UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-EAU CLAIRE
UNIVERSITY SENATE MEETING
VOL. XXXIV. NO. 11
May 12, 1998

Members Present:

Thomas Bergmann, Judy Blackstone, Anne Cattarello, Linda Cecchini, Greg Conderman, J. Kenneth Davidson, Sr., Gene Decker, R. Dale Dick, Bernard Duyfhuizen, Susan Felber, Andrea Gapko, Joseph Giordano, Margaret Hallatt, Susan Harrison, Erik Hendrickson, Larry Honl, Eugene Hood, Carol Klun, Sandra Kottke, Katherine Lang, Timothy Leutwiler, Barbara Lozar, Ivar Lunde, Barbara MacBriar, Maureen Mack, Mona Majdalani, Owen Marshall, Thomas Miller, David Nelson, Mark Olsen, Bobby Pitts, Cleo Powers, Donna Raleigh, Walter Reid, Constance Russell, Richard St. Germaine, Robert Scott, Sandra Seefeldt, Paula Stuettgen, Steve Tallant, Susan Tarnowski, Roger Thiede, Melissa Vogler, Fred Waedt, Michael Wick, Karen Witt

Members Absent:

Angelo Armendariz, David Backstrom, Robert Barganz, Richard Behling, Victor Cvancara (excused), Brady Foust, Obika Gray, Douglas Hallatt, Karen Havholm, Robert Knight, Fred Kolb, Stephen Kurth, Jane Linton, Judy Lund, John Melrose (excused), Richard Palm, Roger Selin (excused), Nancy Shoemaker, Sylvia Sipress, Marjorie Smelstor, Sheila Smith, Ronald Warloski (excused)

Guests:

Meg Dwyer, David Gessner, David Gordon, David Hart, Mimi King, Jim Oberly, Nate Otto (Student Senate Liaison), Bill Smethells, Spectator Staff

The regular meeting of the University Senate was called to order by Chair Harrison at 3:05 p.m., Tuesday, May 12, 1998 in the Tamarack Room of Davies Center.

  1. Minutes of April 28, 1998 were approved as distributed
  2. Chair's Report - Chair Harrison
    • Senior Computer Science majors completed a Senate Action Tracking System
      • Will allow searching by keyword or topic for motions
      • Will be operational after summer
    • Parking update
      • GF permits to continue next year up to 117 spaces
      • F permits available in August
      • Bus service to continue next year
    • Student Senate resolutions
      • Opposition to Social Security numbers being used for posting grades
      • Support of student input in hiring of professors
      • Support of requiring students to meet with advisors when declaring or changing majors
    • Faculty and Academic Staff Handbook to be available online
      • Share comments with Senate Office concerning
        • Online document to be web file or 'pdf' document readable by Adobe Acrobat Reader
        • Whether two copies should be available - printed version and updated version
      • Complete Senator Survey included in mailed packet and return
      • Election and referendum ballots were distributed
        • Encourage colleagues to return ballots as soon as possible
          • Received 22 faculty ballots and 17 academic staff ballots today

  3. Report on Chancellor Search and Screen - Jim Oberly
    • Process worked, fair and open search, four excellent finalists
    • Regents chose Don Mash
      • 500 people saw yesterday why excellent choice
    • Final report will not be ready before graduation
      • Review all nonconfidential details of search and screen
      • Helpful for future chancellor searches on other campuses
    • Details on inclusive process
      • Web page had 6000 hits in last couple weeks
      • Thanks to ITM people
    • Campus visits big success
      • Pleased with packed rooms
      • Valuable educational process for campus

  4. Special Recognition - Report of Senate Executive Committee - Senator Leutwiler

    5. Motion 34-SE-18

     Moved and seconded by committee that the University Senate extend the Thanks of the University Senate to all members of the Chancellor Search and Screen Committee whose diligent work ultimately resulted in the appointment of the next chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Donald J. Mash. Vote on Motion 34-SE-18: Motion PASSED unanimously
  5. Report of the Academic Policies Committee - Senator Lozar

    Motion 34-AP-13:

    Moved and seconded by committee by a vote of 10-0-0 that the University Senate approve the following:
      1. That in the fall of 1998 departments review all courses with prerequisites to ensure that all prerequisites are necessary. If the review shows that some prerequisites can be deleted or perhaps others need to be added, the changes are to be forwarded to school/college curriculum committees for their approval following established procedures for course revision.
      2. That a statement be developed for the University Catalogue to inform students about the use of prerequisites and to explain that prerequisites listed for courses are meant to be restrictions on enrollment.
      3. That concurrently with the review of prerequisites during the fall of 1998 students be informed of the impending change in policy.
      4. That the registrar develop a method to indicate recommended courses for the catalogue and the class bulletin.
      5. That online checking of prerequisites be implemented in time for the fall 1999 registration (which will be registration for the spring 2000 semester).

    Discussion

    • Committee took it upon themselves to look at prerequisites because of current online capabilities of registration
    • Response from department chairs saw two purposes for prerequisites
      • Restrictions
      • Recommendations
    • Committee recommendations based on response from department chairs
    • Also asking departments to clear up what 'departmental permission required' means for each course
    • Class standing was not considered in recommendations
      • Academic Policies Committee may work on this issue next fall
      • Possibly should be policy at department, not university level
      • Currently in catalogue that can take courses one level above class standing
      • Now department can put enrollment restriction of minimum classification to be enforced by computer
    • Concern is that University policy is apparently unclear and students are advised and at times required to take action that is contrary to that policy
    • Congratulate committee for getting through heavy schedule and in addition pick up a task because it was there to be done
    • Was a issue of concern of Student Senate, good example of faculty responsiveness to student concerns

    Vote on Motion 34-AP-13: Motion PASSED unanimously by University Faculty Senators

    Motion 34-AP-14:

    Moved and seconded by committee by a vote of 8-0-2 that University Senate approve the proposed Four Year Graduation Agreement Protocol

    Discussion:

    • Need to have in place to satisfy regent policy by this coming fall
    • APC does not condone such last-minute business
    • Draft obligates student and university to do certain things to complete requirements in four calendar years
    • Modeled most closely on UW-Madison statement which Madison has been piloting this past year
      • Madison started with 75 students, now down to 60 on contract
    • Concern that advisor needs to verify the viability of the plan
    • Responsibility falls on Provost who signs off on agreement, but clearly delegating to advisor, advisor may have no control over contingencies
    • Student not guaranteed specific course sections
    • Selective group of advisors in given majors with special training and resources
    • Advisor isn't required to remedy situation, provost is, advisor needs to say program able to be completed in four years
    • Legalistic document, much written by Madison legal department and reviewed by System counsel
    • Plan optional for students, would it be optional for faculty also?
      • Every department with standard major that is not exempt must make contract available to students
      • Deans and departments would work out a reasonable solution
    • Has been discussion about how specific to make document
      • Document was constructed to allow for flexibility to develop workable individual plans
      • Trained advisors will assist in determining if specific major/minor will work
      • This most detailed plan of 10 agreements reviewed from other campuses
    • Signing four-year program does not guarantee admission to specific programs; in this case seen as false contracting
    • Students who change majors or not admitted to program or major specified in four-year agreement may continue only if change does not require an adjustment in initial time line specified
    • Students under these contracts get no priority in assignments to classes
    • Should include all requirements for the planned degree, such as general education, service credits, foreign culture, etc., and not just prerequisites for and requirements of majors or major/minor
    • Deadline is this meeting because needs to be legally in place in fall, must be up and running although can be tweaked after that
    • Advisors will then need to be in place in each department when return in September
    • One more mandated program forced upon us, this document has many difficulties, currently students do graduate in eight semesters if they want to
    • Would like to see UWEC take some leadership and stand up and tell system that this is something that we do not consider worthwhile
    • Cannot in good conscience support the motion, public relations ploy that does not address the issue of resources
    • Not disturbed by need to plan program, disturbed by the additional bureaucratic responsibility involved which is one more nonteaching duty
    • Seems a politically motivated posture on part of people uninformed regarding practical implications of what they decided

    Amendment 34-AP-14-a1:

    Moved by Senator Pitts and seconded that advisors be provided with chronological degree audit by the University

    Discussion:

    • Can obtain a chronological listing from the Blugold system of courses the student has already taken
    • In many cases there are choices in which order courses might be taken
    • Working with degree audit and catalogue, little difficulty in coming up with chronological plan
    • Would need someone to enter all the data

    Vote on Amendment 34-AP-14-a1: Amendment DEFEATED

    Continued Discussion:

    • One thing missing from the plan is that System takes no responsibility
    • Recognize this as strictly PR piece with negligible effect on us overall
    • Do we want new chancellor to face regents in fall saying UWEC turned this down putting him in adversarial relationship?
    • May be worth doing in some circumstances, not sure this one is worth it
    • Regents also determine the budget, so asking them to supply resources may be counterproductive
    • Ongoing concern on productivity makes it essential that records be kept on how much time is involved in orientation, advisor training, advising students and convert that to a dollar figure; then judge by number of students trying to get through this program and do cost/benefit basis analysis
    • Critically important that parents realize this is calendar years, not four academic years

    Friendly amendment to include in the background statement in the third line that 'participation in the four year graduation plan is optional by faculty and students'

    • Feel same way most do, but not sure this is kind of thing worth creating that antagonism
    • Cover letter can be written on behalf of University Senate to regents highlighting overall concerns
    • Pretends to offer something we cannot do
    • Intent of being enrolled for eight consecutive fall/spring semesters is that do not leave school for a year and then come back, does not say four-year agreement applies to only eight semesters; not incompatible with line that it be completed within four calendar years
    • Need to discuss relationship with Board of Regents, obligation to inform Board of Regents they have taken an action and presented a mandate but taken no responsibility
    • If this passes, hope no summer advisors be allowed to offer this contract

    Vote on Main Motion 34-AP-14: Motion PASSED by University Faculty Senators. Vote of 14 to 12.
    1. General Announcements
      • Apologies to people with reports who sat through meeting and did not present
      • Will hold a special meeting of the University Senate next Tuesday, May 19th

    Without objection (due to warning siren), University Senate adjourned at 4:20 p.m.

    Respectfully submitted,
    Wanda Schulner
    Secretary to the University Senate