FACULTY SENATE MINUTES
FOR OCTOBER 5, 1999
(Vol. xxix, No. 7)

The Faculty Senate agenda is posted weekly on the Web, at 2504 Buzzard, and at 315K Coleman.

1. Call to order by Bonnie Irwin at 2:05 p.m. (2504 Buzzard Building)

Present: J. Allison, R. Benedict, J. Best, J. Coons, C. Eberly, P. Fewell, G. Foster, B. Irwin, G. Lockart, J. Tidwell, M. Toosi, B. Young. Excused: N. Marlow. Guests: T. Abebe, K. Bielenberg, G. Kelly, J. Maholy, B. Mazurski, S. Skala, A. Zahlan.

2. New Business

The following resolution was read:

• When Lankford was an adversary, he was fully worthy. When he was an advocate, he was invaluable. At all times, he was a colleague who kept the interests of the institution, shared governance and faculty participation of the forefront.
• Lankford brought ideas and issues forward with admirable courage, and made an impact on people. When the members of the Student Investment Society learned of his passing, it was evident they were deeply affected.
• With Lankford, there was a perception of a crusty exterior, but on the interior, there was heart of gold. At the base of all his activities was the continued good of the university.

4. Communications

A. CAA minutes of 9/23/99. Major action item: Change in incomplete policy. work must be completed by the last class day of term subsequent to the one in which the incomplete was recorded Grade must be reported no later than three days prior to the closing date of the term subsedquent to that in which the "I" was reported. Major discussion item: The general education mission statement. The discussion focused on the use of the term "mindful" and "global" in the theme.

4. Old Business

1. Committee Reports
1. Executive Committee. Three student members of the Faculty Senate, Katie Bielenberg, Gary Kelly, and Brian Mazurski, were introduced and welcomed to the Faculty Senate.
2. Elections Committee. There are no further alternates remaining in the pool from the year that Lankford Walker ran for Faculty Senate (1997). Our bylaws require us to have 15 members, and this will entail holding a special election. The petition for this position is attached to these minutes.
3. Nominations. James Tidwell will oversee remaining nominations subcommittee business temporarily. An appointment to the Apportionment Board seems to be the only outstanding issue at this time.
4. Faculty-Student Relations Committee extends both a welcome and a thank you to the recently joined student members of the Faculty Senate.

• Comments from the subcommittee have not yet been forwarded to Keith Kohanzo, pending an agreement from the Senate as a whole as to their direction.
• There may be a need for a further round of discussions among the members of the campus community, as the previous rounds have not necessarily been well attended.
• The Student Senate has not yet discussed the revision, although it is on the agenda. Student Senate attention has been drawn to the recommendation of larger fines in the revision.
• The suggested time frame for the revision implies a gathering of all input by the end of October; this may result in a foreclosure of the important issues and concerns in the revision process.
• Revisions in the Student Conduct Code should reflect changes in technology, and should specify jurisdictions more clearly
• Students are citizens. The Student Conduct Code should strive to show the importance of relating behavior and misbehavior within the academic community to appropriate and inappropriate behavior in the larger community, a view that lodges the following implications at least: Increases in the fine structure may serve to impel students to choose community service rather than pay a fine, but such an approach risks stigmatizing the service we want students to value. Further, their citizenship in the larger community should not be taken to unfairly imply that they possess a "dual citizenship" in which it is permissible to punish them downtown and punish them on campus too.
• There are numerous approaches with regard to the operation of the Judicial Board. At Eastern, we embody the principles of an informal, and case-based approach, while other nearby universities use a much more formal, legalistic and mechanistic basis for their Judicial Board. Our approach seems to work well for us, and might be regarded as a strength.
• The revision issue is particularly timely given the current discussion regarding the extension of bar hours. Although the city may be offering the extension as an implied quid pro quo in an effort to reduce the prevalence, duration and intensity of house parties, it is not clear that the extension would have this effect. At the least, there is a need for greater alcohol awareness and training in the community and on campus.

1. Search Committees: The University Counsel Search Committee has met once to work on planning and timing issues. The Vice President for Institutional Development Search Committee met on 9/30/99.
2. Drafting Committee: Current planning envisions four issues to be covered in the Fall Forum: Faculty development and academic quality, student development, assessment, and community/university relationships. In turn, these topics can be subsumed under the larger issue of improved communication among the various stakeholders in the university. Procedurally, there will be a brief introduction focusing on the theme of academic quality, as per the interests of the faculty at large. The introduction will include a listing of the motions that the Faculty Senate has passed in the last two years that deal with academic quality. Following the introduction, those in attendance at the forum will be invited to join one of four solution-oriented working groups whose function will be to target areas of concern, and to suggest ameliorative courses of action. The Faculty Senate will gather this information with the objective of formulating of package of recommendations useful to administrators and legislators.
3. Other Committee Reports.

• ATAC has divided into four subcommittees. The technology planning subcommittee has developed a timetable for technology planning for the university--their report will be presented to ATAC and to the university as a whole. Other subcommittees are focusing on the use of software for Web-based courses, construction and wiring issues in the 24 hour lab, and proposals for dealing with older, but potentially still useful computer hardware as such machines are replaced in existing labs. Questions brought forth included the use of technology fees to hire student help; it is necessary for the students to approve of such uses. Currently, student fee money cannot be used for capital improvement or for the hiring of student help
• Recent inquiries have suggested that possible decrements in the overall well being of faculty in Physical Education Department resulting from the Library move have apparently been addressed.
• Volunteers are still needed for the Mural Project. No need for a smock--there was an assurance that the painting will not be messy.
• Practicum student in CEPS have been affected by the upsurge in school related violence: Nametags are required for all visitors and nonregular personnel at an increasing proportion of area schools.

4. New Business

Appointment of Assistant Director of Financial Aid Search Committee.

Motion (Eberly/Benedict) to appoint Bud Fischer to this position.

Yes: Benedict, Best, Coons, Eberly, Fischer, Foster, Irwin, Tidwell, Toosi, Young

5. Departure without Adjournment (3:58 p.m.)

Respectfully submitted,

John Best, Vice Chair and Acting Recorder