The Administrative Committee on behalf of the UAF Faculty Senate passed the following motion at a meeting on May 20, 1993. MOTION ======= The UAF Faculty Senate moves to confirm the appointment of Kristine Long, CES, and John Aspnes, SOE, on the University-wide Promotion and Tenure Committee with full membership rights, under the condition that they will abstain from participation in discussion and voting on any candidate who they reviewed at an earlier level in the promotion/tenure process. EFFECTIVE: Immediately Signed: B.D. Spell, President, UAF Faculty Senate Date: 5/25/93 ******************** 1993-94 UNIVERSITY-WIDE PROMOTION & TENURE COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP John Aspnes, SOE (95) Don Carling, SALRM (95) Karen Colligan-Taylor, CLA (96) Paul Metz, SME (94) John Olson, CNS (94) Jerry Lipka, CLA/SOEd. (96) Kristine Long, CES (96) Joli Morgan, CRA (94) Kelley Pace, SOM (95) Donald Schell, SFOS (96) ------------------------------------------------------------- The Administrative Committee on behalf of the UAF Faculty Senate passed the following at a meeting on August 31, 1993: MOTION PASSED ============== The UAF Faculty Senate moves to approve the following policy on Student-Initiated Withdrawal to apply to all Fairbanks campus courses (i.e., all UAF courses except those given by the rural campuses or the Center for Distance Education). That the last day for student-initiated withdrawal date be moved to the third Friday after classes begin for all students. That for classes less than a semester in length, the withdrawal deadline will be determined in the same proportion as for semester length courses. That withdrawals after that time will be by petition only which requires the signature of the student's instructor, adviser, department head, and Dean. That students who are already on a class wait list and who have attended class and have kept up with class activity during this period be allowed to register for these classes up until the third Friday after classes begin as vacancies occur. EFFECTIVE: Fall 1994 RATIONALE: Currently the last day for a student to withdraw from a class is 9 weeks into the semester which is approximately 2/3 of the way through the semester. The Director of Admissions and Records reported to the Assembly in 1984 that 44% of regular students had some sort of drop/add activity between the 3rd and 9th week of the semester. She has indicated that since then this activity has increased and is probably now over 50%. Since the addition of the core, many students find it difficult to expeditiously satisfy their core requirements due to closed classes. This problem is exacerbated by the present drop policy. The purpose for making this motion is two fold: 1. The first and principal reason for this motion is to help students who are unable to get into core courses in a timely manner because of closed classes. Many students who are not serious about finishing a particular class sign up for an extra class or two and then drop them too late in the semester for other students to fill the vacancies. This is particularly troublesome in the case of core courses which are intended to be completed by students before they achieve Junior standing. This proposal will allow students, who are on a waiting list for a filled class and have kept up with the classroom activities for just over two weeks, an increased opportunity to register for these classes. A related factor that should be considered during this time of decreasing budgets is that there is presently a significant work load (and cost) for faculty, graders, and teaching assistants which goes along with carrying along students who in the end drop a class. The University is at a point where we must efficiently use our staff and facilities in order to provide the maximum offerings for our students. 2. The second reason for the motion is to get students to commit themselves to a class at an earlier date. Presently there are students who attend classes, half heartedly performing the exercises required in the classes, but leaving themselves the option of dropping if they don't believe their grade will be as high as they wish. This is a self defeating proposition, since often the reason for a student's low grade is not having made a commitment to learning the course materials. Thus, this proposal will produce a class atmosphere that is more conducive to learning. SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS: Recognizing that beginning students may not have the necessary experience to be able to quickly determine if they have the proper background to succeed in a course, this motion will give Freshman and Non Degree students a longer time to make the decision to drop a course. This will give these students more time to work with advisers, course instructor, and tutors before making a decision to drop a class. Special cases will certainly arise where it will be necessary for a student to drop a class. The motion allows for these situations by requiring the petition process be used after the deadline date. Students will need an early indication of how they are doing in each class if this drop policy is to be successful. Indeed, "Students overwhelmingly report that the single most important ingredient for making a course effective is getting rapid response on assignments and quizzes. This makes each assignment a genuine learning experience, rather than simply an obligation to complete toward a final course grade." (Light, Harvard assessment seminars, 1990, p. 31) Therefore faculty will need to provide students with the opportunity to determine what the class requirements are before the drop date. This should include a detailed syllabus and at least one graded assignment. The added time provided for Freshman and Non Degree Students should provide ample time for additional graded work such as exams and papers. Signed: D.B. Spell, President, UAF Faculty Senate Date: 9/2/93 Approved: J. Wadlow, Chancellor Date: 9/7/93 *See Spell memo, Sept. 1 setting 3 weeks. I endorse it.