FACULTY SENATE MEETING
MINUTES
February 11, 2008
3:15 p.m., 601 Rudder Tower
http://facultysenate.tamu.edu

Present:     Derya Akleman, Wendi Arant-Kaspar, Carisa Armstrong, Karl Aufderheide, Guy Battle, Robert Bednarz, Michael Benedik, Richard Carlson, Antonio Cepeda-Benito, Keith Chaffin, Ifte Choudhury, Walter Daugherity, John Fackler, Richard Feldman, Holly Gaede, Melinda Grant, Michael Greenwald, Mike Hanik, Paul Harms, James Heilman, Richard Hise, Arthur Hobbs, Joe Jaros, Eluned  Jones, Guido Kanschat, Larry Kelly, Ann Kenimer, Andrew Kirkendall, Robyn Lints, Carol Loopstra, Clint Magill, R.N. Mahapatra, Sam Mannan, Lanny Martindale, Robert McGeachin, Peter McIntyre, Mary Meagher, Frederic Pearl, Angie Hill Price, Khalid Qaraqe, Roger Reese, Cynthia Riccio, Robert Shandley, Douglas Slack, Robin Smith, Karen Snowden, Kathleen Speed, Susan Stabile, Robert Stewart, Bob Strawser, Winfred Teizer, Douglas Thornton, Tom Vogel, Hank Walker, Gwendolyn Webb-Johnson, William West, Matthew Whiteacre, Jessica Wickersham, Kirk Winemiller, Gary Wingenbach, Thomas Woodfin, Jim Woosley, Debra Zoran

Karan Watson (Dean of Faculties)

                                
Absent:      Louise Abbott, James Aune,Wolfgang Bangerth, Tom Blasingame, Charles Bollfrass, James Boyd, Tahir Cagin, Gwendolyn Carroll, Rainer Fink, Kishore Gawande, Andrew Klein, Andre Landry, Thomas Linton, Leon Luxemburg, Clinton Machann, Michael Messina, Rosana Moreria, Tim Murphy, Ramona Paetzold, David Peterson, Sanjay Reddy, Elisabeth Rich, Lynn Ruoff, Roger Schultz, Morgan Scott, John Stallone, William Stein, Frank Thomas, Hamid Toliyat, Theodore Turocy, Jyotsna Vaid, Gary Varner, Nancy Volkman, Robert Warden


Call to Order:
The meeting was called to order at 3:15 by Speaker Angie Hill Price.

Speaker Comments:
Speaker Price opened the meeting by welcoming guests and Senators.  Two senators from Qatar and none from Galveston were present via videoconferencing.

The speaker presented the resolution that was written in honor of the late Richard Ewing to his wife, Rita Ewing. Speaker Price welcomed the first guest speaker, Tracey Wellington, Student Research Week Director for 2008 to come up and speak to the Faculty Senators about the upcoming student research week. Concurrently, Shari Hilding-Kronforst, Graduate Student Council President, passed out information regarding Student Research Week. Ms. Wellington indicated that 150 more judges are currently needed and that they expect around 800 participants.  She also asked that faculty encourage both undergraduate and graduate students to attend.

Speaker Price then introduced the next guest speaker, Rodney Weis, Director of Transportation Services. Weis gave a presentation regarding the parking pricing strategy.  He indicated that the Transportation Advisory Committee is active in providing suggestions and feedback.  After his presentation, he was open to comments and questions and several senators participated in the Q&A period.  Speaker Price, co-chair of the Transportation Advisory Committee, made a couple of additional comments from the committee's point of view and requested that faculty send to her or other committee members their comments and concerns. The presentation Weis gave also was handed out to the Faculty Senators.

Speaker Price briefly spoke about the Texas A&M and UT joint meeting on March 17. A sign-up sheet was passed around for the Senators to sign if they planned on attending. The Speaker also discussed the Faculty Senate Aggie Spirit Award. She announced that the Senate would pass the hat at the March joint meeting and the April Faculty Senate meeting for donations.


The January 14, 2008 Minutes were approved as submitted. Motion Passed F.S.25.119
  Attachment A
Everything was approved without comment except Attachment F.
Consent Agenda  
     
University Curriculum Committee Motion Passed F.S.25.120
New Courses - January 11, 2008 Attachment B
ANTH 446 Ceramic Artifact Analysis  
ANTH 447 Lithic Artifact Analysis  
ANTH 454 Archaeological Photography  
HIST 469 History of Collective Protest and Violence  
NRSC 450 Mammalian Functional Neuroanatomy  
PHYS 415 Nuclear and Particle Physics  
     
Course Changes - January 11, 2008  
ANTH 225 Physical Anthropology  
ANTH 425 Anthropometry and Osteology  
PHYS 306 Basic Astronomy  
PHYS 307 Observational Astronomy  
PHYS 314 Survey of Astronomy  
PSYC 335 Physiological Psychology  
VIBS 450 Mammalian Functional Neuroanatomy  
     
Texas A&M University at Galveston Motion Passed F.S.25.121
New Courses - January 11, 2008 Attachment C
MARS 362 Biochemical Adaptations  
MARS 412 Remote Field Investigations in Marine Sciences  
PHIL 381 Ethical Theory  
     
Course Changes - January 11, 2008  
MARS 250 Computer Applications  
     

Committee Reports

  
   
University Curriculum Committee Motion Passed F.S.25.122
Change in Curriculum - January 11, 2008 Attachment D

College of Liberal Arts
     Interdepartmental Degree Program
         B.A. in International Studies

  
     
Executive Committee Motion Passed F.S.25.123
Revisions to Student Rule: Section 14.5 Attachment E
     
Personnel & Welfare Committee Motion Passed F.S.25.124
Core Meeting Hours Attachment F
   

Secretary Feldman, after moving approval of Attachment F gave some of the background for the proposal on the Core Meeting Hours and requested that Speaker Price recognize Dr. Sarah Bednarz, Chair of the Women's Faculty Network.  Dr. Bednarz indicated support for the proposal that was a joint effort between the P&W Committee and the Women's Faculty Network.
   

Old Business:

    
     

New Business:

    
     

Committee of the Whole:

  

1.  Former Speaker Slack expressed concern that the system dental insurance is forcing local dentists to cut services and is not fairly reimbursing them for dental      procedures.
     

2.  Speaker Price mentioned that the proposed student rule dealing with harassment is being modified based on feedback.  The modified version of the rule will      be placed on the Faculty Senate web site so that senators can read it ahead of time.  Much of the feedback has come from the local chapter of AAUP.       Speaker Price asked Peter Hugill, President of the local AAUP chapter, to comment on the some of the revisions.  Dr. Hugill mentioned that Dr. Parrott's      office has been receptive to their requested modifications.
     

3.  Senator Bednarz, chair of the Research Committee, reported that the Research Committee had prepared a resolution requesting increased faculty      representation in the discussions involving research administration.  Because the Chancellor has increased faculty representation, the Research Committee was      undecided on what to do with the resolution and asked for feedback from the faculty senators.
     

4.  Senator Fackler indicated that when organizations such as the CPI passed resolutions they would have more meaning if such resolutions were also passed      through the Faculty Senate.
     

5.  Speaker-Elect Magill asked for volunteers for the Honorary Degree Committee.
     

6.  Senator Meagher asked for follow-up reports regarding the progress of the previously passed living wage initiative and the Parental Teaching/Workload for      Faculty Proposal.  Speaker Price and Dean of Faculties Watson indicated that the Executive Committee had recently requested the Dean of Faculties Office      to implement the Parental Teaching/Workload for Faculty Proposal as a guideline.  At the same time, the P&W Committee and the Dean of Faculties Office is      working on a revision to the university rules that would place the proposal in the rules.
     

7.  Speaker-elect Magill indicated that neither the proposal dealing with royalties for required classroom material nor the proposal dealing with titles had been      approved.  Speaker Price reported that each college was working on developing their own guidelines for titles and that the Academic Affairs committee      would form a joint subcommittee with the Deans to discuss concerns regarding the course material royalties proposed by the Faculty Senate.
     

8.  Former Speaker Carlson indicated that it made no sense to force faculty who had paid for premium parking spots to pay an additional amount for a business      pass.  He also indicated that the suggested solution for staff who could not afford parking, to use the mall and a bus, was unworkable for many staff who had      responsibilities of taking care of children at the start of a day.
     

9.  Speaker-elect Magill made some comments about the joint faculty senate meeting with the University Texas to be held on March 17 and encouraged senators      to attend.
     
     
Adjourn