RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY
UNIVERSITY SENATE

PRESIDING OFFICER: Samuel Rabinowitz, Chairperson

CALL TO ORDER, DETERMINATION OF A QUORUM, AND CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT - Samuel Rabinowitz, Chairperson

Chairperson Rabinowitz called the meeting to order at 1:23 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room of the Rutgers Student Center, College Avenue Campus, New Brunswick. After welcoming all to the "pre-final-exams" Senate meeting, and wishing everyone well on their final exams, he introduced Senator Victor Greenhut as interim parliamentarian. He explained that Senator Greenhut was acting as parliamentarian after the resignation of the prior parliamentarian.

SECRETARY'S REPORT - Kenneth Swalagin, Executive Secretary

• Agenda: The meeting's agenda, including time limits, was approved as distributed by the executive secretary.
• Minutes: The Minutes of October 23, 2009 Senate Meeting were approved as distributed by the executive secretary.

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT - President Richard L. McCormick

President McCormick presented an administrative report, which included comments on topics including:

• his best wishes to all on final exams, and for the upcoming holidays;
• the election of Chris Christie as New Jersey's next governor, and plans and activities to engage the new governor in Rutgers' and higher-education issues;
• the New Jersey and Rutgers budgets;
• completion of a new undergraduate curriculum at Rutgers Newark, the first since 1987;
• research support;
• recent, notable student and academic achievements;
• progress made by the Fellowship Office, which was established at Rutgers in 2007;
• the successful transatlantic crossing of Scarlet Knight RU-27, the first submersible glider to cross the North Atlantic, and the planned December 9 celebration at its arrival site in Spain; and
• accomplishments of Rutgers Against Hunger.

President McCormick then responded to questions or comments on subjects including:

• plans for Rutgers' interaction with the incoming governor;
• Rutgers' alma mater, which is not gender-neutral;
• status of the debt service on the football stadium expansion;
• efforts to change the practice of deregistering students who haven't paid their tuition by about one week before the start of the semester;
• problems some returning military-veteran students are encountering with frozen IDs; and
• the location of the Fellowship Office.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

University Structure and Governance Committee REVISED Response to Charge S-0805, Senate Representation by Full-time, Non-tenure-track Faculty -  Peter Gillett and Jon Oliver, Co-chairs
Chairperson Rabinowitz explained that the recommendations in this report include a change to Senate Bylaws/University Regulations. In accordance with established parliamentary procedure, this report was introduced at this meeting, but would not be up for adoption until the January 29, 2010 meeting. Senator Gillett, co-chair of the Senate's University Structure and Governance Committee (USGC), summarized his committee's report, and explained that the recommendations contained therein would be discussed separately.

• On Recommendation 1, Gillett explained that the USGC had accepted a friendly amendment to change "on a part-time basis" to "at least a calendar or academic year," and that that change had already been made.
• On Recommendation 2, Senator Karen Thompson moved to delete "full-time" so that part-time lecturers were not excluded or disadvantaged. The amendment was discussed, and adopted by the Senate.
• On Recommendation 3, Senator Thompson moved to differentiate between term lengths of part-time lecturers, who are appointed by the semester, and those of annual-appointee faculty. Thompson moved to amend Recommendation 3 to provide one-year terms for part-time lecturers instead of the originally proposed two-year terms. The motion was seconded, discussed, and adopted on card vote with 42 in favor, 41 opposed, and 3 abstentions.

COMMITTEE-OF-THE-WHOLE DISCUSSION

Academic Integrity Policy: Martha Cotter, co-chair of the Senate's Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee, moved the Senate into committee of the whole. The motion was seconded, and adopted. Cotter then led a committee-of-the-whole discussion on the Draft Academic Integrity Policy. Senators had been asked to review, print, and bring with them to the meeting the following documents relating to this planned discussion:

• Latest Draft of the Academic Integrity Policy
• Appendix B of the Policy
• List of Questions (for Senators to consider in preparation for the discussion)

Following discussion, which was based on the List of Questions linked above (which was also distributed in hardcopy at the meeting), Senator Panayotatos successfully moved that the Senate rise from committee of the whole at 3:05 p.m.

OLD BUSINESS: There was no old business.

NEW BUSINESS: Senator Markowitz moved a resolution honoring the achievements of Dean Mary Hartman, whose retirement celebration had been held the previous day. Markowitz's motion advancing the resolution was seconded, and adopted by the Senate's unanimous acclaim.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE REPORT: Vice Chairperson Paul Leath reported on the November 6, 2009 Senate Executive Committee meeting.

REPORTS OF REPRESENTATIVES TO BOARDS OF GOVERNORS AND TRUSTEES: Senator Cotter, Faculty Representative to the Board of Governors, reported on the previous day's Board of Governors meeting. Senator Menahem Spiegel, Faculty Representative to the Board of Trustees, reported on the October 29 Board of Trustees meeting. 

CAMPUS FACULTY LIAISON REPORTS: Senator Robert Wilson, chair of the New Brunswick Faculty Council, reported on that group's plans and recent activities.

ADJOURNMENT: The meeting adjourned at 3:16 p.m.


Kenneth Swalagin
Executive Secretary of the University Senate