Minutes: April 28th, 2009

ACADEMIC SENATE MEETING

MINUTES

TUESDAY, April 28, 2009

SEVEN HILLS CONFERENCE CENTER, NOB

HILL ROOM

2:00 - 5:00 p.m.

CALL TO ORDER: 2:11 p.m.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Chair Whalen requests that standing committees submit their

end-of-year reports by May 15, 2009.

The election of staff representatives to the Academic Senate

ends today.

All-university faculty elections began April 27, 2009, and

continue through midnight, May 4, 2009.

Members of the 2009-2010 Academic Senate should submit their

preferences for standing-committee assignments to the Senate Office no later

than May 4, 2009.

Members of the 2009-2010 Academic Senate who wish to run for

the positions of Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, At-Large member of the Executive

Committee, or Chair of any of the five standing committees, are encouraged to

submit position statements to the Senate Office. All position statements will

be posted on the Senate website before the May 12, 2009, organizational

meeting. Nominations for all positions will be accepted during the meeting, but

candidates will not be afforded time to speak to their candidacy.

AGENDA ITEM #1—Approval of the Agenda for April 28, 2009.

The agenda was approved as submitted.

AGENDA ITEM #2—Approval of the Minutes for April 14,

2009.

The minutes of the April 14, 2009, Academic Senate meeting

were approved as submitted.

AGENDA ITEM #3— Report from John Gemello, Provost, and

Leroy Morishita, Vice President of Administration and Finance: The Budget and

Campus Management Issues

John Gemello, Provost and Vice President for Academic

Affairs, and Leroy Morishita, Chief Financial Officer and Vice President for

Administration and Finance, reported on the budget and campus management issues.

There are currently 155 people appointed in Management

Personnel Plan (MPP) positions at SF State, an increase of 16 positions since

1988. Ten of the additional positions are in the Office of University

Development. These data can be compared to a 38% increase in MPP positions in

the CSU system over the same time period.

The cumulative fiscal impact to the CSU for the two budget

years, 2008/2009 and 2009/2010, is a $586,855,000 reduction. There could be an

$8 to $20 billion “problem” in the State’s 2009/2010 budget; it’s unknown how

that revenue shortfall would impact the CSU budget.

AGENDA ITEM #4—Recommendation from the Educational

Policies Council: Proposed Discontinuance of the MA in Social Science,

Concentration Interdisciplinary Studies, Second Reading

Senator Shrivastava, on behalf of the Educational Policies

Council, moved that the Senate approve the discontinuance of the Master of Arts

in Social Science: Concentration in Interdisciplinary Studies program.

The motion passed.

AGENDA ITEM #5—Recommendation from the Educational

Policies Council: Proposed Discontinuance of the Minor in Family and Consumer

Sciences, Second Reading

Senator Dariotis, on behalf of the Educational Policies

Council, moved that the Senate approve the discontinuance of the Minor in

Family and Consumer Sciences program.

The motion passed.

AGENDA ITEM #6—Recommendation from the Student Affairs

Committee: Proposed Revisions to the Religious Holidays Policy, #F00-212,

Second Reading.

Senator McCracken, on behalf of the Student Affairs

Committee, moved that the Senate approve revisions to the Religious Holidays

policy, #F00-212.

The motion passed.

AGENDA ITEM #7— Recommendation from the Academic Policies

Committee: Proposed Revisions to the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement

(GWAR) Course Criteria, #S08-14, Second Reading.

Senator Dariotis, on behalf of the Academic Policies

Committee, moved that the Senate approve revisions to the Graduation Writing

Assessment Requirement (GWAR) Course Criteria, #S08-14.

Senator Rehling moved to replace “25” with “22” on line 14.

The motion failed.

Senator Rehling moved to delete “or course sequences” on

line 42 and to add a new sentence on line 43, “On an exception basis, CWEP may

approve GWAR course sequences that total three units, based on a strong

pedagogical rationale.” The motion failed.

The motion to revise the GWAR course criteria was approved.

AGENDA ITEM #8— Recommendation from the Academic Policies

Committee: Proposed Revisions to

the Written English Proficiency Policy, #S07-14, First Reading.

Senator Dariotis, on behalf of the Academic Policies

Committee, moved that the Senate approve revisions to the policy on Written

English Proficiency, #S07-14, specifically, revisions in the upper division

section of the policy.

Senator Rehling moved to add on line 78, before the sentence

beginning with the phrase, “Such review,” the new sentence, “This review and

evaluation will take place every year until five years after full

implementation of WID coursework to fulfill the GWAR, that is, after phasing

out the JEPET.” The motion failed.

Senator Kohn moved to delete “will be identified” on line 24

and to add “Departments will indicate” at the beginning of the sentence on line

24. The motion passed.

Senator Salama moved to replace “who are” with “enrolled in”

on line 65. The motion failed.

Senator Li moved to replace “before” with “by the time that”

on line 55. The motion passed.

Senator Kohn moved to replace “are” with “were” on line 36.

The motion passed.

Senator Salama moved to replace “who are” with “with” on line 65. The motion passed.

Senator Kohn moved to replace “are” with “were” on line 41.

The motion passed.

The motion to approve revisions to policy #S07-14, as

amended, passed.

AGENDA ITEM #9— Recommendation from the Curriculum Review

and Approval Committee: Proposed Revisions to the MS in Biomedical Science:

Name Change from Biomedical Laboratory Science to Biomedical Science; Two New

Concentrations: Biotechnology & Stem Cell Science, First Reading

Senator Shrivastava, on behalf of the Curriculum Review and

Approval Committee, moved that the Senate approve a revision of the Master of

Science in Biomedical Laboratory Science degree program into two degree

programs, Master of Science in Biomedical Science: Concentration in

Biotechnology, and Master of Science in Biomedical Science: Concentration in

Stem Cell Science. Senator Shrivastava yielded the floor to Lily Chen,

Associate Professor, Biology, who described the revisions.

Discussion items and questions included the following:

• One
  
  concentration has a 33-unit minimum; the other concentration has a 30-unit
  
  minimum. Should we be concerned about the difference?

• Page
  
  1, line 22, states that the new program would apply to new students, but
  
  page 9, lines 19-20, states that current students would have to choose one
  
  of the new concentrations. Current students should be allowed to complete
  
  the degree program to which they were admitted.

• The
  
  proposed Bulletin copy states that the written English proficiency “level
  
  one” requirement will be satisfied by passing an essay test “at the
  
  beginning of the first semester’s enrollment,” but there is a movement to
  
  perform the level one assessment prior to a student’s admission to a
  
  graduate program.

• The written
  
  English proficiency requirements are better articulated on page 10; the
  
  proposed Bulletin copy will be revised.

• If
  
  approved, this motion would be a de-facto discontinuance of the existing
  
  MS Biomedical Laboratory Science degree program.

• Has
  
  biology discussed the inclusion of BUS 788 in this program with the
  
  College of Business? The College of Business applauds the inclusion of
  
  this course, but is concerned about the increased enrollment demand.

The speaker’s list was exhausted.

AGENDA ITEM #10— Recommendation from the Curriculum

Review and Approval Committee: Proposed Revisions to the MS in Geographic

Information Science: New Degree for Fast-track Addition to Master Plan, First

Reading

Senator Shrivastava, on behalf of Curriculum Review and Approval

Committee, moved that the Senate approve a “fast-track” proposal to add a new

Master of Science in Geographic Information Science to the master plan and to

approve the degree program. Senator Shrivastava yielded the floor to Ellen

Hines, Associate Professor, Geography and Human Environmental Studies, and

Jerry Davis, Professor, Geography and Human Environmental Studies, who

described the new degree program and student demand for the program.

Discussion items and questions included the following:

• This
  
  request is for approval of the master plan projection, to add the degree
  
  program to SF State’s offerings, and for approval of the degree program’s
  
  curriculum.

• There
  
  is great demand for this new program. President Obama has identified
  
  Geographic Information Science as one of the new growth careers. No other
  
  northern California CSU offers a similar program.

• Contrary
  
  to the statement on page 9, line 171, of the curriculum proposal, neither
  
  TPW 400 nor SCI 560 is a remedial course. Both are inappropriate for the
  
  stated intention of helping students who do not meet level one writing
  
  proficiency.

The speaker’s list was exhausted.

AGENDA ITEM #11— Recommendation from the Student Affairs

Committee: Proposed Revision to the Withdrawal Policy, #S98-196, First Reading.

Senator McCracken, on behalf of Student Affairs Committee,

moved that the Senate approve revisions to the Withdrawal policy, #S98-196.

Discussion items and questions included the following:

• Most
  
  of the proposed revisions are necessary to implement the requirements of
  
  Executive Order 1037.

• Reducing
  
  the drop period to two weeks will decrease the “shopping around” period at
  
  the beginning of each semester, and ensure the maximum use of limited
  
  resources.

• This
  
  policy change should significantly reduce the number of unfilled seats in
  
  classes that result from students dropping a class at the end of the
  
  fourth week, when it’s too late for another student to add the class.

• The
  
  revised Bulletin copy should help students and faculty understand the drop
  
  and withdrawal policy and procedures.

• What
  
  will be the impact of the Labor Day Holiday on Monday-only classes? (cf.
  
  lines 13 and 14)

• Lines
  
  54-56 should be revised to better articulate the restriction on an
  
  instructor-initiated withdrawal if the student has already withdrawn from
  
  the class two times.

• The
  
  Bulletin copy, lines 112-113, does not include the phrase “serious and
  
  compelling”; this omission could send the wrong message to students.

• Students
  
  enrolled in once-a-week and online classes often don’t know about the drop
  
  policy and procedure. Those courses, and other experimental courses,
  
  should have longer drop periods.

• What
  
  will be the impact on courses that have unusual schedules, e.g., courses
  
  that meet only once a month and have their first meeting on September 11?

• The
  
  two-week drop period could have an especially troubling impact on
  
  community service learning courses.

• Section
  
  C should be revised to clarify that not only must the cause for the
  
  withdrawal be beyond the student’s control, it must be something that
  
  happened after the twelfth week.

AGENDA ITEM #12— Recommendation from the Academic

Policies Committee: Proposed Academic Calendar for Summer 2010, First Reading.

Senator Dariotis, on behalf of the Academic Policies

Committee, moved that the Senate approve the Summer 2010 academic calendar.

Senator Holzman moved that the motion be moved to second

reading. The motion passed.

The motion to approve the Summer 2010 academic calendar, now

in second reading, passed.

AGENDA ITEM #13— Recommendation from the Academic

Policies Committee: Proposed Revisions to the Written English Proficiency

Policy, Graduate Writing Requirements, #S07-14, First Reading.

Senator Dariotis, on behalf of the Academic Policies

Committee, moved that the Senate approve revisions to the policy on written

English proficiency, #S07-14, specifically, revisions to the graduate writing

requirements.

Discussion items and questions included the following:

• The
  
  perspective in the policy has been revised from the student to the
  
  program. That is, the program must identify how students will satisfy
  
  level one and level two requirements; the program must develop rubrics for
  
  assessing student proficiency; and, if the program admits students who
  
  have not met the level one requirement, it must develop a support plan to
  
  help those students.

• With
  
  reference to students whose first language is not English: Is a writing
  
  and editing course designed for non-native speakers of English equivalent
  
  to a discipline-specific writing course? (cf. lines 94-97)

• Lines
  
  99-102 should be revised, as you can’t advise someone “with” something.
  
  The policy should explicitly state that if external resources are not
  
  available, the department must provide the resources necessary for the
  
  student to acquire the expected writing skills.

• Can
  
  departments use higher standards than specified in the policy?

The speaker’s list was exhausted.

AGENDA ITEM #14— Recommendation from the Executive

Committee: Proposed Revisions to the Academic Senate Bylaws—Approval of the

Minutes of the Last Meeting of the Outgoing Senate and the First Minutes of the

New Senate, First Reading.

Senator Trautman, on behalf of the Executive Committee,

moved that the Senate approve revisions to the Academic Senate Bylaws,

specifically to authorize the Executive Committee to approve minutes when

Robert’s Rules of Order specify that it is inappropriate for the full Senate to

do so, and to establish the Executive Committee as the Summer Committee.

Senator Holzman moved that the motion be moved to second

reading. The motion passed.

Senate Rehling moved to replace “emergency” with “as needed”

on line 45. The motion failed.

The motion to revise the Bylaws, now in second reading,

passed.

AGENDA ITEM #15— Recommendation from the Executive

Committee: Proposed Academic Senate Meeting Calendar AY 2009-2010, First

Reading.

Senator Levy, on behalf of the Executive Committee, moved

that the Senate approve the proposed Academic Senate meeting calendar for

academic year 2009-2010.

Senator Robertson moved that the motion be moved to second

reading. The motion passed.

The motion to approve the meeting calendar, now in second

reading, passed.

AGENDA ITEM #16— Recommendation from the Executive

Committee: Proposed Resolution Commending Jan Andreasen for Distinguished

Service to the San Francisco State University and the Campus Community, First

Reading

Senator McCracken, on behalf of the Executive Committee,

moved that the Senate approve a resolution commending Jan Andreasen for

Distinguished Service to the San Francisco State University and the Campus

Community.

The resolution was approved by acclamation.

Chair Whalen declared the meeting adjourned at 4:46 p.m.