Senate Executive Committee Minutes, February 2008

RUTGERS UNIVERSITY SENATE
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

M I N U T E S

February 8, 2008

MEMBERS PRESENT: Adam, Becker, Bodnar, Borisovets, Cooke, Cotter, Greenhut, Gould, Leath (Vice Chair), McCall, Puniello, Rabinowitz (Chair), Stein, Swalagin (Executive Secretary)

MEMBERS EXCUSED: Thompson

The regular meeting of the University Senate Executive Committee was held on Friday, February 8, 2008 at 1:10 p.m. in the Executive Board Room of Administrative Services Building-III, Cook Campus.

1. Chairperson’s Report

Senate and Executive Committee Chairperson Samuel Rabinowitz called the meeting to order at 1:17 p.m. He said that all members of the Executive Committee had been invited to participate in a March 11 Middle States reaccreditation session on governance issues. Rabinowitz will serve as host convener of the session. He also spoke briefly about moderating the recent public forum on the stadium expansion.

2. Executive Secretary’s Report

Agenda: The meeting agenda was approved as distributed by the executive secretary.

Minutes: The Minutes of January 11, 2008 Senate Executive Committee meeting were approved as distributed by the executive secretary.

Communications:

Camden Staff Senator Replacement: Executive Secretary Ken Swalagin said that Camden staff Senator Patrick Wallace had resigned from the Senate, saying that he had been unable to attend Senate meetings. Swalagin had asked Camden staff Senator Jose Robinson for suggestions for a replacement for the remainder of Wallace's term, which runs through June 30, 2008. Robinson had suggested Jonathan Muse, and Muse had agreed to accept the position if the Executive Committee agreed. All Executive Committee members present agreed to the replacement, and Senator Muse was placed on the roster.
Special Student Group Concept Plan: Swalagin informed the committee that a concept plan had been submitted for review, preliminary to conducting a funding referendum, by special student organization Collegians for a Constructive Tomorrow. No proof of audits, which are required by the referendum guidelines as part of the concept plan review, had been submitted, but Swalagin said he had informed the group that they were required. There was considerable discussion of the concept plan and the organization, of which little was known by the committee members. Jonathan Becker cited the absence of any action plan by the group, which he said is a serious deficiency. The committee instructed Swalagin to contact Vice President for Student Affairs Gregory Blimling and ask if he can provide any information regarding the background of the organization. Other comments included: the expectation of a local track record for any organization wishing to conduct a referendum; differences between audits of a national organization and its state subunit, and a suggestion that the organization should first be created and audited before being funded through referenda, unless the funds were to go to the national organization; and the need to know how funds that may have gone to this organization through other Rutgers funding mechanisms were used, and inclusion of that information in the concept plan. The Executive Committee adopted a motion to refer the concept plan to the Student Affairs Committee for preliminary review (under the existing referendum guidelines), with the understanding that the formal review could not be completed without the requisite, complete audit information, and to ask Vice President Blimling for any information on the organization and its history at Rutgers or elsewhere.

3. Administrative Report

Neither President McCormick nor Executive Vice President Furmanski was able to attend the meeting. There was no administrative report.

4. Standing Committees

Committee Charges

Student Affairs Committee Review of Collegians for a Constructive Tomorrow Concept Plan: The concept plan discussed under "Secretary's Communications" above will be referred for preliminary discussion to the Student Affairs Committee. A formal charge may be issued when the submission of supporting documentation (e.g., proof of audits) is received from the organization.

Charge Deadline Extensions: The reporting deadline for Budget and Finance Committee (BFC) charge S-0709, on Intercampus Shuttle Service, was extended to April 2008, as requested by BFC Chair Menahem Spiegel. The reporting deadline for Faculty Affairs and Personnel Committee (FAPC) charge S-0705, on Contingent Faculty Proposal, was extended to April 2008, as requested by FAPC Co-chair Ann Gould.

University Structure and Governance Committee (USGC) Charges Update: Ryan Cooke, EC and USGC member, summarized the status of all charges pending in the USGC.

5. Nomination of Faculty for University Copyright Policy Advisory Committee: Linda Schulze, Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs, had requested nominations of six to ten faculty members to serve on the University Copyright Policy Advisory Committee. The committee will "advise the Vice President for Research, as appropriate, on interpretation and enforcement of the [copyright] policy, amendments to this policy, the resolution of disputes on copyright matters including ownership, and other matters." The EC nominated faculty for membership on that committee, and Francoise Puniello will consult her library colleagues and forward additional names to Ken Swalagin, who will forward the full list to Linda Schulze.

6. January 22, 2008 Senate Meeting Agenda

Items for the February Senate meeting agenda. In addition to the regular reports, the following specific items were docketed:

Newark Campus Report - Newark Provost Steven Diner
Introduction of, and comments by Jeannine LaRue, Vice President for Public Affairs
Adoption of Revised Bylaw in University Structure and Governance Committee (USGC) University Structure and Governance Committee (USGC) Report on Charge S-0701, Part-Time and Full-Time Non-Tenure-Track Faculty Role in Shared Governance

7.         Old Business

Martha Cotter updated the committee on the activities of the ad hoc, joint Senate Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee (ASRAC) and McCabe Committee on the academic integrity policy. She said that the joint committee had met, and that EVP Furmanski had requested ASRAC and Senate approval of an interim acdemic integrity policy by the end of this academic year. A committee headed by Mark Schuster and Mary Beth Daisey is currently drafting the interim policy, which will include a portion drafted by Cotter. The draft, when completed, should go to the ad hoc committee, then to ASRAC, then to the Senate. Cotter said extra ASRAC meetings may be required to complete the review, and that the ASRAC will attempt to have a report for the April 2008 Senate meeting, which report is expected to include recommendations on how to set up a committee to refine a permanent policy, with particular attention paid to how to address separable and nonseparable offenses. Jonathan Becker said that the Student Affairs Committee, the Student Caucus, and Camden Law students have discussed the interim policy and agree that it should expire at a stated, specific time rather than being "indefinitely interim."

8.         New Business

There was brief discussion of standards for high and highest honors.

9.         Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 2:58 p.m.

Kenneth Swalagin
Executive Secretary of the University Senate