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Governance Minutes ArchiveNovember 5, 1993
Minutes Commission on Faculty Affairs November 5, 1993 400-D Burruss Hall Present: L. Shumsky, M. Norstedt, F. Pierce, D. Creamer, E. Holford, J. Wolfe, K. Horstman, R. Sumichrest 1. The meeting was called to order at 2:15pm by L. Shumsky. 2. Announcements: Shumsky informed the Commission that the resolution on faculty ethics passed by CFA has been placed on the agenda of the University Council. Shumsky also noted that he has received minutes from the University Library Committee, the EO/AA Committee, and the Communication Resources Committee should CFA members wish to review them. Norstedt asked whether a commission is permitted to collapse two committees reporting to it into one committee. Shumsky replied that it was permissible. 3. Minutes of the October 22 meeting of CFA were approved. 4. The agenda was modified to add a discussion of class attendance policy and then was adopted. 5. Old Business: (a) Class attendance policy was discussed. Shumsky reported on conversations with Bud Brown, Chair of CUSP, and Jim McKenna, Chair of CSA about the resolution sent to them from CFA. A memo from Brown to Shumsky was shared with the Commission in which a variety of opinions were noted with some critical of the "vagueness" of the CFA resolution language. Shumsky also distributed a policy and procedures statement about class attendance of the University Registrar that is different from current policy in the Faculty Handbook. Shumsky asked Wolfe: Which takes priority? Wolfe was not certain, but presumed that the University Registrar policy was the official position of the University. Discussions among CFA members continued in which some of the following arguments were articulated: Students will attend class if the instruction is viewed as crucial to success in the class. Attendance should be rewarded. Attendance policy should be left to faculty to create and enforce. Attendance in class is about more than grades on tests. Current policy is inadequate and inappropriate and should be changed. Serious discussion of class attendance should be held by all faculty and students. The discussions ended when Wolfe agreed to ascertain which policy is thought to be in effect and Shumsky agreed to discuss with CUSP Chair Brown whether a simple word change in current Faculty Handbook policy would be well received in CUSP. (b) Faculty rank for A/P faculty was discussed. Commission members received from Hyer a resolution for changing some sections of the Faculty Handbook to achieve consistency across multiple sections and for specifying certain procedures for implementing the new policy on faculty rank and title. Creamer moved acceptance of the revised CFA Resolution 93B. Pierce seconded. Discussion first centered on the use of language of adjunct status for Library, Extension, and Public Service faculty if invited to serve by an academic department. The discussion soon moved to a larger point by Norstedt that A/P faculty should be "appointed" to an academic faculty when rank is under consideration. The discussion ended when Shumsky appointed Holford, Norstedt, and Creamer to serve on a subcommittee to draft one of three alternatives for consideration by CFA at its next regular meeting. Alternative #1: Leave Hyer's resolution to stand for a vote as currently stated. Alternative #2: Prepare a modified resolution for a Commission vote. Alternative #3: Write two versions of a resolution that can be voted on by the Commission. No vote on the original motion was taken. 6. New Business: None The meeting was adjourned at 4pm. Respectfully submitted, Don G. Creamer
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Last modified on: Tuesday, 25-Sep-2001 13:57:17 EDT