MEMBERS PRESENT:  Borisovets, Hirsh, Leath, Manhoff, Rabinowitz (Vice Chair), Saniefard, Scott (Chair), Sims, Swalagin (Executive Secretary)

EXCUSED:  Barone

ALSO ATTENDING:  Cotter (New Brunswick Faculty Liaison), Dimond (Student Affairs Committee Co-chair), Iuso (University Registrar), Redd (Graduate Student BOT Representative), Seneca (Administrative Liaison), Wozniak (Undergraduate Student BOT Representative)

The regular meeting of the University Senate Executive Committee was held on Friday, March 15, 2002 at 1:10 p.m. in the President’s Dining Room, Brower Commons, College Avenue Campus.

1.  Chairperson’s Report
Chairperson Scott called the meeting to order.  She thanked Kim Wozniak for walking through the ARC with Chief Murphy of the RUPD.  Senator Wozniak and Chief Murphy will be working on a security policy and procedures for ARC which may be extended elsewhere if successful.  She mentioned that she is working with University Vice President Seneca on the admissions master plan.  She said she has been working with Karen Thompson to develop a method for electing part-time lecturers to the Senate, that she recently took part in a survey for faculty governance, and that the CAPS proposal has been withdrawn.

2. Secretary's Report
Minutes:  The Minutes of the February 15, 2002 Executive Committee meeting were approved as distributed by the Secretary.
Communications:  The following communications were presented and acted upon as noted:

• Memorandum from University Vice President Seneca to Secretary Swalagin, dated February 18, 2002, responding to inquiry regarding University policy on monitoring employee e-mail.  Noted.
• Memoranda to Provosts Samuels and Dennis, and to New Brunswick Deans, from University Vice President Seneca, dated February 28, 2002, regarding Committee to Advance our Common Purposes Curriculum Task Force Recommendations.  Noted.
• Memorandum from President Lawrence to Chairperson Scott, dated March 4, 2002, regarding University Healthcare Insurance for Graduate Students.  Noted.
• Phone conversation with Shirley Everett of UVP Seneca’s office regarding faculty complaint about loss of two Saturday classes during Spring Break.  Noted, and discussed under "Potential Charges."
• E-mail from Thomas DeRosa, Student Senator, to Executive Committee, dated March 8, 2002, requesting Senate action on General Honors Program requirements.  Noted, and discussed under "Potential Charges."

Senate Meetings: September 27, 2002 (President’s State of the University Address); October 18, 2002 (in Newark, Newark Campus Report); November 22, 2002 (Camden Campus Report); January 24, 2003 (New Brunswick Campus Report); February 21, 2003; March 28, 2003; and May 2, 2003.

Executive Committee Meetings: September 13, 2002; October 4, 2002; November 1, 2002; January 10, 2003; February 7, 2003; March 7, 2003; April 18, 2003; and June 6, 2003.

3.  Administrative Report
University Vice President for Academic Affairs Joseph Seneca presented the administrative report, which included comments on: the continuing presidential-search process; a site visit by the Whitaker Foundation, and an anticipated Rutgers request from that foundation for biomedical research funding; upcoming lectures, particularly the Daniel Gorenstein Annual Lecture on April 9, and a Mason Gross Lecture on April 22; and an update on the budget situation and Rutgers response to budget cuts.

University Registrar Kenneth Iuso summarized his report on the recently modified add/drop period.  [http://senate.rutgers.edu/iusoadd.pdf]  Mr. Iuso said that there needs to be a uniform add/drop policy among all of Rutgers’ graduate schools, and suggested that the Senate Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions (ASRA) Committee consult with all graduate schools in addressing a separate add/drop period for graduate students. Secretary Swalagin will transmit Mr. Iuso’s report to the ASRA Committee.

4.  Standing Committee Reports, Potential Charges, and Nominating Panel Selection and Charge

Committee Reports:

Report on Charge S-0201, Evaluation of the NJ Department of Health’s "Get Off Your Butts" Smoking Cessation and Prevention Program, Student Affairs Committee, Michael Dimond and Todd Slawsky, Co-chairs
Senator Dimond presented his committee’s report on Charge S-0201, Evaluation of the NJ Department of Health’s "Get Off Your Butts" Smoking Cessation and Prevention Program.  The committee had been charged with evaluating the program and the advisability of implementing it on all Rutgers campuses, as well as evaluating the appropriateness of banning cigarette sales on Rutgers’ campuses.  The report and its recommendations will be docketed for action on the April 5, 2002 Senate agenda.

Report on Charge S-0202A, Input to Budget and Finance Committee on Charge S-0202 on Evaluation of Parking and Transportation Services, Student Affairs Committee, Michael Dimond and Todd Slawsky, Co-chairs
Senator Dimond presented his committee’s report on Charge S-0202A, Input to Budget and Finance Committee on Charge S-0202 on Evaluation of Parking and Transportation Services.  The report, along with an attached November 1999 report of the Rutgers (not University Senate) Parking and Transportation Committee and the Parking and Transportation Student Advisory Committee, will be transmitted by Secretary Swalagin to the Budget and Finance Committee for consideration during its work on Charge S-0202 on this issue.

Selection and Charge of Nominating Panel for May 2002 Election: A list of possible members for the Nominating Panel was developed.  The Nominating Panel will be responsible for establishing a slate of candidates for 2002-2003 University Senate officers, Executive Committee members, and board representatives, and was so charged.  Secretary Swalagin will poll those identified as potential members for their willingness to serve, and will begin the scheduling process for panel meetings.

Report on Charge S-0102, Review the Proposal to Establish Rutgers University School of Applied and Professional Studies (RU-CAPS), University Structure and Governance Committee, Joseph Blasi and Kathleen Scott, Co-chairs
Chairperson Scott presented her committee’s report on Charge S-0102, Review the Proposal to Establish Rutgers University School of Applied and Professional Studies (RU-CAPS).  She noted that, although the CAPS proposal has been withdrawn due to budget cuts, the committee charge stands, and the report should be part of the permanent Senate record.  The report was placed on the Senate’s April 5 agenda.

Report on Unnumbered Charge from Senate Floor 1/25/02, regarding the Iranian faculty strike, Equal Opportunity Committee, Liza Saniefard and Pheroze Wadia, Co-chairs
Senator Saniefard summarized her committee’s discussion of a charge which originated on the Senate floor at the January 2002 meeting regarding support of an Iranian faculty strike.  The committee had ruled that the issue of a labor dispute does not fall within the purview of the Equal Opportunity Committee, but that their decision did not preclude any of the committees members from gathering information on the matter independently to report to the Executive Committee.  The Senate will be informed of this finding through Vice Chairperson Rabinowitz’s Executive Committee report to the April 2002 Senate.

Potential Charges:

• A charge was considered regarding loss of one Saturday class due to scheduling of Spring Break. (Note: Subsequent research showed that this issue had been previously resolved administratively by increasing the length of Saturday classes to make up for the Saturday session lost during Spring Break.)  Chairperson Scott and Secretary Swalagin will draft a charge to the Instruction, Curriculum and Advising Committee regarding Spring Break and related services, as well as a charge to the Student Affairs Committee regarding closings of housing, dining halls, student centers, computer labs and other facilities/services, and how those closing schedules serve students.

• A potential charge regarding the issue of office cleaners at Rutgers-Newark, raised by nonsenators at the March 2002 Senate meeting, was considered.  Secretary Swalagin will research the Senate’s 1980 policy on collective bargaining, and will report back to the Executive Committee at the April 19 meeting.

• Senator DeRosa’s proposed charge to the Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee regarding General Honors Program requirements was discussed.  The Executive Committee concluded that this is a Rutgers College issue rather than a University-wide one.  Secretary Swalagin will research what action the Senate has taken on honors, and will report back to the Executive Committee at the April 19 meeting.

6.  Senate Meeting Agenda

The following items were docketed for the April 5, 2002 meeting agenda:

• Student Affairs Committee Report on Charge S-0201, Evaluation of the NJ Department of Health’s "Get Off Your Butts" Smoking Cessation and Prevention Program
• University Structure and Governance Committee Report on Charge A-0102, Review of the Proposal to Establish Rutgers University College of Applied and Professional Studies (CAPS)

Kenneth Swalagin
Executive Secretary of the Senate