Approved Minutes of the Faculty Senate Meeting

February 4, 2009

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

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The eighth meeting of the 2008-2009 year was called to order at 12:10 PM.

 

Members Present: Emenyonu (Accounting), Rogers (Anthropology); Vu (Art); Lavin (Art); Pang (Chemistry); Madlock (Communication); Jirsa (Com Disorders/MFT); DaPonte (Computer Science); Fopiano (Couns/Sch Psych); Fleming (Earth Science); Mills (Econ/Finance); Diamantis (Education); Goldberg (Education); Madonia (Ed Leadership); Larocco (English); Shea (English); Johnson (English); Petrie (English); Calahan (Exercise Science); Schmitt (Foreign Language); Heidkamp (Geography); Paddock (History); Metaxas (History); Dunklee (Journalism); Bielefield (Info & Library Science); Hedreen (Library Services); Toce (Library Services); Prince (Marketing); Scheuermann (Mathematics); Gubitose (Mathematics); O’Brien (Media Studies); Nelson (Nursing); Rebeschi (Nursing); Goldblatt (Patrt-Time Faculty); Ciarlone (Part-Time Faculty); Horch (Physics); Buterbaugh (Political Science); Sherman (Psychology); Colwell (Psychology); Faraclas (Public Health); Jones (Recreation/Leisure); Cusato (Science Ed/Env Stud); Rofuth (Social Work); Bloch (Sociology); Brucker (Special Ed/Reading); Tamura (Special Ed/Reading); Nye (Theatre); Weiss (UCF)

 

Members Absent:  Maloney (Athletics); Feng (Biology); Lawler (Counseling); Swartz (Exercise Science); Olson (Foreign Language); Page (Management);  _______ (Music); Carrano (Part-time Faculty); Anderson (Part-time Faculty); Pettigrew (Philosophy); Cameron (Social Work).

 

The minutes of December 10, 2008, were approved.

 

Announcements:

ü      Part time faculty can be given ID’s to access VISTA in order to prepare for their course, if the course they will be teaching is an online course. 

ü      Senator Paddock reminded all about the "Lincoln Bicentennial Symposium & Reception" which is scheduled for 4 p.m., Feb. 12, at Buley Library, in the Periodical Reading Room.

Hugh Davis, professor of history at Southern and an expert on 19th-century America, will deliver a talk, "Abraham Lincoln: America's Greatest President?" He will be followed by Clyde Weed, associate professor of political science and an expert on the Republican Party, who will speak on the topic, "The Relevance of Abraham Lincoln in 2009."

 

President’s Report  ~~ President Johnson distributed the report and opened discussions on the following:

·        Full Senate Meetings, Wednesdays 12:10-2 pm:

o       February 4, February 18, March 4, March 18, April 8, April 22, May 6.

·        Presidential Dialogues, Adanti Student Center Ballroom:

o       Monday, February 9 at 1 pm

o       Tuesday, March 10 at 12:30 pm

o       Wednesday, May 13 at 1 pm

·        Meeting with President Norton:  discussion on the additional 5% budget cut from next year’s budget and that translates to a 15% cut for 2009-10 budget.  There will be another Town Hall meeting on February 20 at 1:30 in EN A 121

·        Faculty is encouraged to complete the quadrennial survey on the President’s performance, deadline extended to Monday, February 19th. 

·        Meeting with the Provost:  the deans are examining the noncontractual reassigned time to see what might be eliminated.  Another area of budget cut will be for the first year faculty, who received a 3 / 4 teaching load, which will not happen next year.

·        There were 37 administrative positions and they are frozen at the present time.

·        There were 27 faculty searches but only 10 will be filled (maybe).

·        Lengthy discussion on strategies to face the economic crisis and the budget cut implications at Southern and the whole system.

·        At this time, President Johnson asked for the sense of the senate on a topic for the Spring 2009 Colloquium.  Shared Governance was the chosen topic and Brian asked for suggestion on the panel members to be emailed to him directly.

·        Question from the floor:  what has happened with faculty that have signed the Background Check and Confidentiality form.  Will the form be returned to the faculty since it was determined that it wasn’t necessary for us to sign it or will it be destroyed?

 

At this time President Johnson asked that the Standing committees’ chairs make any important announcements, otherwise we need to take action on the item of the Old Business. Hearing no objection, President Johnson asked for any announcements from the chairs.

 

Finance – Senator Brucker announced that by February 1, the retraining funds will be transferred to the traveling funds, which is 20K.  There are 51 Full Time faculty in line for TA’s and there is still money left for Part Time Faculty to apply.

 

Old Business: 

·        Students Retaking a Course:  Senator Bloch presented the new Policy on Students Retaking Courses for a Different Grade.  After lengthy discussions, the question was called, seconded and approved as ammended.

 

Motion to remove the 1:45 rule was made and approved unanimously. 

 

Motion to accept the new Policy was accepted as presented with one senator voting NO and no abstentions. 

 

The Senate adjourned at 2:05 pm.    

 

Respectfully submitted,

Maria Diamantis

Secretary of the Senate