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Governance Minutes ArchiveNovember 14, 1989
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Faculty Senate 14 November 1989 32 Pamplin Hall 7:30 p.m. Present: Senators Arnold, Barker, Baumgartner, Beyer, Birch, Hess (alternate for Bunce), Canestaro, Conn, Crittenden, de Wolf, Dudley, Dugger, Duke, Eng, Etgen, Farkas, Geller, Geyer, Goss, Hillison, Falkingham (alternate for Kingston), Metz (alternate for Kriz), Marriott, Morrill, O'Neil, Polan, Salvaggio, Saunders, Scanlon, Snoke, Sorrentino, Thompson, Ventre, Walker, Webster, Wokutch. Absent: Senators Batie, Eiss, McDaniels, Neilsen. Visitors: Mr. Bill Kuster (Graduate Student Assembly), Ms. Susan Truelove (Spectrum), Ms. Carol Dallman (University Staff Concerns Advisory Committee), John Hess (Agriculture Faculty Association), Associate Dean Rita Purdy (Human Resources). 1. Announcements President Scanlon called the meeting to order at 7:32 p.m. and welcomed guests. a. Executive officers or Senate President has met with the following during the past month: 1. Student Government Association Officers to discuss advising and the course evaluation booklet the students are proposing. 2. Janine Hiller concerning faculty support for the Honor System. 3. Commission on Research concerning a policy for misconduct in research which must be done at the request of NIH. 4. The Board of Visitors. Among the business transacted was a University Smoking Policy, discussion of the European Study Center, an update on the Hotel Roanoke, discussion of affiliation agreements for university related corporations, and delivery of a stirring address by Past Senate President Conn. 5. In September there was a meeting with Dr. Carlisle and Dean Steger about the Lugano Center. Questions were raised about the context in which the building would be used and whether Europe only would be our focus or would we focus on other international areas. President McComas has reported progress on the "Peer Group" list. Senator Larry Nielsen has resigned. Mike Jones is the new Police Chief. He has been very considerate of faculty issues. 2. Program Dr. Fred Carlisle, Senior Vice President and Provost and Mr. Minnis Ridenour, Executive Vice President and Chief Business Officer, discussed the acquisition of the Hotel Roanoke. Dr. Carlisle first discussed the mission of the land grant university and suggested how the idea of the "expanded university" has grown in recent years. Such an institution might address management training, urban studies, health affairs, environmental issues and so forth. The acquisition of the Hotel Roanoke could assist the university in this arena. Currently, John Perry is heading a committee to define the use of the Hotel, particularly in the areas of business, engineering and agriculture. He stated that the Hotel Roanoke will offer a significant opportunity for us to do more in graduate and professional education, continuing education, conferences, and meetings. Mr. Ridenour explained that about two years ago the City of Roanoke asked how we might increase conference offerings in Roanoke. He stated that we would work with the city if they would provide a facility. At first the city provided a facility for the graduate program which is booked solid. We were then approached for help with a convention center. The only way it would succeed was if it were connected with a major hotel. The Hotel Roanoke did not express an interest in upgrading the hotel but was interested in gifting the hotel to the city or the University. Mr. Ridenour stated that there were no contingencies placed on the hotel nor have we spent money on the hotel. We are trying to attract a major chain to renovate it. They would operate the hotel and the University would be involved in the conference center to develop our public service mission. This mission would be enhanced by the hotel. He underscored that university funds could not be used for the project. Private money will be used for the transition. The hotel will be an auxiliary and must be self-supporting. The university can make money on the educational programs it offers. For example, the University of Georgia and the University of Tennessee each do $12 million in conferences as compared to $1.9 million at Virginia Tech. 3. Agenda The agenda was adopted with the addition of a report from the Task Force on Advising and a report from the Commencement Committee. 4. Minutes The minutes of the Faculty Senate meeting of October 10, 1989 were approved. The minutes of the Faculty Senate Cabinet meeting of November 3, 1989 were accepted. Senator Conn noted that Dale Oliver and Jim Owen also attended the Faculty Senate of Virginia meeting. 5. Council, Commission, and Committee Reports UNIVERSITY COUNCIL-Senator Scanlon-16 Oct 89 Program was as advertised. Announcements: (1) Woodrow Wilson College is still an on-going possibility. University of Virginia is still interested and their announcement was distributed. (2) The work to improve our benchmark schools was described. We suggested benchmark schools with research budgets in excess of $50 million, in excess of 4% of graduates at the doctorate level, a comparable discipline mix, and a designated research library. The dogfight started there. (3) The extension search and reporting process for the director of cooperative extension was described with questions asked about the extracollegiate faculty place in colleges, etc. COMMISSION ON EXTENSION-Senator Marriott-7 Nov 89 The Commission was informed that the announcement for the Extension Director has been distributed, Provost Carlisle will meet with the Commission on January 9 instead of during December, and that the December meeting date has been changed to December 12, 1989. Norman Marriott reported that he was scheduled to, as Chairman of the Subcommittee for Evaluation of the potential of an Academy of Extension and Public Service Excellence, meet with the Commission on Faculty Affairs on November 17 to answer questions and provide any needed clarification regarding this issue. The commission on Extension has sent a proposal regarding this Academy to the commission on Faculty Affairs as a friendly gesture for their review and recommendations. After this report, the Commission voted to change the name of the proposed academy to be evaluated to the Academy of Public Service Excellence. This change was made because of the recently announced plans for reorganization of the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service. Douglas McAlister gave a report on the survey results and the recommendations of the Committee that studied the reward structure for public service. The committee conducted 32 hearings and surveyed 84 institutions. A summary of the report was given to the Commission membership which included an analysis of the results and 18 recommendations. Bernard LaBerge gave a report from the Committee on Renaming and Restructuring the Commission on Extension. Action on this report was tabled until Provost Carlisle meets with the commission in January. COMMISSION ON FACULTY AFFAIRS-Senator de Wolf-20 Oct and 3 Nov 89 Discussion of the merits of student evaluations of teaching carried over from one to the next meeting. With an extension to evaluation of teaching in general, it was decided to accept the recommendations of the March 1989 Final Report of the ad hoc committee on this subject, and to forward those recommendations to the Provost's office. The Committee decided not to recommend salary adjustments through cost-of-living raises, as the low percentage of small raises did not provide any pressing reason to do so. CFA Resolution 88-89F was forwarded for second reading to University Council. The resolution expresses the desire of the Reconciliation committee for confidential cooperation from all members of the university community, and words to that effect are to be added to the Faculty Handbook. Former Senate President W. David Conn expressed his views on the possibility of limiting the number of (journal) publications to be submitted for tenure/promotion review. Opinions vary widely although there is sentiment in favor of this idea, as was also shown by a survey of queries about this matter in the College of Engineering. The Commission felt it would be wise to proceed slowly. Some debate about the general situation of employee benefits led to the recommendation that there be more interaction with the Employee Benefits Committee. The question of Faculty expectations--what does faculty need for support of its functions; how does student perception of faculty affect performance, etc.--was broached. COMMISSION ON GRADUATE STUDIES-Senator Snoke-1 Nov 89 Nothing to report at this time. COMMISSION ON RESEARCH-Senator Arnold-11 Oct and 8 Nov 89 The major topic at both meetings was the new NIH rule on misconduct in science published in the Federal Register in late September and applicable as of November 8. The NIH rule establishes a definition of misconduct, requires a two step procedure for inquiry and investigation, and a reporting requirement. At the behest of Senator Geller concerning DHHS certification, Dr. Stout commented that the Office of Protection of Research Risks at NIH advised him that without a medical school seeking broad assurance, certification is not warranted. Tom Hurd was appointed Director of the Office of Sponsored Programs. Finally, thanks to the effort of Dorothy Richardson, posthumously her Sponsored Programs Handbook has been printed. You may order a copy of the manual through the mainframe by entering the commands LDISK MOP, and then MANUAL. COMMISSION ON STUDENT AFFAIRS-Senator Hillison-2 Nov 89 The Commission approved revised Budget Board guidelines and constitution. CSA voted to extend membership to the Chief Justice of the Honor System. The latter will go to the University Council for approval or disapproval. COMMISSION ON UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES-Senator Salvaggio-13 Nov 89 A policy memorandum was approved stating that "checklists" will be submitted to the same review processes as curriculum changes. Various "wording" changes in the section of the Faculty Handbook on "Syllabus and Performance Expectation" were discussed. Finally, arguments--pro and con-- were heard about issuing mid-term grades. This issue is being referred to Faculty Senate, and will be on our agenda at the December meeting. ATHLETIC COMMITTEE-Senator Nielsen-No report BUILDING COMMITTEE-Senator Kingston-No meeting COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK COMMITTEE-Senator Nielsen COMPUTER COMMITTEE-Senator Birch-1 Nov 89 The meeting included several brief reports; one from the Computing Center concerning some personnel changes and, in addition, progress reports from the various subcommittees. The meeting concluded with a tour of the new Computing Center facility. EMPLOYEE BENEFITS COMMITTEE-Senator Thompson-No meeting EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION- INTELLECTUAL PROPERTIES COMMITTEE-Senator Dudley Approved five additional requests for patents. LIBRARY COMMITTEE-Senator Duke-1 Nov 89 A "Branch Library Policy" statement was approved. The University Libraries "Newspaper Policy" was reaffirmed. Issues of concern were suggested for consideration at future meetings. SCHOLARSHIP AND STUDENT AID COMMITTEE-Senator Kingston-No meeting SELF-STUDY MONITORING COMMITTEE-Senator Arnold-No meeting SUPPLEMENTAL GRANTS COMMITTEE-Senator Barker-No meeting PARKING/TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE-Senator Polan TASK FORCE ON ADVISING-Senator Etgen The charges to the Task Force were (1) to determine if there are undergraduate advising problems at Virginia Tech, and (2) if so, to identify where these problems exist. The Task Force reviewed reports of committees who previously studied undergraduate advising (C.U.S. 1985 and 1983) and summarized questions on advising from the pre-graduation interview reports for the 1986, 1987, and 1988 graduating seniors and the 1988 alumni surveys. Newly created departments and those with a small number of graduates were not included in the interview and survey reports and are not included in our analysis. The three statements on the pre-graduation interviews that pertain to advising were (1) My course advisor(s) had a thorough knowledge of the requirements needed to complete my degree; (2) My course advisor(s) seemed to be familiar with courses offered by other departments; (3) My course advisor(s) were available when needed. In the 1988 alumni survey, questions one and three were essentially the same, but question two was replaced with "My course advisor was helpful in career planning." Respondents either "agreed" or "disagreed" to varying degrees or indicated "not applicable" (pre-graduation interviews) or "did not know" (alumni survey). Our task force also noted considerable variation among colleges and departments in the degree of student satisfaction with undergraduate advising. Less than 60% positive responses ("agreed") in a college or department based on the average rating of the three statements, was considered unsatisfactory. Ratings of 60% or above indicated varying degrees of satisfactory advising programs from adequate to good. The Task Force conclusions are: (1) There is an advising problem at Virginia Tech; (2) Based on these criteria (<60% of the students agreeing with the three statements concerning advising = "unsatisfactory", 61-79% = "adequate", and 80%+ = "good"), advising was unsatisfactory in three colleges and 24 departments and was only adequate in two other colleges and 19 departments and was good in two colleges and 11 departments. Important factors in solving Virginia Tech's advising problems include (1) Recognition of the importance of good advising and accepting responsibility for accountability by all department heads, deans, the provost and the president; (2) Departments and colleges with advising programs that are not producing good student responses should implement changes in their advising programs; they should identify the specific problems in their current programs, gather information about successful programs, and identify and implement procedures that are likely to improve their programs. FACULTY SENATE OF VIRGINIA-Senator Conn-28 Oct 89 The meeting was held at Mary Baldwin College and attended by Dale Oliver, Jim Owen and David Conn. David Conn was elected treasurer of the FSV. The following items were discussed: Retirement: 1990 legislature expected to revamp VSRS to bring into line with Tax Reform Act of 1986. Specifically, expect to (i) change benefit formula to end discrimination against lower-paid workers and (ii) remove cap on benefits for those joining VSRS after 1981. Promise has been made that there will be "no net reduction in benefits". We do not yet know what this means. We need to watch carefully in January. Survey of Job Satisfaction: To be completed by members of Faculty Senates of member institutions. Will be provided (i) norms and (ii) own aggregate scores. Salaries for Part-time Work: SCHEV is to look at. Summer Salaries: There are concerns in a number of institutions. Several new items such as health care, problems of Classified Staff System, libraries, operating budgets, salary compression and faculty involvement in budgetary process were discussed. Several draft resolutions were prepared, to be further developed for future FSV adoption, possibly by mail ballot (as a follow-up, Senator Conn has been trying, so far unsuccessfully, to contact state officials to explore the possibility of bringing forward the date on which health care payments will become pre-tax). The Senate, together with AAUP, were addressed by Joan Jones and Bill Dolan, members of the Commission on the University of the 21st Century. UNIVERSITY COMMENCEMENT COMMITTEE-Senator Conn At the first meeting, considerable concern was expressed about the lack of a clear mandate to the committee. It was disclosed that a special task force had made a report to President McComas in which specific proposals were made regarding future commencement activities. Members of the commencement committee complained that they had not been consulted by this task force, nor had they been given a copy of the report. At the second meeting, Provost Carlisle reassured the committee that its input would be valuable in helping him to develop his own proposal to the president on the future commencement. For 1990 there will be a single commencement day. The governor-elect will be invited to be speaker. It is hoped that a pattern can be established of inviting the governor-elect every four years. The chairs of several sub-committees were appointed to start developing operational plans for commencement. A student-initiated proposal to hold the university ceremony on the drillfield was introduced, discussed, and passed unanimously as a recommendation to the administration. 6. OLD BUSINESS DRILLFIELD RESOLUTION Senator Geller submitted a revised resolution (attached). Several senators reported on the reactions of their colleagues polled. After much discussion, Senator Marriott moved and it was seconded that the Faculty Senate send a letter to David Ford expressing our concern stated in the whereas's of Senator Geller's resolution and that it be presented to the Faculty Senate next meeting. MOTION CARRIED. Senator Geller then moved the attached resolution and it was seconded. Motion was defeated. 7. NEW BUSINESS Task Force on "Entitlements"-Arthur Snoke On many occasions in the Senate, the question has come up as to what minimum level of access to telecommunications, computer equipment, etc. should be the "norm" for all members of the professional faculty, regardless of department. Apparently, the question extends in some parts of the university beyond "high-tech" services such as computers to more traditional ones such as filing cabinets. The task force will explore this issue and recommend to the Senate what, if anything, it might do next. (Note the flip side of the issue. Any entitlement would presumable be paid for "off the top" of the academic budget, thereby decreasing the discretionary funds available to departments.) The committee, composed of Arthur Snoke, Harry Kriz, Eliza Tse, and Nancy Canestaro, will be evaluating the fundamental requirements for faculty (see attached questionnaire). Task Force on Advising Senator Falkingham moved and it was seconded that the Report of the Task Force on Advising including Appendices be sent to the department heads, deans, and provost and that we request that they take appropriate action. Motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 11:01 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Rosemary Goss, Secretary ADDENDUM Treasurer's Report 5 December 1989 Balance on hand, 8 November 1989 $232.25 Dues Deposit 3 @ $5.00 15.00 Balance on hand, 5 December 1989 247.25 Drillfield Resolution Submitted to the Faculty Senate November 14, 1989 by E. Scott Geller, Arts and Sciences Whereas the traffic interactions between pedestrians and vehicles traveling on the drillfield present a significant injury hazard, Whereas excessive noise from vehicles traveling around the drillfield disrupts teaching, learning, and scholarship in the classroom and office buildings surrounding the campus drillfield, Be it resolved that the Faculty Senate recommends that the drillfield be closed to all motor vehicles except commuter vans and vendors between the hours of 7:50 am and 5:00 pm on each weekday, Monday through Friday. Travel on Kent Street from the library to Stranger Street adjacent to McBryde Hall should continue and allow for two-way traffic from McBryde Hall to the library. Exceptions should be granted to the physically handicapped, special visitors to campus, and to other individuals who present appropriate circumstances to the Campus Director of Parking and Traffic. These individuals will receive a special sticker to display on their rearview mirror hangtab. The campus police should periodically monitor the drillfield and give moving violations to perpetrators.
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