Minutes of the May 4, 1999 Meeting

Donor Room, Stuart Siegel Center     DRAFT

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1. President Terry Oggel called the meeting to order at 4:05.  The minutes of the April meeting were approved as distributed and posted. The agenda was circulated and read.
2. Oggel welcomed Provost Grace Harris to the meeting and announced the appointment of Dr. Roderick McDavis as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. The Senate Executive Committee will meet with the Provost when he returns to campus.
3. Dennis O'Toole gave the annual report of the Intercollegiate Athletic Advisory Council to the Faculty Senate. He thanked the Senate for its assistance in the NCAA Certification process, which has been completed. The NCAA response is expected in September. The Council is charged with recommending policy changes to the Athletic Department, and O'Toole encouraged senators to contact him or other Council members with any concerns they have.
4. Ardyth Lohuis, for the Credentials and Rules Committee, presented the proposed changes in the Standing Rules and Leadership Guidelines of the Faculty Senate. The changes were adopted by voice vote without dissent. The Standing Rules as well as the Bylaws of the Faculty are available on the Senate's website.
5. Earle Coleman, for the Student Affairs Committee, presented proposed changes to the Guidelines for dealing with Disruptive Students. The changes constitute addition of a subsection 6 to section B of the present guidelines, explaining how the Interim Suspension procedure can be used to remove a seriously disruptive student from a class. The proposal had been discussed earlier in the year at Senate meetings. After some additional discussion the change, reproduced below,  was approved by voice vote without dissent.
6. Sue Brilliant, for the Committee on Academic and Professional Status, responded to the report of the  Provost's Task Force on Evaluation and Reward of Public [Professional] Service and Community Outreach, which had been distributed to the Faculty for comment. She pointed out several confusing aspects of the document, including whether "public service" was considered to be a new evaluative category, on a par with "research", or a subset of the existing "service"  category that is part of our present evaluation process.  Provost Harris explained that she sees the report as part of an ongoing process which will continue into next year, not an expression of new policy. She welcomed input that will contribute to the rewriting of the document and urged the Senate and other faculty to communicate their concerns to Dean Stephen Gottfredson, Chair of the Task Force. On behalf of the committee Brilliant proposed the following motion, which passed by voice vote without dissent:
•  While the Faculty Senate applauds the effort to highlight the role of public service and affirm its importance, it finds that the Report of the Task Force on Evaluation and Reward of Professional Service and Community Outreach is flawed in several fundamental ways and should not be used as a basis for making changes to existing policy documents.
The more detailed Senate response is available: click here.
7. Dan Ream presented the report of the Academic Support Services Committee on the library's funding needs, which had been mailed out to senators. On behalf of the committee he made the following motion:
• Beginning with specific funding needs identified in the University Library Services Strategic Plan, the Faculty Senate strongly urges the university administration to make supplemental VCU Library funding a legislative priority in the year 2000 legislative session and that the VCU administration work with the Office for Information Technology, University Library Services administration and representatives of the Faculty Senate to develop a 5 year plan that will move VCU's Library to the median status in budget, salaries and collections of its peer institution libraries by 2005.
John Mahoney, on behalf of the Faculty Council of the College of Humanities and Sciences, moved that the resolution be amended to replace the phrase "VCU's Library" by "VCU's Academic and Medical libraries, as separate entities". After some discussion pro and con Neil Henry moved that the amendment be amended to read "the Academic and  Medical Libraries of Virginia Commonwealth University". The amendment passed and the following resolution was approved by voice vote without dissent:
• Beginning with specific funding needs identified in the University Library Services Strategic Plan, the Faculty Senate strongly urges the university administration to make supplemental VCU Library funding a legislative priority in the year 2000 legislative session and that the VCU administration work with the Office for Information Technology, University Library Services administration and representatives of the Faculty Senate to develop a 5 year plan that will move the Academic and Medical Libraries of Virginia Commonwealth University to the median status in budget, salaries and collections of its peer institution libraries by 2005.
8. Kathy Cauley presented the draft report of the Task Force for Year-Round Academic Programs. She reported that the survey of Academic Campus faculty had shown some support for flexible appointments that would replace teaching in the fall or spring semesters by summer teaching, and the addition of a full-length summer session to the present mix of shorter length classes. She asked senators to send her their reactions to the report, which will be finalized by the task force in the near future.
9. Sue Brilliant moved the following resolution on the forced conversion of nine-month faculty to a 24 pay schedule:
• The Faculty Senate is deeply disappointed in the administration's decision to force all 9-month faculty to the 24-pay plan. While many faculty have chosen the 24-pay option in the past, all will now be forced to receive their compensation according to this plan. The cost of administrative efficiencies achieved is unfairly borne by the faculty through loss of time-value and access to monies earned. We believe that this action is unethical and that it violates theme IV in the University's Strategic Plan ("The University will provide an environment for working and learning that attracts, retains, and supports outstanding, diverse, and dedicated staff, administrators, and faculty.") We are also concerned about the process that resulted in this decision. The faculty were not consulted or even informed that the course of action was under consideration before the decision was reached.
Blue Wooldridge moved to amend the resolution by deleting the last two sentences and the phrase "is unethical and that it" . The amendment passed by voice vote. The resolution was approved as amended:
• The Faculty Senate is deeply disappointed in the administration's decision to force all 9-month faculty to the 24-pay plan. While many faculty have chosen the 24-pay option in the past, all will now be forced to receive their compensation according to this plan. The cost of administrative efficiencies achieved is unfairly borne by the faculty through loss of time-value and access to monies earned. We believe that this action violates theme IV in the University's Strategic Plan ("The University will provide an environment for working and learning that attracts, retains, and supports outstanding, diverse, and dedicated staff, administrators, and faculty.")
10. Terry Oggel recognized retiring senators, officers and committee chairs, who received a round of applause for their efforts on behalf of the faculty and the University.
11. Presidents of the Faculty Senate who had served during Grace Harris' tenure as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs presented her with a certificate of appreciation, which is reproduced below.
12. Provost Grace Harris thanked the Faculty Senate for its support and briefly pointed out some of the work that remains to be done in the next year. Task Forces working to implement aspects of the Strategic Plan will continue to make reports. In addition to the Public Service and Community Outreach task force discussed in this meeting, the reports on Teaching Evaluation and OIT/ULS will need to be reviewed and refined next year. The excellent faculty input to the Executive Budget Committee must continue, as we work together to avoid internal budget reallocations that hinder the academic mission. Increased merit scholarship support throughout the University is something she believes is vital to the growth of the University's reputation.
13. Incoming Senate President Wes Poynor presented a plaque to Terry Oggel in recognition of his service to the faculty.
14. The meeting was adjourned at 5:40 pm.

Proposed Addition to Section B of the "Guidelines for Faculty Members Regarding Student Conduct in the Classroom", approved by the Faculty Senate May 4, 1999

a. The faculty member should contact the Dean of Student Affairs of the appropriate campus to request the immediate Interim Suspension from the class where the student has been disruptive. All evidence and documentation for the request must be presented at that time, whenever possible to include supporting statements from other students in the class or impartial observers of the offending behavior.
b. The Dean of Student Affairs of the appropriate campus will determine whether the Interim Suspension from the class is warranted.
c. If a decision is made to implement Interim Suspension from the class, the student will be informed in writing by the Dean of Student Affairs of the appropriate campus and will be prohibited from further attendance until a hearing can be conducted.
d. The Dean of Student Affairs of the appropriate campus will schedule a meeting of the University Hearing Board within five days, excluding weekends and Official University holidays, to determine whether the Interim Suspension from the class should be made permanent or be discontinued. Such hearing will be conducted within the guidelines contained in sections V.F and V.G of the Rules and Procedures. If the Interim Suspension is discontinued, the student shall be allowed to return to the class and the absences shall not be counted against the instructor's attendance policy. The Hearing Board shall decide whether the student should be permitted to make up all coursework, quizzes, or exams.
e. If the suspension is upheld, the student will be ineligible to return to the class and may be subject to other penalties assigned by the Hearing Board. A mark of "W" will be entered on the student's transcript for students who are suspended before the last date for Withdrawal with a mark of "W." For suspensions after that date, the faculty member will assign a grade based on an evaluation of the student's performance in all of the requirements for the course. There will be no refund of tuition for students who are permanently suspended from a class as a result of this procedure.

WE, THE FACULTY SENATE OF VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY, COMMEND GRACE E. HARRIS, Ph.D. FOR HER UNSWERVING COMMITMENT TO INTEGRATING THE FACULTY SENATE INTO THE GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE OF THIS UNIVERSITY.

SHE CONSISTENTLY ENGAGED THE FACULTY SENATE IN CRITICAL ISSUES AND NEGOTIATED AGREEMENTS THAT ENHANCED THE ACADEMIC MISSION OF THE UNIVERSITY AND BENEFITED ALL MEMBERS OF ITS COMMUNITY.

SHE WORKED TIRELESSLY TO ADVOCATE POLICIES THAT STRENGTHENED THIS UNIVERSITY AS A HOME FOR THE FACULTY.

AS PROVOST, DR. HARRIS CONDUCTED HERSELF WITH POISE AND DIGNITY. SHE HAS PERSONIFIED THE FINEST IN HUMAN VALUES AND IS ADMIRED BY ALL THAT KNOW HER.

SIGNED MAY 4, 1999 BY THE PRESIDENTS OF THE FACULTY SENATE WHO SERVED DURING DR. HARRIS’S TENURE AS PROVOST AND VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS:

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L. Terry Oggel         1997-1998, 1998-1999

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Stanley R. Strong    1995-1996, 1996-1997

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Albert T. Sneden      1994-1995

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Mary Snyder Shall   1993-1994

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Joseph P. Chinnici   1992-1993

Neil W. Henry, Secretary
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