THE UNIVERSITY SENATE OF MICHIGAN TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY
Minutes of Meeting 389
21 May 2003
Synopsis: The Senate
1. ROLL CALL OF SENATORS
Secretary Craig Waddell called roll. Absent were
At-large Senators Beck, Oberto, Selfe, and Pilling and
representatives from Army/Air Force ROTC, ME-EM,
the Keweenaw Research Center, and Human
Resources and Facilities Management. Liaison in
attendance was David Tobias (GSC).
2. RECOGNITION OF VISITORS
Visitors included Kent Wray (Provost), Jim Moore
(School of Forest Resources and Environmental
Science), and Marcia Goodrich (Tech Topics).
3. APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Keen presented the agenda and asked for
amendments. None were offered. Keen said that if
there were no objections, the agenda would be
followed as presented. There were no objections.
[Appendix A. NOTE: Only official senate and library
archival copies of the minutes will contain a full
complement of appendices.]
4. PRESIDENT'S REPORT
Keen said that the Senate had forwarded to the
administration for approval Proposal 17-03,
Amendment to Proposal 16-97, Minors in Degree
Programs and Proposal 18-03, Amendment to
Proposal 10-00, Approval of Minors in Degree
Programs. [Appendices B and C]
Keen said that the administration has approved Proposal 13-03, BS Program in Software Engineering; Proposal 22-02, Policy on Consensual Relationships; Proposal 2-03, Conflict of Interest Procedures; Proposal 12-03, Teaching Effectiveness; Proposal 14-03, Transfer Credit Evaluation; Proposal 17-03, Amendment to Proposal 16-97, Minors in Degree Programs; and Proposal 18-03, Amendment to Proposal 10-00, Approval of Minors in Degree Programs. Keen said that the administration has approved Proposal 15-03, Procedures for Loss of Untenured Faculty and Staff Positions, but has offered a suggested amendment to the proposal: as submitted, the proposal says that preferential hiring should extend up to three years; President Tompkins has suggested that this be changed to "preferential hiring will extend to three years." Under senate bylaws, such proposed amendments must be considered as a proposal; hence, the proposed amendment will be circulated for the senate's next meeting.[Appendices D-K]
Keen said that the administration has acknowledged receipt of Proposal 16-03, Senate Referendum on Reorganization. [Appendix L]
Keen said that the senate officers had met with members of the Board of Control on the morning of May 9, prior to the Board's May 9 meeting. The topic of discussion was the alteration of the academic calendar. He said that his report during the BOC's regular meeting also focused on this topic. He said that he had couched his comments not in terms of a 14-week versus a 15-week semester but in terms of shared governance. The Board has assigned the academic calendar to the senate's A-list. The Board seemed to agree that the academic calendar belonged within the senate's purview.
Keen called for questions. There were none.
5. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Proposal 19-03, Changing Principal Investigators
on Funded Research Projects [See minutes, page
10095, for a copy of this proposal.]
Keen said that Proposal 19-03 had been introduced
by the Senate's Research Policy Committee and had
been explained at the previous senate meeting. He
called for a motion to approve Proposal 19-03.
Senator Dave Hand MOVED and Senator Deb Bruch seconded the motion to approve Proposal 19-03.
Keen opened the floor for discussion.
Hand said that the word "draft" should be omitted from the title of the second section of the proposal ("Proposed Draft Guidelines").
Senator Larry Sutter said that Proposal 19-03 needs to clarify the process of transferring a research project to another institution when the Principal Investigator leaves Michigan Tech. He said that the current wording implies that the sponsor has sole authority over such transfer decisions, which may not be true in all cases.
Keen referred the question to the Senate's Research Policy Committee.
Research Policy Committee Chair Dave Hand said that the third paragraph in the section entitled "If the PI leaves the University" describes the process of transferring a research project to another institution when the Principal Investigator leaves Michigan Tech. He said that the process begins with a request from the PI and eventually leads to the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, which handles contracts. RSP has to negotiate with the sponsor on a change in PI status. The sponsor has the option of canceling a contract.
Sutter asked what criteria the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs would use to justify accepting one PI's requests to transfer a project to another institution while rejecting another PI's request to do the same.
Hand said that Proposal 19-03 says that the university can request a transfer of an externally funded project even though the project is awarded to the university if the sponsor and the new institution agree to such a transfer.
Sutter asked if this meant that Michigan Tech would approve the transfer of any research project as long as the new institution and the sponsor approve of the transfer.
Hand said that Proposal 19-03 says that Michigan Tech "may" allow the transfer of such projects.
Sutter asked who would decide which of such projects would and which would not be approved for transfer and on what basis such decisions would be made.
Hand said that Proposal 19-03 provided guidelines for Research and Sponsored Programs staff to make such decisions.
Senator Joanne Polzien said that RSP staff would work with the deans to arrive at joint decisions on such requests.
Sutter said that this could lead to concerns about bias in the decision-making process.
Hand said that Michigan Tech signs contracts with the research sponsors; hence, Michigan Tech is liable for any breach of contract.
Senator Tony Rogers said that contracts were negotiated among three parties: the PI, the sponsor, and Research and Sponsored Programs. He said that the university reserves the right to decline requests to transfer projects if it is not in the university's best interest to approve such requests.
Hand said that Proposal 19-03 establishes guidelines, not policy.
Sutter asked what the policy was.
Hand said that there was no policy in this area.
Rogers asked if Michigan Tech had ever declined a request to transfer a program to the PI's new institution.
Hand said that he could not answer this question.
Keen asked what the senate wished to do with the proposal.
Senator Bill Yarroch MOVED and Senator Larry Sutter seconded the motion to table the discussion until the next summer meeting.
Keen asked if there was any reason to expedite approval of Proposal 19-03.
Polzien said that approval of the proposal wasn't urgent, but that several PI's have recently left Michigan Tech.
Keen asked for discussion on the motion.
Senator Bruce Barna said that further discussion of Proposal 19-03 should wait until the fall to allow time for faculty and staff to discuss the proposal.
Keen said that the proposal had been distributed to the senate on April 24.
Barna said that the senate does not normally meet during the summer.
Keen asked Barna if he wished to amend the motion.
Senator Bruce Barna MOVED and Senator Bill Gregg seconded the motion to amend the previous motion to table the discussion until the first meeting of the fall semester.
Keen called for discussion of the amended motion. There was none.
The motion PASSED on a voice vote with dissent.
Keen called for discussion of the motion as amended. There was none.
The motion to table the discussion until the fall semester PASSED on a voice vote with dissent.
6. NEW BUSINESS
Proposal 21-03, Guidelines for an Academic
Calendar of 14 Instructional Weeks [Appendix M]
Keen relinquished the chair to Senate Secretary
Craig Waddell and addressed the senate in his
capacity as chair of the Calendar Task Force.
Keen said that the Board of Control had approved the concept of a 14-week calendar but stipulated that the calendar include a full-week break at Thanksgiving. The Calendar Task Force met and developed Proposal 21-03, which includes a full-week break at Thanksgiving. This has led to some problems. President Tompkins will probably reject this calendar because of its current stipulation that fall commencement be held on the Saturday after the last day of final exams. Tompkins would like this changed to read, "Fall commencement will be held on the Saturday after the last day of classes." This would place fall commencement sometime between December 10 and December 16. Keen said that the Calendar Task Force recommends approving this amendment. Keen called for questions.
Senator Bahne Cornilsen asked if this meant that fall commencement would always be on the Saturday before final exams week.
Keen said that it did.
Hand asked if this described a 38-week academic calendar.
Keen asked if this question was in reference to pay periods.
Hand said that it was.
Keen said that the 14-week calendar was intended to allow research faculty to take advantage of a decreased academic year and to increase the hourly rate for employees with nine-or-ten-month appointments, which would lead to an increased pay-rate for people working during the summer.
Hand said that he believed that these extra two weeks were not only for faculty development but also for students. He said that all of his constituents assumed that this proposal was for a 38-week academic calendar and that the university was not going to reduce the calendar by two weeks and claim that, thereby, faculty had received a 6% raise.
Keen's reply indicated confusion about the question.
Senator Jim Pickens said that there were advantages to a 36-week academic calendar because it would allow more time for research.
Keen said that this concern is being addressed.
Cornilsen said that the problem of final exam week immediately preceding Christmas could be avoided by always beginning the fall semester prior to Labor Day.
Keen said that the Calendar Task Force had considered this possibility; however, a significant number of faculty prefer beginning the fall semester after Labor Day whenever possible. He said that except for the complication created by leap years, 3 of 7 fall semesters would have a post-Labor Day start.
Senator Steve Seidel said that one of his constituents was concerned about placing Winter Carnival the week before Presidents' Day rather than during a fixed week of the semester. This shifts Winter Carnival between the fourth and fifth weeks of spring semester, which in some years provides students less time to plan and construct snow statues and also complicates planning for labs.
Keen said that the Calendar Task Force's rationale for tying Winter Carnival to Presidents' Day was to help local businesses that suffer when the two events are held simultaneously rather than on separate occasions. Seidel said that he supported the local business community, but that he would like to get a sense of the senate on this issue.
Keen said that a motion on this point would be in order later in the discussion. He said that the Calendar Task Force was particularly sensitive to the concerns of the local business community because of the potential effects on that community of shortening the academic year by two weeks.
Senator Bruce Barna said that another reason to separate the two events was a shortage of lodging in the area.
Keen agreed. He called for further questions.
Barna asked if another reason to avoid pre-Labor Day starts of fall semester was the time needed to clean the residence halls between the end of summer session and the beginning of orientation.
Keen said that this was the case.
Senator Beth Wagner said that one week was needed for cleaning the residence halls and a second week was needed for orientation.
Keen said that there would be plenty of opportunities to modify the calendar in the future. He called for further discussion. There was none. Keen said that the Calendar Task Force recommended adopting Proposal 21-03.
Senator Jim Pickens MOVED and Senator Deb Bruch seconded the motion to approve Proposal 21-03.
Keen said that before the senate could proceed, there must be a motion to address Proposal 21-03 as an emergency measure, as he noted in his May 20, 2003, memo to the senate.
Pickens MOVED and Bruch seconded the motion to treat Proposal 21-03 as an emergency proposal. The motion PASSED on a secret ballot vote, 22 to 5.
Senator Steve Seidel MOVED and Senator Bill Yarroch seconded the motion to amend Proposal 21-03 to place Winter Carnival during the fourth week of the spring semester.
Senator Dana Johnson asked how far in advance the athletic schedule was planned to coincide with Winter Carnival.
Keen said that he believed that there would still be time to adjust the athletic schedule if the senate voted to change the calendar.
Seidel said that it might be academically healthy to limit the amount of time students spent preparing for Winter Carnival.
Keen asked other members of the Calendar Task Force to describe the rationale for floating the Winter Carnival date.
Senator Debra Bruch said that moving Winter Carnival closer to January would not conflict with Presidents' Day. However, the student representative on the Calendar Task Force argued for moving Winter Carnival toward March to allow more time to plan and construct statues.
Senator Bruce Barna said that he served on the Calendar Task Force and that he supported leaving the Winter Carnival schedule as students had proposed it. Johnson said that students would do better with Winter Carnival remaining as proposed.
Senator Kim Hoagland asked what rationale students had offered for this timing.
Wagner said that at the start of the semester, students are overwhelmed with a variety of activities. Hence, it takes several weeks for them to plan and prepare for Winter Carnival.
Gregg said that he, too, supported leaving the Winter Carnival schedule as proposed because there is sometimes a lull in snowfall in January.
Keen called for further discussion of the motion. There was none.
The motion FAILED on a voice vote with support.
Senator Steve Seidel MOVED and Senator Sutter seconded the motion to amend Proposal 21-03 to place Winter Carnival during the fifth week of the spring semester.
Keen called for further discussion of the motion.
Hoagland asked how often this would conflict with Presidents' Day.
Keen said that it would not conflict in 2004-2005 or in 2005-2006, but it would conflict in 2006-2007 and in 2007-2008.
Johnson said that scheduling Winter Carnival during fifth week of spring semester would probably conflict with Presidents' Day in years during which the fall semester starts after Labor Day.
Senator Jim Turnquist said that Presidents' Day is also a time during which many prospective students and their families visit Michigan Tech because high school students have time off from school, which they use to visit their college of choice. He said that these students and their families could have difficulty finding lodging if Winter Carnival was held during this time.
Pickens said that if faculty give three exam and one final per semester, they will probably be giving an exam during fifth week.
Carolyn Weissbach asked Turnquist when Career Day was held.
Turnquist said that Career day was usually held around February 19 or 20.
Keen called for further discussion of the motion. There was none.
The motion FAILED on a voice vote with support.
Senator Sutter MOVED and Senator Dick Prince seconded the motion to move the K-Day recess to the fourth week of fall semester.
Keen called for discussion on the motion.
Bruch said that the weather could be cold by the fourth week of fall semester.
Pickens said that there was formerly a three-day window for K-Day in order to try to get one good day.
Prince said that fourth week offered better fall foliage and was a better time of the school year for K-Day.
Senator Beth Wagner said that the Student Organization Fair was held during K-Day. This gives new students an opportunity to learn about various student organizations. Hence, the Office of Student Affairs prefers holding K-Day earlier in the fall semester rather than later. Also, there are usually bands playing during K-Day activities at McLain State Park; hence, weather is a consideration. On the other hand, having Labor Day and K-day in such close proximity is a problem.
Sutter agreed that having Labor Day and K-day in such close proximity is a problem; he also said that as far as weather is concerned, it is impossible to pick a perfect day in September.
Senator Dieter Adolphs MOVED to move K-Day to the Saturday or Sunday after Labor Day and to make Martin Luther King Jr. Day a full recess day. There was no second.
Keen called for further discussion of the motion to move the K-Day recess to the fourth week of fall semester.
Marcia Goodrich asked if this would conflict with the Parade of Nations.
Keen said that he didn't know.
Pickens asked if students had expressed any preference on the placement of K-Day.
Keen said that students were happy with the placement defined in Proposal 21-03.
Wagner said that K-Day should be left as defined in Proposal 21-03. Students prefer this.
Bruch said that the student representative on the Calendar Task Force said that since Homecoming has been eliminated, students would especially like to keep K-Day as it is.
Johnson said that K-Day stands for Keweenaw Day and was originally intended to encourage students to go out and enjoy the fall colors, which are usually best during the third or fourth week of fall semester. She said that this original meaning of K-Day has been lost.
Keen said that the Board of Control had approved the 14-week calendar with the single stipulation that the senate respect students' request for a full week break at Thanksgiving. He said that he didn't know how the administration or the BOC would respond to other changes in the proposal.
Barna agreed. He said that the senate could make changes to the calendar at other times.
Pickens said that the senate should pass Proposal 21-03 with the one amendment requested by the BOC.
Waddell agreed. He said that the BOC had asked that the senate respond to student concerns about the Thanksgiving break. It would not be good to make this change and then also change dates that students have already approved for K-Day and Winter Carnival.
Gregg agreed. He said that students should be consulted before any changes were made in the dates for K-Day or Winter Carnival.
Keen said that Proposal 21-03 mandates that the senate review the calendar in two years.
Sutter said that his proposal was to move K-Day from where it currently is to where it traditionally was with the goal of improving the academic calendar. He said that K-Day should not be held during the same week as Labor Day.
Senator Bruch MOVED and Senator Dana Johnson seconded the motion to call the question. The motion PASSED on a voice vote without dissent.
The motion to move the K-Day recess to the fourth week of fall semester FAILED on a voice vote with support.
Senator Bruch MOVED and Senator Pickens seconded the motion to amend the final guideline of the fall semester to read "Fall Commencement will be held on the Saturday after the last day of classes."
Keen called for discussion. There was none.
The motion to amend PASSED on a voice vote without dissent.
Keen called for discussion of the main motion.
Senator Bruch MOVED and Senator Bill Gregg seconded the motion to call the question. The motion PASSED on a voice vote.
The motion to approve Proposal 21-03 as amended PASSED on a voice vote without dissent.
7. ADJOURNMENT
Senator Bruch MOVED and Senator Dana Johnson
seconded the motion to adjourn. The meeting
adjourned at 5:51 p.m.
Respectfully submitted by Craig Waddell
Secretary of the University Senate