The Citadel Faculty Council
Minutes of the Regular Meeting of August 21, 2003
Board of Visitors Room, Jenkins Hall1. Prof. Lisa Zuraw, new chairperson of Faculty Council, called the meeting to order at 11:00 a.m.
2. The old and new members went around the table and introduced themselves. Members attending: Profs. Bishop, Briggs, B. Carter, Chen, Davakos, Davis, Hewett, Knapp, Lally, Lipscomb, Matthews, McKinney, Miller, Moody, Murray, Niksch, Snively, Woolsey, Zuraw and Thompson for Allen.
3. Members absent: Profs. Andrade, Bloss and Darden.
4. Prof. Zuraw introduced Chip Nimmich, chair of Staff Council. Cdr. Nimmich noted that he and Prof. Zuraw wanted the two councils to work together and that Prof. Zuraw would attend Staff Council meetings. He said that last year the big issue on Staff Council was parking, and that so far this year they were working to organize the Winter Dance. In response to an inquiry as to whether parking issues remained, he said that a big one was the issue of there being too many reserved parking spots, especially in Capers lot. The Administration had not expected so many people to buy reserved slots and crowd out non-reserved parkers by day, but was pleased with all the additional money; the Board of Visitors has said the issue is closed and not to be brought up again, but perhaps it should be pursued. Cdr. Nimmich then left with the Council's thanks.
5. Prof. Zuraw solicited nominations for Vice-Chair of Faculty Council. Profs. Woolsey and Matthews were nominated, but Prof. Matthews declined the nomination after Prof. Woolsey said he was willing. He was voted Vice-Chair unanimously.
6. Prof. Zuraw asked for nominations for Secretary of Faculty Council. Prof. Bishop indicated that she was willing to fill the post for the one-year half-term the History Department had elected her to. Prof. Matthews questioned whether a department could elect someone to a one-year term when it was not a special election to fill out a departed member's unfinished term. After some discussion of the language of the Faculty Council constitution, the Council accepted Prof. Woolsey's interpretation, that the term limit whereby no member could have three consecutive full terms really meant members could serve only two, and one-year terms were only to substitute for members who could not finish their two years. Prof. Zuraw pointed out that not just Prof. Bishop but she was now serving a fifth consecutive year in a special one-year term. Prof. Moody moved and Prof. Knapp seconded that Profs. Zuraw and Bishop both be legitimized as Faculty Council members for their irregular fifth year; this was passed unanimously. It was apparently assumed after this that Prof. Bishop, in the absence of other volunteers, was continuing as secretary, as no vote was taken about this.
7. Prof. Thompson moved and Prof. Carter seconded that the minutes of the meeting of April 26th be accepted; this passed unanimously. Prof. Woolsey moved and Prof. Snively seconded that the minutes of the meeting of May 1st be accepted; this passed unanimously. Prof. Bishop mentioned the special note she had appended to the May 1st minutes stating her findings, from conversations after the meeting, that neither Gen. Grinalds nor Provost Carter had intended the Faculty Code of Ethics to be official or binding; Prof. Comer, as Webmaster, had posted this on the FC minutes site over the summer for people's information. Prof. Zuraw noted that this appendix was not part of the official minutes but that she would look into the status of the Ethics Code.
8. Prof. Zuraw reported on the latest Academic Board meeting. They had discussed the Faculty Ethics Code, the Academic Integrity Statement and the Intellectual Property Policy. They had voted down Faculty Council's recommendation that they form a new standing committee to deal with student evaluation of teaching issues, on the grounds that there were too many standing committees already. Prof. Zuraw suggested that Faculty Council could perhaps eliminate another standing committee while revising committee charters and substitute this one. Profs. Davakos and Woolsey noted that the Ethics Code was being treated as pretty substantive in some quarters, posted on the Web and given out in a department orientation packet; it was agreed that Faculty Council needs to look into the issue of just how official the Code is meant to be and make it clear that we and Academic Board are still working on it.
9. Prof. Thompson requested that two persons be elected immediately to the Committee on Committees so that it could have a quorum to work, and then two others be elected later, to fill up the required numbers. It was pointed out that Prof. Foster will need to be replaced only in the spring term when she is away. Prof. Woolsey moved and Prof. Murray seconded that Prof. Betsey Carter be elected as the immediate new member; this was passed unanimously. There was then a call for the members to go back to the departments that could supply the other two members-- all but English, Business, Education, Physics and now Library-- and solicit volunteers.
10. There was a discussion about whether Faculty Council should really take the new quorum rule to the General Faculty Meeting the next day, Friday Aug. 22. Some said it was unfair to have the whole Council have a lenient quorum of half the members plus one when committees had to have a stricter two-thirds quorum, but others noted that some of the committees do have a half plus one quorum. It was agreed that the Council would ask for a yes/no vote at the general meeting.
11. Prof. Zuraw asked whether the Council wanted to form a subcommittee to generate suggestions for the school's Quality Encancement Plan. There was a discussion about what was lacking in the students' education experience now and how it could be improved. Profs. Davakos and Woolsey felt that the First Year Experience classes were too short and should cover out-of-classroom experiences more than they do, besides the problem of getting enough people to teach them. Prof. Lipscomb mentioned hunger and sleepiness as phenomena that should be fought; Prof. Snively noted that the Navy Department gives its scholarship students so much help that they all get through, and others should perhaps do likewise. Prof. Woolsey moved and Prof. Niksch seconded that a subcommittee be formed to discuss the QEP; this was passed unanimously. Volunteers were solicited, and Profs. B. Carter, Chen, Lipscomb, Miller, Niksch, Snively and Woolsey volunteered.
12. Prof. Zuraw reviewed the status of last year's Faculty Council subcommittees. Ethics is on hold as the Code is now being worked on by Academic Board. Prof. Finch has so much to report about his research on Faculty Evaluation by Students that it would take a whole meeting; some suggested that there be a general meeting about this. The new subcommittee formed just as the summer started to improve the class absence policy did its work, turning down the idea of making students responsible for taking attendance and turning each other in, and coming up with a new system of much faster electronic submission of absence and lateness reports. Training sessions for this will be held soon.
13. Prof. Zuraw announced that, due to asbestos having been discovered in the walls of Faculty House during an attempt sponsored by the Campus Crusade for Christ to bring it up to code electrically, the cost of making it legal is now prohibitive and Faculty House is closed indefinitely. She mentioned an e-mail she had received about parking, which led to comments on the problems with having unlimited reserved spots; Prof. Zuraw concluded that Faculty Council should probably pursue this.
14. The Council discussed who was responsible for calling the first meeting of the year for each committee; the new committee chairs have not been elected yet, but the old ones should preside. Profs. Davakos and Briggs said that since committees are under the aegis of Faculty Council, we should call their first meetings. Prof. Zuraw said she would try to speed up Dean Metts's approval of the recommendations of the Committee on Committees for the membership of each committee.
15. Prof. Zuraw advocated a policy of Council members reporting the events of each meeting to their departments, with no secrecy.
16. The meeting was adjourned at 12:00 noon.