Vol. 32, No. 16
April 16, 1998
I. Roll Call.
Present: Barmore, Claflin, Duquette, Egle, Grant, Haupert, Host, Kraemer, S. Krajewski, Lazinger, MacDonald, N. Pati, Prucha, Reithel D. Riley, Roskos, Shanks, Snowberg, Socha, P.Taylor, Willey, Wingate.
Excused: L. Nelson, J. Parker.
II. Approval of Minutes.
The minutes of the March 19, 1998, and the April 2, 1998, meetings were approved as distributed.
III. Chair’s Report.
Provost/Vice Chancellor Lambert reported that, the first annual student research day was a spectacular success; UWL will host the UW-System first ever conference on undergraduate research May 1999 and 2000; Dr. Michael Nelson from Truman State University has accepted the deanship position in the College of Science & Allied Health; the IT search is underway—check out the web page—with 20 applications already received; the search committee for the dean of the College of Liberal Studies expects to bring finalists to campus the first week of May; the Joint Promotion Committee has revised the procedures for providing reasons for non-promotion to faculty; and, UW-System Vice President David Ward will visit UW-LaCrosse on May 21st.
IV. Summary and Recommendations from the Chancellor’s ad hoc Committee on Family Friendly Policies.
Donna Anderson, Betsy Morgan, and Jennifer Wilson, co-chairs of the Chancellor’s ad hoc Committee on Family Friendly Policies, joined the Senate. The committee was formed to assess UW-L employees’ perceptions of our current family-friendly needs, policies and services. The committee conducted a study of all UW-L employees and surveyed relevant research in order to provide recommendations of ways to help make UW-L a workplace that promotes health work life/family life balance. Dr. Anderson addressed the following recommendations of the committee which are based directly on the survey:
Promote current services. Create work/family webpage and links; Identify specific contact persons; Promote webpage in: Campus Connection, New Employee Orientation, Hiring Process; College Mentoring Programs should be well versed in current policies/services.
Create a Standing Committee on Family-Friendly Policies/Practices. Monitor changes in the need for family-friendly services through a periodic review of family-friendly service use on campus; survey the campus to determine perceived needs and satisfaction with services; convey information to services units for incorporation into their planning.
Additionally, the committee recommends expanding services in identified areas of: Low Cost Education Loans, Job Sharing, Limited Paid Personal Leave, Relocation Services, and Domestic Partner Benefits.
M/S/P to endorse the recommendations of the Chancellor’s ad hoc Committee on Family Friendly Policies. (voice vote)
V. Ad Hoc Calendar Committee Report.
Senator Wingate presented the work of the ad hoc Calendar Committee. Last fall the committee reviewed requests made by students, faculty, and administrators on several issues/concerns regarding the calendar. After a thorough review of the requested adjustments, the committee decided that there were three academically sound changes that could be implemented while maintaining most of the priorities of the current calendar. By making these adjustments, most of the other requests were also accommodated.
There should be a break between the last day of classes and the first day of finals to allow students time to assimilate material from the end of the course. The committee recommends that the Thursday after classes end be designated as "Study Day" in six of the seven possible fall calendars, with finals beginning on Friday. In one year out of seven finals will begin on Thursday immediately after classes end in order to finish by December 22. For spring semester, the committee recommends that classes end on a Friday, so that finals can begin the following Monday. Although there will not be a designated Study Day in the spring, there will always be two days between the end of classes and the beginning of finals.
Commencement should be held after final examinations are over. The committee recommends commencement after finals in the spring, but not in the fall.
There should be a uniform time period available for scheduling interim classes in January and May. The committee feels that the issue of standards for interim courses needs to be reviewed.
The committee recommends the following additional priorities: Whenever possible, there should be at least one day between the end of classes and the beginning of final examinations. Whenever possible, commencement should follow final examinations, but should remain on a weekend. There should be approximately three weeks in January and three weeks in May available for interim classes.
Considering all of the above, the most notable changes in the calendar are the following:
Classes will meet for three days during Thanksgiving week every year, rather than in one of seven years as in the current calendar. Every year during Thanksgiving week, Monday classes will meet on Monday, Thursday classes will meet on Tuesday, and Friday classes will meet on Wednesday. The reason for this change is to make room for Study Day in the fall semester.
Second semester classes will always start on the Monday following Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The reason for this change is to eliminate the need to make up a Monday of classes later in the semester. Combined with the next proposed change, this allows classes to end on Friday, so finals can start on Monday.
Classes will be held on the Friday before Easter and the Monday after Easter. There are several reasons for this change. It eliminates the need to make up a Friday and a Monday of classes later in the semester. It allows classes to end on a Friday, with finals starting the following Monday, giving students a two day period to prepare for finals.
M/S/P to adopt the revised Seven Year Cycle Calendar. (voice vote with 1- No and 1- Abstention)
M/S/P to adopt the following Study Day Policy: No final examination shall be given to any student on Study Day. Study Day is a day to prepare for the final examination period. No faculty or student activities of any sort shall be scheduled on Study Day. This includes make-up classes or tests, faculty or student committee meetings, and athletic practices or events. (voice vote)
The new calendar will take effect for the 1999-2000 academic year.
VI. Report Regarding the Strategic Planning Budget - Joint Budget Committee.
Assistant Chancellor Sue Schoenberger and Joint Budget Committee Chair, Dave Riley, summarized the 1998-99 Proposed Strategic Planning Initiatives, which identifies those budget initiatives outlined in the 2/1/97 Strategic Plan Update (Draft 2.1). The summary of funding sources and distributions from last year through the present, along with resources for 1998-99 that are expected to be available for funding the campus-wide initiatives were also reviewed.
VII. GEO/ESC Geoarchaeology Minor - Undergraduate Curriculum Committee.
Dr. Dean Wilder of the Geography/Earth Science Department presented the GEO/ESC Geoarchaeology Minor. Dr. Jim Theler of the Sociology/Archaeology Department spoke on the merits of the proposal. They addressed areas of concern and answered questions. A new LX-138 form will be forwarded to the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee next week, and will be brought back to the Faculty Senate for consideration at the 4/30/98 meeting.
M/S/P to table the GEO/ESC Geoarchaeology Minor. (voice vote)
VIII. Old Business.
IX. New Business.
X. Adjournment.
The meeting adjourned at 5:35 p.m.
Submitted by
Mike Egle