April 4, 2017

ACADEMIC SENATE MEETING

MINUTES

Tuesday, April 4, 2017

SEVEN HILLS CONFERENCE CENTER

NOB HILL ROOM

2:00 – 5:00 p.m.

 

 

OPEN FLOOR PERIOD:  2:00 - 2:10 p.m.

The Open Floor Period provides an informal opportunity for campus community members to raise questions or make comments directed to Senate officers or to university administrators.  Please arrive promptly at 2:00 p.m.

CALL TO ORDER: 2:10 p.m.

ATTENDANCE:

Absences: Alvarez, Alvin (exc); Amjadi, Taghi (abs); Castillo, Karla (exc); Celoria, Davide (exc); Dariotis, Wei Ming (exc); Gomez, Steven (abs); Hammer, Mike (exc); Howard, Pamela (exc); Kakar, Venoo (abs); Konopka, Ethel (exc); Kwan, Kwong-Liem (abs); Mitchell, Marilyn (exc); Reyes, Belinda (exc); Skonieczny, Amy (exc); Sanders, Alison (abs); Shapiro, Jerry (abs); Les Wong (exc); Wong, Yutian (exc); Yu, Betty (abs)

 

Visitors: Sacha Bunge

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

·         Senator Mayes:  The Library software will be changed in June.  The use of catalog software will cease and Ex Libris software will be adopted.  All CSU campuses will use the new software.  A link introducing the new system together with a qualtrics survey will be distributed.  Feedback from faculty, staff and students is welcomed.

·         Senator Gerber:  The Foundations of Excellence project will launch a faculty and staff survey next Monday April 10 which will be open for 3 weeks.  Responses to this survey are crucial to the success of the Foundations of Excellence project.

·         Senator Rosegard:  A Survey on Student Engagement was sent from the Provost’s office. Please take the time to complete it.

·         Senator Collins:  ICUS met yesterday with legislators and lobbyists in Sacramento.  Faculty diversity, student mental health and communication were general topics for collaboration.  The rationales behind these three areas of collaboration are facilitating faculty hiring, student success and transfer protocols.

·         Senator Williams:  Health Promotion and Wellness is announcing a paid internship program and a volunteer internships for students.   

·         Senator Summit as Provost Summit:  On Thursday Aptil 6 the Mayor of Jerusalem is scheduled for a visit at 10:00 at 7 Hills Conference Center. Concerns have been heard from both students and faculty.  The context is that the Mayor of Jerusalem was invited here last year but the visit was disrupted and not carried out.  President Wong invited him back and he is coming on Thursday.  While the invitation was outstanding for one year the campus leadership learned about it only 6 days ago.  Leadership is working hard to insure a successful event but on extremely short notice.  Protection of free speech and safety are paramount in the planning for the visit. Ticketing has been closed and the event will not be live streamed or videotaped.

·          

AGENDA ITEM #1—Approval of the Minutes for March 7, 2017

·         Approved as submitted.

 

AGENDA ITEM #2—Approval of the Agenda for April 4, 2017

·         Approved as submitted.

 

AGENDA ITEM #3—Chair’s Report

·         A Workshop for Open Dialog has been organized for the campus.  This has been announced in the Campus Memo.

 

AGENDA ITEM #4—Report:  AVP of Research and Sponsored Projects Scott  

·         Dr. Michael Scott gave a report.  Slides are on the Senate website.

 

AGENDA ITEM #5—Recommendation from the Executive Committee: Proposed policy on Collaboration on Consistency in Policy Language and Policy Implementation (first reading)

·         Senator Carleton moved the item.  Spoke to the item.

·         Senator Lewis moved to second reading.  Seconded. Approved.

·         Vote on the proposed policy. Approved with one abstention.

 

AGENDA ITEM #6 —Recommendation from the Academic Policies Committee: Proposed policy on Academic Probation and Disqualification (first reading)

·         Senator Gerber moved the item.  Spoke to the item.

·         Senator Mayes:  In Line 22 “re mandatory advising..”  Will this policy increase the burden on advisors?  Senator Gerber:  It may.

·         Senator Mayes:  Has this gone through graduate council? Senator Gerber: Yes.

·         Senator Way:   Undergraduate studies and advising have both been consulted.

·         Senator Thomas:  Is it possible for a student on probation to stay for the entire 4 years? Senator  Gerber: No.

·         Senator Passion:  Typo in Line 48.   Students can graduate through Academic Renewal.

·         Senator Tanner:  Lines 33 and others regarding  how students will be notified through the university:  research suggests how drafting of these announcements makes a significant difference. 

·         Senator Toporic:  Have academic advisors been consulted?  Senator Gerber: Yes they have been involved all the way through.

·         Senator Passion:  Not clear that students understand what disqualified means.  Can this be explained earlier to incentivize students?

·         Senator Rosegard:  Moved to second reading.  Seconded.  Approved.

·         Vote on the proposed policy.  Approved unanimously.

 

AGENDA ITEM #7 —Recommendation from the Educational Policies Council: Proposed policy on the Use of Standardized Time Blocks in Course Scheduling (first reading)

·         Senator Gerber moved the item.  Spoke to the item.

·         Senator Rohrman:  In the performing arts there are conflicts with this proposed policy.  If these time blocks go into effect time to graduation for our students would increase not decrease.

·         Senator Thomas :  Concern with start and ending times with traffic and with safety.

·         Senator Collins:  Might it be possible to consider revisiting the policy every three years?  Is there a rationale for starting on the hour versus 10 minutes after?  Senator Rosegard: 19 CSUs have start times on the hour.

·         Senator Brown:  Concern re footnote #2 that excludes any department who do not own their own space from the 3 hour time blocks in the morning. Senator Gerber:  This comes from Academic Resources and their concern about utilizing the large lecture halls.

·         Senator Gen:  For the downtown campus community the time between classes needs to be at least an hour.  Need an accommodation for these students.  Hybrid courses have implications of usage of space and time blocks.

·         Vice Chair Hackenberg:  What is the rationale for Footnote #1?  Senator Gerber:  Flexibility is needed for large lecture halls and Friday classes.  

·         Senator Mayes:  The Library sees no problem with these standardized time blocks.

·         Senator Toporic: Is it possible for a department that has 3 hour classes to be creative with the standard time blocks?  Senator Gerber:  There is a provision to apply for a waiver for these regulations. 

·         Senator Wilson:  Echo concern re hybrid courses.  The number of hybrid courses is growing fast. Need more flexibility for this.

·         Chair Carleton:  This item is referred back to EPC for more work. Written comments should be addressed to Senators Gerber and Rosegard.

 

AGENDA ITEM #8—Standing Committee Reports

Faculty Affairs Committee

·         Continuing work on sabbatical and other leaves with pay and appeal process policy.

Academic Policies Committee

·         Continuing work with EPC on Standard Time Blocks. Also will work on an Academic calendar policy.

Curriculum Review and Approval Committee

·         Looking at a field trip and student internship policies after Executive orders 1062 and 1064 .  New Executive Order 1100 will require changes to the GE requirements.

Student Affairs Committee

·         Continue to gather information to improve our campus pride rating.  Revising the experiential learning policy.

Strategic Issues Committee

·         Continue work on budget transparency report.

 

AGENDA ITEM #9— Adjournment—no later than 5:00pm

·         Adjourned at 3:50 pm.