Faculty Senate Minutes, 2 May 1995

MINUTES

FACULTY SENATE MEETING

2 May 1995

Chairperson D. Eidam called the meeting to order at 4:07 p.m. in Chryst Hall, Room 210. All departmental senators except the Art Department's attended. J. Haugh and E. Kobeski attended for the student senate.

Minutes

Senate approved the 18 April 1995 meeting minutes with the following changes: On page 3779 under University Course and Program Review Committee, C. McLeod gave a report for F. Erickson of the Graduate Course and Program Review Committee. Acting for Erickson, McLeod placed MATH 537 on the agenda for the next senate meeting. Strike out all references to MATH 537 as a "non General Education" course.

On page 3781 under Revisions to the BS Secondary Education Social Studies Major, add the following: Senate postponed until the next meeting a vote on a C. McLeod/S. Luek motion that "A Social Studies major shall be deemed to be a major in the department in which the major's option resides."

Reports

Chairperson's Report

Chairperson D. Eidam noted some corrections to today's agenda. Senate approved the following changes: Item XII becomes Item IX. Item XV becomes Item X. Item XIV becomes Item XI. All remaining items were shifted downward accordingly.

Eidam reported that all committee reports will be assembled, bound, and mailed in one package sometime this summer. They will not be attached to the next meeting's agenda. Eidam forwarded to senators in two separate mailings two communications that he received from President J. Caputo. By popular demand, senate's soft drink allocation has been increased. Eidam is reappointing R. Clark as senate's representative to the Academic Computing Committee. Although he will not serve as senator next year, Clark has been an active participant on the Academic computing Committee.

Eidam asked that senators inform him if they have changed their E-mail addresses in the last year. If you have moved to Marauder, please inform Eidam. All departments have reported the results of their senatorial elections.

The Commencement Committee met with the Provost and it was decided not to pursue the matter of having students walk across the stage. There was a consensus to recognize honor students. The Committee discussed a proposal that would allow students to invite faculty members the students wished to have attend the commencement ceremonies. The procedure would be similar to the way faculty are invited to attend the honors and awards ceremonies. Finally, there will be better provisions for photographs in the future.

The summer senate meeting will be Tuesday, June 13, 1995, from 3:00-4:45 PM, in Myers Auditorium of McComsey Hall. There will be no snack service. Eidam noted there would be a lot of business at the meeting. If a senator can not attend, please send an alternate. Eidam said that senate introduced the three meeting rule at the suggestion of the Academic Policies committee. Perhaps senate should drop down to a two meeting rule. Eidam said he would bring a proposal to senate before the next meeting.

Eidam is attempting to revise the governance manual to include the changes that senate recommended concerning student leadership. The changes are subject to President J. Caputo's approval. Some of the student members serving on committees are not elected by student senate. One is elected by the graduate students organization and a couple are appointed by Vice-President for Student Affairs G. Reighard. Eidam is assuming that those students are included in the motion that senate approved at its 18 April 1995 meeting. Senate approved Eidam's assumption.

Student Senate

Student senate president J. Haugh said that at their last meeting, student senate allocated $859,760. Nobody could have gotten any more money out of student senate. The allocations were the same as that requested by the allocations committee. This Thursday will be Haugh's last meeting. He thanked everybody for their time and for the opportunity to be a part of the faculty senate. E. Kobeski will take over as student senate president next year. Kobeski said there would be committee elections next Thursday night. Not all student members of faculty senate committees will be elected then.

Administrative Officers

President

President J. Caputo announced the SSHE Board of Governors met recently in Kutztown. The Board approved MU's Masters in Nursing Degree proposal. However, it did not act on the SSHE presidents renewals. Perhaps the Board is attempting to show the new governor that it is tough. Our state representative, Jere Schuler, Governor Ridge, and others have indicated that there might be increases in budgeted amounts for the SSHE for the next academic year. Perhaps we will see some budgetary relief in the future.

Vice-President for Academic Affairs

Provost F. McNairy reminded senators of the Honors Program Awards Convocation on Saturday. Senators are invited to commencement on the following weekend to pay tribute to our graduates.

Vice-President for Student Affairs

Vice-President for Student Affairs G. Reighard gave more details about the past weekend. There were programs well into Sunday morning. President J. Caputo flipped pancakes at 4 AM. Hundreds of students participated.

Reighard appeard in Commonwealth court last Wednesday because the University is being sued. The suit does involve MU faculty. A West Chester corporation is classified as a competing bookstore. The competing store has contacted the University for faculty book orders under the Pennsylvania right to know law. MU has provided the store with a list of all our courses and the faculty names.

Last Wednesday a judge did not authorize an injunction at that time. the corporation calls itself Dynamic Student Services. MU's Student Services will sue the corporation for violating its trade name. The owners of Dynamic Student Services have the right to contact MU faculty and to be on campus. Faculty may provide the owners with their bookorder information if the faculty member so desires. MU will soon send the faculty a letter with the advice of SSHE attorneys about this matter.

The competing store claims to have invested $100,000 in a building in Millersville. The owners claim they want to go "head to head" against the University bookstore. they demand that the University provide them with all faculty bookorders at one time. MU does not have that information. Faculty members deal directly with Student Services. Student Services is not obligated to provide the bookorders to the competing bookstore. It is a private corporation, not an arm of the University. Faculty need not reveal their bookorder information to the new competition until the judge rules on the matter.

Committee Reports

University Course and Program Review Committee

Committee chairperson C. McLeod introduced new courses under the three meeting rule:

ANTH 320:

ECON 327:

PHYS 435:

THEA 350:

McLeod introduced one course under the one meeting rule:

THEA 217:

McLeod placed on the agenda for the next senate meeting a proposal on Admission to Advanced Studies for Teacher Preparation Students. He also placed on the table an option and a minor for archeology. They are being distributed only for senate's information. As soon as senate approves Anthropology 320, McLeod will ask the chair for the floor in order to move the adoption of the option and minor.

Senator G. Yelagotes asked that senate consider ANTH 320: Archeological Method and Theory, at the next meeting, June 13, 1995. Senate approved.

Senator R. Fulmer asked that Senate consider at the next meeting a proposal for an exception to the general rule that courses from the major department cannot count as general education courses (see Attachment A).

Graduate Course and Program Review Committee

Chairperson F. Erickson placed on the agenda for the next meeting the course:

BIOL662:

Erickson also placed on the agenda for the next meeting the Education Leadership program. The program had been on the agenda once before.

Academic Policies Committee

Chairperson B. Nakhai announced the committee's last meeting of the semester next Wednesday. The committee is very close to bringing to senate proposed changes in the academic honesty and dishonesty policy area. The committee will coordinate with Meet and Discuss first. It hopes to bring a proposal for the June 13, 1995, senate meeting. The committee will provide additional documents for the meeting. Senate will only vote on the policy itself.

University Honors Program Committee

Chairperson S. Luek said that on May 9, 1995, there will be a comprehensive evaluation of the honors program. On April 25 and 26, 1995, the committee hosted two outside examiners. One examiner was from within the SSHE and one was from the State University of New York in Oswego. J. Osborne and S. Luek have written a comprehensive report of the program for the first time.

JointSenate Conference Committee

Chairperson S. Luek thanked the chairpersons who have responded thus far in terms of the recommendations of the number of students and alternates on their committees. Luek is compiling the results and later in the summer will turn them over to the new chair, J. Piperberg.

Academic Computing Advisory Committee

R. Clark discussed his annual committee report. Please contact him if anyone needs more information.

SSHE Academic Advisory Committee

MU-APSCUF representative R. Clark reported on the first ever meeting of the committee. Clark said that representatives there felt they could best do what they do if they had institutional autonomy.

Proposed Courses

Under the three meeting rule, senate approved one course:

BIOL 247: Biodiversity, a new three credit hour general education C course effective Spring 1995.

Business

University Theme Committee Proposals

Chairperson J. Piperberg recommended themes to senate for the 1997-98 and 1998-99 academic years. He said the theme Committee received four solid suggestions. The committee recommended Culture and Communication in the Electronic Village for the 1997-98 academic year. It recommended MU, a Community of Learners, for the 1998-99 academic year. Senate approved the two themes.

New Course Proposals

Senate approved ENGL 430: Studies in American Ethnic Literature Since 1945, a new three credit hour General Education and Perspectives course to be first offered in the Fall of 1995 and MATH 537: Statistical Problem Solving Seminar, a 1 credit hour nonGeneral Education course to be first offered in the Spring of 1996. Senate also approved COMM 430: Culture and the Semiotics of Communication, a new three credit hour Perspectives course to be first offered in the Spring of 1996.

Revisions to the BS Secondary Education Social Studies Major

Senate resumed debate on a motion to revise the BS Secondary Education Social Studies major. See C. Geiger/H. Fischer for the proposal. C. Geiger attended the meeting as a representative of the Social Studies Advisory Committee. Chairperson D. Eidam reminded senators that the motion on the floor substitutes for the original proposal. The motion on the floor is that social studies majors be deemed as majors in the department in which they are taking their option.

After a long discussion, the substitute motion passed. A W.Dorman/S. Luek motion to change the wording from "...deemed as..." to "...considered..." passed. A G.Yelagotes/O. Iglesias motion to refer the substituted motion back to the Social Studies Advisory Committee failed. The substituted motion passed.

Proposed Revision in the Departmental Evaluation of Major Policy

The Academic Policy Committee proposed revisions in the departmental evaluation of major policy as stated in the Governance manual (see Attachment D, page 3772, of the 4 April 1995 minutes). Senate passed the proposed revisions.

Proposed New Standing Committee for Senate

The Senate AD HOC Policies Review Committee is proposing a new standing committee for senate (see Attachment E, pages 3773-3774, of the 4 April 1995 minutes). Chairperson B. Schneller endorsed the establishment of an Admissions, Advisement and Student Affairs committee. Senate passed the motion to establish the committee Senators raised questions about the makeup of the committee. There was a senate consensus to make these questions an agenda item for the next senate meeting.

Senate adjourned at 5:45 p.m. The next meeting will be Tuesday, 13 June 1995, from 3:00-4:30 p.m. in Myers Auditorium of McComsey Hall.

Respectfully submitted,

Marvin Margolis, Secretary
Faculty Senate

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