HUMBOLDT STATE UNIVERSITY Academic Senate Minutes October 8, 2002

Chair MacConnie called the meeting to order at 4:05 p.m. on Tuesday, October 08, 2002, in Nelson Hall East, Room 102 (Goodwin Forum).

Members Present: Adkins, Butler, Cheyne, Dalsant, Derden, Dunk, Fonseca, Fulgham, Gill, Goodman, Kinney, Klein, Knox, Little, MacConnie, Marshall, Martin, Meiggs, Mortazavi, Moyer, Novotney, Oliver, O'Rourke-Andrews, Paselk, Paynton, Richmond, Schwab, Shellhase, Snyder, Varkey, Yarnall

Members Absent: Bicknell, Coffey, Sanford, Stokes, Travis

Proxies: Snyder for Thobaben

Guests: Elizabeth Hans McCrone, Community Relations; James Howard, College of Natural Resources & Sciences; Sunshine Mansfield, Student; Steve Smith, College of Natural Resources & Sciences; Richard Vrem, Undergraduate Studies

1. Approval of Minutes

It was moved and seconded (Klein/Meiggs) to approve the submitted minutes for the September 24, 2002, meeting. Voting occurred and minutes were approved as corrected.

2. Announcements and Communications

Chair MacConnie distributed a handout listing announcements and communications including:

There are three committees needing a senator to complete their membership and there are several committees needing a faculty member. Senators were urged to encourage colleagues to consider service on a committee. A call for nominations will be distributed next week.

The members of the Senate Executive Committee invited President Richmond to participate in their meetings this year.

The CSU has been asked to participate in Vote America, which is an attempt to encourage all eligible Californians to register and vote. Ways to participate may be found at: www.voteamerica.ca.gov.

Several items have come to the Senate Office and will be there for review. These include: the CCAT report; notification that this year's allocation for the Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity funds to Cal Poly Humboldt will be $66,178; a brochure titled Preparing Teachers to Teach Reading Effectively and notice of a conference on Reading to be held October 23 in Los Angeles (the Chancellor's Office is funding teams to attend this conference); and a report titled Academic Literacy: A Statement of Competencies Expected of Students Entering California's Public Colleges and Universities.

The statewide meeting of senate chairs will be held Thursday, October 10, in Long Beach, and one of the key agenda items is faculty participation in the budget process.

Yesterday the President's Cabinet met for the first time. Agenda items included the role of the cabinet, the budget process, smoking on campus, the bond issue and recertification of DCG courses.

President Richmond has asked for input regarding the smoking policy on campus. At present, the plan is to ask the Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Prevention Committee to forward for senate discussion some of the options they are considering regarding this issue. Any comment on this item may be forwarded to Chair MacConnie.

3. Committee and State Senate Reports

OAA - The OAA Budget Committee is holding special sessions to discuss personnel issues related to the possible upcoming 5 percent reduction; position requests are being reviewed and discussed with the deans; and planning is underway to conduct 25 faculty searches.

Associated Students - Associated Student President Kinney announced that yesterday a resolution on the smoking policy was approved, which states that said policy needs a student vote so that students can voice their opinion. The ballot question and statement will be the result of a student symposium on smoking and will be in conjunction with any findings of the Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Prevention Committee. Also passed was a resolution in favor of Proposition 47. Associated Students currently is organizing the second annual fall and harvest festival scheduled for October 31 on the Quad. The CSSA passed a resolution in support of Vote America and Humboldt began its voter registration drive this week. A table will be on the Quad until November 5 registering people to vote. Faculty are asked to encourage students to vote.

Educational Policies Committee - There are two resolutions on today's agenda, and contained in the agenda packet is a copy of the revised Response to the 4CSU Proposal, which includes changes based on the input received at the last senate meeting.

Office of Student Affairs - A flyer was distributed indicating mandatory fingerprinting of students; this was erroneous and the club is being warned of the violation involved.

Faculty Affairs - A resolution in support of Proposition 47 is on the agenda today; the Committee will be meeting tomorrow to continue its work on the RTP discussion and will begin its discussion on emeritus status for adjunct and lecturer positions.

Office of the President - There is a resolution on today's agenda to modify the description of the Vice President for Development and Administrative Affairs; URPBC met today and one of its tasks this year is to deal with pressing budget questions. It is anticipated that some additional budget reductions will occur after the election, but whether such additional reductions will affect Cal Poly Humboldt is not known. The goal is to develop a plan to reduce our budget by $1.5 million. URPBC will be asked to consider such budget reductions this year. A draft of some criteria that may be used to facilitate this budget reduction was reviewed by members of the URPBC and modifications were made to the suggested criteria. Copies of the criteria will be given to the vice presidents for their use in designing budget reduction plans for their areas of responsibility. Comments and suggestions for additions, deletions and revisions to this document are welcome and may be forwarded to President Richmond. The next step is to take these suggestions to the Executive Committee and then to the President's Cabinet; however, the Cabinet is not scheduled to meet again until November. There is some urgency to this item since a budget needs to be established as soon as possible.

President Richmond expressed concern regarding the recertification of diversity and common ground courses. Out of approximately 100 courses, 13 courses have been recertified. Deadlines are approaching: November 22 is the deadline in order to get a class in the catalog, and January 24 is the deadline in order to have a course approved by Fall 2003. If the campus does not have a suitable number of courses in this category, it may prevent students from receiving their degrees in a timely manner. All involved in this process are encouraged to work within their respective departments so that such courses may be recertified.

An announcement will be made soon regarding the appointment of a Faculty Athletic Representative. Vice President Butler has agreed to chair a small search committee to appoint a special assistant to the President; the next step is for a job description to be written.

All senators are urged to help inform people regarding Proposition 47 and encourage others to vote.

Comments included: 1) If the percentage of approved diversity and common ground courses remains as low as it is and double counting does not occur in other areas of general education, a de facto increase in the GE requirements for students is created. Everyone needs to be concerned about this because it will have an impact on the courses required for the major in order to stay under the guidelines of 120 units for graduation. 2) It was requested that the Senate have an open discussion regarding the budget reduction criteria at some appropriate time before such criteria are sent to the deans and department chairs for implementation. Given that the senate is the primary policy recommending body of the faculty, it is incumbent on the executive committee to draft a fairly explicit set of resolutions for whatever criteria are presented. Appreciation was expressed to President Richmond for bringing the draft to the senate. [This point is well taken and President Richmond agrees with it; however, there is some immediate urgency. It should be noted that while the current budget reduction must be dealt with as quickly as possible, developing these criteria may be useful in the future. Regardless of how soon such criteria are implemented, an open discussion is a good idea.]

Senate Finance - A small additional amount of lottery funds has come to the University and that money has been allocated pro rata to various units in terms of restoring some of the reductions from the previous year's lottery budget allocation.

Comments included: Concern was expressed regarding reference to strategies for layoff. [Senator Little stated that she has not been included in some discussions, but has not heard any comments regarding layoff strategies. There was a discussion with the deans regarding FERPs and issues of managing FERPs wherein certain constraints with respect to Union contract provisions, rather than strategies under which deans and other division heads must operate, were identified. No policy issues were involved.] [If there were some policy decisions regarding FERPs, would they come back to the Joint Council for discussion?] [This is a question to ask Vice President Stokes and CFA Chapter President Travis. Part of the problem is that Humboldt has more faculty in the spring term than in the fall term and more students in the fall term than in the spring term. The question that was raised is to what degree can FERP faculty be required to teach in a specific term.]

Student Affairs Committee - The Committee is considering several items. Possible assessment of the Student Grievance Policy is the first item of business. To this end, several people have been asked to meet with the Committee; Randi Darnall Burke, Assistant to the Vice President for Student Affairs, was the first guest; Ralph McFarland, Nancy Portalupi, Ken Dutro, and Bob Foster also will be invited. The consensus so far is that assessment is not needed, but there is a strong recommendation that an ombudsperson be appointed soon because of the role the ombudsperson plays in the student grievance process.

UCC - The UCC met today and discussed the various stages of program reviews for Areas A, B, D, E and liberal studies elementary education. Five recertifications for the DCG program have been completed, and there are at least three to be considered soon. There may be some problem meeting the early deadline, but it is hoped that sufficient courses will be in place by registration in spring term.

A conference on assessment is scheduled for March and presenters are needed from various campuses to discuss assessment practices. If anyone has ideas on this conference, the guidelines may be reviewed in the Undergraduate Studies Office.

General Faculty - The Academic Senate, the General Faculty Association and the California Faculty Association holiday social has been scheduled for Monday, December 9, 5:30 p.m. in the Plaza View Room.

CFA - Chapter Vice President Derden announced that ballots for election of the representative to the PERS Board will be mailed to home addresses. The only CSU representative currently on the PERS Board is retiring; George Diehr is running for a seat on the Board. This is an important election and all senators are urged to vote.

4. Resolution on the Modification of the Position of Vice President for Development and Administrative Services to Vice President for Administrative Affairs (#03-02/03-EX)

Chair MacConnie announced that this resolution came to the senate from President Richmond and stated that putting it forward as a resolution from the Senate Executive Committee seemed to be the best way to move quickly on this item.

It was moved and seconded (Fulgham/Cheyne) to place the resolution on the floor.

WHEREAS, Cal Poly Humboldt has experienced significant difficulties in maintaining oversight of the administration of fundraising; and

WHEREAS, The leadership of fundraising and other advancement activities requires the full attention of an administrator to be successful; and

WHEREAS, The recent search process for the position of Vice President for Development and Administrative Services did not identify candidates who possessed significant experience in both these areas; and

WHEREAS, An ongoing search for a Vice President for Development and Administrative Services can be converted easily into a search for a Vice President for Administrative Affairs; and

WHEREAS, The University requires the services of a permanent leader of its administrative affairs after having interim vice presidents for the past eight months; and

WHEREAS, The President has agreed to extensive consultation with the university community prior to the establishment of a new administrative position to provide leadership in the area of fundraising for the advancement needs of the University; therefore, be it

RESOLVED: That the Academic Senate of Cal Poly Humboldt recommend that the current position of Vice President for Development and Administrative Services be changed to the position of Vice President for Administrative Affairs, reporting to the President on all matters related to the management and oversight of the business and financial affairs of the University including responsibility for the following areas: fiscal affairs, physical services; human resources; contracts, procurement and risk management; and graphic services.

President Richmond spoke to the resolution expressing his appreciation to Chair MacConnie and members of the Senate Executive Committee for their assistance with the resolution. The reason for moving quickly is that there are several items pending in the administrative area of the University and resolution of such items requires a permanent vice president in place. Examples of such items include: the Master Plan for the physical space on campus needs to be updated; if Proposition 47 is approved, then Humboldt needs to move quickly on the redesigning process for the Behavioral & Social Sciences Building; Forbes Complex needs to be upgraded; placement of signs on the campus needs attention; energy conservation is a means of saving resources and demands careful analysis; a potential gift to the University is the Galbraith Ranch, which also needs a great deal of attention and thought; development of a budget process and clarity on the existing budget are needed; and the development of CMS needs attention.

The proposed change in organizational structure imbedded in the resolution was acknowledged by President Richmond, who stated that removing the advancement area from the area of the administration is desirable. Attention to the fundraising process and management of HSU Foundation also is needed. A conversation is needed regarding what the management and organization of the advancement fundraising area ought to be, and President Richmond would like to have such a discussion with the senate in concert with work on the strategic plan. Senators were urged to approve the resolution so that the search could be continued and the search process in place could be utilized.

Discussion included:

Appreciation was expressed to President Richmond for bringing this resolution to the senate; usually such a decision would be part of an administrative process and at the discretion of the President. It is apparent that there is a genuine intent to use dialogue as a means of moving the University forward.

The specific duties of the Vice President for Development and Administrative Services are not known so it is difficult to agree that there are too many duties for one individual. However, one of the criteria included in the budget reduction draft is the streamlining of administration and this would not accomplish such streamlining. Perhaps some duties could be subsumed under another office. [According to President Richmond, it is his personal impression that Cal Poly Humboldt is underadministered; there are not enough people doing administrative work. Attached to the resolution is a summary of the responsibilities of the position, and in addition, the individual under the previous position description also had responsibility for the entire fundraising procedures of the University, community relations and the graphics services section of the University. Given the current state of the budget and limited resources available, Humboldt must expend more effort in bringing private funds to the institution. It was suggested that the University try this as an experiment and in three to five years review Humboldt's situation and then determine if it was a worthwhile investment.] [Regarding the number of administrators, there has been a dramatic growth in the number of students between 1991 and now; the number of clerical positions has declined significantly systemwide; technical and paraprofessional support also has declined since 1991; faculty numbers have stayed about the same, there has been some slight gain; and the number of professional administrative and executive positions has grown significantly, from approximately 7000 in 1990 to almost 9000 today. It may be that such growth is needed; however, when compared to all other groups, its significant growth may be the reason that people generally are sensitive about administrative growth.]

Last year's audit report recommended that the responsibilities for the then existing Vice President for Development and Administrative Affairs be split into two different line items. This seems to be an appropriate course of action. It will create a direct line of responsibility to the President, it shows better fiscal accountability, and from a market standpoint, it helps restore the credibility of the campus.

The two areas, the fundraising office and the administrative affairs office, demand different talents and it is rare to find one individual who possesses professional talent in both of these areas. The importance of fundraising cannot be overlooked; it is essential for the health of Humboldt's budget and for the future of this institution.

Voting occurred and the MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

It was moved and seconded (Yarnall/Fulgham) to make this an emergency item for immediate transmittal to the President. Voting occurred and MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

President Richmond expressed his appreciation for the senate's support of this issue.

5. Resolution of Support for Proposition 47 [Kindergarten-University Public Education Facilities Act of 2002] (#04-02/03-FA)

Senator Paynton stated that the Faculty Affairs Committee developed this resolution of support for Proposition 47 because passage of this proposition will have a significant impact on Cal Poly Humboldt and Humboldt County by providing approximately $88 million to the County and $80 million to campus. Senators were urged to vote for Proposition 47 and were encouraged to educate others regarding its importance.

It was moved and seconded (Snyder/Knox) to place the resolution on the floor.

WHEREAS, Proposition 47, - the Kindergarten-University Public Education Facilities Bond Act 2002 - provides $13 billion in bonds to relieve overcrowding, accommodate new enrollments, make safety repairs and upgrade California's elementary, middle and high schools, community colleges and universities; and

WHEREAS, Proposition 47 is needed to build new classrooms to relieve already overcrowded schools and accommodate nearly one million new students who will be entering our schools. The Office of Public School Construction data shows we need 46,000 new classrooms, or 1,175 new schools, in the next five years; and

WHEREAS, The California Taxpayers' Association supports Proposition 47 because funds must be spent on school construction or renovation, not on bureaucracy or wasteful overhead, and projects must comply with strict accountability requirements, including mandatory audits, to safeguard against waste and mismanagement; and

WHEREAS, The passage of Proposition 47 will provide approximately $88 million for the educational institutions of Humboldt County, including $80 million for improvements and construction for Cal Poly Humboldt, with approximately $29 million of the $80 million designated for construction of the approved Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSS) Building; and

WHEREAS, Proposition 47 is supported by a large and diverse coalition, including the California State PTA, California Teachers Association, California Taxpayers' Association, California Chamber of Commerce, League of Women Voters of California, Californians for Higher Education, California Building Industry Association, California Business Roundtable and local teachers across the state, therefore be it

RESOLVED: That the Academic Senate of Cal Poly Humboldt support Proposition 47 as a way to fund the need for facilities faced by California's elementary, middle, and high schools, community colleges, and public universities, including Cal Poly Humboldt; and be it further

RESOLVED: That the Academic Senate of Cal Poly Humboldt urge all faculty, staff, and students to increase their awareness of Proposition 47 and its importance to Cal Poly Humboldt (http://www.calstate.edu/prop47); and be it further

RESOLVED: That the Academic Senate of Cal Poly Humboldt urge campus administrators to increase public awareness of Proposition 47 and its importance to public education in California, including Humboldt County and Cal Poly Humboldt; and be it further

RESOLVED: That the Academic Senate of Cal Poly Humboldt urge California voters to support Proposition 47 in the November 2002 general election.

Information on Proposition 47 may be obtained from Elizabeth Hans McCrone, Community Relations Office.

There was no discussion. Voting occurred and MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

6. Resolution on Including a Writing Component in All Upper Division General Education Courses (#05-02/03-EP)

Senator Cheyne provided background on the resolution stating that it was developed by last year's Educational Policies Committee and revised by the Committee this year. Since the last Senate Executive Committee meeting, when this item was discussed, Senator Cheyne has received additional information from Senator Little. This information was pulled from the Humboldt upper division GE requirements and states that such upper division component courses are meant to "develop the ability to think clearly and logically and especially in the case of the communication and ways of thinking course, to communicate orally and in writing." Therefore, it does appear that a writing component is alluded to in the Humboldt upper division requirements.

Chair MacConnie, Chair of the Educational Policies Committee last year, stated that this resolution was based on a policy passed by the UCC as a result of general education restructuring and as a result of a survey conducted in approximately 1999 which identified writing as a problem.

Upper Division courses are approved under guidelines established in the colleges, not by the UCC. One must look at the guidelines of the colleges to see if such a requirement is included. Mention was made of Humboldt's high passing rate of the Graduate Writing Proficiency Exam (GWPE), and this seems contradictory to the survey finding that faculty find the writing skills of students to be problematic. [The GWPE is first draft writing, and the complaints of faculty were centered on students' inability to write research papers and longer, more difficult papers. The GWPE may not measure accurately a student's ability to write this type of paper.]

It was moved and seconded (Knox/Novotney) to place the resolution on the floor.

WHEREAS: Writing is an essential skill that is developed by frequent use and practice; and

WHEREAS: A survey completed by Cal Poly Humboldt faculty revealed widespread concern regarding student writing ability; and

WHEREAS: The faculty survey indicated a need for the inclusion of a writing component in more aspects of the student's undergraduate experience; therefore, be it

RESOLVED: That the Academic Senate of Cal Poly Humboldt recommend that all upper division General Education courses include a writing component; and be it further

RESOLVED: That the Academic Senate of Cal Poly Humboldt recommend that the policy specified in this resolution relative to including a writing component in all upper division General Education courses be implemented in the 2004-2005 academic year.

There is no definition of writing component included; this is broad language and what is meant by this language is needed.

In order to assist students with their writing, faculty must evaluate students' writing thoroughly, edit it and return it to the student for a rewrite and resubmission.

It was moved and seconded (Cheyne/Goodman) to return this resolution to the Committee for reconsideration. Voting occurred and MOTION PASSED.

Comments may be forwarded to Senator Cheyne (bmc3@humboldt.edu) or (5492) within the next couple of weeks.

7. Resolution on Establishing Parameters for Completion of the Basic Subjects and Quantitative Reasoning Areas of General Education (#06-02/03-EP)

It was moved and seconded (Cheyne/Goodman) to place the resolution on the floor.

WHEREAS: The Basic Subjects General Education courses (oral communication, English and critical thinking) and the General Education quantitative reasoning requirement serve as the foundation upon which other aspects of university education are built; and

WHEREAS: It is important that these courses be completed early in the students' academic careers; and

WHEREAS: There is evidence that the completion of these courses by students often occurs late in their university experience; and

WHEREAS: Transfer students from the California Community Colleges (CCC) are required to complete the Basic Subjects General Education courses and the General Education quantitative reasoning requirement prior to acceptance in the California State University system, while transfer students from outside the CCC may not have completed their coursework in these areas; therefore, be it

RESOLVED: That the Academic Senate of Cal Poly Humboldt recommend that all Basic Subjects General Education courses and the General Education quantitative reasoning requirement be completed by students admitted to Cal Poly Humboldt as freshmen prior to those students completing 60 semester units of study; and be it further

RESOLVED: That the Academic Senate of Cal Poly Humboldt recommend that transfer students who have not completed the Basic Subjects General Education courses and the General Education quantitative reasoning requirement be given provisional admission with two terms to complete said requirements; and be it further

RESOLVED: That the Academic Senate of Cal Poly Humboldt recommend that students who do not complete the Basic Subjects General Education courses and the General Education quantitative reasoning requirement within the described parameters be disqualified; and be it further

RESOLVED: That the Academic Senate of Cal Poly Humboldt recommend that the policy specified in this resolution relative to completion of the Basic Subjects General Education courses and the General Education quantitative reasoning requirement become effective in the 2004-2005 academic year.

Senator Cheyne provided background on the resolution stating that this is another resolution initiated by the Educational Policies Committee last year and reviewed by this year's Committee. The essential rationale is clear. The basic subjects general education courses and the quantitative reasoning requirement are intended to provide a basis of knowledge that will serve the students in the advanced courses they may take later in their education. By deferring such basic subjects courses until late in their educational process, which is happening frequently, students are not benefitting by having the basic information that will help them in their educational process.

Discussion comments included:

It is a good idea to encourage students to complete these classes early. The third Resolved clause needs to be less harsh; perhaps students should be informed that if such classes have not been completed within the prescribed period of time, then they will be disallowed from taking any other classes until the required classes are completed.

It was accepted as a friendly amendment by the mover and seconder of the resolution to revise the third Resolved clause so that it reads " . . . within the described parameters be restricted to enrollment in such courses until they are completed."

The amendment was not considered friendly by all. Discussion of the amendment included:

The Senate does not have the rules and regulations from Office of Admissions to consider this type of amendment; there is no control over enforcement of the amendment; and if students are disqualified, then they need to develop an academic reinstatement plan that is signed by their advisor and requires them to take the prescribed courses.

Concern was expressed that if a student has completed all but one or two of the required classes, and enrollment is restricted to only the required courses, then financial aid problems will occur since they will not be allowed to enroll as full time students. A plan needs to be developed that will alert students to the fact that there are some restrictions on the enrollment abilities, but will still allow such students to enroll as full time students and continue to receive financial aid. [It is the student's responsibility to take classes at the appropriate time, seek the best advising the University offers, abide by the rules, and see to it that any financial aid requirements are met.]

One option would be establish a policy whereby as long as a student is enrolled in the required classes, then they can continue to take other classes. The problem that occurred with the math requirements is that the students enroll, take their other classes and drop the required course several times over. If such repetitive dropping of required courses is to be stemmed, then students need to be required to take the courses and complete them. A certain number of terms in which to complete these courses could be offered, or restricting students to taking just those courses is another option. [There is a parallel to what is now required of students who need remediation in English and math. Those students must take the placement test, and if they are identified as needing remediation, the web registration is programmed so that they must enroll in those classes first and it is programmed so that it will not allow such students to drop those courses. If students do not show up for a class, then the student is contacted and the instructor informs them that they are in danger of failing this course. Perhaps the computers may help minimize the human involvement in such processes.]

Concern was expressed about some programs which, by design, use lower division courses for meeting both general education requirements and specific major requirements. Some of these courses are impacted and it is difficult for students to enroll in them. Some latitude is needed in order for appropriate advising to occur. Disqualification has an inconvenience factor attached to it that advisors may not want to deal with, let alone a student who is attempting to pursue a highly prescribed program.

Students may apply for a waiver of any academic regulation. In all likelihood, the number of students caught in the bind of having only two classes to take will be minimal. Perhaps concurrent mandatory enrollment would resolve the problem.

Transfer students must be considered; allowing students a third year to take care of such requirements may be a viable option.

There are other options that may be available, particularly the model used for remedial education, or restriction of the number of times such courses may be taken and failed. Perhaps the resolution should be returned to the Educational Policies Committee to explore other ideas that have been suggested.

It is important to include some sort of time limit in which students must complete the required courses.

Voting on the amendment occurred; MOTION FAILED WITH ONE ABSTENTION.

It was moved and seconded (Fulgham/Derden) to return the resolution to the Educational Policies Committee for revision and consultation with the Dean of Undergraduate Studies and the Dean of Enrollment Management.

Voting occurred and MOTION PASSED.

It was moved/seconded (Fulgham/Meiggs) to adjourn.

Meeting adjourned 5:20 p.m.