The minutes of the regular Faculty Council meeting of
November 15, 1999, published below, are included in the Documents of the
General Faculty for the information of the members.
<signed>
John R. Durbin, Secretary
The General Faculty
MINUTES OF THE REGULAR FACULTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF
November 15, 1999
The second meeting of the Faculty Council for the academic
year 1999-2000 was held in Room 212 of the Main Building on Monday, November
15, 1999, at 2:15 p.m.
ATTENDANCE.
Present: Christopher O. Adejumo, Urton L.
Anderson, Neal E. Armstrong, Victor L. Arnold, Gerard H. Béhague,
Richard A. Cherwitz, Richard L. Cleary, Alan K. Cline, Donald G. Davis,
Patrick J. Davis, Robert A. Duke, John R. Durbin, Catharine H. Echols,
Sheldon Ekland-Olson, Parisa Fatehi, Larry R. Faulkner, Rachel T. Fouladi,
Alan W. Friedman, Sara C. Galvan, James D. Garrison, Erayne N. Gee, John
(Jack) C. Gilbert, Linda L. Golden, Edmund (Ted) Gordon, Sue A. Greninger,
Thomas A. Griffy, Tracy C. Hamilton, Barbara J. Harlow, Roderick P. Hart,
James L. Hill, Martha F. Hilley, Vance R. Holloway, Sharon H. Justice,
Elizabeth L. Keating, J. Parker Lamb, Desmond F. Lawler, Steven W. Leslie,
Brian P. Levack, William S. Livingston, Laura E. Luthy, Vincent A. Mariani,
Gregory R. Murphy, Dean P. Neikirk, Edward W. Odell, Patricia C. Ohlendorf,
Eric C. Opiela, Alba A. Ortiz, Thomas G. Palaima, Bruce P. Palka, Randall
M. Parker, Atisha G. Patel, Shelley M. Payne, Theodore E. Pfeifer, Elmira
Popova, Robert A. Prentice, Elizabeth Richmond-Garza, Gretchen Ritter,
Juan M. Sanchez, M. Michael Sharlot, Joel F. Sherzer, John E. St. Lawrence,
Michael P. Starbird, Alexa M. Stuifbergen, Michael C. Tusa, James W.
Vick,
Lonnie H. Wagstaff, N. Bruce Walker.
Absent. Katherine M. Arens (excused), Efraim
P. Armendariz, Joel W. Barlow, Phillip J. Barrish, Joseph J. Beaman, Harold
W. Billings, William D. Carlson, Loftus C. Carson (excused), Michael B.
Clement (excused), Jere Confrey (excused), Richard L. Corsi, Edwin Dorn,
John S. Dzienkowski, G. Charles Franklin, G. Karl Galinsky (excused),
Lawrence S. Graham (excused), Julie Hallmark (excused), Thomas M. Hatfield,
Manuel J. Justiz (excused), Kerry A. Kinney, Richard W. Lariviere, Michael
L. Lauderdale (excused), Margaret N. Maxey, Robert G. May (excused), David
A. Nancarrow (excused), Ana Cristina Pinto-Bailey (excused), Mary Ann
R. Rankin, Johnnie D. Ray, Andrew M. Riggsby, Victoria Rodriguez, Charles
A. Roeckle, Dolores Sands, Roberta I. Shaffer, Lawrence W. Speck, Ben
G. Streetman, Teresa A. Sullivan (excused), Janice S. Todd (excused),
Ellen A. Wartella, Barbara W. White (excused), Karin G. Wilkins (excused).
The minutes of the Faculty Council meeting of September 20, 1999 (D
67-75), were approved by voice vote.
III.
COMMUNICATION WITH THE PRESIDENT.
This item was taken up after Item IX on the agenda.
A.
Comments by the President.
Because of the number of questions submitted in advance, the president
proceeded directly to the questions.
B.
Questions to the President.
The first of six written questions originated with the Recreational
Sports Committee, which would like faculty and staff to have the option
of paying the rec sports fee as a payroll deduction. Vice President
Ohlendorf said that the legislature must approve payroll deductions,
and that the University is attempting to gain more flexibility in
this area.
Chair Hilley raised several questions about the
change of grade policy on the campus, and in particular expressed
the hope that faculty members would receive written confirmation
of any grade change made for their own students. The provost said
he would discuss this with the deans.
Tom Palaima (classics) expressed concern about the
state of computer support for faculty, pointing out that much of
the hardware and software from the last big computer initiative
is becoming outdated. The provost said that life cycle replacement
was a priority with the administration, but finding the funds is
not easy.
Patrick Davis (pharmacy) asked about possible implications
for UT Austin of the Carnegie Foundation's intention to remove research
funding from the formula for classifying universities. The president
said he thought there would be no implications for us.
James Yates (educational administration) asked about
the policy governing priorities for allocation of football tickets
for the UT/OU and other high demand games. He said that many faculty,
former lettermen, and students who would have received tickets for
the UT/OU game in the past were left out this year. Vice President
Ohlendorf discussed the problem, and said a new policy on priorities
had been approved by the Men's Athletics Council on November 9,
and would take effect with the Big 12 playoff game. Ohlendorf later
provided the secretary with the newly approved policy, which follows:
Away Game and Postseason Orders for Games with
Limited Ticket Availability.
In some situations the availability of tickets
will not be sufficient to meet the number of tickets ordered by
the First Priority Level of customers (members of the Longhorn Foundation).
In these cases the department will take the following actions:
The department will announce that the availability
of tickets will likely not meet the number requested by members
of the Longhorn Foundation.
The department will set aside an allotment
sufficient to fill the request received from football letterwinners
who are football season ticket purchasers and members of the Longhorn
Foundation. All requests will be limited to the number of season
tickets these customers purchase, up to a maximum of four tickets.
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The department will set aside an allotment
of tickets to be used in a lottery draw for orders from voting
faculty, Code 1000 employees, and non-donor football letter winners
that are season ticket purchasers. These orders will be limited
to the number of season tickets these customers purchase, up to
a maximum of four tickets.
Stadium suiteholders are members of the Longhorn
Foundation (First Priority Level). For games with limited ticket
availability, these customers will be provided the following:
27 seat suites – 6 best available
tickets, and 6 other tickets.
All other suites – 4 best
available tickets, and 4 other tickets.
The last written question was raised by Mike Hall (history),
who expressed concern about academic integrity on the campus, writing
that "I myself believe that nothing could be higher among our educational
priorities than the issues of character and tutelage involved here." The
president said students on the Cabinet of College Councils had also
raised this issue, and that it would be an item of further discussion.
In a question not submitted
in writing, Jack Gilbert (chemistry and biochemistry) asked about
projects for athletics listed in the recently approved Capital Improvement
Plan. The president said that the CIP covers a six-year span, and
that it covers items that might be proposed but have not been approved.
He said that some of the items will prove to be feasible and some
will not. He said that a new basketball practice facility on the
grounds
of the Erwin Center has a fairly high priority because of conflicts
of basketball with other events at the Center. He said it had not
been approved but would be funded by gifts if it is approved.
IV.
REPORT OF THE CHAIR.
At the September Council meeting Chair Hilley reported that the UT System
Faculty Advisory Council had made the following four recommendations regarding
distance education:
1.
All courses, course sequences, and programs of study
developed by faculty of a particular academic unit, or presented to
students of that unit, must gain the approval of, and be monitored
by, the appropriate faculty curriculum committee(s) following the
procedures that are standard at the university.
2.
Further, all courses, course sequences, and programs
of study developed by faculty from two or more universities must be
approved and monitored by the appropriate curriculum committee(s)
on each contributing campus.
3.
Similarly, externally-developed courses, course sequences,
and prog rams of study adopted by a University of Texas System component
must be approved and monitored by the appropriate faculty curriculum
committee(s).
4.
Finally, courses, course sequences, and programs
of study disseminated through the UT Telecampus for academic credit
at a UT component must undergo the approval and monitoring procedures
that are standard at the component.
Hilley reported that these recommendations had been given
the stamp of approval from Mario Gonzalez, Vice Chancellor for Information
Technology and Distance Education.
Hilley also reported that the Coordinating Board had appointed
field of study committees for general business, interdisciplinary studies,
and music. These are consequences of Senate Bill 148.
V.
REPORT OF THE CHAIR ELECT – None.
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VI.
SPECIAL ORDERS – None.
VII.
PETITIONS – None.
VIII.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS – None.
IX.
NEW BUSINESS.
A.
Proposal to Delegate Authority to Approve 1999-2000
Degree Candidates (D
50) – John R. Durbin.
The item was approved by voice vote.
B.
Recommendation from the Educational Policy Committee
on Course Substitution and Waiver Policy for Students with Disabilities
(D
38-40) – Robert A. Duke.
This recommendation was withdrawn by the committee
pending clarification of items questioned in the meeting by Thomas
Griffy (physics), John C. Gilbert (chemistry and biochemistry),
Michael Starbird (mathematics), Dean Neikirk (electrical and computer
engineering), Steve Monti (provost's office), and the secretary,
relating first, to where and how a student would initiate a request
for an accommodation concerning to a disability, and second, to
what was meant by the student's chief academic officer in the context
of the proposal.
C.
Changes in Policies Concerning Grades Awarded with
Credit by Examination (D
77-81) – Robert A. Duke.
Professor Duke began by reviewing the rationale given in D
77-81. Then, responding to a question from Gerard Béhague
(music), Duke pointed out that some examinations used for credit
by
examination, such as those for AP credit and the SAT II, are not
graded by UT faculty.
Students speaking against the proposal, or expressing
reservations about it, were Parisa Fatehi (student government),
Eric Opiela (student government), John St. Lawrence (graduate student
assembly), Erayne Gee (cabinet of college councils), and Atisha
Patel (student government). They argued that the proposal could
have a negative impact on retention; that it would increase the
demand for lower-division courses by students under pressure to
attain a high gpa; that the current policy creates a cushion for
students trying to adjust to the pressures of the University; that
counting the grades motivates high school students to do well in
advanced placement courses; and that some students are attracted
to the University by the possibility of getting grades for that
accomplishment. Tom Palaima (classics) expressed the belief that
the current policy encourages independent action by students.
Speaking in favor of the proposal were Alan Friedman
(English), who spoke in some detail about defects in the current
system, John C. Gilbert (chemistry and biochemistry), Barbara Harlow
(English), Gretchen Ritter (government), and Elizabeth Richmond-Garza
(English). They argued, in particular, that it would put credit
by examination on the same footing as transfer credit; that students
have been able to decide whether to have a grade registered after
knowing the grade from the examination, which is quite different
from what happens with a course; that the current policy gives some
students an unrealistically secure feeling about their academic
progress; and that a single examination is not equivalent to taking
a course.
Alan Cline (computer sciences) was concerned that
no administrator had spoken on the proposal, and wondered if the
Council was wasting its time by discussing it. President Faulkner
assured
229
Cline that the Council was not wasting its time,
and that the different viewpoints deserved to be heard. Faulkner said
that it is important to know why a policy is what it is, whatever
that policy might be.
Desmond Lawler (civil engineering) suggested
that perhaps transcripts should show all grades and indicate how each
was earned, whether by coursework or examination or transfer. This
could allow flexibility in how the grades were used, perhaps through
the computation of different gpa's for different purposes.
In the end, the proposal was approved by voice
vote.
D.
Report from the Faculty Council
ad hoc Committee on Course Instructor Surveys: Evaluating
Teaching Effectiveness and Excellence (D
82-101) – Patricia A. Alvey.
Patricia Alvey (advertising) provided an overview
of the final report from the Council's ad hoc Committee on
Course Instructor Surveys. The details are available in the full
report (D
82-101).
Sara Galvan (cabinet of college councils) spoke
on behalf of students in thanking Professor Alvey and the committee
for their work on the report.
In further discussion, Vincent Mariani (art and
art history) expressed concern that students are not required to
sign their written comments, saying that, among other things, signing
them would be an act of respect. Alvey answered that research shows
that more information is obtained with anonymous comments, and that
this outweighs some of the undesirable aspects of unsigned forms.
Gerard Béhague (music) pointed out that the
course instructor surveys generally apply to organized courses,
and urged that consideration be given to other teaching responsibilities,
such as conference courses, theses, and dissertations.
On a motion by Barbara Harlow (English), the Council
accepted the report by voice vote.
[Remark by the secretary: After the meeting the
report was forwarded to the provost. In addition, Chair Hilley referred
the report to the Educational Policy Committee for its comments;
this was partly in response to questions, raised after the meeting,
about the confidentiality of students' written comments.]
X.
ANNOUNCEMENTS AND COMMENTS – None.
XI.
QUESTIONS TO THE CHAIR – None.
XII.
ADJOURNMENT.
The meeting adjourned at 4:20 p.m.
Distributed through the Faculty Council web site (www.utexas.edu/faculty/council/)
on February 15, 2000. Copies are available on request from the Office
of the General Faculty, FAC 22, F9500.
