Greetings from your Senate Officers:
Welcome back from the Thanksgiving holiday! We hope your break was relaxing.
At the Senate meeting on November 17, the senate approved (19-6-0) a proposed Constitutional change regarding the Faculty Senate Attendance Policy (245.3.3.4). The majority of senators supported a more flexible policy, one that accommodates the possibility of retaining a seat in the event of circumstances beyond the senator’s control. Others argued that the current language, which requires a senator to give up his/her seat after three absences, should stay unchanged, as it underscores the importance of consistent attendance. Earlier today, the regular faculty received a Qualtrics survey with the ballot for this change. In order for any Constitutional amendment to become effective, it must be approved by a majority of those voting and by at least 40% of the voting membership of the university faculty. If you received the survey, please read the proposal carefully and vote!
The proposal from the College of Technology for a B.S. in Engineering was approved by the Faculty Senate (19-8-0) after a lively discussion about curricular prerequisites, the availability of resources, the need for new faculty, the potential for attracting new and diverse students to the major, and career opportunities for graduates. The motion to suspend the minor in Environmental Health Sciences was unanimously approved.
There is a meeting this Thursday, December 1 at 3:30 p.m. in HMSU 407 for newly elected senators to discuss their new perspectives on faculty governance. Any regular faculty members who are interested in running in the upcoming elections for the 2017-18 Faculty Senate are also invited and encouraged to participate. Coffee and cookies will be available as enticements.
Finally, we remind all faculty of the study week policy as laid out in the University Handbook:
310.1.4.3 Study Week. Study week is intended to encourage student preparation for final examinations given during the final examination week. Class attendance, however, is expected. No examination of any kind, including quizzes that count over four percent of the grade, can be given during Study Week. Assignments due during Study Week must be specified in the class syllabus handed out to students at the beginning of each semester. Online courses are treated, for the purpose of this policy, like all other courses. Courses of 11 weeks' duration or less are exempt from this policy. Examinations for laboratory, practicum, or clinical courses are permitted.
You can find information about the Faculty Senate, including standing committees, Executive Committee and Senate minutes, meeting schedules, etc. at the Faculty Senate website: There is also a University Faculty Blackboard Site that all faculty may access. You will find it in your course list as COM-ISUFACULTY: University Faculty. Your Senate officers for 2016-2017 and their contact information are:
Chair: Timothy Hawkins, Professor of History,
Vice Chair: Christine MacDonald, Professor of Educational and School Psychology,
Secretary: Liz Brown, Professor and Chairperson of Mathematics and Computer Science,
Please contact one of the officers or your Senate representative with any questions or concerns.