President Linda Duncan called the meeting to order at 3:30 P.M. Nineteen senators or their representatives were present. Trudy Carlson represented Karen Defranchi; Tim Brown represented Randy Hines. Senators Richard Sale and Richard Winton were absent. The Senate welcomed guests B.J. Alexander and others from the Provost's office, college deans, heads of various departments, and Angie Brown from the Department of Human Resources.

1. Approval of Minutes and Treasurer's Report.
Gene Atkinson moved to approve the amended minutes of the March 7 meeting. The motion passed unanimously. The Treasurer reported a balance of $863.88.

2. Report from Angie Brown Regarding Sick Leave Policy.
Prior to Angie Brown's report, President Duncan reviewed details of her Senate visit in January. Brown then provided additional details on State of Texas and Texas A&M University System policy regarding sick leave and noted a statement of this policy is displayed on the system Web site. She noted faculty members are required to take leave if sick time is taken during a normal workday, even if no classes or office hours are missed. Several senators questioned the meaning of the term "normal workday" for faculty members who teach night classes or whose duties require them to be present on campus during weekends. Following a lengthy discussion, Provost Alexander asked Ms. Brown to re-read the state law related to this policy. He noted the Legislature clearly intends the term "normal workday" to include the hours from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. and leaves no discretion for other interpretation. He added that he expects all faculty members, and department heads to follow state law. Duncan expressed the Senate's appreciation for this clarification.

3. Faculty Feedback on Faculty Evaluation Form.
Holly Lamb received suggestions from several senators directed toward improving the proposed faculty evaluation form. She thanked these individuals for their input, indicated she would amend the form accordingly, and would distribute the revised document with the May agenda.

4. Faculty Feedback on Intellectual Property Issue.
Gene Atkinson briefly discussed the University of North Texas intellectual property policy regarding distance learning. He noted the most important factor regarding any intellectual property question is to obtain a clear understanding of university policy before undertaking a project. Atkinson suggested the Senate might wish to invite Dr. Phil Turner of the University of North Texas to address this issue at the Senate's fall luncheon.

5. Report from Higher Education Goals Committee.
Janis Petronis distributed a polling instrument to be administered to faculty members in each department. She asked that senators instruct their colleagues to rank their goal preferences and return poll results to her office. The Senate will vote on these goals at the May meeting.

6. Report from Developmental Leave Committee.
President Duncan briefly discussed her committee's proposal, which was adapted from developmental leave policies from other universities. She asked senators to study this document and bring any questions or comments to the May meeting. The application packet that accompanies this proposal will be distributed with next month's agenda.

7. Report on Academic Council Action Regarding Faculty Handbook Statement.
President Duncan reviewed the proposed addendum to the Tarleton State University Handbook for Faculty and Administrative Staff as approved in the March meeting and reported she had submitted this statement to Provost Alexander. The provost emailed a response indicating he will forward the amended proposal to the President and will submit it to the June Deans Council meeting for approval. In a related note, Duncan suggested the Senate might wish to formally number future policy statements in an effort to more effectively keep track of these actions.

8. Reminder to Departments who Need to Conduct an Election for a New Faculty Senator.
President Duncan reminded representatives from the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, the Library, the Department of Agribusiness, Agronomy, Horticulture, and Range Management, and the Department of Health and Physical Education that they needed to hold senatorial elections prior to the May meeting.

9. New Business.
Gene Atkinson moved to nominate Tom Pilkington for Regent's Professor for the 1999-2000 academic year. Following a brief discussion, the motion passed unanimously.

President Duncan adjourned the meeting at 4:55 P.M.