Approved Minutes of the Faculty Senate Meeting

March 12, 2008

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

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The eleventh meeting of the 2007-2008 year was called to order at 12:10 PM.

 

Members Present: Emenyonu (Accounting), Selvaggio (Anthropology), Lavin (Art), Pang (Chemistry), Petroski (Communication), Jirsa (Com Disorders/MFT), DaPonte (Computer Science), Smith (Couns/Sch Psych), Fleming (Earth Science), Mills (Ecom/Finance); Diamantis (Education), Madonia (Ed Leadership), Larocco (English); Shea (English), Johnson (English), Swartz (Exercise Science), Davie (Exercise Science), Pelayo (Foreign Language); Olson (Foreign Language), Sakalowsky (Geography), Paddock (History), Metaxas (History), Dunklee (Journalism), McGinn (Library Science); Clerc (Library Services), Toce (Library Services),

Page (Management), Prince (Marketing), Dennis (Mathematics), Gubitose (Mathematics), O’Brien (Media Studies), Rebeschi (Nursing), Goldblatt (Part-Time Faculty), Gilliland (Philosophy), Horch (Physics), Buterbaugh (Political Science), Sherman (Psychology), Colwell (Psychology), Faraclas (Public Health); Smith D. (Recreation/ Leisure); Cusato (Science Ed/Env Stud); Cameron (Social Work), Bloch (Sociology), Brucker (Special Ed/Reading); Tamura (Special Ed/Reading); Nye (Theater); Weiss (UCF).

 

Members Absent: Vu (Art), Maloney (Athletics), Feng (Biology), Lawler (Counseling), Troy (English), Kuss (Music), Bochain (Nursing), Carrano (Part-Time Faculty), Roman (Part-Time Faculty), Capone (Part-Time Faculty), Keenan (Social Work).

 

The minutes of February 27, 2008, were approved.

 

Announcements: 

ü      Information was shared on the PickaProf.com web site, where anyone can access cumulative information on all professors’ grade distributions.  Further information is needed and on why faculty were not informed.

 

General Education Guests:  Jim Tait and Dan Soneson presented a power point presentation on the general education task force proposal.  Lengthy discussion followed with questions on the proposal.  The guests will return at the next Faculty Senate meeting for further discussion and to answer questions from senators and to take action.

 

President’s Report:  President Johnson distributed the report.

Ø      President Johnson has shared with the Provost the draft document on Shared Governance and the document on Academic Policy’s proposed revisions to the course cancellation policy.

Ø      The recent Grade Change Resolution (F-07-03) is under discussion and the Provost has proposed the formation of a standing administration/faculty committee to work out the details of all policy implementation.  President Johnson and the Senate agreed that the Academic Policy chairperson would be a member of any such standing committee.  The committee will work out the details of policy implementation and present such details to the Senate to assure that the aims of an academic policy have not changed. 

Ø      Many Senators participated in the March 5 visit to the capitol to thank state legislators for their support of CSUS 2020 and to urge them to fund the hiring of additional full-time faculty.  Senator Madonia witnessed a demonstration of the reverse-911 emergency alert system.

Ø      The discussions of the meeting with President Norton and the executive senate committee were centered on the General Education Revision and President Norton urged the support of the proposal since NEASC required such revision a few years ago.  The President and the Provost are drafting a letter of support for the general education revision.

Ø      Provost Williams will be discussing the governance statement with the committee to shape a joint statement, but it might not happen until the semester is over.

Ø      Fall 2007-2008 Update on Resolutions:

o       F-07-01  P and T Document Addendum                                   Approved

o       F-07-02  PINs in Student Advisement                          Approved

o       F-07-03  New Grades Superseding Old Grades                       Approved

o       F-07-4  University Library Committee Constitution                   Disapproved

 

Discussion was initiated on the next steps for the General Education Revisions:  since there are many concerns from the floor, President Johnson asked for the Sense of the Senate on the need to have the members of the committee return to the Senate at the next meeting.  Majority of the senators voted for the return visit at the April 2nd meeting.

 

President Johnson requested feedback on members for the FASP Oversight Committee.  There was a motion on the floor that the President of the Senate selects two members of the current FASP committee to serve on the Oversight committee and the motion passed unanimously.  The choice of the current FASP members will best represent faculty on the Oversight committee. 

 

At this time President Johnson requested approval to move to Old Business and New Business and have no reports from the Standing Committees at this time.  Motion accepted with the only announcement from the Elections Committee on the call for self nominations for the university committees. 

 

Old Business:  
            Library By-Laws ~ this issue will be negotiated and discussions will continue.  The submitted resolution will remain “on deck” for future action. 

 

New Business: 

ü      General Education Task Force Proposal  ~  the General Education Task Force committee members will be discussing the proposal at the next Faculty Senate meeting and action will be taken at that time.

ü      Work Load Proposal ~  discussions commenced on the statement brought forth by the ad hoc committee.  There was a lot of support of the 3/3 course load (issue #2) to be first and before the issue #1.   There will be a forum on this topic on April 11th, in EN A 120 at 1-3 pm.  Senators are urged to attend and announce to their respective departments.

 

The Senate adjourned at 2:05 pm.    

 

Respectfully submitted,

Dr. Maria Diamantis

Secretary of the Senate