M I N U T E S
April 18, 2003
MEMBERS PRESENT: Barone, Borisovets, Cotter, DeRosa, Rabinowitz (Vice Chair), Panayotatos (Chair), Scott, Swalagin (Executive Secretary)
EXCUSED: Hirsh
ABSENT: Manhoff, Rijhsinghani
ALSO ATTENDING: McCormick (Administrative Liaison), Pancholy (Undergraduate Student BOT Representative), B. Qualls (presenting Middle States Periodic Review), Redd (Graduate Student BOT Representative), P. Snyder (presenting Middle States Periodic Review), Walker-Andrews (Faculty BOG Representative)
The regular meeting of the University Senate Executive Committee was held on Friday, April 18, 2003 at 1:10 p.m. in the President’s Dining Room, Brower Commons, College Avenue Campus.
1. Call to Order
After calling the meeting to order, Chairperson Panayotatos rearranged the agenda to accommodate some attendees’ schedules. He first called for the Secretary’s Report.
2. Secretary's Report
Minutes: The Minutes of the March 7, 2003 Executive Committee
meeting were approved.
Schedule of 2003-2004 Meetings: The schedule of 2003-2004 University
Senate and Executive Committee minutes was reviewed. Chairperson
Panayotatos requested that two Executive Committee dates be changed.
The changes will be made.
Communications: The following communications were presented
by the Secretary, and acted upon as indicated:
Instruction, Curricula and Advising Committee, Natalie Borisovets, Chair
Report on Charge S-9912, Student Advising: Senator Borisovets, Chair of the Instruction, Curricula and Advising Committee, summarized her committee’s report on Charge S-9912, Student Advising. The committee had been charged as follows: “Review resources currently available for student advising, including those provided by departments, schools or colleges, Career Services and Psychological Services. What types and how many staff/faculty are available for advising? What types of advising are carried out, and by whom (faculty, staff)? How are advisors providing information on course selection, major requirements, post-graduate opportunities? How are advisors receiving their own training? At what stage of their academic careers do students avail themselves of these services? Are electronic media being efficiently utilized to provide advising? Make recommendations for improving academic advising, publicizing its availability, and encouraging students to make better use of these services. This charge should be coordinated with the Academic Services Committee of the New Brunswick Faculty Council, which is currently considering a parallel charge, and units on Camden and Newark campuses, as appropriate.” The report had subsequently been sent back to committee pending receipt of input from the Student Affairs Committee, which had subsequently been received and incorporated. The revised report was docketed for action at the May 2, 2003 Senate meeting.
Report on Restructuring Questions: Senator Borisovets summarized her committee’s report on previously circulated questions on the New Jersey Commission on Health Science, Education and Training’s proposed restructuring of higher education in New Jersey. Secretary Swalagin was asked to transmit the report to Vice President for Institutional Research and Planning Paul Snyder, and to the President’s Advisory Committee on Restructuring.
4. Chairperson’s Report
Chairperson Panayotatos’s report included comments on: scheduleagent.com’s web-published ratings of Rutgers and other professors, and its request to be linked to Rutgers’ online instructional-rating site; and the April 13, 2003 inauguration of President McCormick.
5. Administrative Report
President McCormick delivered the administrative report, which included comments on: his inauguration, the state budget situation, the upcoming Board of Governors tuition hearing, and ongoing discussions of the proposed restructuring of higher education in New Jersey.
6. Request for Senate Review of Periodic Review Report to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Paul Snyder, Vice President for Institutional Research and Planning, and Barry Qualls, Periodic Review Report Oversight Committee Chair, presented and summarized the Periodic Review Report to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The Senate will be asked to look at the report, and submit comments to Institutional Research and Planning.
7. Standing Committee Reports and Charges (Continued)
University Structure and Governance Committee, Joseph Blasi and Kathleen Scott, Co-chairs
Resolution on a Contract with the Governor on Higher Education: Senator Scott summarized her committee’s deliberations and resolution, which listed in general terms what Rutgers and the New Jersey legislature could do to deal with unpredictable funding, and which was based on a University of California document. President McCormick noted that, while the resolution was commendable, he found some of it restrictive at this stage. Chairperson Panayotatos moved to table the resolution, noting that it was well worked-out, but should be kept for a future time. The resolution was tabled. President McCormick offered to meet with the University Structure and Governance Committee to discuss the resolution and the underlying issue.
Report of the 2003-2004 Nominating Panel: The slate of candidates for the May 2, 2003 election of Senate leadership and board representatives was reviewed and finalized.
Student Affairs Committee, Tahirah Cooper and Matthew Ramsay, Co-chairs
Report in Response to Charge S-0302, Student Advising: Neither Senator Cooper nor Senator Ramsay was present at the meeting. The Student Affairs Committee (SAC) had been charged, as follows: “Per University Senate action on November 22, 2002, provide input on the Instruction, Curricula and Advising Committee’s Charge S-9912 on Student Advising, and its report and recommendations. The ICA Committee’s report was sent back to committee for review and revision pending Student Affairs Input.” The report had already been transmitted to the Instruction, Curricula and Advising Committee by Secretary Swalagin. No action was required, nor taken.
Report in Response to Charge S-0213, Textbook Buyback: Senator DeRosa, who had first raised the issue which promulgated this charge, commented on the report. Chairperson Panayotatos suggested that the letters to faculty from the bookstore which were mentioned in the report should state the deadline for book orders, as well as the reason for the deadline. Senator DeRosa offered to move to amend the report accordingly when the item came before the Senate. The report was docketed for action at the May 2, 2003 Senate meeting.
Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee, Craig Oren and Arlene Walker-Andrews, Co-chairs
Senator Walker-Andrews reported that the Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee (ASRAC) had considered the restructuring questions, and had concluded that the plan was not feasible without sufficient funding. She offered to write a paragraph to that effect for the record.
Recommendation to Table Charge S-0106, Minus Grades: The ASRAC’s recommendation to table indefinitely the charge on consideration of adding minus grades to the default University grading system was approved. The ASRAC will present a status report on this and other pending issues at the May 2, 2003 Senate meeting. The report will be for information only, and will not call for action by the Senate.
Proposed (Redrafted) Charge to Equal Opportunity Committee: Senator Pancholy, whose Senate comment had led to consideration of a charge to the Equal Opportunity Committee on the status and numbers of Asian faculty and administrators at Rutgers, withdrew her request for such a charge. No charge was issued.
Proposed Charge to Committee regarding Rutgers-Newark Parking: An e-mail sent by Rajiv Parikh, a student and former Senator, which requested that a charge be issued regarding difficulties with Rutgers-Newark parking, was reviewed. Secretary Swalagin was asked to forward Mr. Parikh’s e-mail to the Newark parking director and ask for responses so that the Executive Committee may better consider issuing a charge. No charge was issued.
Potential Charge to Committee to Review Knight Express Card Committee Report: The Executive Committee moved to postpone consideration of this item until the June 2003 meeting.
Potential Charge to Committee to Review Use of Electronic Applications for Registration: Senator Cotter, noting that she had discussed with Professor Scheinbeim his concerns and e-mail to the Executive Committee on this issue, spoke on this proposed charge. Senator Walker-Andrews volunteered to have ASRAC request more information from Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management Corinne Webb. Secretary Swalagin will forward Professor Scheinbeim’s e-mail to Corinne Webb.
Potential Charge to Committee to Review Rutgers’ E-mail Privacy Policies: Senator Cotter summarized her request for a committee charge to review Rutgers’ e-mail privacy policies. The Faculty Affairs and Personnel Committee was charged, as drafted in Senator Cotter’s e-mail, as follows: “Examine university policies and procedures with respect to the privacy of the e-mail communications and other computer files of members of the university community, and make recommendations for change where appropriate. In particular, address the following questions: What are the current university policy and practices with regard to e-mail privacy? Are current policy and practices appropriate for a university community? How was the current policy formulated, and how has it been communicated and explained to members of the university community? Are there appropriate procedures in place to regulate the examination of e-mail and notify those whose e-mail has been examined?” The report date for the charge was set for February 2004.
8. Senate Meeting Agenda
The following items were docketed for the May 2, 2003 meeting agenda:
There was no old business.
10. New Business
There was no new business.
11. Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 3:50 p.m. by Chairperson Panayotatos.
Kenneth Swalagin
Executive Secretary of the Senate