Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Meeting held in Bryant 209
Agenda
- Senator Albritton opened the meeting at 7:00 p.m.
- First order of business: Approve minutes of last meeting
- Moved
- Seconded
- Approved unanimously
- Moved
- Second order of business: Report on Plus/Minus Grading by Dr. Eftink
- Plus/minus grading was approved in 2004
- Tabled ca. 2006
- Revived ca. 2009
- Task force created implementation which was then acted upon
- Results
- A’s, A-‘s, B+’s, B’s, B-‘s slightly decreased
- C+’s, C’s, C-‘s, D’s, F’s slightly increased
- Greater tendency to assign + grades, but more – grades are available
- Percentages over 5 years vary quite a bit; above changes not statistically significant
- Number of students on probation increased by 17-18%
- 5-year data for these is not available
- Number of students with 4.0’s decreased by 20-25%
- 5-year data for these is not available
- C-‘s counting as C’s for prerequisites are cause for some concern
- Same for standards for repeating grades
- Questions
- Question: was the large number of at-risk freshman flooding the school taken into account?
- Dr. Eftink: ACT scores and retention rates were comparable to 2010; there are concerns but data has not borne concerns out
- Question: Wouldn’t a 8% increase in students result in a “natural” increase in lower grades?
- Dr. Eftink: Yes, that is a possibility
- Question: what about D’s? With no D+ or D- have they stayed the same?
- Dr. Eftink: They have been more or less similar, but since D’s and F’s are forgivable and repeatable many of them are results of students ending class participation altogether
- Dr. Stocks: C-‘s are repeatable but not forgivable; D’s and F’s are repeatable and forgivable
- Comment: many numbers are not statistically significant; be careful with data
- Dr. Eftink: That has been taken into account
- Comment: Placement in programs with GPA requirements might also be tracked
- Dr. Eftink: is difficult to do so.
- Plus/minus grading was approved in 2004
- Third order of business: Senate Committee Reports
- Exec. Cmte.
- None
- Acad. Affairs
- None
- Acad. Support
- None
- Finance
- None
- Univ. Services
- None
- Gov’ce
- None
- Exec. Cmte.
- Fourth order of business: Old Business – Tobacco-Free Campus Policy
- Tabled during last meeting; move to untable and discuss
- Moved
- Seconded
- Approved
- Question: Can both smoke-free and tobacco-free pass?
- Smoke-free would be overridden by tobacco-free
- Comment: seems rather draconian
- Comment: Why can’t existing rules be enforced?
- Comment: negates many people’s ways of coping/easing off of their addictions
- Sen. Barnett: Concerns from last discussion reiterated
- Will impact recruitment
- 27% of Mississippi adults smoke
- E-cigarette ban is particular concern
- Sen. Solinger: May affect staff moreso than faculty
- Staff does not have luxury and flexible schedule to get off-campus to smoke
- Sen. Barnett: Anecdotally, facilities staff have expressed concerned
- Comment: Smoke-free campus would be positive recruitment tool
- Question: What would university do to help affected people? Perhaps a set of guidelines would assist.
- Sen. Albritton: Language of resolution pledges support for such efforts, if vaguely, through the health system
- Comment: there is a program through student health currently in existence; medications are no longer free, though faculty/staff/community members are all eligible
- Sen. Albritton: Sponsor has solicited feedback and suggestions
- Sen. Lobur: “Uncompromising nature” of proposal is a concern; perhaps a more gradual implementation is called for
- Comment: Concern over small part that covers cessation program; program may be underfunded, understaffed, or unprepared for consequences
- Sen. Albritton: May be unknowable
- Comment: Do we drive smoking back underground? Smokers doing it in a more unsafe manner or in unapproved areas?
- Comment: perhaps more enforcement is called for
- Sen. Solinger: Campus is big and contained and hemmed-in by traffic; it’s difficult to walk off campus; has an effort even been made to enforce the existing policy?
- Comment: university hasn’t provided reasonable places for smoking; people have to go 150 yards outside to smoke, for instance
- Comment: we seem to be sensitive to smokers, but what about nonsmokers? Those who are smoking are inflicting their health issues on others—is it radical to be healthy?
- ASB Representative: To clarify, ASB was concerned with second-hand smoke; 38 smoking areas exist, and has been a problem for students, and enforcement is difficult
- Sen. Watson: wouldn’t new policy have the same problems?
- ASB rep: Makes reporting of incidents much easier, with no “gray areas”
- Comment: Is public health issue; 15-20% of students smoke and stopping that in college would be a positive public health move
- Comment: Ticketing could be effective, but is not easy issue especially for staff people; reasonable balance should be struck between public health and addiction
- Sen. Albritton: two suggestions:
- Move to a vote on issue tonight
- Have Leslie appear before us in April to explain initiative and speak to questions raised
- Sen. Lobur: Is it possible to draw tobacco away from smoking again?
- Move to vote on issue
- Seconded
- Passed; debate is closed
- Yea on resolution: 18
- Nay on resolution: 21
- Abstentions: 1
- Motion is defeated
- Tabled during last meeting; move to untable and discuss
- Fifth order of business: New business – ASB communication concerning a Green Fund
- Motion to receive report on Green Fund
- Moved
- Seconded
- Approved
- Motion to receive report on Green Fund
- Sixth order of business: New business – Disaster-resistant university program
- Initiated through a FEMA project in 2005
- Would like to invite member of faculty senate to participate in program
- Point of program is mitigation of future natural hazards such as earthquakes, tornadoes, flooding, ice, etc.
- Mitigation examples include:
- Earthquake preparedness (e.g. free-flowing natural gas and seismic gas shutoff valves in 27 buildings)
- Emergency generators for electrical outages
- Mitigation does not include response; that is handled by a different arm of the university
- #1 hazard is tornadoes; a tornado in central campus could do $130 million of damage
- an earthquake could cause $115 million of damage
- Includes things like data backup
- Initiated through a FEMA project in 2005
- Seventh order of business: New business – Dr. Solinger presents on concealed weapons on campus
- Legislation passed recently as rider on fisheries
- Rolls back previous exception to concealed weapons legislation
- Previous exceptions were for courtrooms, schools, and athletic events
- Previous exceptions have been removed; concealed weapons are now permitted in those locations (pursuant to existing laws for training and licensing)
- Will take effect in 2013; conflicts with IHL firearms policy
- IHL attorneys agree that new legislation is not a good idea
- Statement in support of previous policy is forthcoming
- Question: Who is authorized under current rules?
- Campus police, military personnel
- Question: Isn’t this state law and not changeable?
- Could be
- Sen. Reithel: Move to refer to committee
- Question: What could that accomplish?
- Sen. Albritton: it would help answer question
- Seconded
- Question: was the university administration aware of this?
- Sen. Solinger: given how the legislation was packaged, may have been overlooked
- Comment: SOAR meeting has covered issue
- Sen. Albritton: Refer to committee on academic affairs
- Dr. Stocks: IHL does not have authority to set law, but can establish policy
- State has removed criminality of act, but punishment can be rendered at the university level
- Legislation passed recently as rider on fisheries
- Eighth order of business: New business – Communication Sciences and Disorders proposal on cheating and academic dishonesty
- CSD is small but growing program
- Larger classes scattered around campus
- Student complaints in undergraduate classes have been mounting
- Anecdotal or anonymous complaints
- Students using information on Blackboard via cell phone during class
- Students writing information on desks and walls
- CSD faculty is asking for help/guidance on the issue
- Sen. Albritton: inclination is to refer it to Academic Affairs committee
- Moved
- Seconded
- Passed
- CSD is small but growing program
- Ninth order of business: New business – elections for faculty senate upcoming
- Approach chairs for an election in the next two months
- Senator Albritton closed the meeting at 9:00 p.m.