Approved 4/19/00

MINUTES

UNIVERSITY SENATE

March 23, 2000

PRESENT: Senate members: Lauren Adamson, Danny Bellenger, Jean Bevis, Murray Brown, Laura Burtle, Joan Carson, Reid Christenberry, Marsha Clarkson, Missy Cody, Nannette Commander, Tim Crimmins, Carolyn Crutchfield, Errol Danley, Sam Deitz, Sadhna Diwan, Gayla Domke, Jerry Edwards, William Evans, Richard Fendler, Mary Finn, Nancy Floyd, Dan Franklin, Bonnie Fritz, Janet Gabler-Hover, Lynee Gaillet, Christine Gallant, Gerald Gay, Ralph Gilbert, Janice Griffith, Meg Harper, Truman Hartshorn, Ron Henry, Julie Hotchkiss, Hugh Hudson, Elaine Hughes, Phyllis Johnson, Larry Kelley, Kurt Keppler, John Kesner, Paul Knapp, Amy Lederberg, Tom Lewis, John Marshall, David Martin, David McCreery, Al McWilliams, Marian Meyers, Edward Miles, John Nelson, Tom Netzel, John Newman, Scott Owen, Chris Paton, Carl Patton, David Pavesic, Bob Probst, George Rainbolt, Don Reitzes, Walter Riggs, Mary Ann Romski, Howard Schneider, Debra Snell, Eloise Stiglitz, P. C. Tai, Shirley Tastad, Bill Thomas, Robert Thompson, Wayne Urban, Vijay Vaishnavi, Maria Valeri-Gold, David Vanko, Molly Weinburgh, Thomas Whalen, Deborah Whitley, Diane Willen, Katherine Willoughby, Carol Winkler, Andre Young, Julia Marks Young. Others attending: Dan Benardot, Juane Heflin, Larry Rifkind, Ron Squibbs, Carol Whitcomb, Leslie Williams.

ORDER: The chair, President Carl Patton, called the meeting to order at 3:10 p.m.

MINUTES: The minutes of the December 9, 1999 meeting were approved with no amendments.

COMMENTS BY THE CHAIR: President Patton began his remarks by thanking everyone for attending today's meeting on such a beautiful Spring afternoon. He reported that Georgia State has received approval in the Governor's budget for the $4.4 million that will be used to renovate the University Center and the College of Law library. The Board of Regents approved our lease for the Alpharetta Center and we will be offering classes there this summer. He encouraged all to visit the facility. He thanked those who have been working on the Faculty/Staff Campaign. We are off to a very good start on an important campaign. The Board of Regents will be visiting here on April 18 and 19. This is their first visit in 20 years. This will give us an opportunity to teach the Regents about Georgia State. We will be asking them to help us fund a new Science/Teaching Laboratory. President Patton announced that the site where the Helen M. Aderhold Learning Center is to be built may be imploded rather than taken down chunk by chunk as previously reported.

NEW BUSINESS: Dr. Patton called on Hugh Hudson to report for the Executive Committee. Dr. Hudson stated that the Executive Committee recommends a "do pass" on all motions.

1. Motion to modify the policy on academic honesty presented by the Admissions and Standards Committee; George Rainbolt, chair. This motion modifies the definition of plagiarism to include any work taken from the Internet or other computer-based resources without properly referencing the source. The question was called. The motion passed.

2. Motion to modify the academic improvement program policy presented by the Admissions and Standards Committee; George Rainbolt, chair. This proposal repeals the provision that called for students readmitted under academic renewal to be placed on scholastic discipline. The question was called. The motion passed.

3. Motion to modify the academic renewal policy presented by the Admissions and Standards Committee; George Rainbolt, chair. This proposal effects transition students who return under the academic renewal policy after being excluded from the university. Students applying for academic renewal who did not complete the quarter system core must take the two additional courses in the semester core beyond the number in the old quarter system core as well as replacing any lost D courses. The question was called. The motion passed.

4. Motion to eliminate non-matriculated audit status presented by the Admissions and Standards Committee; George Rainbolt, chair. Effective Summer 2000, the university will no longer admit or allow students to register as non-matriculated auditors. This enrollment category is in violation of BOR policy. The question was called. The motion passed.

5. Motion to modify the academic guidelines for admission of students with special talents presented by the Admissions and Standards Committee; George Rainbolt, chair. John Newman, chair of the Admissions Committee for Students with Special Talents presented this motion. Because of administrative changes within the university, changes in committee organization and structure were needed. There is no material significant change in the charge to the committee or how the committee evaluates students. The question was called. The motion passed.

6. Motion to revise the membership of the Enrollment Management Committee presented by the Admissions and Standards Committee; George Rainbolt, chair. Administrative changes within the university necessitated revising the membership of the Enrollment Management Committee. Revisions include adding three faculty members and the Director of Financial Aid, the Director of Admissions, and the Associate Provost for Academic Services. The question was called. The motion passed.

7. Motion to require academic orientation presented by the Admissions and Standards Committee; George Rainbolt, chair. In an effort to improve retention, the committee is proposing that all new undergraduate students participate in some type of academic orientation. The motion was seconded. Carol Winkler asked how students will be handled who do not participate in an orientation program as directed. Dr. Rainbolt indicated that a registration hold will be placed on all new students and those students who participate in an academic orientation program will have their holds released prior to registration. The question was called. The motion passed.

8. Motion to establish the procedure for placement testing presented by the Admissions and Standards Committee; George Rainbolt, chair. This motion delegates the approval of departmental placement testing from the full Senate to the Senate Admissions and Standards Committee. The question was called. The motion passed.

9. Motion to adopt a conflict of interest policy presented by the Faculty Affairs Committee; Diane Willen, chair. The subcommittee, chaired by Juane Heflin, has been working on this policy for three years. Drafts had been submitted to various university committees for input and hearings had been held to solicit feedback. The committee is asking that two versions of the policy be adopted with Version 2 ultimately prevailing as university policy. Until each college is able to specify what procedures and what forms will be used to enforce the conflict of interest policy then Version 1 will be in effect for that college or unit. Version 1 of the policy includes disclosure forms. The question was called. The motion passed.

10. Motion to modify the reporting function for the evaluation of instruction presented by the Faculty Affairs Committee; Diane Willen, chair. The committee is responding to a request from the Student Government Association. The proposal asks for second report to extract six common questions from the evaluations to be sent to the SGA Office from each college. The motion was seconded. Janet Gabler-Hover commented that she was surprised that "stimulating the students' interest" was not listed among the six listed. Jerry Edwards responded that the six that are listed are ones that are on all of the colleges' evaluation forms. Dr. Willen commented that Faculty Affairs has been asked to review the whole process of evaluation of instruction next year. The question was called. The motion passed.

11. Motion to approve the part-time instructor handbook presented by the Faculty Affairs Committee; Diane Willen, chair. This handbook covers general practices. The old handbook is several years out of date. The motion was seconded. Tim Crimmins proposed a friendly amendment stating that this approval will also authorize the Faculty Affairs Committee to review and approve any future changes so that updates will not have to go through the full Senate for approval. Dr. Willen accepted this friendly amendment. The question was called. The motion passed.

12. Motion to modify the student code of conduct presented by the Student Life and Development Committee; Kurt Keppler, chair. These changes effect the chartering of student organizations. The motion was seconded. Julie Hotchkiss asked about the process of re-chartering since student leaders and faculty advisors may change from one year to the next. Dr. Keppler stated that a letter goes out to the current president and advisor encouraging them to pass the information on to the new president and advisor. The question was called. The motion passed.

13. Motion to modify Article VI, Section 4 of the University Statutes presented by the Statutes and Bylaws Committee; Murray Brown, chair. This proposal will address the ongoing problem of some Senate committee memberships being out of alignment with the language that stipulates than no more then 25% of any designated committee shall be faculty who are non-elected members of the Senate. The motion was seconded. Dan Franklin stated that this proposed change is already covered in the existing language elsewhere in that section and that the unintended consequences of this proposal would be to remove the limit of the number of non-elected Senators on Senate committees. Carol Winkler agreed that this motion should be voted down. She stated that, if implemented, this change would allow a Senate committee to be composed solely of non-elected Senators. This would not be wise as some of the Senate committees have very significant charges, such as approving the yearly action plan of the strategic plan and reviewing budget and space issues. There was a question regarding how this would effect subcommittee membership. Dr. Brown stated that subcommittee membership is entirely at the pleasure of the chair of the committee. Dr. Brown remarked that he understood the objections to this proposal, however, current practice clearly is not in keeping with the Statutes since there are Senate committees that are now violating this language. Tim Crimmins stated that this proposal was an attempt to clarify the Statutes. Chris Paton stated that the discussion has been on Senators versus non-Senators and also on elected Senators versus non-elected Senators. She feels that this issue should be re-examined by the committee. Dan Franklin moved to table this proposal. This was seconded by John Marshall. The question was called. The motion to table passed.

Proposal to Consider Two Benefits Plans sponsored by the Staff Advisory Council and brought forward for a "sense of the Senate" vote by the Executive Committee. Leslie Williams, Staff Council vice president, stated that this proposal was brought forward to improve morale by providing low cost measures for increasing employee benefits. Diane Willen reported that this proposal was reviewed and supported by the benefits subcommittee of the Faculty Affairs Committee. The question was called. The proposal was approved.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

APACE (John Newman, chair): The committee has met several times. The committee will be bringing forward motions regarding oral communications and computer competency, a student petitions committee for areas A-E of the core curriculum, and a policy on core curriculum.

Admissions and Standards (George Rainbolt, chair): The committee will be bringing forward four more proposals concerning the following: changes to the "IP" grade policy, an increase in TOEFL scores, putting in place a conditional admissions status for non-native speakers, and approval of the academic calendar.

Athletics (Bill Thomas, chair): There is nothing new to report.

Budget (Gerald Gay for Fenwick Huss, chair): The committee has met twice and the primary discussion items have been update on FY2000 and FY2001 prospects. They have discussed revenue effects of the semester conversion. The committee endorsed the FACP academic subcommittee report on redirection.

Commencement (Carl Patton, chair): The committee met once and reviewed the ceremony. There has also been some discussion on changing the days of the week on which the ceremony is held. Discussion has also centered on the changes required now that a signed diploma will no longer be handed out at the ceremony. The committee seeks recommendations for honorary degrees and would welcome all nominations.

Committee of Chairs (Hugh Hudson, chair): The committee has communicated via email this semester

Cultural Diversity (Maria Valeri-Gold, chair): The committee has met several times. The committee is revising its staff assessment survey and reviewing the strategic plan.

Executive (Hugh Hudson, chair): The committee has met several times and has gone on its annual retreat. Items discussed at the retreat were: long-range plans for the use of non-tenure track faculty, benefits, on-line instruction, and workload policies across colleges. Discussion has also centered on the master plan, the strategic plan, and questions of Senate organization. The committee will meet shortly to discuss the reviews of the three administrators that were evaluated earlier this semester. Dr. Hudson reminded the group that the scheduled meeting on April 13 has been cancelled and the first meeting of the 2000-2001 Senate will be combined with the specially called Senate meeting on April 19.

Faculty Affairs (Diane Willen, chair): The committee has met twice and continues to work on the PTI policy, the faculty benefits handbook, and the proposal on benefits for domestic partners. The committee is beginning to work with the issue of non-tenure track faculty and the university's compliance with BOR policy in this area.

Fiscal Advisory Committee to the President (Ron Henry, chair): The committee has met several times and is currently waiting to hear what the budget will be for next year. With the legislative session ending, it will probably be about four weeks after the April BOR meeting until we get more clarification about that budget.

Information Systems and Technology (Scott Owen, chair): The committee has met several times. It has examined and prioritized the IS&T budget requests for next year, discussed the university strategic plan and made technology related input including the recommended establishment of a teaching/learning with technology center within the Center for Teaching and Learning. Also, the teaching and learning technology subcommittee is now also a subcommittee of APACE. The committee is working on a policy concerning web links to external sites from GSU pages and has met with the SGA to work out a plan for student input for technology fee spending.

Library Advisory (Meg Harper, chair): The committee has met once and discussed the library's place in the strategic plan. The committee is concerned about issues in the library regarding hiring and retention of staff and faculty as well as the physical plant of the library. The committee is encouraging the library to join the Association of Research Libraries.

Nominations (Bernadette Hartfield, chair): Dave Vanko, chair of the 2000-2001 Nominations Committee, reported that the 2000-2001 committee is working on the Nominations Report to be presented at the first meeting of the 2000-2001 Senate on April 19.

Planning and Development (Lauren Adamson, chair): The committee has met three times. The committee has reviewed, amended, and approved the 2000 action plan for the strategic plan. The committee has engaged in the administrative and support unit review of Human Resources. It has reviewed and approved the major and minor capital budget requests for the forthcoming fiscal year and the regular MRRF funds for next year. The committee is gearing up to consider the draft of the new five year strategic plan. The committee will meet twice next week to consider it.

Research (Mary Ann Romski, chair): The committee has met several times. The committee is focusing its attention on the search for the VP for Research and Sponsored Programs and on strategic planning. The committee passed a resolution supporting the concept of the new research building and supporting delaying its construction until the internal budget is stable after semester conversion. The committee worked with GSURF on the distribution of indirect costs and this process is firmly in place and working well. The committee is working with APACE to integrate the research center review into the overall APACE academic review process.

Statutes and Bylaws (Murray Brown, chair): The committee has met once and will continue to discuss Article VI, Section 4 of the University Statutes.

Student Discipline (Howard Schneider, chair): The committee met once to review a case and is about to start on another case.

Student Life and Development (Kurt Keppler, chair): The committee has met several times and has been reviewing the code of conduct, student fees, courseload of students, freshman learning communities and the emerging leaders communities.

OLD BUSINESS: Hugh Hudson reminded the group that the April 19 meeting will be held at 2:00 p.m. rather than the usual 3:00 p.m. meeting time. Tim Crimmins announced the upcoming plans regarding the strategic plan. This document will be posted on the Senate web page and will be amended as it moves through the Planning and Development Committee. Lauren Adamson reported that Senators who would like to amend the plan should submit their amendments in written form by the to-be-announced deadline date. There will be no verbal amendments from the floor. This was the procedure five years ago when the previous plan was approved.

ADJOURNMENT: There being no additional business, the meeting was adjourned at 4:05 p.m.

Gayla Domke, Secretary

University Senate

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