November 15, 2016

 

ACADEMIC SENATE MEETING

MINUTES

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

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: Amjadi, Taghi (abs); Brown, Elizabeth (abs); de Barro, Jose Acacio (exc); Denetclaw, Wilfred (exc); Gomez, Steven (abs); Summit, Jennifer (exc); Teh, Kwok-Siong (exc); Van Dam, Mary Ann (exc); Shapiro, Jerry (abs); Wong, Les (exc)

 

Visitors: Claude Bartholomew, Brian Beatty, Jane Dewitt, Jason Porth

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• SFSU students Pamela Ortiz and Janet Lopez spoke on behalf of the 550 undocumented students at SFSU and expressed fears for their community since the election.  They ask for support from faculty, staff and administration.  On Dec. 6 they will present a resolution to the Senate calling for support for undocumented students, for the establishment of a student resource center and for SFSU to declare the campus as a sanctuary campus.
• Vice Chair Hackenberg gave an update on the upcoming Faculty Retreat on January 19.  The second deadline for application of submissions is November 21.  There will be three breakout sessions of 70 minutes each and faculty can submit proposals for workshops, affinity groups or related programming for these 70-minute slots.  Faculty can also submit proposals for GIFTS (Good Ideas for Teaching), which are brief presentations that can fit on one sheet of paper and which will be grouped into one 70-minute session.  Questions should be emailed to shackenb@sfsu.edu.
• Chair Carleton on behalf of Jay Ward announced International Week, which starts this week.
• Gilgamesh Jeter (late announcement) invited faculty to the Dec. 1 meeting of the SF State “Alacademics” Wine Club at the Vista Room from 5:30-7:30 pm.  Please register for this event through UCorp: https://commerce.cashnet.com/ucorp?Cname=WINE.

 

AGENDA ITEM #1—Approval of the Minutes for November 1, 2016

• Approved as submitted.

 

AGENDA ITEM #2—Approval of the Agenda for November 15, 2016

• Approved as submitted.

 

AGENDA ITEM #3—Chair’s Report

• Since last Tuesday people want to talk, be heard and be together.  Last Thursday a forum was scheduled for students, faculty and staff.  Students, faculty and staff expressed a full gamut of emotions.  I did not hear a lot of hate.  I did hear expressions of compassion, a need to come together and fears for safety for friends and family.  Students repeatedly expressed that this is SFSU and we are known for our activism and social justice.  We need to do something.  A think tank was proposed by a student and a sign up was endorsed by most present.  After the forum I was filled with pride for our SFSU students.  The forum was engagement with respect and tolerance. Let’s keep this going.

 

AGENDA ITEM #4—Guest: Professor Julie Paulson, Inclusion Program for Students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities [Time certain: 2:20]

• Professor Paulson gave a presentation about a proposal for an inclusion program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.  Slides are posted on the Senate website.  She asks for support for a resolution from the Senate endorsing this effort.

 

AGENDA ITEM #5—Recommendation from the Academic Policy Committee: Proposed revisions to the Course Repeat Policy policy (first reading)

• Sen. Gerber: Moves item and speaks to item. 
• Sen. Hammer:  Clarify number of units?  Sen. Gerber:  Up to 16 units of grade forgiveness.
• Sen. Lewis:  Moves to second reading.  Approved.
• Sen. Hammer:  In favor of the policy.
• Sen. Rosegard:  When would this go into effect?  Sen. Gerber:  It would start Fall, 2017.  Students will be grandfathered into the policy.
• Sen. Steir:  A minority position on the committee was in favor of expunging the lower grade from the record.
• Revisions to the Course Repeat policy were Approved with one No and one Abstain.

 

AGENDA ITEM #6—Recommendation from the Academic Policy Committee: Proposed Resolution in Support of Standardized Time Blocks at SF State University (first reading)

• Sen. Gerber: Moves item and speaks to item.
• Sen. Stier: Moves to second reading.  Approved.
• Sen. Sabee:  The resolved clauses do not specifically address the classroom versus academic space.  Sen. Gerber:  The goal is to use space as effectively as possible and improving class scheduling.
• Sen. Thomas:  How would this work practically?  Sen. Gerber:  This resolution is just asking for support to develop a policy where the details would be worked out.
• Sen. Collins:  Propose an amendment: in line 25 to insert after university..”-in consultation with faculty-“.  Seconded.
• Sen. Howard:  Against the amendment.  Faculty is already being consulted in the development of the policy.  Do not believe this new wording belongs there.
• Sen. Wing:  In favor of the amendment because of courses that do not fall within the standard time blocks.
• Sen. Gerber:  Against the amendment because faculty are already being consulted.
• The amendment is Defeated by a 20-18 vote.
• Sen. Gen:  In favor of the resolution because it places focus on getting students through and not on faculty.
• Sen. Sabee:  Proposes an amendment for line 25 to replace “standard time blocks” with  “standard start times”.  Seconded.
• Sen. Gerber:  Against the amendment. The APC has already looked at this issue. 
• Sen. Stier:  Against the amendment.  Standard time blocks favor the students and not the faculty.
• Sen. Scott:  Against the amendment. Other campuses have made standard time blocks work.  This is ultimately for the students.
• Sen. Rosegard:  Information: the great majority of CSU campuses have standard start times.
• Sen. Howard:  Against the amendment because most campuses have standardization and they make it work.
• Sen. Alvarez:  Against the amendment.  The task at hand is to develop a resolution that will lead to a policy that will in turn deal with these details.
• Sen. Collins:  In favor of the amendment as it moves the language closer to the task force findings.
• The amendment is Defeated.
• The resolution in support of standardized time blocks is Approved with no dissent.

 

AGENDA ITEM #7— Information item from the Curriculum Review and Approval Committee: Draft Discontinuation Checklist 

• Sen. Rosegard moves item and speaks to item.  There are no changes in the policy.  A checklist has been developed to help users through the policy requirements.

 

AGENDA ITEM #8— Election of Board of Appeals and Review (B.O.A.R) Representative (1 faculty rep, 2 year appointment)

Nominee:

1. Jen Mylander, Department of English

• One faculty has withdrawn so Jen Mylander is appointed by acclimation.

 

AGENDA ITEM #9—Guest: Jason Porth, Director of University Corporation [Time Certain: 3:10]

• Jason Porth gave a presentation about the University Corporation.  Slides are posted on the Senate website.

 

AGENDA ITEM #10 —Report from ASCSU Senators

• Sen. Yee-Melichar and Sen. Collins gave a presentation.  Slides are posted on the Senate website.

 

AGENDA ITEM #11—Standing Committee Reports

Academic Policies Committee

• Sen. Gerber:  APC will work on the standardized time block policy.  Upcoming are probation policy revision and work on the perpetual academic calendar policy.

Curriculum Review and Approval Committee

• Sen. Rosegard:  CRAC will continue reviewing and updating policies. Plan to work on the 4 plus 1 concept for SFSU.  We expect curriculum proposals starting next semester.

 Faculty Affairs Committee

• Sen. Sabee:  We continue to work on revisions to the RTP policy.  We will also consider GTA remission and supporting international faculty.

Strategic Issues Committee

• Sen. Mooney:  We learned about budget modeling.  We are working on a resolution regarding quantitative reasoning and a semester end report to the Senate. 

Student Affairs Committee

• Sen. Schwartz: We have finished guidelines for Associated Students.  Next is work on a revision of the academic recognition for experiential learning policy.  We plan to also work on a resolution about supporting a dream resource center and a resolution in support of an inclusion program.  We will give priority to a resolution supporting our undocumented students.   Comments about an inclusion policy are requested as well as feedback using the current experiential learning policy.

 

AGENDA ITEM #12 — Adjournment—no later than 5:00pm

• Adjourned at 4:02 pm.