MEMBERS PRESENT:  Borisovets, Cotter, Rabinowitz (Vice Chair), Panayotatos (Chair), Scott, Swalagin (Executive Secretary)

EXCUSED:  Barone, Hirsh, DeRosa, Manhoff

ABSENT:  Rijhsinghani

ALSO ATTENDING:  Blasi (2003-04 Faculty Executive Committee Member), Seneca (Administrative Liaison)

The regular meeting of the University Senate Executive Committee was held on Friday, June 6, 2003 at 1:10 p.m. in the President’s Dining Room, Brower Commons, College Avenue Campus.

1. Call to Order

Chairperson Panayotatos called the meeting to order, welcomed Senator Blasi as 2003-04 Faculty Member of the Executive Committee, and announced that next year’s Executive Committee meetings would be held in the Rutgers Student Center rather than the President’s Dining Room.

2. Secretary's Report

Minutes:  The Minutes of the April 18, 2003 Executive Committee meeting were approved with one change in the Chairperson’s Report.   The Executive Committee approved, on behalf of the 2002-03 Senate, the University Senate Regular Meeting Minutes of May 2, 2003.
Communications:  The following communications were presented by the Secretary, and acted upon as indicated:

• Memorandum (with attachments) from Joseph J. Seneca, dated April 22, 2003, forwarding solicited input on Plus/Minus Grading System.  Text forwarded to Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee co-chairs April 30, 2003.  Noted.
• E-mail from Joseph J. Seneca, dated May 1, 2003 announcing availability of Proposed University Copyright Policy.  Considered below under “Standing Committee Actions.”
• Memorandum from student Senator David Snyder, dated May 6, 2003, proposing a charge on availability of syllabi during add/drop.  Considered below under “Standing Committee Actions.”
• Text of response from Gene Vincenti, Associate Provost, Newark to student and former Senator Rajiv Parikh’s March 10, 2003 e-mail regarding parking problems at Rutgers-Newark.  The Executive Committee considered this issue at its April 18, 2003 meeting, and asked Secretary Swalagin to request further information from Newark Parking.  Considered below under “Standing Committee Actions.”
• E-mail from Thomas DeRosa, dated May 15, 2003, proposing a charge on use of online instructional software.  Considered below under “Standing Committee Actions.”
• E-mail from Senator Craig Oren, ASRA co-chair (not continuing as co-chair next year), directing attention to an AAUP online discussion regarding the Big East Conference and Rutgers’ membership therein.  Former Senator and Senate Chair Kenneth Carlson suggests, in that online posting, that the Senate’s Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions (formerly Athletic Policy) Committee take up this issue.  Considered below under “Standing Committee Actions.”
• E-mail from Bob Eno, Indiana University, dated June 2, 2003, calling for Resolutions Against Expansion of the Atlantic Coast Conference (related to Rutgers’ membership in the Big East Conference).  Considered below under “New Business.”
• E-mail from President Richard McCormick, dated June 5, 2003, to all Rutgers faculty and staff, forwarding “Update on the Proposal to Restructure NJ Higher Education.”  Noted.
• Status Report from Ted Szatrowski, Budget and Finance (B&F) chair, dated June 6, 2003, advising the Executive Committee on the status of various outstanding charges in the B&F Committee.  Considered below under “Review of Outstanding/Pending Charges.

University Vice President for Academic Affairs Seneca delivered the administrative report, which included comments on:  grants, awards, programs, proposals, and other education opportunities; appointment of Richard DeLisi as acting dean of the Graduate School of Education, effective July 1; recent administrative e-mails on restructuring and SARS; state funding and budgetary issues; and settlement of the Communication Workers of America contract.

4. Standing Committee Membership Assignments and Selection of Chairpersons

Standing committee chairships and memberships were presented, discussed, and approved.  Secretary Swalagin will add new Senators to committees during the year based on stated committee preferences and/or the need to balance committee membership as to constituencies and campuses represented.

5. Standing Committee Charges and Reports

Outstanding, Pending Charges:  Outstanding specific committee charges were reviewed, and continued.  A status report on charges and recent activities in the Budget and Finance Committee, submitted that morning by the committee chair, Ted Szatrowski, was also reviewed.

Charge to Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee:  Secretary Swalagin will draft a charge to the Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee (ASRAC) regarding use of electronic applications for admission, based on discussions initiated at the April 18, 2003 Executive Committee meeting.  The draft charge will be circulated to the Executive Committee via e-mail for approval prior to being issued to ASRA.

University Structure and Governance Committee, Joseph Blasi and Kathleen Scott, Co-chairs

Response to Charge S-0107, Review of University Senate Guidelines Regarding Special Student Organizations:  Senator Scott, co-chair of the University Structure and Governance Committee (USGC), summarized her committee’s report on Charge S-0107, Review of University Senate Guidelines Regarding Special Student Organizations.  The report addressed the issues which arose when The Daily Targum requested that it be allowed to repeat an unsuccessful referendum held at Livingston College, noting that it was the determination of the USGC that the guidelines are properly interpreted as allowing referenda to be conducted only every three years, regardless of the outcome.  This determination has been communicated to Targum by Senator Scott, and is not recommended for Senate action at this time.  USGC Co-chairs Scott and Blasi did request extension of the deadline for recommending revisions to the guidelines.  The report is now expected to reach the Executive Committee sometime during the 2003-2004 academic year.

Faculty Affairs and Personnel Committee, Haym Hirsh and Paul Panayotatos, Co-chairs

Response to Charge S-0308, Procedures for Chair Appointments by Deans:  Senator Panayotatos, co-chair of the Faculty Affairs and Personnel Committee (FAPC), summarized his committee’s report on Charge S-0308, Review of Procedures for Chair Appointments by Deans.  The report and its recommendations and resolution will be docketed for action at the September 2003 Senate meeting.

Committee Charges:

Secretary Swalagin will draft and circulate for approval by the Executive Committee a charge to the Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee to review the proposed university copyright policy.  Secretary Swalagin will also consult University Librarian Marianne Gaunt to determine if an October 2003 report deadline would be appropriate.  He will also advise the ASRAC to include Haym Hirsh, Fred Kauffman and Ken Carlson (all faculty who participated in, and/or have background relative to creation of the proposed copyright policy) in the work on this charge.

Secretary Swalagin will draft and circulate for approval by the Executive Committee a charge to the Instruction, Curricula and Advising Committee (ICAC) regarding availability of syllabi during add/drop.  The committee will be asked to report to the Executive Committee by November 2003.

Secretary Swalagin will draft and circulate for approval by the Executive Committee a charge to the Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee (ASRAC) regarding the Big East Conference, and Rutgers’ membership therein.  The charge will be considered preliminary, and will ask the ASRAC to identify critical issues and elements to be considered in a subsequent report.  The committee will be asked to report to the Executive Committee by December 2003.  In a related matter, the Executive Committee approved a proposed resolution e-mailed from Bob Eno, Indiana University, calling for expansion of the Atlantic Coast Conference.  Arlene Walker-Andrews, Rutgers’ representative to the coalition on this issue, will be informed of the Executive Committee’s approval, and will be asked to respond to Dr. Eno.

The Executive Committee considered a charge regarding Rutgers-Newark parking, as drafted by former student Senator Rajiv Parikh.  Noting that the Budget and Finance Committee (BFC) is already considering this issue, which is related to the University’s master plan, it directed that the correspondence on this matter be forwarded to the BFC chair.  No additional charge was issued.

A charge regarding use of online instructional software, drafted by Senator DeRosa, was issued to the Instruction, Curricula and Advising Committee, as follows:

Examine the various types of online instructional software (courseware) being utilized by departments and units at Rutgers.  What are the consequences of using a growing number of different courseware products (sometimes even within an individual course) for faculty, staff and students?  Determine whether Rutgers should decide upon and use a standard courseware product.  Report to Executive Committee by March 2004.

Senators Scott and Blasi, co-chairs of the University Structure and Governance Committee (USGC), requested a formal charge on the restructuring issues and questions currently being considered by the USGC.  Senator Scott will draft a charge and e-mail it to Secretary Swalagin, who will circulate the charge for review by the Executive Committee, and issue it once approved.
 
6. Old Business

A potential charge to committee to review the Knight Express Card Committee Report, which had been carried over from the April 18, 2003 Executive Committee meeting, was considered.  Secretary Swalagin will draft a charge to be issued to the Student Affairs Committee (SAC).  The SAC will be asked to report to the Executive Committee by November 2003.

7. New Business

The only item of new business was the call for cosigning of a resolution against expansion of the Atlantic Coast Conference, which had been covered previously under “Committee Charges.”

8. Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 3:53 p.m. by Chairperson Panayotatos.
 

Kenneth Swalagin
Executive Secretary of the Senate