FACULTY SENATE

                                                                                                                                                           Minutes of October 24, 2011

Call to Order

Karen Stout, Faculty Senate President, called the 2011-2012 Faculty Senate to order at 4:04 pm.  Stout welcomed twenty-nine (29) Senators along with eleven (11) others. (See attached roster).

Items from the Faculty Senate President:

Approval of Senate Minutes: Senators accepted the Senate minutes of October 10, 2011 with minor edits.

Reports and Announcements:

·         President Stout led the Faculty Senate in a moment of silence in memory of State Senator Scott White, a Western alumnus, who passed away unexpectedly this week.

·         President Stout presented revised Sections 7 and 8 of the Code of Faculty Ethics which were developed by a committee of faculty along with Sue Guenter-Schlesinger, Vice Provost, Equal Opportunity.  Guenter-Schlesinger was present to explain that the revisions sought to better define the parameters of student/faculty and faculty/employee relationships.

Other Reports:

·         Rich Van Den Hul, Vice President/BFA, explained a contract Western currently signed with Higher One, a banking entity through which Western conducts its student refunds. Van Den Hul and Anna Ellermeier, AS President, are conducting a review of Higher One in light of concerns related to fees which may take advantage of students. While the Higher One option is available to students who do not qualify for other kinds of bank accounts, using it effectively may require some training.

·         John Lawson, Vice Provost Info Tech & CIO, explained the new across-the-board print quota for students which allows $1.25 credit (25 free pages, double sided) per student this academic year, and pay-as-you-go beginning summer 2012.  Lawson reported that other Washington schools charge students higher rates than Western and the new policy has resulted in a 60% reduction in volume compared to last fall quarter.  Faculty suggested that some fields require less printing, and an equity argument is particularly worrisome in the Humanities where pedagogy may require students to develop multiple and extensive drafts, undergo peer review, and receive handwritten commentary on papers from their instructors.

·         Steve Garfinkle, UFWW President referred Senators to http://www.ufww.org for minutes from the October 12^th campus meeting as well as lists of department stewards.  Garfinkle then addressed faculty’s three highlighted issues, compensation, workload and healthcare; as the Union bargains the contract that will go into effect September 15, 2012.

·         Fabiola Arvizu, ASVP Academics, sent the Senate a memo about the AS Legislative Affairs council whose lobbying efforts this year will focus on sustainable tuition increases, maintenance of financial aid, and the preservation of higher education funding by the State.

Presentation:   Earl Gibbons, Vice Provost/Extended Education

Senators heard Earl Gibbons, Vice Provost/Extended Education, describe his effort to create a transparent and better understood Extended Education program embedded in the university’s mission of serving students and the people of the State of Washington. 

·         Gibbons responded to Senators’ concerns about maintaining quality, faculty oversight, vetting existing programs, funding incentives and the effect on pedagogy.   Gibbons emphasized Western’s need to increase its Seattle presence--the source of 36 to 38% of Western students; the legislative mandate which is currently offered to WASU in Everett, and the fact that an online presence is actually only a small part of EE. 

·         Faculty expressed concern about compensation for workload and concurred that the responsibility lies with the colleges to maintain oversight over their own programs through ACC as ultimate arbiter.  Gibbons explained that no real infrastructure existed but now thru CII and periodic workshops faculty are offered instructional design support. 

·         EE does not put courses in the catalog, does not develop curriculum, grant degrees, hire or retain faculty, and does not look at teacher evaluations for those employed in EE programs. These are the prerogative and right of the faculty.  EE needs people to understand that it is a service organization here to facilitate value to the State and institution through the intellectual content and property that faculty create.  We need a fuller process with academic units driving the degree and vetting programs.  Credit programs already come through ACC and the Senate and those faculty are vetted through the departments.  But departments should feel empowered to share their any concerns with EE, which would only act under their guidance. 

ACTION ITEM:

MOTION from Executive Council (passed unanimously by the Senate in a second vote):  The Faculty Senate approves minor edits to the Bylaws of the Constitution of the Faculty Handbook.  The revisions will be made to the online version of the handbook 

Appointments and Elections:   Jackie Caplan-Auerbach, 2011-12 Officer

Senators voted by secret ballot in a close election to elect Sandra Alfers, M&CL, to replace Bradley Howard, Area C, through 2012.  Alfers was present and spoke to her enthusiasm for serving on the Senate along with Dennis Whitcomb, Philosophy. 

Appointments to other committees:  

To:  Access Control Task Force:  Lorrie Brilla, PEHR.   To:  Task Force on Student Course Evaluations: Shawn Knabb, Economics; Jim Graham, Psychology; Derrick Mears, PEHR

Vacancies:  Senators to serve on the Senate Library Committee and Academic Technology Committee

ADJOURNMENT
Senators moved to a Faculty Caucus at 5:51 prior to adjournment at 6:15 pm.

October 24, 2011 – Rose Marie Norton-Nader, Recorder

                                                                                                                                __________________________________

Kathleen Saunders, Secretary, 2011-2012

FACULTY SENATE – ROSTER 2010-2011