FACULTY SENATE

 Minutes of April 30, 2012

Call to Order

Karen Stout, Faculty Senate President, called the 2011-2012 Senate to order at 4:02 pm.   Stout welcomed twenty-two (22) Senators along with fifteen (15) others for a total of thirty-six (37).  (See Roster).

Items from the Faculty Senate President:

Approval of Senate Minutes:

Senators accepted the Senate minutes of April 16, 2012 and Standing Committee minutes. 

President Stout reported that:

·         Tuesday’s meeting to vet program guidelines for Elimination and Merger will be held from 1 to 2 pm in CF298 (a room change) and faculty from a variety of areas are invited;

·         Dean Cox encourages faculty to attend the next library presentation May 2 at 4 pm in Wilson 164;

·         Steve VanderStaay has asked for feedback regarding the effectiveness of outreach efforts to be provided to faculty;

·         The Senate Executive discussed:

üForming a committee to confirm the academic calendar through 2021;

üRecruitment, Admissions and Support committee charge to provide faculty input on Admissions; and

üThe need for a faculty legislative representative for next year.

Reports

·         Steve Garfinkle, UFWW President, reported 1) that electronic ballots for UFWW officers will be sent shortly to members; 2) bargaining is proceeding well and he hopes a tentative agreement can be reached before the end of the year.  3) Garfinkle also reported on changes to the WWU retirement plan for faculty which will go into effect in the Fall.  Changes will provide faculty with access to the best-performing funds via a single record keeper.  Other advantages mean that there will be many more funds available; that certain management fees will be reduced in the new fee structure; and that a supplementation clause related to retirement will stay in effect for current faculty.  Human Resources will be hosting meetings on different days and times so faculty can learn about significant changes to products and organization within the new structure.

·         Fabiola Arvizu, ASVP-Academics sent a message to the Senate that AS elections have ended and all four initiatives passed including renewal of the Alternative Transportation Fee.  Victor Celis won the election for Associated Students Vice President – Academics for 2012-2013.

Presentation on Veterans’ Services.  Chris Brown, Whatcom County Veterans Advisory Board & Veteran Community Coordinator; Jordan Linayao, Vet Community Coordinator & Vet Corps Representative.

Brown and Linayao spoke about the large influx of student veterans across the country, which is expected to increase, and Western’s commitment to serve veterans through best practices. Brown and Linayao hope to create a system that provides seminars for departments around campus.  Brown and Linayao also hope that the faculty/ administration (possibly even a committee within the Faculty Senate) establish a Veteran Task Force in order to improve communication among themselves, the Veteran students, and local community resources, thus providing connections, resources, and the ability to cater best practices to the unique environment on Western's campus.

In the discussion with Senators, the following points were made:

·         There may be certain subjects or topics that can trigger adverse situations for student veterans in the classroom.  The classroom environment, especially in GUR courses, can also be an over stimulating situation and difficult for student veterans to cope with.

·         At present there are about 300 students using the G.I. bill and about 150 Veterans, and there are others who may have already exhausted the G.I.bill still in attendance.

·         It can be difficult to gauge the academic success of veterans although it is known that a low number of vets who enter college complete their degree, and this can be due to issues such as PTSD or anxiety.  This is not as true at Western where more than the average who enter go on to completion.

·         It could be important to notice a change in participation in class; it is important to talk with the student, engaging with them and taking an interest.  Vets are six times more likely to committee suicide than regular students.  A personal advisor and welcoming atmosphere are important and can change someone’s life.

·         It is possible that there are classroom situations where faculty might not know they are saying something offensive and would be willing to  learn about this.

Brown and Linayao offered to help establish a system in which departments could receive department specific seminars from local Veteran specialists (who are well versed in Veteran culture and the issues that arise in the unique transition phase that Veteran students experience).  Faculty are frequently the point of first contact and can be helpful in recognizing the professional skills veterans have already acquired from military service.  Veterans often relate more to professors than other students (age, life experience, value instruction). Senators agreed that sensitive engagement of veterans on the basis of their experience could be a terrific resource and beneficial to the entire class experience.

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

SENATORS appointed:  Craig Moyer, Biology, as Senator to the Academic Technology Committee

Johann Neem, History, as Senator to the Senate Library Committee

Vacancies on Senate and Standing Committees: 

Appointments to be made by May 14 so committees can seat new members at final meetings:  

Academic Coordinating Commission:  1 faculty from Huxley, Fairhaven, CHSS (Area B), 1 Senator. 

University Planning & Resources Council: 1 faculty from CST, CHSS (Humanities), CFPA.

Committee on Undergraduate Education (CUE):  1 faculty from CST, CHSS, Fairhaven,

                    CBE, Libraries, Huxley.

Academic Technology Committee: 1 faculty from CHSS, CST, Huxley, Woodring. 

DISCUSSION:

Medical Excuses and Absences from Class.  Kunle Ojikutu, Asst Vice President for Enrollment & Student Services, Emily Gibson, Director Student Health Care Center. 

§  Senators heard that student health centers at schools across the country are moving away from providing medical excuses to students.  Gibson continues to provide a note for students whom she actually treats who are seriously ill and must be absent for more than two classes.  Giving medical excuses to students who have never been seen for an illness in the Health Center is asking for verification of what is unverifiable.  The struggle seems to be an ongoing one between instructional faculty and the students who miss their classes for various reasons.

§  Student population has increased while resources have not, and health care providers would prefer to spend time treating the ill rather than generating personalized excuses for students (especially for students who are asking for notes after the fact).  At present the health care providers see over 200 students a day and 10 to 15% of those are about excuses, which is not an efficient use of time.

§  Gibson and Ojikutu would like a written policy developed that specifies that if students have not been seen for illness in the Health Center, no medical note of excuse will be provided.  

§  In many disciplines attendance matters because participation counts. It is recommended that faculty develop their own absentee process, including requiring students send an email before the fact. If a disability has developed, students are encouraged to visit the Disability Resources Center.

ACTION: 

MOTION re Allocation of UPRC at large positions:  The Senate moved (Jackie Caplan-Auerbach), seconded (Deb Currier) and amended (Jim Graham) a motion to allocate the UPRC positions as follows:  That three (3) positions (rather than two) be allocated to CFPA, CST, and the Humanities area of CHSS, with recommendations to the College Governance bodies to select faculty with insights to serve the broader needs of the college as plans for space and capital plans are being formulated.  Passed Unanimously.  (The Senate recognized that if such allocation of three rather than two positions was to become permanent after next year that the membership charge to the UPRC would then have to be revised. An important part of this allocation is that the colleges have the discussion on who could best represent their interests)

ADJOURNMENT

Senators adjourned at 5:54 pm.                                              ________________________________

Kathleen Saunders, Secretary 2011-2012

FACULTY SENATE – ROSTER 2011-2012