UW-Eau Claire University Senate Minutes of December 7, 2004

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-EAU CLAIRE

UNIVERSITY SENATE MEETING

VOL. 41, NO. 7

December 7, 2004

Members Present:

Joey Bohl, Don Bredle, Jack Bushnell, Randy Dickerson, Jesse Dixon, Michael Dorsher, Dan Drumm, Selika Ducksworth-Lawton, Margaret Dwyer, Robert Erffmeyer, Gloria Fennell, Mitchell Freymiller, Alan Gallaher, Andrea Gapko, Susan Harrison, Robert Hollon, Robert Hooper, Rose Jadack, Jennifer Johs-Artisensi, Harry Jol, Sallie Kernan, Jennifer Lee, Barbara Lozar, Donald Mash, Rebecca Matter, Sue Moore, Cheryl Muller, Bobby Pitts, Jill Prushiek, Donna Raleigh, Scott Robertson, Connie Russell, Ronald Satz, Roger Selin, Earl Shoemaker, Alex Smith, Carter Smith, Larry Solberg, Linda Spaeth, Laurie St. Aubin-Whelihan, Daniel Stevenson, Kent Syverson, Karen Welch, Scott Whitfield, Michael Wick, Jean Wilcox, Steve Zantow

Members Absent:

Robin Baker, Judy Blackstone, Marcia Bollinger, Charlene Burns, Paul Butrymowicz, Bruce Dybvik, Jeff Erger, Leslie Foster, Ann Hoffman, Larry Honl, Fred Kolb, Kate Lang, Gene Leisz, Bruce Lo, David Lonzarich, Steven Majstorovic, Karl Markgraf, Susan Mc Intyre, Tarique Niazi, Kristen Sandager, Nola Schmitt, Lorraine Smith, Todd Stephens, Paula Stuettgen, Lois Taft, Troy Terhark, Sharon Westphal, Rebecca Wurzer

Guests:

Cheryl Budnaitis, Donald Christian, Bernard Duyfhuizen, Jan Morse, Katherine Rhoades, Andrew Soll

The regular meeting of University Senate was called to order by Chair Harrison at 3:05 p.m. on Tuesday, December 7, 2004 in the Tamarack Room of Davies Center.

I. Without objection, minutes of November 23, 2004 meeting of University Senate approved as distributed

II. Chancellor’s Remarks

· Commencement on December 18, 2004

· President Reilly to be commencement speaker at morning and afternoon ceremonies

· As calendar goes, current fall semester about as good as it gets – final exams, commencement on Saturday, finish fairly early

· Last evening Student Senate approved differential tuition arrangement/plan

· Around 1995, UW-Eau Claire students agreed to pay additional tuition to enhance undergraduate experience; we were only institution doing that

· Students continue to approve on ongoing basis how those dollars spent – currently $1.25 million a year

· As prepared to kick off national comprehensive fundraising campaign, approached student leadership about raising amount of differential tuition as complementary initiative to campaign

· Students not only processed increase, changed mode of payment from set amount to percentage basis

· Will increase on regular basis without additional action

· We continue to appreciate fact differential tuition in place here

· Board of Regents meet on Thursday and Friday in Madison

· Review and approval of sabbaticals on agenda

· UW-Eau Claire putting forward three for semester one, five for semester two, and nine for entire year

· Two years ago was some legislative fussing about continuing sabbaticals in face of budget reductions; suggestion made that maybe sabbaticals should be supported by private money

· Weathered that storm

· Made strong argument that sabbaticals part of renewal and maintaining educational quality on campus

· Pointed out sabbaticals generally covered through cooperation among colleagues in department as well as administration to have minimal impact on offerings for students

· On this campus, continue to stretch to maintain number of sabbaticals; 17 is generous number for comprehensive campus

· Committed to what sabbaticals mean to our faculty, our students, and overall reputation of campus

· Nature of sabbatical assignments comes up in regent discussions

· In part because of budgetary concerns

· Also as result of system’s emphasis on viewing process of teaching and learning as a discipline in its own right

· Regents want to see how sabbaticals translate into something for students - we talk about way research brought into classroom

· Scholarship of teaching and learning encouraged by programming at opening of academic year; talk about those initiatives too

· Also to talk about Rhoades Scholar at regents meeting; opportunity to talk about quality of our students and work our students do with faculty and professional staff here

III. Chair’s Report – Chair Harrison

· Next meeting of Faculty Representatives in February in Madison

· Next Board of Regents meeting December 9 and 10, 2004 in Madison

· Need to get things moving quickly in spring semester; one of shortest semesters for number of senate meetings

· Committees reminded constitutional changes need to come before senate in February

· Other handbook policy changes should come in March

IV. Academic Staff Representative’s Report – Senator Wilcox

· Next meeting is teleconference on December 16, 2004

V. Unfinished Business

A. Second Reading – Motion from Executive Committee
2006-2007 Academic Calendar

Continued Debate

· Updates from Administrative Officer Jan Morse

· When met with Student Life and Diversity Commission and Academic Affairs Commission of Student Senate, promised students to let you know their concerns

· Primary concern was losing Monday after April break, when normally have not had classes, so having to drive on that Sunday

· Talked a bit about not having fall break day, although understood difficulty of fitting it in fall semester

· Asked that we give consideration to including fall break in any calendar where feasible

· Also some discussion about commencement coming after finals; realized that was necessary as well

Vote on Motion 41-SE-06: Motion PASSED without dissention.

CALENDAR AS APPROVED

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN - EAU CLAIRE

Calendar for 2006-2007 with Winterim

Fall Semester 2006:

Aug 21 — First day of faculty contractual period

Aug 28-Sept 1 — Advising and Registration

Sept 4 — Labor Day Holiday

Sept 5 — Classes begin

Nov 22 — Thanksgiving recess begins at 5 p.m.

Nov 27 — Classes resume

Dec 16 — Commencement

Dec 18-22 — Final Examinations Week

Winterim 2007:

Jan 1 — University closed; official holiday

Jan 2 — Classes begin

Jan 6 — Saturday Class

Jan 15 — Martin Luther King Holiday

Jan 19 — Last day of classes

Spring Semester 2007:

Jan 18-19 — Advising and Registration

Jan 22 — Classes begin

Mar 19-23 — Spring Break

March 26 —- Classes resume

April 6 — No Classes

April 9 — Classes resume

May 14-18 — Final Examinations Week

May 19 — Commencement

May 20 — Last day of faculty contractual period

3-Week Summer Session 2007:

May 21 — Classes begin

May 28 — Memorial Day Holiday

June 8 — Final day of classes

8-Week Summer Session 2007:

June 11 — Classes begin

July 4 — Independence Day Holiday

Aug 3 — Final day of classes

Aug 4 — Commencement

· Comments and response to questions by chancellor

· Since calendar is predictable in seven year cycle, probably could streamline process by looking at issues that are going to come up in each future year; will do that

· Don’t know about possibility of ever convincing legislature to allow classes to start before September 2^nd

· If statute weren’t in effect, would be starting earlier to get more breathing room in fall semesters

· Put in place to extend tourism season

· Haven’t heard this item discussed at regent level – don’t know what they would say about it

B. Progress Report on Service-Learning – Chancellor Mash

· Ad hoc review group to talk through and provide guidance on language development for service-learning guidelines – wanted people who had been part of conversations and listened to both sides

· Senators

· Plus

· Marty Wood, English Department

· Tom Hilton, Management Information Systems Department

· Chad Wade, President of Student Senate

· Kate Demerse, chair of Academic Affairs Commission of Student Senate

· Don Mowry, director of Service-Learning will sit with group and facilitate discussion

· In last edition of The Flip Side, Marty Wood wrote piece on proselytizing – well written, well thought out

· From my standpoint, proselytizing is one of issues must look at very carefully

· Don’t anticipate lot of meetings; will meet for first time next week

· At first meeting, intend to talk with group about providing broadest range of options for our students to pursue their interests to extent possible to satisfy service-learning requirement without excessive entanglement on matter of separation of church and state

· Hope to come back here with revised guidelines that will help campus clarify issue and move forward

· UW-System, particularly system legal, apprised of where we are because getting email and communication from around country on issue

· In meantime, Service-Learning Office continues to operate and function with eye toward issue; will negotiate with students so don’t penalize while dealing with matter

· Response to questions about process

· Don’t know that service-learning guidelines need to be lengthy – now almost three pages

· Need to look at portion where talk about outcomes of service-learning experience and kinds of activities that flow from them

· If challenged legally, first thing looked at will be what we say about what we are doing

· If clear what you are doing and about educational purpose, courts typically say fine

· If not clear what purpose is and how you define it, then becomes problematic

· Language developed ten years ago; since that time service-learning has become more understood and practiced activity in higher education

· Some of language may be dated

· Critical piece is religious part and how that gets stated

· Legal status of ban not really reversed

· After further discussion with system legal and closer review, feel original language was rigid

· Locke v. Davey is perfect case in point – some people using to support one direction, other people using to support opposite direction

· Student Davey received a state scholarship in Washington; when Davey decided to major in ministerial studies, state requested return of scholarship

· Davey filed a lawsuit saying it interfered with his right to make free choices

· State courts said state within legal right to take scholarship back; appeals court reversed lower court; Supreme Court returned to position of lower court and said it is perfectly appropriate to define limits and revoke scholarship

· So here are judges and learned legal folks taking different views about same issue – example of playing in joints between Establishment Clause and Free Exercise Clause

· What was important was how state laid out what scholarships were about and what they were supposed to do

· Says to me that can define a broad middle with language that says what our program is about and what we are trying to do

· Don’t want to put political activity in same space as religious activity; not the same legally

· Can’t ignore that student proposals are reviewed in Service-Learning Office – projects are denied all the time for many reasons having nothing to do with religion issue

· Can be good, interesting project helpful to students or organizations

· Not service-learning, as we define it, if not meeting community needs

· Judgments on these difficult issues made every day about our policies, our curriculum, our approach to things; make those judgments in manner that can stand light of day

· Issue has heretofore not been problem in other areas, such as sabbaticals and internships

· Whole bunch of things not problematic until someone raises red flag

· Doesn’t mean we should put our heads in the sand if we think there are potential problems out there

· Separation of church and state in terms of legal standing is real and gets applied in lot of different ways

· Don’t know how to respond to whether current language will prevent abuse of religious language to incite riots and violence on campus in light of what happened up north and anti-Hmong activity

· Wisconsin State Journal, weeks ago, included hunter shootings up north and discussion here in same editorial, so it isn’t as though there is not a heightened sense of awareness about those issues

· Hope is that even though we generated a lot of heat from the public, we are doing our best to communicate that we are looking at this issue carefully, are not excluding religious activity, and will resolve this matter and be clear about where we are and how it fits service-learning

· Hope things will cool down when we conclude our work

VI. Reports of Committees

¨ Executive Committee – Chair Harrison

At last meeting

· Committee discussed transition of Academic Affairs responsibilities and organizational chart reflecting responsibilities

· Academic calendar passed

· Discussion continued about senate committees

Next meeting February 1, 2005

· To continue discussing language related to senate size, specific senate committees, and look at other handbook language changes

¨ Faculty Personnel Committee – Senator Wick

Continuing to work in subcommittees on items identified by Handbook Review Committee
Meeting of whole not scheduled at this time

¨ Academic Staff Personnel Committee – Senator Wilcox

No meetings scheduled for rest of semester

¨ Academic Policies Committee – Senator Syverson

Today approved proposed name change of majors for what is now Communication Disorders to align with change in department name approved last year; will come forward to senate in February

¨ Physical Plant Planning Committee – Senator Bredle

· Met yesterday –

· Spent time looking at facilities six-year plan overview – origin and destination chart available on web at http://www.uwec.edu/facmgt/planning.htm

· Also spent time on classroom renovation ideas, especially those brought up concerning rooms in Hibbard

· Several rooms on docket for classroom renovation and instructional technology improvements

· If you think other rooms should be addressed, make wishes known to department chair and dean

· Next meeting February 14, 2005

· Response to question concerning possibility of parking garage on campus

· Vice Chancellor Soll indicated surveys done of parking lots on regular basis show at least 75 spaces available at any given time

· Under those circumstances, would have difficult time justifying building parking ramp to regents and state building commission

· Six-year plan does identify few places to enhance parking

· Cost of parking ramp is other factor; but major factor is we appear to have sufficient parking

· Have talked about lack of spaces on central campus and cost impact for everyone parking on campus simply for more convenient places versus a five or so minute walk

· More a behavioral issue than planning issue as students spend time, burn gasoline and miss classes sitting in Phillips lot waiting for a place to park rather than go across the river, park, save fuel and get to class on time

· Regents and state building commission looking very closely at cost of attending university whether proposing a student center building, residence hall, or anything else using student fees, or tax dollars

· With a ramp, all campus parking permits would go from $85 to $250 or $300 – don’t believe they will approve that as long as they see available capacity

· Chancellor Mash added

· State provides no support for number of things on campus – one is parking

· While do need permission and approvals, getting any money not even a possibility

· If things change in Third Ward, may have to increase parking – might mean going up since don’t have much land

· May drive up price and create more incentive for students to do any other thing rather than pay for parking

· Matter of not building a parking ramp on Hibbard lot, comes from standoffs years ago with Third Ward Neighborhood Association; don’t want to see ramp on Hibbard parking lot with more lights and traffic

¨ Budget Committee – Senator Smith

· No Report

¨ Compensation Committee – Senator Wick

· Meeting in subgroups developing proposals for pay plan for next year – now have guidelines from system

· Committee has not met as whole to discuss proposals still being drafted

¨ Nominating Committee – Senator Whitfield

· No Report

¨ Technology Committee – Senator Dwyer

· No Report

VII. Special Reports – None

VIII. Miscellaneous Business – None

IX. Announcements

· Next meeting February 8, 2005

Meeting adjourned at 4:08 p.m.

Wanda Schulner

Secretary to the University Senate