REGULAR MEETING OF THE UNIVERSITY FACULTY SENATE
MARCH 6, 1995
MINUTES
Senators excused were: Kenneth Biederman, Christine Delbeau,
Alexander Doberenz, Calvin Keeler, Robert
Knecht, Ajay Manrai, Ali Poorani, Henry
Reynolds, Daniel Rich, Eric Rise, David P.
Roselle, Melvyn Schiavelli, Carolyn
Thoroughgood, D. Allan Waterfield
Senators absent: None
I. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA
The agenda was approved as submitted.
II. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES
The minutes for the February 6, 1995 meeting were approved as
written.
III. REMARKS BY ASSOCIATE PROVOST MARGARET ANDERSEN
Associate Provost Andersen described the changes in the budgets
for temporary teaching in the absence of Provost Schiavelli. Provost
Schiavelli is improving and requested that his privacy be respected
during convalescence.
Provost Andersen began by acknowledging the important
contributions made by individuals in temporary teaching positions to
the University. The reduction in temporary teaching positions will
occur both as a budgetary issue and as a way to better meet the
educational needs of the institution.
Provost Schiavelli has found in his campus visits that departments
want to increase the direct return of funds from awards and grants
to support replacement instructional efforts. Thus, one of the
planning goals is to tie more closely the use of temporary instructors
to the generation of supporting funds. Another major goal is to
provide students with the best possible education (by reducing
temporary teaching).
The AAUP contract specifies six conditions for the use of part-time
faculty. These are: (1) when there is an open full time line with a
search in progress, (2) when there is a temporary bulge in demand
in a specific area, (3) as replacement for faculty on leave, (4) when
there is a teaching need outside the qualifications of the full-time
faculty, (5) to provide enrichment, diversity and balance in the
curriculum and (6) to establish liaisons with commercial and
professional organizations.
Over the last few years the hiring of permanent faculty has reduced
the funds available for temporary instruction. There are institutional
advantages to adding permanent faculty (in place of temporary
teachers). These include research and creative activities, student
advising, and department and university service; functions not
ordinarily done by temporary staff. Thus, the goal is to hire
permanent faculty while maintaining the flexibility for using
temporary faculty. Delaware will become less reliant in temporary
faculty and S-contracts and build a more stable budgetary basis for
instructional needs.
The proposed changes should be considered as a shift in
instructional funds from temporary teaching to a more permanent
basis. A very simplified picture of the funds used for temporary
instruction is that $2 million of the $6 million total is budgeted and
the remaining $4 million comes from vacant lines, research buy outs
and "sponge" in the instructional budget. The economic pressures
in the faculty labor market are decreasing vacant positions, and
hence the $4 million is decreasing. The $6 million is spent in three
ways: temporary faculty lines, S-contracts and temporary teaching
assistants.
The administration is attempting to stabilize the funding for
temporary teaching. In the coming fiscal year some of the
temporary teaching assistants are being brought into the budget.
The major problem is to gain control of the unbudgeted $4 million.
The Provost's Office is working closely with Deans who in turn are
working with departments to develop plans to accomplish these
ends. There is not a single plan for the University, but instead
flexible variations to account for specific constraints.
Some of the demand for temporary teaching will decrease in the
next few years because the incoming class size was decreased by
ten percent in September 1994, and this decrease will be continued
for the next two or three years.
The Provost's Office is making these adjustments in consultation
with academic units, the AAUP, the Faculty Senate and the Senate
Executive Committee. While these discussions have generated
some misunderstanding, the goal is not to eliminate temporary
teaching but to maintain flexible and solid instructional efforts
throughout the institution.
Associate Provost Andersen then responded to questions.
Duane Milne asked for the distribution of expenditures for temporary
teaching. Dr. Andersen answered that $600,000 is for temporary
TA's but did not recall the expenditures for temporary faculty and
S-contracts. Tom Angell noted that at one time funds for sabbatical
leaves and research buy outs were returned to the departments and
that this policy has changed. He asked for an historical review of
this policy. Dr. Andersen answered that during her tenure, the
policy has always been that sabbatical leaves should not create
additional cost to the University; either the individual on sabbatical
generates a buy out or the department absorbs the additional load.
She also noted that faculty have commented there is no incentive
to get a buy out unless these funds are returned to the unit.
Jon Olson asked for an accounting of the teaching needs in E-110,
100-level languages and introductory biology courses. Dr. Andersen
responded that the student body will decrease and tenure-track
faculty freed to meet these needs. The specifics are currently in
negotiation. Charles Boncelet asked why the decision to reduce the
faculty was made. Dr. Andersen replied that the institution
recognized that it was operating too close to saturation. Harrison
Hall inquired how the balance of course offerings would be
maintained. Dr. Andersen answered that these issues would be
resolved by the Deans and the Provost. This concluded the
question period.
IV. ANNOUNCEMENTS
President McLaughlin announced two open hearings:
a. New Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statement
3:00 P.M., Monday, March 13 in 120 Smith
b. Distance Learning
4:00 P.M., Thursday, April 20 in 120 Smith
ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR CHALLENGE
The following items were approved without comment:
1. Revision of the major in Agricultural Business Management:
Food Marketing
2. Revision to the minor in Agricultural Business
Management/Agricultural Economics
3. Revision of the major in Agricultural Economics
4. Revision of the major in Agricultural Education
5. Revision of the major in Food Science
6. Revision of the B.A. in English: Addition of concentration in
Ethnic and Cultural Studies
7. Revision of the B.A. and B.S. in Computer and Information
Sciences
8. Revision of the minor in Computer Science
9. Revision of the B.S. in Human Resources:
a. Dietetics
b. Nutritional Sciences
V. OLD BUSINESS - None
VI. NEW BUSINESS
A. Recommendation from the Committee on Undergraduate
Studies, with the concurrence of the Coordinating Committee
on Education, for the permanent status of the B.S. in
Biochemistry. This resolution was passed unanimously
without discussion.
WHEREAS, the Bachelor of Science degree program
in Biochemistry has been reviewed and
public hearings have been held, and
WHEREAS, the appropriate Faculty Senate
committees have recommended that
this program be given permanent
status, be it therefore
RESOLVED, that, effective immediately, the
Bachelor of Science degree program in
Biochemistry be granted permanent
status.
B. Recommendation from the Committee on Undergraduate
Studies, with the concurrence of the Coordinating Committee
on Education, for permanent status of the B.A. in History,
Journalism Concentration. This item also was passed
unanimously without debate.
WHEREAS, the Bachelor of Arts degree in History
with a concentration in Journalism has
been reviewed and public hearings have
been held, and
WHEREAS, the appropriate Faculty Senate
committees have recommended that
this program be given permanent
status, be it therefore
RESOLVED, that, effective immediately, the
Bachelor of Arts degree in History with
a concentration in Journalism be
granted permanent status.
C. Recommendation from the Committee on Undergraduate
Studies, with the concurrence of the Coordinating Committee
on Education, for permanent status of the B.A. in Earth
Science Education. The third item of New Business also was
passed unanimously.
WHEREAS, the Bachelor of Arts degree in Earth
Science Education has been reviewed
and public hearings have been held, and
WHEREAS, the appropriate Faculty Senate
committees have recommended that
this program be given permanent
status, be it therefore
RESOLVED, that, effective immediately, the
Bachelor of Arts degree in Earth
Science Education be granted
permanent status.
D. Recommendation from the Coordinating Committee on
Education for the reorganization of the School of Life and
Health Sciences. The fourth item also was passed
unanimously without comment.
WHEREAS, the faculty of the School of Life and
Health Sciences has endorsed the plan
to dissolve the School into separate
departments, and
WHEREAS, the Coordinating Committee on
Education has recommended that the
proposed plan be followed, and
WHEREAS, the proposal for the new Department of
Medical Technology to move from the
College of Arts and Science to the
College of Nursing is acceptable to the
Deans of the respective colleges and
the Provost, be it therefore
RESOLVED, that the Faculty Senate approves the
proposed dissolution of the School of
Life and Health Sciences into the
Department of Biology and the
Department of Medical Technology, and
be it further
RESOLVED, that the Faculty Senate approves the
relocation of the Department of Medical
Technology from the College of Arts
and Science to the College of Nursing.
E. Recommendation from the Committee on Student Life on
amending the Faculty Handbook concerning the policy on
"Student Class Attendance."
Senator Bellamy pointed out that a line was missing from the
printed agenda. The on-line version had the missing material.
Senator Taggart questioned the new policy informing students
to advise faculty of absences before they occur. Bonnie Kime
Scott, Chairperson, Committee on Student Life, replied that an
instructor not wishing to be advised of illness state this in the
syllabus. Senator Cooper noted that the new policy of "calling
in" is good practice for professional life. Dean Murray
wondered if it is reasonable for the Deans' Offices to verify
illness when Student Health finds this task too hard. Dean
Richards commented that she thought the proposed policy
was unreasonable until she found that it is already in place
from Assistant Dean Claudia Fischer.
The following resolution was passed unanimously:
WHEREAS, the current policy on Student Class
Attendance has posed a large burden
upon the Student Health Services to
provide letters verifying illness of
various levels of severity, often when
verification is not possible, and
WHEREAS, serious illness was undefined in the old
policy and serious illness in a student's
family was not mentioned, and
WHEREAS, Deans' offices have been informing
faculty of major illnesses and deaths in
the families of students de facto, and
this method achieves a desirable level
of security, be it therefore
RESOLVED, that Section II, Conduct of the
Academic Program, page II-8,
paragraph 7., "Student Class
Attendance" be amended as follows:
[Additions are in bold type]
By action of the University faculty, the
responsibility for defining attendance
expectations is left to the individual faculty
member, subject to the guidelines given
below. Thus it is of great importance that
early in each course the instructor make clear
to each student what attendance
expectations are, and how absences due to
"relatively minor" illnesses, as described
below, are to be communicated. The use of
the syllabus to list attendance expectations
and means of communicating about illnesses
is recommended.
[Second paragraph and subparagraphs a and
b remain unchanged]
c. Absences due to serious illness or death
within a student's family are recognized as
excused absences. To validate such
absences, the student should present
evidence to the Dean's Office of his or her
college. The Dean's Office will then provide
a letter of verification to all of the student's
instructors for the term.
d. Absences due to serious illness (e.g.
hospitalization, surgery, or protracted medical
illness or convalescence) shall also be
recognized as excused absences. To validate
such absences, the student should present
evidence of the illness to the Dean's office of
his or her college. Supportive evidence will
be provided on the student's request by the
Student Health Service directly to the
respective Deans.
For relatively minor, short-term illnesses (e.g.
colds and flu, where attendance in class is
undesirable), the University system depends
upon reasonable communication between
students and faculty. If possible, students
should report such illnesses before the
affected class, following the directions of the
instructor provided at the start of the term.
[subparagraph d becomes e]
F. Introduction of New Business
No new business was introduced.
The meeting was adjourned at 4:30 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Jon Olson
Secretary
University Faculty Senate
JO/rg