University Governance

Minutes

UNIVERSITY SENATE
April 9, 2009 – Room #106, Green Hall – 3:30 p.m.

 Approved 04/23/09

PRESENT: Faculty –, Melissa Birch, David Brackett, Matt Burke, James Daugherty, Ben Eggleston, Mohamed El-Hodiri, Ada Emmett, Mark Ezell, Lisa Friis, Allen Ford, Joe Harrington, Robert Harrington, Nancy Kinnersley, Man Kong, Liz Kowalchuk, Chuck Marsh, Steve Maynard-Moody, Brent Metz, Jim Orr, Jean Peterson, Barbara Phipps, Gitti Salami, Iris Fischer Smith, Dan Spencer, John Staniunas, Jeff Staudinger, John Stratton, Kelli Thomas, Rodolfo Torres, Donna Tucker, Lisa Wolf-Wendel, Tony Walton. Students-  Stacy Elmer, Mason Heilman, Michael Gray, Brian Hardouin; Staff –Betty Childers, Mary Ann Baker, Cayla Witty, Jeannette Johnson, Phil Wilke, Ex-officio –  Dennis Constance, University Support Staff president; Paul Farran, Unclassified Senate president; Danny Anderson, Vice Provost (designee for Provost Richard Lariviere).

EXCUSED: Faculty - Mary Berry, Marta Caminero-Santangelo, Doug Huffman, Alice Lieberman, Joyce McCray-Pearson, Bozenna Pasik-Duncan, Jean Phillips, Stacey S White. Staff - Jason O’Connor. Students –  May Davis

ABSENT: Ben Cohen, Eric Foss, Bill Walberg, Tonia Salas, JJ Siler, Aly Rodee
(Please let Molly Mulloy know if you were indeed present or excused)

ALSO PRESENT:  Molly Mulloy, Governance; Kathy Reed, Governance; Mary Lee Hummert, Provost’s Office; Kim McNeley, College; George Crawford, Education. 

            In Mary Berry’s absence, Faculty Senate President Nancy Kinnersley called the meeting to order at 3:30 p.m.

MINUTES for March 26, 2009 were approved.

STANDING REPORTS

Faculty Senate President. Nancy Kinnersley invited members of University Senate to remain for today’s Faculty Senate meeting to hear the presentation from members of the KU Chancellor Search Committee.

Student Body President.  Reporting for Adam McGonigle, Mason Heilman reported that Student Senate approved its student fee allocations for next year with no increase in the student fees. Student Senate elections will be held next week.

Unclassified Senate
            Paul Farran announced that Phil Wilke is the new president-elect of the Unclassified Senate.

University Support Staff (“USS”)
            Dennis Constance reported that Support Staff elections were held recently. He will continue as president for the second year of his 2-year term.

DISCUSSION: AMENDMENTS TO THE CODE AND RULES
Lisa Wolf-Wendel/John Stratton moved to consider the amendments as a block. Passed. Nancy Kinnersley briefly described each of the nine amendments, including: Code, Art. XII (Retirees Committee); USRR 2.2.2 (Grading System); USRR 2.2.3 (Incompletes); USRR 2.2.5 (Withdrawals in CE Classes); USRR 2.3.1 (Change of Grade for Academic Misconduct); USRR 2.3.5 (Grade Appeals); USRR 2.4.2 (Course Repeat); USRR 2.8.1 (Academic Forgiveness); and USRR 3.1 (Graduation Requirements). She asked members for feedback on any of the amendments.
In regard to the “I” (Incomplete) policy, Mason Heilman suggested adding the words “in consultation with the student” after the phrase “by the date determined by the instructor” in USRR 2.2.3.2. The proposed amendment is: “A student who has an I posted for a course must make up the work by the date determined by the instructor, which may not exceed one calendar year, or the last day of the term of graduation, whichever comes first.   An I not removed according to this rule shall automatically convert to a grade of F or U, or the lapse grade assigned by the course instructor and shall be indicated on the student's record.”

            There was extensive discussion about the Incomplete Policy for graduate school courses.  The proposal states:
“2.2.3.4  2.2.3.3 An I posted for graduate courses remains unchanged on the student’s record except that, should the student subsequently complete the course work, the instructor would then change the I to a letter grade: A, B, C, D, or F.  No graduate student will be allowed to take oral comprehensive or qualifying exams if an I grade is currently listed on the student's transcript.”

            Rodolfo Torres said he did not have a problem with the restriction on oral comprehensive exams but would delete the reference to qualifying exams. He said this rule could delay a student’s qualifying exam for an entire semester for an “I” in a course that doesn’t relate to the exam.   Following discussion, Torres/Eggleston moved to delete “qualifying exams” from USRR 2.2.3.4. Passed.   Another member suggested that more information was needed from the Graduate School. AP&P member Kim McNeley pointed out that the Dean of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Executive Committee had reviewed and approved the proposed language. She noted that the AP&P Committee (Academic Policies & Procedures) is working on a proposal for a new “NP” (no progress) grade that could be used along with the “I” (incomplete) and “P” (progress) grades by graduate faculty. Following further discussion, Ben Eggleston/Rodolfo Torres moved to remove the amendments proposed to USRR 2.2.3 from consideration until more information is received from the AP&P Committee on the new “NP” grade proposal. Passed.

VOTE on TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS TO THE CODE AND RULES
            Lisa Wolf-Wendel/Jeannette Johnson moved to approve the technical amendments. Passed. The amendments include changing the word “Timetable” to “Schedule of Classes” throughout the USRR, and to make the following change to the Faculty Senate membership section of the Code, Article 2.1:
“The following persons are eligible for election to the Faculty Senate:
1)   those members of the teaching faculty and of the library faculty staff who possess tenure;
2)   those non‑tenured members of the faculty of the rank of assistant professor, associate professor, or professor; non‑tenured members of the faculty with full‑time appointment to the rank of instructor or lecturer; members of the library staff faculty of equivalent rank; unclassified academic staff who possess the terminal degree appropriate …”

No further business.
Respectfully submitted,
Molly Mulloy