Faculty Senate Minutes, 7 November 1995

MINUTES

FACULTY SENATE MEETING

7 November 1995

Chairperson D. Eidam called the meeting to order at 4:10 p.m. in Chryst Hll, Room 210. All departmental senators attended except those from Developmental Studies, Music, and Social Work. Student President E. Kobeski and J. Ishler attended for the Student Senate. J. Hoffman attended for the Snapper.

Minutes

Senate approved the 17 October 1995 meeting minutes without corrections.

Reports

Chairperson's Report

chairperson D. Eidam announced that henceforth the agenda and minutes will appear as one package. Senator T. Woo requested a change in the agenda order: current item X to become item IX and current item IX to become item X. She also asked that senate delete the Mathematics Department Prerequisite Changes from the agenda.

Chairperson Eidam asked senate consent to add an item XII to the agenda. APSCUF has proposed but not had approved that senate must select four faculty members to the Task Froce on the General Education Curriculum and its Resources. Meet and Discuss meets next Monday at which time hopefully they will approve the APSCUF proposal. No matter what happens next Monday, senate needs to be ready to select the faculty members for the task force. Eidam would like senate to discuss eligibility restrictions, etc. for senate elected members of the task force.

Eidam sent a letter to the Provost requesting a clarification (see Attachment A). In the governance manual under course modification, there are guidelines for whether a course change is determined as minor or major. There are no guidelines that tell whether a proposed curriculum change is minor or major. There is only the phrase that questions regarding whether a change is major or minor shall be referred to the Provost. Eidam is requesting that the Provost clarify what guidelines are used. The Provost could refer the matter back to senate and let it develop guidelines.

APSCUF president S. Centola has sent a letter to the members of the Academic Policies Committee and University Course and Program Review Committee. He is requesting a meeting on 15 November at 4 PM to discuss contractual concerns relating to development of nontraditional interdisciplinary or interdepartmental programs. T. Madonna and D. Eidam are also invited.

One new Associate Provost candidate is back on campus. Eidam was asked to meet and speak with her for an hour in his office. The faculty senate leadership is often asked to meet with search candidates and sometimes with the council of trustees. Eidam interprets the senate "leadership" to mean senate officers. if senators have a better idea of how to interpret senate "leadership," please contact Eidam.

Student Senate

Student Senate President E. Kobeski said student senate presdients met over the weekend. Student senate is looking into raising student activity fees. Requests for funds last year were much greater than what student senate had available. Student senate is searching for a new student trustee. The current student trustee will graduate this year.

Administrative Officers

Vice-President for Academic Affairs

Provost F. McNairy thanked chairperson Ediam for meeting with the associate provost candidate. MU is interviewing candidates for the dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. There will be candidates this and next week. Hopefully the search committee will make its recommendations soon.

McNairy reminded senators of the science lectureship program next thursday evening. There are still some seats available. the Social Work program will have a program for its reaccreditation on thursday. MU's accreditation will last until the year 2003 with no restrictions. MU is proud of that recognition.

Chairperson D. Eidam noted that the administration invited faculty senate leadership to interview the candidates for the dean of Humanities and Social Sciences. Eidam did not feel it was appropriate for him to represent senate in a search for a shcool dean. He declined to attend those interviews.

Chairperson D. Eidam recognized senator M. Margolis. Margolis said that in early September, senate approved an Economics Department course EC327: Women and Global Economic Development. Because of the moratorium on new courses, the administration has not approved it. The Economics Department would like to ask the administration for a special exception for the course. Margolis gave these reasons for the special request: the course is part of the Women's Studies Program, its development stage and shepherding through the approval process took over three years of work by Professor Leela, and a high probability that a new member of the Economics Department will want to teach the course after Professor S. Leela retires. professor Leela attended a special workshop to develop Perspective courses in Women's studies.

In response Provost McNairy said the Economics Department request for a special exception was the first to come to her attention since the moratorium began. She suggested that the department send a written justification for the special exception through the traditional course approval process. MU does not want to create a new process.

Senator Margolis introduced Professor S. Leela who proposed the course and spoke in favor of the special exception. She stressed the course's importance notwithstanding the fact that she will retire in December. The Women's Studies program does not include an economics course. She first proposed the course in 1992 and worked steadily for over three years to develop the course and go through the approval process. She hoped the administration would approve the course after it once again goes through the approval process this time for the special exception.

Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs

Associate Vice-Presdient for Academic Affairs J. Stager reminded senators that registration begins next week, November 13-17. As it has done over the last three years, MU is trying to provide students with advising help on site. It is also attempting to get chairs and deans to volunteer. Today Stager mailed a request for voluntters to faculty. The greatest need for advisor help is Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

Senator M. Gray-Schlegel asked what the new 999 designation means. Stager replied that students who are planning to graduate in May indicate so by entering 999 on their registration card. This gives the Administration more advanced notice of when students plan to graduate. The traditional deadline for applying for graduation is February 15. This method gives the Administration more advanced notice of a student's intention to graduate. The Administration will know who plans to graduate before the Spring semester begins.

Senator W. Dorman asked if the administration could move registration week to a different time than the student evaluation of the faculty week. Stager responded that the student evaluation of faculty is mandated to be the twelfth week of the semester. In reducing the time that students can register, the Administration chose the third of the previous three weeks of registration. Stager said he would take under advisement the possibility of changing student registration week. Students may show up any time equal to or after their assigned time. Students do not have to leave a class to register. They can register at a later time. Senator C. Stameshkins said that in many cases students do not know that they can register at a later point.

Committee Reports

The Academic Policies Committee

chairperson B. Nakhai was unable to attend due to illness. However, he gave two handouts to the senate secretary to distribute to senators . (See Attachments B and C). Nakhai asked that the subject of Academic Honesty and Dishonesty at Millerville University be placed on the next Senate meeting agenda.

Senator S. Thompson asked if professor should follow the proposed policy even before Senate has approved it. Associate Vice-President for Academic Affairs J. Stger described the old policy for Academic Dishonesty. He said the new policy gives faculty more discretion to make decisions. Under the new policy professors become the administrative officer dealing with the academic dishonesty. For serious sanctions against a student, professors must go through hearings and other proper procedures. Stager said faculty may essentially follow the new proposed policy for now.

General Education Review Committee

Chairperson R. Wismer said the committee polled a randomly selected and statiscally valid group of students. Committee members questioned the students in classes. Wismer thanked various departments and individual faculty members for allowing the questionnairings in their classrooms.

University Theme Committee

Chairperson J. Piperberg will be sending within the next month solicitations for the academic theme for the next gree year. the Committee would like to receive suggestions for the theme by February 15, 1996. Senators should receive a memo soon.

Joint Senate Conference Committee

Chairperson J. Piperberg circulated a working document among Senators that contained a list of the committees and the number of students on that Committee. He asked that if Senators knew the information on the document was incorrect, please make corrections. If there are any corrections, Senators could tell Piperberg informally and at a later point send a written confirmation. He would like to complete the document so he can meet with the Committee and discuss it.

Outcome Assessment Committee

Chairperson R. Mainzer said the Committee had not met but he will soon be getting in touch with committee members. He attended a leadership seminar last Monday and Tuesday in Harrisburg on assessment outcomes. many Universities from around the state attended.

Proposed Courses

Chairperson D. Eidam noted that page four of the documents for the proposed course SPED671 included documents for SPED325. J. Piperberg/R. Mainzer moved to approve the following three graduate courses:

EDTE590:

Information Literacy: Creating Independent Learners, a three semester hour graduate course.

SPED578:

Special Education law for Students with Exceptionalities: New Challenges for Educators, a three semester hour graduate course

SPED671:

Behavior Management: Strategy Systems for Special Education, an existing three hour graduate course

The motion carried.

Business

Proposed Changes in the Undergraduate Psychology Major

Senator T. Woo introduced Professor S. Luek who introduced a Proposal for Changes in the Undergraduate Psychology Major. Luek said it was good to return to Senate; she felt as if she were back home. She discussed the handout that described the proposal (not attached due to its length). Five different curriculum committees approved the proposal. The Psychology department is the only campus department that MU requires to go through two school Curriculum Committees. One is the School of Education Curriculum Committee. Since Psychology Department courses count in the School of Social Sciences, the Social Sciences Curriculum Committee also approved the proposal.

The Psychology Department is attempting to get the changes approved so that they may appear in the new University catalog. the first changes involve course numbering within the Psychology major. Within the proposal she distributed, she proposed that Senate first approve the changes in course numbering and then consider the proposed changes in specific aspects of the B.A. program in Psychology. The Psychology Department requested a lowering of the course numbers in four out of five courses. Senate approved all changes.

Reevaluation of the New Senate Election Procedures

Senator G. Yelagotes questioned the benefits of the new method of electing Senate Committee members used by the Senate this Fall. He did not believe that Senate accomplished the goal it set out to achieve with the new voting method. he said that as for himself he did not know who the candidates were in the September election. In the old system where Senators had to nominate the candidates, it was easier to know who the candidates were.

G. Yelagotes/W. Dorman moved to return to the previous election procedure and to not use the new preferntial voting procedure. Senator D. Hutchens suggested it was still possible to have nominators introduce their nominees under the new preferential voting system. Hutchens felt that the new voting procedure does streamline the voting process.

The Chairperson noted that there are two issues here. One is the method of nomination and the second is the method of voting. in the old nomination method, Senators could only nominate from the floor of the Senate. Parliamentarian C. Scharnberger asked for clarification of the motion to say which of the two issues the motion makers intended.

R. Wismer/J. McCade moved to amend the Yealgotes/Dorman motion to keep the new voting algorithm but to direct the Chairperson to provide an opportunity for senators to become familiar with candidates (i.e. give nominators the opportunity to introduce their nominees to Senators_ before a ballot. The motion to amend as well as the amended main motion passed.

Selecting Members of the Task Force on the General Education Committee

Chairperson D. Eidam noted that Senate may need to select members of the APSCUF Task Force. (See Attachment B of the 17 October, 1995 minutes). The selection is preliminary since meet and discuss must approve the proposed Task Force. Attachment B calls for the Faculty Senate to select four faculty members to the Task Force.

Eidam said it would help if Senate would decide who is eligible to serve on the Task Force. is the Senate's contribution to the task force only to be composed of Senators? A W. Dorman/O. iglesias motion to elect the four Task Force members from the Senate passed. A J. Lynch/O. Iglesais motion that at least one member of the Task Force come from the General Education Committee and also from the Senate passed.

The following senate committee positions are currently vacant:

Humanities and Fine Arts representative to the Academic Policies Committee,

Social Sciences representative to the Academic outcomes Assessment Committee, Academic Policies Committee, and the UCPRC,

non-School representative to the General Education Review Committee, and

an Alternate to the International Selection Committee Senate adjourned at 5:30 PM. The next meeting will be Tuesday, 21 November 1995, from 4:05-5:45 p.m. in Chryst 210.

Respectfully submitted,

Marvin Margolis, Secretary
Faculty Senate

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