Minutes of the Faculty Senate Meeting

Agenda Items of Business

1. Approval of the Minutes and Treasurer's Report. President Chandler called the November 12, 1996 meeting of the Tarleton State University Faculty Senate to order at 3:30. The minutes of the October 6, 1996 meeting were approved after a brief discussion about procedures for conducting a roll call vote and recording no votes in the minutes. Parliamentarian Cross indicated that any senator who wanted a no voted recorded in the minutes had that procedural right. Bill Peters represented the Department of Social Work, Sociology, and Criminal Justice. Also attending the meeting were Dr. Lavelle Mills, Director of Distance Learning and Instructional Technology and Donna Savage, Head of Public Service, Dick Smith Library.

2. Selection of Piper Nominee. The senate selected Jack Russell as Tarleton State University's Piper Award nominee.

1. Discussion of Distance Learning. Arthur Low asked Dr. Mills if any system-wide policy existed that she could get for the senate. Other senators asked her if she could get copies of policies from comparable universities in and out of the A&M system. Dr. Mills stated she would be glad to help the senate in any way she could. Holly Lamb and Joe Cude pointed out specific concerns to Dr. Mills, and she stated she would bring them up when she next meets with the Advisory Committee on Distance Learning. These concerns were:
   • technical support at the primary and distant sites
   • faculty load
   • travel costs
   • costs for materials
   • security for test administration
   • availability of necessary equipment, e.g. laptops, software, color printers
   • release time for training and course development
   • release time prior to or during the semester the distance course is taught
   • technical assistance
   • course integrity and equipment downtime
   • quality control

Dr. Mills stated that responses to these issues were evolving, that the senate's concerns were significant, and asked the senate how she could best help draft a policy to send to the administration. The senate indicated to her that a policy should be urgently adopted before the university becomes even more committed to distance learning courses. Dr. Mills indicated that she and the Advisory Council on Distance Learning would be willing to work with the senate. A motion passed that President Chandler appoint a subcommittee of the faculty senate to draft a policy by the January meeting. The senate thanked Dr. Mills for taking the time to attend the meeting.

4. Statistical Software Committee Report and Recommendation. Pat Smith reported that the committee had completed the campus-wide vote for either SAS or SPSS. Based on the results of the vote, the committee recommended SPSS.

5. Discussion of Internet Policy. A motion passed to recommend approval.

6. Discussion of Summer Elections for Committees. After a brief discussion centering on the continuing concern of elections and other related faculty-business being conducted in the summer, a motion passed that the executive committee address this issue with President McCabe at their next luncheon.

7. Discussion of Dual Representation of Librarians on Senate and Staff Council. The discussion was prefaced by Parliamentarian Cross, who pointed out that constitution guarantees a senate seat for librarians. Donna Savage and Glenda Stone indicted that the librarians preferred to remain in the senate and that this year's dual representation was coincidental to a librarian being elected to serve on Staff Council where the librarians are not guaranteed a seat. A motion passed to end the discussion.

1. Report on System Symposium. Bill Chandler gave senators copies of reports from the System Symposium and suggested they circulate the documents around their departments. Chandler pointed out that the focus of the reports is the changing demographics and higher education's projected responses. Dan Hardin participated in a group that addressed post-tenure review and changing formula funding. He suggested that if faculty wanted a copy of his remarks, they should contact him.

1. Report on COFCO Meeting. Bill Chandler and Charles Howard briefly discussed major topics focused on at the COFCO meeting they attended. The two most significant they thought were post-tenure review and distance learning

1. Faculty Luncheon Report. The report was postponed until the next meeting.

1. Announcements. The following announcements were made:
   • A copy of TSU Affirmative Action Plan is available in Nick Lilly's office: Hum 333.
   • Senators should read the attached letter to President McCabe from University Research Committee (Attachment F).
   • Senators should remind their faculty to apply for Merit Plus raises (p. 11, Faculty Handbook).
   • Senators can find links to the University of Houston Faculty Senate Tenure Issues Task Force Report on Senate Home Page.

1. New Business. No new business was introduced.