April 26, 2016 – Senate meeting minutes

Meeting of the Faculty Senate
Approved Minutes
April 26, 2016

The meeting was called to order at 12:25 p.m.

1. A motion was made to approve the minutes of February 23, 2016. A correction to the attendance section was made. The motion was approved unanimously by voice vote. 

2. Jerry Verbrugghe, on behalf of the Academic Policy Committee, presented the following courses for approval.

Department	Course number	Course Title	Credit Value	New/ Revision
Fine Arts	50:700:216	American Popular Song	3	New
Fine Arts	50:700:217	American Music in the 1960s	3	New
Fine Arts	50:700:218	American Rhythm and Blues	3	New
Fine Arts	50:700:494	Music Capstone Project	3	New
Anthropology	50:070:195	Laboratory in Diversity	0	New
Anthropology	50:070:196	Laboratory in Engaged Civic Learning	0	New
Anthropology	50:070:197	Laboratory in Experiential Learning	0	New
Anthropology	50:070:198	Laboratory in Writing	0	New
Criminal Justice	50:202:195	Laboratory in Diversity	0	New
Criminal Justice	50:202:196	Laboratory in Engaged Civic Learning	0	New
Criminal Justice	50:202:197	Laboratory in Experiential Learning	0	New
Criminal Justice	50:202:198	Laboratory in Writing	0	New
Sociology	50:920:195	Laboratory in Diversity	0	New
Sociology	50:920:196	Laboratory in Engaged Civic Learning	0	New
Sociology	50:920:197	Laboratory in Experiential Learning	0	New
Sociology	50:920:198	Laboratory in Writing	0	New

The proposed no-credit lab courses are in response to the new General Education requirements to satisfy the cross-cutting categories.  These cross-cutting categories will not add additional time to a course and will not be eligible for any credit value. All departments will be submitting like courses for approval.  All courses were approved by voice vote.

Jennifer Thiel agreed to contact the Registrar about loading onto Degree Navigator all newly approved courses for the Master Course List. Department chairs are encouraged to follow up with the Registrar and Advising to confirm that courses have been added, edited, or removed.

3. Clarification regarding credits considered for course overload – 19 credits or more are considered a CCAS Course Overload. All regulations remain the same regarding the approval process and GPA requirements.

4. Service to Campus by Faculty Members – Rich Epstein, Chair of the Committee on Committees, and CCAS Faculty Senate President, Andy Lees presented a draft memorandum addressing the decline of CCAS faculty’s willingness to volunteer for college committees. This spring, despite two calls for nominations, some two dozen positions were as yet unfilled.  According to the proposed memo, Andy and Rich would put forward their own slate of faculty candidates for open positions and submit it to the dean. The memo would ask faculty members whose service and burdens were heavy to write to them no later than 4 pm on May 2 to explain their situation. As the memo states, “We cannot compel anyone to serve on any committee(s). The burden, however, will be on faculty members to opt out.” Senators noted that the less willing faculty are to serve on committees, the more power will fall by default to the RU administration. Senators suggested that if the same problem presents itself in future years, there should be just one call for faculty volunteers before a similar memo is distributed about having the Administration, the Chair of Committee on Committees, and the President of the CCAS Faculty Senate select candidates for vacant positions. A motion was made to move forward with sending the memorandum to faculty and approved unanimously by voice vote.

5. Mary Beth Daisey handed out copies of RUC Raptor Impact, a brochure that contains valuable data on our students that was discussed at the April 4, 2016 Second Annual Learning Success Retreat. Mary Beth talked about the various programs that affect student success, e.g., our EOF summer program’s excellent record in helping students pass their developmental math course.

Suggestions from the floor included the importance of more faculty involvement and attendance at the next retreat and development of an app for a Financial Aid Clock to assist individual students in keeping track of their financial aid’s expiration. Senators asked if the keynote speakers’ presentations could be posted online.

6. Ken Elliott proposed that faculty and staff be allowed to park in the Camden County Parking Garage any time the Faculty and Staff lots are full without relinquishing their RU parking tag. This would assist faculty and staff who arrive on campus late in the day or who need to leave and return to campus on a single day.  Parking access to the CC garage was recently granted on April 19 due to an event on campus.  The motion was approved unanimously by voice vote.  Mary Beth Daisey agreed to present this idea to Vice Chancellor, Larry Gaines.

7. Julie Still led the Senators in thanking Andy Lees and Jerry Verbrugghe for their service to the campus and CCAS Senate, and in wishing them well in their retirement.

The meeting was adjourned at 1:25 p.m.

Present (Senators):  Andrew Lees, Janet Golden, Laurie Bernstein, George Kumi, Osama Hamed, Aaron Hofstetter, Margery Amdur, Prospero Garcia, Nick Kapur, Susan Mokhberi, Julie Still, Haisheng Li, Joseph Cutuli, Brandi Blessett, Kenneth Elliott, Wayne Glasker, Jean-Louis Hippolyte, Kenneth Hohing, Tim Knievel

Absent:  Eric Klein, Jongmin Nam, Kate Cairns, Guy Kortsarz, Joseph Barbarese, Keith Green, Paul Bernstein, Ana Laguna, Debashis Kushary, Will Lee, Nicole Karapanagiotis, Richard Jimenez, , Shauna Shames, Wayne Chan, Bill Whitlow, Stephen Danley, Chinyere Osuji, Richard Stansfield, Cyril Reade

Present (Invited Guests): Gerald Verbrugghe, Richard Epstein, Joseph Schiavo, Mary Beth Daisey

Submitted by Laurie Bernstein, Faculty Senate Secretary

May 8, 2016