Minutes of the Faculty Senate Meeting

March 13, 2002

http://www.scsu.ctstateu.edu/organizations/facultysenate

The eleventh meeting of the 2001-2002 year was called to order at 12:17 PM.

Members Present:

Brownell (Art), Lavin (Art), Puerschner (Chemistry), Ullian (Communication), Jirsa (ComDisorder/MFT), Nwachuku (Couns/SchPsych), Fullmer (Earth Science), Thorson (Econ/Finance), Cairns (Ed Leadership), Petrie (English), Hood (English), Johnson (English), Mee (Exercise Science), Rinehardt (Exercise Science), Verplaetse (Foreign Language), Judd (History), Sakalowsky (Geography), Dunklee (Jounalism), Petto (History), Bielefield (Library Science), Schofield-Bodt (Library Services), Nodoushani (Management), Bennett (Math), Brin (Math), Wallace (Nursing), Prince (Part-time faculty), Dobbins (Part-time faculty), Young (Part-time faculty), Volkman (Philosophy), Paulson (Political Science), Sherman (Psychology), Kahlbaugh (Psychology), Bulmer (Public Health), Grants (Recreation/Leisure), Cusato (Science Ed/Env Stud), Dripchak (Social Work), Haymes (Social Work), Brucker (Special Ed/Reading), Watts (Theatre)

Members Absent:

(Accounting), Maloney (Athletics), Martinelli (Biology), Coburn-Enquist (Communication), DaPonte (Computer Science), Lawler (Counseling), Corbett (Education), (Education), Hernandez (Foreign Language), Wu (Library Services), Prince (Marketing), Moss (Music), Jexey Jack (Part-time faculty), Broadbridge (Physics), Skoczen (Soc & Anthro), Major (Special Ed/Reading)

Visitors

James Tait (UCF)

The minutes of February 27, 2002 were approved.

UCF Update:

J. Tait reported that the UCF continues to work on its Constitution. He invited faculty comments and suggestions. He also noted that the UCF has discussed issues relating the Academic Strategic Plan.

Standing Committee Reports:

Rules: No report.

Personnel Policy:

· The committee is working on revising the P&T calendar with respect to the four day rebuttal period.

Student Policy: We will be investigating issues related to the Student Government, and we have learned that there is a planned freeze on continuing students' registration over the summer. This will need to be investigated.

Technology:

There are resolutions on the Agenda. The resolutions are attached to the Agenda. They concern maintenance and support of high-tech classrooms.
There will be a Q&A meeting regarding banner on April 10 in the AVP room from 1:00-2:00.
Students will have access to color printing in the Fall. All printing in the computer labs, including black and white printing, will be paid for by students, using their HootLoot cards.
Banner training sessions have been advertised by Conrad Calandra's office.
For this round of registrations, use of Banner to assign PINs to students will be optional, but if an advisor does not use Banner for this function, students will have to stand in line at WT and will not be able to use the online services for the rest of the semester.

Academic Policy: We voted unanimously to stand behind our suggestions regarding creation of a Media Studies Department, which will be the first item of business today. Furthermore, we will be taking up the proposed creation of a separate Anthropology department for our next meeting.

Elections: Self-Nomination forms for elected offices will be distributed shortly.

Finance: There is currently about $11000 in the full-time travel account, and about $1100 in the part-time account.

Old Business:

Regarding the Creation of a New “Media Studies Department”

Since the Academic Policy Committee is working on this, the floor was turned to J. Fullmer, Chair. J. Ullian, chair of the Communications Department, distributed a document responding to the APC's report. He said that the current members of the Communications Department had in fact been involved in the creation of the proposal for a new Media Studies Department. Fullmer replied that some of the relevant information had not been presented to the committee, and that he certainly did not pressure anyone to say anything.

The APC's advice was brought to the floor as a resolution as follows:

The Senate advises the administration to reject the proposal that

“The Media Studies Specialization currently offered under the B.A. Communication Degree will be moved to a newly created Media Studies Department in the School of Arts and Sciences.”

The Senate advises the administration to reject the creation of a new Media Studies Department.

Summary of the Debate

For the Resolution

A new department is costly, and does not seem to be necessary. There are differences within any department and not every such difference constitutes a reason to split the department. For example, it would not be necessary to split English into separate departments working on Composition and Literature, even if there are deep differences in pedagogy and philosophy in such a case. It is not uncommon to have Media Studies as part of Communications, so a split does not seem necessitated by prevailing practice in the field.
Creation of a Media Studies Department may set the precedent that if members of a department cannot get along, then it is OK to split the department.
Diversity of opinion within a department is a positive good and inspires better scholarship and lively debate.

Against the Resolution:

The differences in pedagogy and philosophy seem to go much deeper in this case than their analogies would suggest. This is more like the proper split between Psychology and Counseling than a split between Composition and Literature. Significantly, splits like this show that creating a Media Studies Department would not constitute a precedent. Such splits are sometimes legitimate.
There is nothing unusual about having Media Studies separate from Communications. Indeed, where the two foci work together in a single department, the sort of Media Studies that is taught is not as different from traditional Communications as it is in this case. In programs that focus on the specific sort of Media Studies we are dealing with at SCSU, it is unusual to see them in the same department.
The fact that everyone in current Communications department has either voiced strong support for the split, or has remained neutral, represents a strong presumption in favor of letting the split proceed.

The question was called. R. Jirsa moved for a proportional vote. The motion for a proportional vote carried by a show of hands.

The proportional vote was carried out as a roll call vote. The resolution was defeated: For-161.5 Against-179.5.

Without objection, President Paulson noted that this vote would be interpreted as advice in favor of the proposed creation of a new Media Studies Department.

M. Wallace moved to postpone the pending items from the Rules committee, as some of the proposed constitutional amendments were being revised. The motion carried on a voice vote.

New Business

Technology: Regarding High Tech Classrooms

The following resolutions were brought to the floor by the Technology Committee

Support for High Technology Classrooms

Whereas educational technology is integral to the educational ends of Southern’s faculty and students all across campus,

Whereas a support staff for the high technology classrooms is necessary to meet these educational ends,

The Faculty Senate resolves that adequate qualified support staff for the high technology classrooms must be made available for every hour that the university is open for instruction.

The resolution passed on a voice vote.

Methods to Assist in the Scheduling of High Technology Classrooms

Whereas money has been allocated for conversion to high technology classrooms every year,

Whereas the demand for these classrooms has been increasing every year,

Whereas the scheduling for these classrooms, on occasion, creates a conflict of assignment,

The Faculty Senate resolves that when a conflict of assignment arises, the following categories be used to indicate priority for scheduling technology classrooms.

1. Classes that need the seating capacity of large lecture halls (DA 101, JE 127, MO 108).

2. Classes for which technology-enhanced classrooms are mandatory due to accreditation

requirements.

3. Classes that cannot be conducted without computer technology.

4. Classes which would prefer to use computer technology or a laptop connection.

5. Classes which use VCR, DVD, or Document Camera.

The resolution passed on a voice vote.

Maintenance and Service for High Technology Classrooms

Whereas money has been allocated for conversion to high technology classrooms every year,

Whereas the demand for these classrooms has been increasing every year,

Whereas the current amount of $139,500 has not and does not include funds for maintenance and service for the high technology classrooms,

The Faculty Senate resolves that funds in the minimum amount of $42,000 be added to the current amount ($139,500) in order to facilitate the maintenance and service of the classrooms already converted.

The Faculty Senate further resolves that funds in the minimum amount of 5% of the annual allocation—according to current funds, this amount would be approximately $7000—be added annually to the current amount ($139,000) in order to facilitate the maintenance and service of the classrooms to be converted in the future.

The resolution passed on a voice vote.

President’s Report: (Attached)

Note that the Presidential Dialogue scheduled for April 18 has been canceled. Senator P. Kahlbaugh has agreed to serve as the Senate's liaison to the UCF. I will meet with President Adanti this Friday, and I could bring up the registration freeze with him.

A Sense of the Senate showed unanimous support for taking up the issue with President Adanti.

Announcements:

A. Bielefield: The AAUP negotiating committee is recommending acceptance of a contract solution that involved 5% increases of pay in each of the first two years of the contract.

C. Petto: Several of you have expressed concern about the upcoming transition to Banner registration, and especially the lack of sufficient training. You should email your concerns to Phil Smith, Conrad Calandra, Jim Blake, and others in the administration so something will be done about it.

A. Paulson: The same goes for the registration issue.

Meeting was adjourned at 2:00 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Richard Volkman

Secretary of the Senate

Richard Volkman

Resolutions Passed:

S-02-03 Support for High Technology Classrooms

S-02-04 Methods to Assist in the Scheduling of High Technology Classrooms

S-02-05 Maintenance and Service for High Technology Classrooms