? What controversies exist - if any - about the mandates?
That's all I want to say about this now. We can discuss online over the course of this brief semester. I'm sure you have question, let me know what they are. I'll give you a few hints about where to go, but you should start by digging through the website.
