The UAF Faculty Senate passed the following at its Meeting #67 on November 11, 1996: MOTION PASSED ============== The UAF Faculty Senate moves to continue the tabling of the Withdrawal/ No Basis grade issue until the December 9, 1996 face-to-face meeting. EFFECTIVE: Immediately RATIONALE: The Curricular Affairs (CA) and the Developmental Studies (DS) Committees have a sub-committee tasked with developing a compromise motion. This sub-committee is meeting by audioconference and will report back to CA and DS from which a motion will be sent to the Faculty Senate. The December 9, 1996, Senate meeting is face-to-face allowing for full participation of all Senators. *************************************************** The UAF Faculty Senate passed the following at its Meeting #67 on November 11, 1996: MOTION PASSED (22 aye, 6 nays) ============== The UAF Faculty Senate moves to approve the Core Review Committeeıs recommendation on when basic Core skills courses shall be accomplished. Beginning Fall 1997 all students are required successfully to accomplish English 111X prior to enrollment in written intensive (³W²) courses and Communication 131X (or 141X) prior to enrollment in oral intensive (³O²) courses. Exceptions are allowable on the basis of permission of instructor. EFFECTIVE: Fall 1997 RATIONALE: Having spent a week with Jim Ratcliff discussing the University's mandate for Effectiveness Evaluation, we have identified an obvious flaw in the way the University has enacted the CORE curriculum. For whatever historical reasons the current lack of an imposed time frame for accomplishing CORE skills has come about, if the University is serious about current efforts to do a curriculum-enhancing assessment and to improve the retention of a greater percentage of incoming students, it is time to change the expectation of when basic CORE skills courses shall be accomplished. As the requirements stand, no student is required to complete basic skills courses at any specific point before graduation. This situation is antithetical to any sense of what those courses are intended to accomplish. If, as stated, we intend to give our students the tools with which to be competitive, both in classes at the University and life experience beyond, the most primary skills of writing, speaking, and working with diverse groups must be a part of the educational experience as close to the student's entry into the educational process as we can accommodate. How can we expect to encourage content education of students who are preoccupied with a lack of or deficit in basic student skills? And how can students participate in experiences that encourage retention if a lack of basic skills robs them of the satisfaction that learning successes engenders? It is the position of the Core Review Committee that English IIIX and Communication 131X (or 141X) should be accomplished, as a requirement, in the student's first year of classes. In recognizing that such a shift in requirements, while it is in line with practices at many other state universities, might be a hardship to this University, we believe that we must require basic skills courses to be completed before the end of the sophomore year. Both Communication and English serve over 100% of demand by the end of enrollment. Given the anecdotal experience of teaching faculty in regard to the current policy vacuum, we submit this motion. **************************************************** The UAF Faculty Senate passed the following at its Meeting #67 on November 11, 1996: MOTION PASSED (unanimous) ============== The UAF Faculty Senate moves to eliminate the requirement for an advisor's signature on a registration form for all continuing graduate students Furthermore, it will become policy of the University of Alaska Fairbanks starting in Fiscal Year 1998 that all graduate research assistantships, teaching assistantships, fellowship and tuition scholarship stipend letters contain the following language: tuition paid as part of graduate assistantships, fellowships, or tuition scholarships covers only courses approved by the student's Advisory Committee. EFFECTIVE: July 1, 1997 RATIONALE: The signature requirement was originally instituted to ensure that 1) graduate students get advising and work closely with their advisor and committee in course selection; and 2) the university and/or grants which pay tuition are not paying for courses that are not reasonably related to the progress of the student. However, it was the consensus of the Graduate Curricular Affairs Committee that the requirement to obtain an advisor's signatures for registration did not meet either of these goals, and could be construed as paternalistic towards graduate students. However, removal of the signature requirement leaves concern about oversight of the classes being taken by those graduate students receiving research or teaching assistantships, fellowships or tuition scholarships. After further discussion of the role of faculty advisors and the necessity for advisors to play a pro-active role in reaching out to students to track class enrollment, progress and performance, and discussion on the necessity for the University to be clear about what courses a student can take when the UAF or a research grant is paying for tuition, the motion above was unanimously approved by members of GCAC. **************************************************** The UAF Faculty Senate passed the following at its Meeting #67 on November 11, 1996: MOTION PASSED (unanimous) ============== The UAF Faculty Senate moves to amend Section 3 (ARTICLE V: Committees) E., PERMANENT, 8. of the Bylaws as follows: (( )) = deletion CAPS = addition 8. The Faculty Appeals and Oversight Committee shall be composed of two tenured faculty members, elected from each college/school and confirmed by the Faculty Senate, who shall serve for a two year term. Members' terms will be staggered to provide continuity. ((This committee will function as an appeal body for issues of faculty prerogative, oversee evaluation of academic administrators, and make recommendations to the Provost or Chancellor.)) A promotion/tenure appeals subcommittee composed of five tenured faculty will hear all promotion and/or tenure reconsideration requests and report its findings to the Chancellor according to University of Alaska Fairbanks Regulations, Section IV,B,4. THE SUBCOMMITTEE WILL BE SELECTED BY THE CHAIR OF THE FACULTY APPEALS AND OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE AND WILL NOT INCLUDE FACULTY FROM THE UNITS IN WHICH THE REQUESTS FOR RECONSIDERATION ORIGINATED. NO TWO FACULTY FROM THE SAME UNIT, AS CURRENTLY ELECTED TO THE COMMITTEE, WILL BE SELECTED FOR THE SUBCOMMITTEE. Committee members shall constitute a hearing panel pool to serve as needed on grievance hearing panels, AS SPECIFIED IN REGENTS' POLICY 04.08.08.VI.A. Committee members shall oversee the process of evaluation of academic administrators. A NON-RETENTION APPEALS SUBCOMMITTEE COMPOSED OF FIVE TENURED FACULTY WILL HEAR ALL NON-RETENTION RECONSIDERATION REQUESTS AND REPORT ITS FINDINGS TO THE CHANCELLOR. THIS SUBCOMMITTEE WILL CONDUCT BUSINESS IN THE SAME FASHION AS THE PROMOTION/TENURE APPEALS SUBCOMMITTEE, I.E., WILL REVIEW THE AVAILABLE DOCUMENTS AND MAKE A DETERMINATION ON WHETHER OR NOT APPROPRIATE POLICY AND DUE PROCESS WAS FOLLOWED. COMMITTEE MEMBERS SHALL REVIEW ISSUES DEALING WITH FACULTY PREROGATIVE AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR POLICY CHANGES TO THE FACULTY SENATE. EFFECTIVE: Immediately RATIONALE: This motion clarifies the charge of the committee as currently stated in the Bylaws. It also adds a non-retention appeals subcommittee to hear non-retention reconsideration requests. This will provide an avenue for appeals by non-retained faculty similar to that provided by the promotion/tenure appeals subcommittee for faculty who are denied tenure or promotion. **************************************************** The UAF Faculty Senate passed the following at its Meeting #67 on November 11, 1996: RESOLUTION PASSED (17 ayes, 12 nays) =========== WHEREAS, current UA Board of Regents policy calls for faculty returning from a sabbatical leave to submit a written report; and WHEREAS, the Faculty Development, Improvement, and Assessment Committee of the UAF Faculty Senate recommends that an oral report to the faculty of the university, one in the series of Faculty Seminars sponsored jointly by the Faculty Senate, Provostıs Office, and the Academic Unit in which the faculty member holds their appointment, be a new requirement of the returning sabbatical leave faculty member; and WHEREAS, this fosters intellectual exchange within UAF academic community, reinforces the legitimacy of sabbatical leaves to reinvigorate faculty, and provides opportunities to share UAF's research and scholarly traditions and experiences with the broader constituencies of UAF and the community statewide; THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, That the UAF Faculty Senate recommends the development of a Faculty Seminar Series. The purpose of the seminar is to enable faculty returning from sabbatical leave to share their experiences with the University community and the public at large. The Senate anticipates that faculty will be required to participate. **************************************************** The UAF Faculty Senate passed the following at its Meeting #67 on November 11, 1996: MOTION PASSED (unanimous) ============== The UAF Faculty Senate moves to amend Section 3 (Article V: Committees) A., of the Bylaws as follows: (( )) = deletion CAPS = addition A. An Administrative Committee will be composed of the chairpersons of all standing and permanent Senate committees, AND THE PROVOST OF THE UNIVERSITY SHALL BE AN EX OFFICIO, NON- VOTING MEMBER. SPECIFIC DUTIES OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITTEE IN ITS OBLIGATION TO FULLY PREPARE THE AGENDA AND MATERIALS FOR EFFICIENT OPERATION OF THE SENATE ARE: 1. RECEIVE REPORTS FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE, THE PROVOST, AND, AS DEEMED TIMELY, OTHER INDIVIDUALS, ON ISSUES OF CURRENT AND FUTURE IMPORTANCE TO THE SENATE; 2. ACCEPT AND REVIEW THE MOTIONS OF STANDING AND PERMANENT COMMITTEES, AND FROM MEMBERS OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITTEE; 3. MAKE CERTAIN THAT THE MOTIONS ARE READY FOR SENATE ACTION TO THE MAXIMUM DEGREE POSSIBLE, AND IF NOT, REFER THEM BACK FOR FURTHER WORK AND/OR DIRECT THEM TO OTHER RELEVANT COMMITTEES THAT MAY NOT HAVE CONSIDERED THE MOTIONS; 4. MOVE THE MOTIONS TO THE SENATE'S AGENDA; 5. REVIEW AND APPROVE OTHER ITEMS OF THE SENATE'S AGENDA, AS DEEMED NECESSARY; 6. REVIEW REPORTS OF ALL COMMITTEE WORK IN PROGRESS; AND 7. DISCUSS OTHER ISSUES, THAT MAY OR SHOULD LEAD TO LATER COMMITTEE AND SENATE ACTIONS. IN ADDITION, 8. WITHIN THE SCOPE OF AUTHORITY GRANTED BY THE SENATE AT THE LAST MEETING OF THE SPRING SEMESTER, THE ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITTEE WILL REPRESENT THE SENATE FROM THE CLOSE OF THE LAST SENATE MEETING IN THE SPRING UNTIL THE OPENING OF THE FIRST SENATE MEETING OF THE FALL SEMESTER; AND 9. AT THE FIRST MEETING IN THE FALL SEMESTER MAKE A REPORT OF ALL ACTIONS CARRIED OUT IN THE NAME OF THE SENATE SINCE THE LAST MEETING IN THE SPRING SEMESTER. EFFECTIVE: Immediately RATIONALE: The duties and obligations of the Administrative Committee are not clearly defined in the Constitution and Bylaws, and can vary from year to year based on the experiences and desires of individuals chairing the committee. **************************************************** The UAF Faculty Senate passed the following at its Meeting #67 on November 11, 1996: MOTION PASSED (unanimous) ============== The UAF Faculty Senate moves to appoint an ad hoc committee to study the relationship and/or structures of faculty governance at universities in which the faculty are unionized, and to report back to the Senate in a timely manner. Members will be: Rich Seifert, Chair, Faculty Development, Assessment & Improvement Committee Diane Bischak, Chair, Faculty Appeals & Oversight Committee Norm Swazo, Chair, Faculty Affairs Committee EFFECTIVE: Immediately RATIONALE: Significant interest has been expressed for a senate study of these issues, and one committee has already formed a subcommittee. A coordinated effort is required. Greater understanding of these relationships can aid the Senate in its preparations for the new environment. Three individual committee chairs have agreed to serve on such a committee. **************************************************** The UAF Faculty Senate passed the following at its Meeting #67 on November 11, 1996: MOTION PASSED (unanimous) ============== The UAF Faculty Senate moves to confirm that any and all UAF courses were included in the course compression and course approval motion passed by the Faculty Senate's #59 meeting dated November 13, 1995. EFFECTIVE: Immediately RATIONALE: In the Curricular Affairs meeting dated October 11, 1996 this issue was discussed and it was moved in committee to confirm that the 500 level courses were included in the November 13, 1995 motion. The November 13, 1995 motion originally came from the Curricular Affairs Committee. Motion in question: Any course compressed to less than six weeks must be approved by the college or school's curriculum council. Furthermore, any core course compressed to less than 6 weeks must be approved by the Core Review Committee. Any new course proposal must indicate those course compression formats in which the course will be taught. Only those formats approved will be allowed for scheduling.