II. Report of the Faculty Senate Chairperson
III. Report of the Student Senate President
IV. Report of the Graduate Student Organization
V. Report of the Administrative Officers
President McNairy shared that the new fall orientation was a fantastic experience, and she heard positive feedback from both students and alums who would have liked to have something similar when they started. She thanked faculty for their efforts supporting the schedule and expressed great appreciation for the strong input of Orientation Leaders. Dr. McNairy also noted that the first Open House is coming up soon. A question about First Friday was raised, and Dr. McNairy responded that one will be held in October. She further encouraged faculty to consider attending arts events the same evening in downtown Lancaster, including an exhibit sponsored by the MU Art Department. Senator Mata specified that the exhibit is at the Candy Factory Gallery in the Keppel Building at 323 N. Queen St.
Executive Assistant to the President
Executive Assistant McCollum prefaced comments about two issues involving student athletes by sharing insights into different standards used for evaluating conduct at various levels. He noted that the standards of proof, evidentiary rules and due process for the accused decrease as you move down from criminal charges to Student Code of Conduct charges to team rules. He reported that the investigation into the lacrosse player hazing incident was completed. It was concluded that the Millersville Student Code of Conduct was violated while NCAA regulations were not. Dr. McCollum further commented that information on the alleged sexual assault incident involving several football players is so far limited to reports from individuals. It will likely be 2-3 weeks before any hearings would be scheduled if deemed appropriate. Students have the right to appeal the judicial officer’s decision and sanctions. He also noted that primary concerns are to provide victim support for the complaintants, to cooperate with police investigations and to protect the due process for a fair hearing for the accused. However, he also pointed out that the university has a responsibility to ensure stakeholders that appropriate steps are being taken. President McNairy highlighted that the repercussions of these situations will likely affect Millersville for a while, overshadowing positive events like announcement of the Respiratory Therapy program partnership with Lancaster Regional Medical Center. She noted that we must not lose sight of Millersville’s overwhelmingly well-behaved and responsible student body, strong academics and positive community connections.
Associate Provost for Academic Administration
Associate Provost Burns noted that an emergency section of UNIV179 brought forward to cover a medical leave was approved by the Humanities Curriculum Committee and GERC. He also stated that progress is being made on the Transfer Articulation courses.
VI. Reports of the Faculty Senate Standing Committees
Senator White shared that an early deadline for course proposals would be necessary to allow approvals during the regularly scheduled meetings of UCPRC and Senate this spring. However, if Faculty Senate would schedule a meeting for the 5th Tuesday of April, the timeline would more closely match other years. A UCPRC proposal that a Faculty Senate meeting be scheduled for April 29, 2008 was approved without dissent.
GERC
Dr. Foster-Clark distributed a draft of the W course self-evaluation form for expedited review [see Attachment #1], proposed revisions to the Freshman Year Inquiry (FYI) guidelines [see Attachment #2], clarified guidelines for Wellness, stronger guidelines for W courses and Cultural Diversity and Community guidelines [see Attached #3]. He also distributed a side-by-side comparison of major points of the Current and Revised curricula [see Attachment #4]. He noted some minor changes to emphasis and reference to civic engagement and service learning in FYI guidelines. He indicated that GERC would like to refer these documents to APC for policy development. Senator White also stressed a desire to do as much as possible of the expedited review process electronically. She also noted that the self-evaluation form allows for faculty to cut and paste information into the appropriate sections. The completed form and course syllabus should be sent to Dr. White to be forwarded to a UCPRC sub-committee for review. A Mowrey/White motion to refer the updated General Education guidelines and self-evaluation draft to APC was approved without dissent.
Academic Policies
Discussion was held regarding the 2-year plan for the expedited review process. It was noted that continued review of Gen Ed courses matches the regular 5-year review cycle for departments. Concerns were expressed from departments about meeting the proposed deadlines. It was noted that the timeline component of the proposal is more procedural rather than policy and could be extended if needed based on how the process progresses. In particular, consideration of the new D designation may require more time to ensure that overall goals are met. It was pointed out that adding a D designation to more courses creates flexibility for students in deciding how to meet the requirement for one D course.
A comment was made that GERC is charged with implementing Gen Ed and that APC should not be responsible for general implementation procedures. Senator White responded that the Implementation Sub-committee of GERC put forward recommendations to facilitate the process of review. Dr. West commented that clearer guidelines are needed for faculty, particularly in the differentiation between D and P courses. Another question raised was what would happen if insufficient numbers of courses are recertified. Discussion again focused on the meaning of the 25-student cap in writing courses. Dr. Prabhu commented on the situation and how enrollment issues influence the fiscal feasibility of meeting the recommended cap. The roles of the Registrar and faculty members in enrolling students above course limits were mentioned. It was noted that it will take time to shift to the new guidelines. A question was raised about whether the Registrar adds students above course limits during the add/drop period when faculty are also adding students. Dr. Burns responded that this should not be the case but that the Registrar only raises course limits during brief intervals to add transfer students or late enrollees prior to the start of the term, reducing the limits again after that process is complete. Another comment addressed the importance of quality in W courses. Faculty were also encouraged again to consider the variations possible for meeting the guideline of “revised prose” in W courses.
Discussion was held regarding whether to wait for departmental review of the Gen Ed documents distributed today or move forward with the understanding that the process can be amended if necessary during implementation. Dr. Foster-Clark pointed out that the current proposal from APC includes review of FYI courses at the school level although GERC and the Implementation Sub-committee did not include this due to overlapping discipline areas in these courses. A Igyor/Scott motion to approve the Initial and Re-certification Process for “W,” “D,” “P” and “FYI” Courses was approved with one abstention.
VII. Reports of the Faculty Senate Special Committees
VIII. Proposed Courses and Programs
IX. Faculty Emeritus
X. Committee Elections
XI. Other/New Business
Meeting was adjourned after voting was completed.
Respectfully submitted,
Aimee L. Miller
Secretary of the Senate