NUMBER 3
MINUTES
Faculty Senate
Meeting
December 13,
2001
1. The regular meeting of the Faculty Senate
was called to order at 3:15 p.m. in room 113 White Hall, Chairperson
Peters presiding.
All members were present except Senators
Ariew, Babson, Burbank, Felner, Frohlich, Ibrahim, Karow, Kulenovic,
Martin, Mitra, Mundorf, Paton, Riebe, Wichelns, Wills and Wittwer;
Vice Presidents Beagle, Dougan and Stark; Deans Farmer, Letendre,
Mazze and Taggart (Dean Kim and the Dean of the Feinstein College of
Continuing Education were represented by their designees); Mr.
Amidon.
2. A motion was made to approve the Minutes of
Faculty Senate Meeting #2, October 25, 2001.
Chairperson Peters corrected the Minutes of
Meeting #2 by removing Senator Kislalioglu's name from the list of
Senators absent from the meeting. He then asked if there were any
further additions or corrections to or questions about the Minutes.
There were none.
The motion to approve the Minutes of Meeting
#2 as corrected carried.
3. REPORTS OF OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
A. Chairperson Peters had no
announcements.
B. Vice Chairperson Goldsmith said that the
minutes of Executive Committee Meetings #6 through #10 appeared on
pages 3-14 of the Agenda and asked if there were any
questions.
Chairperson Peters, Vice Chairperson Goldsmith
and Provost Swan responded to questions about the minutes.
C. Vice Chairperson moved approval of the
following resolution recommended by the Executive Committee:
That the Faculty Senate endorse
the Association of College and Research Libraries Statement on
Intellectual Freedom Principles for Academic Libraries (See pages
15-16 of the Agenda).
The motion carried.
4. REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT
A. President Carothers announced
that as indicated on the Agenda he had approved all of the
legislation forwarded to him after the last Faculty Senate meeting.
(#01-02--2, #01-02--3, #01-02--4 and #01-02--5 )
B. President Carothers reported on Rachel
Walshe, the University's first Rhodes scholarship recipient and
invited everyone to a pep rally in honor of Rachel, along with other
student scholarship winners and the Honors Center faculty, at noon on
Monday December 17 in the Ram's Den.
The President said that he expected the Rhode
Island Economic Policy Council to report that Rhode Island ranks
fiftieth in state support for research and forty-eighth in support
for Higher Education in general. He commented that, unfortunately, no
one at URI would be surprised at the ranking.
President Carothers announced that through the
efforts of Professors Shaikh and Zawia, the University had received a
$2,000,000 per year grant for three years for medical biotechnology.
He also reported on related plans for construction at the northern
quadrant of campus for the biological sciences and biotechnology,
including a sustainable communities building and a Pharmacy and
Health Services Center. He said that he hoped the biological sciences
construction would be on the 2004 referendum and construction for
biological sciences and health sciences would be underway during the
second half of the decade.
The President asked if there were any
questions. There were none.
5. REPORTS OF STANDING AND SPECIAL COMMITTEES
A. Senator Hickox presented the
Four Hundredth Report of the Curricular Affairs Committee, which
appeared on pages 17-22 of the Agenda. He corrected the prerequisite for ART
304 to read "Pre: 204." He said that Section I was informational and
asked if there were any questions.
Discussion ensued.
Following discussion, Senator Arakelian moved
to amend the report by removing ART 309 and referring it back to the
CAC.
After discussion, the motion failed.
Following discussion, Senator Leo asked and
received permission to revise editorially the description for PHY 306
by replacing the period at the end of the first sentence with a colon
and changing "special" to lower case.
Senator Hickox corrected Section II by
changing the prerequisite for AFS 210 to "Pre: 102 and one semester
of general chemistry." He said that Section II required confirmation
by the Faculty Senate and moved approval of Section II as
corrected.
Discussion ensued.
After discussion, Senator Arakelian moved to
amend the report by removing item A, 3 and referring it back to
committee to clarify the description.
Following discussion, the motion
carried.
Following discussion, Senator Arakelian moved
to amend the report by removing item B, a 1) and item B, a 2) and
referring them back to committee to clarify the descriptions. The
motion failed for lack of a second.
After discussion, Section II was approved as
corrected and amended.
Senator Hickox said that Section III was a
joint report of the Curricular Affairs Committee and Graduate Council
on 400-level courses. He noted that part A was informational and
asked if there were any questions.
Discussion ensued.
Senator Hickox said that part B of Section III
required confirmation by the Faculty Senate and moved
approval.
Discussion ensued.
After discussion, the motion carried.
B. Vice Provost Trubatch presented Curricular
Report No. 2001-02-3 from the Graduate Council to the Faculty Senate,
which appeared on pages 23-24 of the Agenda. She said that the entire report required
confirmation by the Faculty Senate and moved approval.
The motion carried.
C. Senator Wenisch presented the Constitution,
By-Laws and University Manual Report #2001-02-1: Amendments to the
Constitution of the Faculty Senate, which appeared on pages
25-28 of the Agenda.
Discussion ensued.
After discussion, Senator Wenisch moved
approval of the first recommendation of the CBUM Committee:
The motion carried.
Senator Wenisch moved approval of the second
recommendation:
2. That this referendum be
postponed until the Faculty Senate has considered the matters
designated above as substantive, and has made recommendations for
referendums (if any) on these matters.
Discussion ensued.
Following discussion, the motion
carried.
Senator Wenisch requested and received
permission to consider the fourth recommendation before the third
recommendation. He then moved approval of the following:
4. That, in carrying out these
referendums, the current Acting Registrar conduct the mail ballot
required by Article VII of the Senate Constitution.
The motion carried.
Senator Wenisch moved approval of the third
recommendation:
3. That the Faculty Senate set
aside time at this or a subsequent meeting to discuss the appropriate
constitutional amendments resulting from these more substantive
changes, and to authorize, if deemed appropriate, a referendum on
these matters.
Discussion ensued.
Following discussion, Senator Feldman moved to
amend the recommendation by adding "the applicable University
regulations and" after "discuss" and "including changes to clarify
appropriate procedures and authority" after "changes,"
Chairperson Peters said that the amendment
wasn't necessary because it was consistent with the spirit and intent
of the CBUM Committee.
Senator Wenisch said that because the
amendment was consistent with the spirit and intent of the CBUM
Committee he would accept the changes as editorial.
The third recommendation as revised
editorially reads as follows:
3. That the Faculty Senate set
aside time at this or a subsequent meeting to discuss the applicable
University regulations and appropriate constitutional amendments
resulting from these more substantive changes, including changes to
clarify appropriate procedures and authority, and to authorize, if
deemed appropriate, a referendum on these matters.
Following discussion, Senator Malik moved that
the discussion proposed in the third recommendation be postponed
until the January 24, 2002 meeting of the Faculty Senate. The motion
carried.
Senator Malik requested that all senators and
academic department chairpersons receive sufficient information for
the January 24 discussion.
6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Chairperson Peters announced that
there was no unfinished business before the Senate at that
time.
7. NEW BUSINESS
Chairperson Peters asked if there
was any new business. There was none.
Chairperson Peters said that he was pleased to
see that members of the Senate were reading reports and asking
questions. He said that the Faculty Senate is the body that oversees
curriculum and academic regulations at the University and that
informed votes on these matters often require questions as to the
nature and impact of various proposals.
Chairperson Peters noted that important
matters would be brought to the Senate in the spring that would
require thoughtful consideration. He said that, in addition to a
discussion of the issues raised by the Constitution, By-Laws and
University Manual Committee, the report on Athletics and Academics
would be brought forward for consideration at the January 24
meeting
Chairperson Peters wished everyone a good
holiday season and semester break. He then declared the meeting
adjourned.
The meeting was adjourned at 4:15 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Sheila Black Grubman
for MARJORIE MCMAHON,
Secretary