Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes

June 12, 2017
3:15pm
Rudder 601
http://facultysenate.tamu.edu
 

Call to Order 3:25pm

 

Guest Speakers

Michael O’Quinn, Vice President for Government Relations
Summary of legislative session & budget

• Pessimistic viewpoint starting legislative session.
• Special Items being disbanded.
• Texas A&M University main campus is maintaining well, however not the Texas A&M System schools. 
• All schools to be cut no less than six percent and no more than ten percent, which is unprecedented since before 1991.
• Concerns
  1. Institutions continue to grow
  2. Funding per student continues to be diminished. 
• Not solely a Texas A&M University issue; there have been significant cuts to higher education across the board. 
• Special items in State Senate were cut dramatically. This is a problem because smaller, regional institutions rely heavily on special items and cannot survive solely on formula funding. 
• End of session report will be available online after a twenty day veto period. 

 
Jeff Guin, Associate Athletics Director
On implementation of SpotterEDU (software tracking student athlete attendance via Bluetooth)   

• This system takes attendance via Bluetooth connection on the students’ phones rather than in-person trackers. 
• The technology tracks the students the entire time they are present in class to ensure they do not “check-In” then leave the classroom. 
• If there is a discrepancy, the attendance record by the faculty member is considered final, rather than SpotterEDU’s attendance record. 
• SpotterEDU tracks by using only specific information unique to an individual’s phone, so other students can not download app for the tracked student. 
• Two Texas A&M University faculty members have had the technology during Summer Session I for a trial session.

 
James Herman, Chair, Undergraduate Curriculum Committee
 Policy for Course Level Assignment for New Courses  

• Formal guidelines written to determine what makes an undergraduate course 400 level versus 100 level. 
• Criteria and pre-requisites are accepted by University Curriculum Committee. 
• Courses are being developed to be broader; Colleges will develop justifications as to course number.
• Only new course proposals will be in CARS; if the pre-requisite box is checked in CARS, it will be enforced. 
• Course Change number requests will also follow guidelines effective 09/01/2017 (ex. 300 level to 400 level)
• Criteria and/or pre-requisites must be listed, however advisors will be able to override pre-requisites. 
• It is the goal to bring all courses to a standard level. 
• This will begin to impact registration in Sept. 2017, however only for new catalog. It will be fully integrated Sept 2018. 

                                                                                 

Speaker Comments

• Speaker Price met with President Young and he pledged to help promote issues important to faculty. 
• July meeting canceled; there will be an Executive Committee Retreat in lieu of meeting. 
• TAMU FAQ’s-1998 is the most recent copy. It is the hope of Speaker Price to have more contact and survey the general faculty.

 

Approval of May 8, 2017 Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes

Attachment A
Minutes approved as distributed. 
 

Consent Agenda

GRADUATE COUNCIL – GC REPORT – May 2017
Change in Courses 
VPAT 641                Systemic Pathology I
 Attachment B
FS.35.001
Motion Passed
 
 
Special Consideration Item 
    Bush School of Government and Public Service
    College of Education and Human Development
             Public Service and Administration
             Educational Administration and Human Resource Development 
Master of Public Service and Administration/Doctor of Philosophy Collaborative Degree Program
Attachment C
Pulled for further discussion
 
Program Change 
    College of Education and Human Development 
             Educational Administration and Human Resource Development
                        Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Administration 
Attachment D
 Pulled for further discussion.
 
 
W-COURSES – May 2017 
Courses submitted for W recertification
DDHS 4220   Comprehensive Care Seminar
PHIL 412                 17^th Century Philosophy
Attachment E
FS.35.002
Motion Passed
 
__________________________________End of Consent Agenda

Committee Reports

SEBAC- System Employees Benefit Advisory Committee 
          Report submitted by Senator Walter Daugherity

• There was a SEBAC meeting on May 23- minimal or no change to premiums in September other than an increase to graduate student plan. 
• Steps that helped to make that happen: 
  1. Vision Plan has been amended. 
  2. Xpress Scripts has saved over $8 million for the past six months.
  3. Chancellor Sharp has approved $24 million from the health plan reserve to offset the $8 million shortfall in the state contribution in the next fiscal year and the $16 million projected increase in medical costs and prescription costs next year.  
• State contribution will be increased in the year 2018-2019. 
• Loophole has been closed which allowed retirees to pay one months’ premium in September, submit claims, then stop paying premiums for the next eleven months. 
• ORP eligibility for new employees must be determined within the first 30 days, however no later than 151 days of employment. 
• A tax associated with the Affordable Care Act expired in January, although there is another tax associated with the Affordable Care Act, PCORI tax, that is still active. 
• Workday will handle nine months employees’ premiums like the current system for one year; thereafter twelve months worth of insurance will be charged over nine months, then nothing charged over the remaining three months, which provides twelve month coverage for nine month employees. 

 
 
 
 

Unfinished Business

Special Consideration Item 
    Bush School of Government and Public Service
    College of Education and Human Development
             Public Service and Administration
             Educational Administration and Human Resource Development 
Master of Public Service and Administration/Doctor of Philosophy Collaborative Degree Program
          Attachment C
Motion to table Attachment C due to nonpresent representation from the Bush School and College of Education and Human Development.
Motion passed.
 
Program Change 
    College of Education and Human Development 
             Educational Administration and Human Resource Development
                        Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Administration 
Attachment D
Motion to table Attachment C due to nonpresent representation from the College of Education and Human Development. 
Motion passed.
 

Old Business      

          

New Business

 
 
Information & Discussion Only (not to be voted upon)
          I-School (School of Innovation) Proposal                  

• Nagle Hall will be vacated by the Department of Wildlife & Fisheries Science by mid-July to make room for the Innovation School.
• The Innovation School will not be listed as students’ main college; hence it is unlike the Bush School or a College. 
• Dean will be selected by administration; there is no faculty at the moment. 
• There will be no interim dean as there are currently no faculty members. 
• There was a discussion amongst Senators, Speaker Price, and Provost Watson concerning the Dean selection and rule 12.99.99.M5 concerning such for the Innovation School. 
• Speaker Price will appoint an ad-hoc committee made up of faculty in order to inform the Faculty Senate concerning the process. 

Committee of the Whole

• Senator Jasperson from May’s Business School submitted for the bylaws and constitution to be updated and made to reflect actual actions. 
• Senator Jasperson also asked on behalf of Senator Sorescue concerning the status of Student Rule 7, which will be a discussion item during the August Faculty Senate Meeting on August 14, 2017. 
• Senator Daugherity from the College of Engineering asked on behalf of an absent Senator regarding merit raises for fiscal year 18. 
  1. Provost Watson responded that is a budgetary issue, however if the specific College and Department has the non-central funds to spare, they may offer a one-time merit raise to faculty.

 
Executive Session
          
 

Adjourn

 
click here to for a PRINTABLE version of the agenda