UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA                               DAVIS                                        ACADEMIC SENATE

                                                                                                                                     VOLUME XXXIII, No. 4

                                                                                   

 

 

REGULAR MEETING OF THE REPRESENTATIVE ASSEMBLY

OF THE DAVIS DIVISION OF THE ACADEMIC SENATE

Transcript 

                                                                                                                                                             

1.                  Minutes of the May 4, 2004 meeting                                                                                                          

No Changes – Minutes are in the Senate record.

2.                  Announcements by the President - None

3.                  Announcements by the Vice Presidents - None

4.                  Announcements by the Chief Campus Officer - None

5.                  Announcements by Deans, Directors, or other Executive Officers - None

6.                Special orders

A.       Remarks by the Chair of the Davis Division of the Academic Senate

I would like to briefly call your attention to the Systemwide Academic Senate web site—listed in the meeting call.  If you link onto that web site, you will see new reports. 

  • Senate Resolution on California’s Budget Crisis – useful web links that could be used for advocacy for the University
  • The Academic Senate Survey on the National Laboratories – 2,600 of the faculty voted: 66% voted in favor of UC’s continued management of the Laboratories, 21% voted no, and 13% didn’t express an opinion. Most faculty agreed that UC should not continue to manage the laboratories if they continue to manufacture weapons.
  • The latest edition of the Senate Source
  • One item currently under review titled, “The Professorial Step Task Force Report” – a proposal to eliminate the step 6 barrier in the professorial series academic personnel review process.
  • An in-depth look at the proliferation of “strings” attached to research contracts and grants since 9-11.

 

Chair Madewell then commented that appropriate committees of the Academic Senate are currently meeting with the Athletics and Student Affairs Administrators, to review the experiences and outcomes of the first year of transition from NCAA Division II to Division I Intercollegiate Athletics. We need to pay attention to the academic integrity of the Athletic program over the next years. We hope to have more detailed information in the fall from the responsible Senate Committees.

 

Most of the committee reports are listed on the consent calendar.   There were no requests to remove a report from the consent calendar.

B.     *Annual Report of the Committee on Academic Freedom and Responsibility                                        

C.     *Annual Report of the Committee on Academic Planning and Budget Review                                       

D.     *Annual Report of the Committee on Admissions and Enrollment                                                          

E.      *Annual Report of the Committee on Affirmative Action and Diversity

        Annual Report of the Committee on Committees                                                                                

Corrections to attachment 6: CAP: add Tom Morrison, Emeriti add Haig Zeronian

For P&T, the committee was increased from 8 to 12 members.

Committee on Committees Chair Smith noted that rumors surround the appointment of committee members.  She emphasized that:

  1. committee appointments are mandated by AS bylaws
  2. committees are selected to have a broad representation of voices from across the campus
  3. committees are selected to represent a range of faculty experience

 

There was a motion to accept the report and recommendations for committee assignments. 

The report was approved with 1 abstention

F.      *Annual Report of the Committee on Courses of Instruction                                                                 

G.       Annual Report of the Committee on Distinguished Teaching Awards                                                   

The Distinguished Teaching Awards were announced: Professor Nambiar, Chemistry and Professor Mukherjee, Computer Science.  The Distinguished Graduate Mentoring Award was presented to Professor Wilen, Agricultural and Resources Economics.

H.     *Annual Report of the Emeriti Committee                                                                                        

I.        *Annual Report of the Executive Council                                                                                              

J.       *Annual Report of the Faculty Privilege and Academic Personnel Advisers                                           

K.    *Annual Report of the Grade Changes Committee                                                                                

L.      *Annual Report of the Committee on International Studies and Exchanges                                            

M.   *Annual Report of the Library Committee                                                                                            

N.    *Annual Report of the Committee on Privilege and Tenure                                                                    

O.    *Annual Report of the Committee on Public Service                                                                             

P.      *Annual Report of the Committee on Research                                                                                    

Q.    *Annual Report of the Committee on Student-Faculty Relationships                                                      

R.       Annual Report of the Committee on Transportation and Parking                                                         

Chair Stern announced that parking rates will not increase in 2004-05.   Professor Stern conducted a straw vote of the Assembly representatives with regard to parking costs:  Under consideration was that 326 parking spaces will be destroyed due to the planned construction of the new football stadium. During the straw vote, the representatives were asked to support the Committee’s recommendation that costs for parking spaces should be included in the costs for the new stadium. The Chancellor is urged to include these costs in the development plan for the new football stadium. The proposal was supported unanimously but with three abstentions.  It was further proposed by Professor Stern that the Chancellor reconsider current parking policy within its upper management including a policy for replacement parking. The proposal was approved by the majority of the representatives, with 1 opposing vote and 4 abstentions.  *Annual Report of the Undergraduate Council                                                                                                                                          

a.       *Annual Report of the Committee on General Education                                                           

b.      *Annual Report of the Committee on Preparatory Education                                                    

c.       *Annual Report of the Committee on Special Academic Programs                                            

d.      *Annual Report of the Committee on Undergraduate Instruction and Program Review              

S.      *Annual Report of the Committee on Undergraduate Scholarships, Honors and Prizes                          

7.    Reports of standing committees

            A.  Report of the Committee on Courses of Instruction. Re: proposed addition to Davis Division Regulation, DDR 539, mandatory first day attendance {Mandatory First Day Attendance Resolution Proposal distributed during the meeting}.  The proposed regulation would authorize mandatory first day attendance in classes under specific circumstances.  The guiding principles were outlined by Committee on Courses of Instruction Chair Bruce Jaffee.  The motion was unanimously approved by the Assembly.

Action:  Academic Senate Office will update the Davis Division Regulations.

            B.  Report of the Committee on Elections, Rules, and Jurisdictions re proposal to eliminate Davis Division Guidelines

CERJ presented a proposal to eliminate the Davis Division Guidelines by incorporating the language of the Guidelines into Davis Division Regulations.  The motion was approved unanimously by the Assembly, but with minor editorial and wording changes advised before posting.

Action:  CERJ will implement minor editorial and wording changes then pass along to the Academic Senate Office for updating the Davis Division Regulations.

8.   Petitions of students – Special Committee to Review Student Petition

Chair Madewell reported that the Secretary of the Academic Senate received a student petition.  It was sent to the Chair of the Senate and Executive Council for consideration.  The petition seeks to over-rule the opinion of Graduate Council for Disqualification and the subsequent Denial of Appeal.  The petitioner requests reconsideration of disqualification and denial of appeal for cause—cause based on non-academic factors like failure to consider special mitigating circumstances, procedural error and bias.  Executive Council elected to appoint a subcommittee of Council, three members of the faculty, to review the petition and student records for a recommendation to the Assembly.  Although the subcommittee has evaluated the materials, there are a few procedural details that are yet under consideration and we have elected to postpone further discussion of the Petition at this Assembly meeting. 

 

9.   Unfinished Business

            a. Academic Probation, Disqualification, Dismissal and Minimum Progress                                        

Updated copies of the Undergraduate Council Reports titled, College Practices Related to Students in Qualitative Academic Difficulty, and Minimum Progress, were distributed to the Assembly. The request made last fall to the Representative Assembly by Professor Quirino Paris (Ag and Resource Econ) asked for review of the circumstances of students in academic difficulty—based on either qualitative or quantitative deficiency.  In response to that request, Undergraduate Council studied the issues of students in academic difficulty and brought recommendations to the Assembly for redress.  The Committee on Elections, Rules and Jurisdiction was also asked to review Bylaws, Regulations and Guidelines to determine if changes were needed or might be clarified for identifying and handling students in academic difficulty.  The Committee on Elections, Rules and Jurisdiction will bring forth the results of their review in the fall.

 

During discussion, Professor Paris presented two resolutions to the Assembly Minimum Progress Resolution 1. After considerable discussion, Professor Hoover suggested the word “permanent” be removed from Minimum Progress Resolution 1 Minimum Progress Resolution 1-amended, to resonate with the Undergraduate Council recommendations.  The amended Minimum Progress Resolution 1 was approved by the majority of the representatives.

 

Professor Paris motioned that Regulation A552.A be enforced, and presented a second resolution Minimum Progress Resolution 2 to convey to the administration extreme dissatisfaction of the Academic Senate for not enforcing Regulation A552 concerning minimum progress.  The subsequent discussion included the Undergraduate Council report and the proposal for a notation on the transcript if a student is failing to make minimum progress.  After considerable discussion, the second Resolution did not carry a majority vote.  The Assembly supported the Undergraduate Council report and recommendations on Minimum Progress which includes a requirement for a transcript notation when a student is not making minimum progress.

Action:  (a) The Davis Division Academic Senate Chair will task a committee with development of a standard format for generating a Minimum Progress Report.   Once developed, each Dean will be tasked with providing the Davis Division both quantitative and qualitative data in order to monitor adherence with minimum progress requirements in each college.   (b) Undergraduate Council will develop a transcript notation for implementation in Fall 2004.    

10.  University and faculty welfare--None

11.  New business – Patriot Act Resolution                                                                                                     

Professor Gyongy Laky presented a Resolution to the Assembly on the University’s Response to the USA Patriot Act and Related Measures.  A member of the Assembly requested a count to determine if there was a quorum.   There was no longer a quorum and the meeting ended. 

 

Meeting adjourned at 4:28pm.

 

Kyaw Tha Paw U, Secretary

Representative Assembly of the

Davis Division of the Academic Senate                             

 

*Consent Calendar.  Items will be removed from the Consent Calendar on the request of

  any member of the Representative Assembly.

 

All voting members of the Academic Senate (and others on the ruling of the Chair) shall have the privilege of attendance and the privilege of the floor at meetings of the Representative Assembly, but only members of the Representative Assembly may make or second motions or vote.