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Governance Minutes ArchiveJanuary 27, 1993
MINUTES SCHEDULING AND REGISTRATION COMMITTEE 325 BURRUSS HALL JANUARY 27, 1993 Present: Lore Balkan, Colin Carrig, Jennifer Chilton, Wanda Dean, Elyzabeth Holford, Widget Shannon for Martha Johnson, Palmer Caldwell for Michael Jones, Glenn Kraige, Irene Leech, Kevin Mayo, Alan McDaniel, Joan Moore, Bruce Reed, Edward Spencer, Mary Thompson, Sarah Wheeler Absent: Ellen Braaten, Joyce Williams-Green, and James Wolfe 1. Call to Order Dr. McDaniel called the meeting to order at 3:04 p.m. 2. Adoption of Agenda The agenda was adopted as proposed. 3. Approval of Minutes of November 18, 1992 The minutes of this meeting were approved as written. 4. Report from CUS---Ms. Dean Ms. Dean reported that CUS is considering a proposal to create a Committee on Academic Support which would review such matters as the calendar, registration, scholarships and financial aid, and summer school. It would be composed of a Chair, the Vice President for Student Affairs or his/her representative, representatives from SGA and GSA, two members from the Classified Staff Senate, nine members from the Faculty Senate, and the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs. It was also noted that the Scheduling and Registration Committee reports now to CUS. As a result, Dr. McDaniel will need to seek approval of the past sets of committee minutes by CUS. 5. Discussion and Action on Calendar Proposal from the Subcomittee on Calendar Construction Criteria--Dr. Kraige Dr. Kraige reported that he had chaired this subcommittee with additional members Dr. McDaniel, Dr. Spencer, and Ms. Chilton. They drafted the calendar criteria as well as proposed calendars for 94-95 and 95-96 which would provide for 75 class days each semester. This proposal was presented at the last meeting of the committee and it would have entailed changing to one summer session rather than two. In roundtable discussion at the meeting there was overwhelming opposition to having such a one-term summer calendar for a variety of reasons. Some of the reasons stated included: students not being able to take sequential courses during the summer, faculty not wanting to teach for one long term, discouraging students from coming to summer school and thus reducing enrollments, and "poor deal for students." Dr. Kraige noted that his faculty in Engineering favored a Monday start day for classes but they were most interested in having permanent criteria and regularity of the calendar. Dr. Kraige also noted that the subcommittee had met again after the last committee meeting and had put together a second calendar proposal which would involve 73 class days each semester and two summer sessions. Ms. Moore noted that her independent research had shown that the majority of schools, contrary to what had been said at the last committee meeting, have multiple summer sessions rather than one long summer term. Dr. Holford stated that the College of Education faculty had vigorous objections to the one-term summer calendar because it would start before public schools are out. The faculty there do support the unified principles for a calendar. Dr. Leech also reported the Human Resources faculty had overwhelming opposition to the one-term summer calendar and would prefer to give up some semester days to get a more equitable summer term. She also reported that some people liked starting classes on Mondays and that some people wanted to have Labor Day as a holiday. Another wanted to have Martin Luther King day off. Some supported the idea of a fall break and some supported equal representation of all holidays. Dr. McDaniel indicated that the Agriculture and Life Sciences faculty (which includes representation from the Forestry and Wildlife Resources faculty) expressed the same opposition and are willing to sacrifice somewhat on the semesters in order to maintain two summer sessions. Ms. Chilton indicated the SGA's opposition to a one-term summer and submitted for recording in the minutes the SGA Resolution (attached). Mr. Mayo also expressed opposition from graduate students to one summer session and that many graduate students liked the idea of being able to complete a full semester's work in a summer term. Ms. Wheeler reported that the classified staff were split on the Labor Day Holiday issue with half wanting Labor Day as a holiday and the other half not strongly in favor of it. Dr. Reed noted that the Arts and Sciences faculty supported two summer terms and that there was some support from the faculty for a fall break and a partial Thanksgiving Break instead. Since there was no actual motion made to consider the one-term summer calendar, Dr. Kraige went on to introduce for discussion the two term summer calendar with 73 class days each semester (proposal with accompanying criteria attached). Dr. Kraige, speaking for the Subcommittee, expressed appreciation to the University community for the broad and consistent feedback which was received. He felt that we had all learned from this process about the needs and desires of the University community. The alternative proposal provides for permanent guidelines for calendar criteria. Each semester would be 73 days long and would begin on a Monday and end on a Wednesday. The proposal is essentially the same as the current calendar but with the addition of Monday as a class day rather than a drop/add (check-in) day. This assumes that on-line registration will be available by the time this calendar would go into effect in the fall of 1994. Classes would end on a Wednesday. There would be one reading day and in the fall there would be no Saturday exams, but in the spring there would be Saturday exams in order to provide for a two-day break between the end of exams and Commencement. It was decided to remove from the original draft of calendar criteria guidelines that spring break would be positioned so that it would end on an Easter Sunday. It was felt that we should not address a specific religious holiday in any University calendar guidelines. However, it was noted that for internal use of the committee, it would be helpful to avoid such an ending date so that families would not be required to transport students back to the campus on a major holiday such as Easter, Passover, etc. It was noted that the calendar still provides for classes on Labor Day and a full week at Thanksgiving with no fall break. There was some discussion of the agreement with Radford University to alternate first choice of Commencement dates since there was some confusion as to how this was established. There was also discussion that now that we have the break between exams and Commencement and residence halls are able to be prepared for Commencement housing, it might be possible to have Virginia Tech and Radford Commencements on the same weekend. Although there is interest in having two weeks between the end of spring and the beginning of summer and two weeks between the end of summer and the beginning of fall, there is not enough time and flexibility to allow for this at the present time. It may be that some years it will work to have two weeks between summer and fall, but in most years this will not work. Following a discussion, a motion was made and seconded to adopt the enclosed new criteria and the 1994-95 and 95-96 calendars. A subsequent motion was made and seconded to table the vote on this until the February 10 meeting so that committee members could obtain final input on the new criteria and calendars proposed. This latter motion passed and thus the first motion was tabled until the next meeting. It was also discussed that the Committee would prefer to have some internal guidelines in addition to these criteria. The two points noted which should already be included in these guidelines would be a preference for two weeks between summer and fall terms and not ending spring break on a religious holiday. 6. Other Business It was agreed that the Committee would meet again on Wednesday, February 10, at 3:00 p.m., in 325 Burruss Hall to provide for final discussion and a vote on these criteria and both calendars. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned by Dr. McDaniel at 4:05 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Edward Spencer Recorder
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