MEMBERS PRESENT: P. Anderson, G. Avent, P. Bagley, E. Bateman, D. Borino, B. Byram, K. Dannehl, H. Estes, L. Fraizer, G. Goicoechea, W. Harkness, E. Henderson, L. Hyslop, P. Josey, J. Kempster, B. Kern, J. King, M. Kuhl, J. Larson, J. Licht, K. Martin, M. McFarlane, B. Murphy, S. Nielsen, S. Owen, L. Owens, B. Paine, J. Rice, L. Sanchez, J. Shaw, P. Smith, T. Staley, S. Sweetwater, G. Tenney, L. Uhlenkott, P. Warren

OTHERS PRESENT: Vice President for Academic Affairs Betty Elliott.

1. ATTENDANCE: Silent roll was taken. Chair John Rice declared a quorum present.
2. CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order at 1:15 p.m.
3. WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS : Chair John Rice welcomed everyone to Senate. Wallace Harkness, Director of Marketing for GBC, was introduced.
4. VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS: Vice President Betty Elliott addressed the committee on behalf of Kerry Aguirre of the United Way. Faculty is encouraged to consider a payroll deduction in the amount of $1 per month for 1 year or a 1 time only contribution of $12 to assist the local organizations which United Way supports.
5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: The minutes of the September 28, 2001, meeting were unanimously approved.
6. SENATE CHAIR REPORT:
   1. Board of Regents -
      1. GBC Dormitories - The Board approved GBC's bid for the Towne Park 1 and Towne Park 2 apartment complexes. These apartments will be used as student housing. The bid requested $3 million with the Board approving $1.44 million. The closing date is scheduled for this month with student occupation to begin next semester. There will be approximately 144 beds available with some units being double occupancy.
      2. Admissions Policy - Current admission GPA is set between 2.5 - 3.0. Concerns were raised by minority groups. This issue will formally come before the BoR in November with debate to follow in December.
      3. Prohibited Activity Code Amendment - The proposed amendment to the UCCSN Code specifically prohibiting abusive or demeaning treatment of students, fellow employees or the public by System employees while on duty or on System premises was defeated.
      4. System Master Plan - Richard Curry, UCCSN Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, and Chancellor Chris Chairsell will be on campus Friday, November 9, at 9:00 a.m. in McMullen 103 to discuss the System Master Plan. Additional copies are available. The plan outlines changes in current college programs with, perhaps, little emphasis on future growth opportunities.
   2. Developmental English - Jan Kempster presented the placement score breakdown for placement of students in developmental English courses. Students scoring below 90 on the English Placement Test were recommended for ENG 093. Problems have arisen because the course was never designed to handle the large quantity of students which is occurring. An average of 90% of students testing at GBC qualify for only developmental English courses. Prolific use of the writing sample will allow instructors to place individuals in a higher course, if qualified, without simply looking at placement scores. The department is also looking at offering a developmental reading course which directly connects with developmental understanding.
   3. Faculty Salary Schedule - No reportable change. The committee recommends 2.5% step increase plus an additional 2.5% tenure increase. The committee is still debating initial hiring salaries at competitive rates vs. salaries of current faculty. The committee proposal still has the obstacle of acquiring state funding.
7. FOUR-YEAR PROGRAMS:
   1. Bachelor of Applied Science - A focus group was comprised of program students which gave both positive and negative feedback. The committee will address the negative issues to seek improvement. The committee approved six more applications for the spring 2001 semester.
   2. Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education - No report. There are 21 applicants to the program.
   3. Bachelor of Arts in Integrative and Professional Studies - The program packet will be delivered to Northwest Accreditation on October 10. A response should be heard very shortly.
   4. Bachelor of Arts in Nursing - No report.
8. COMMITTEE REPORTS:
   1. Academic Standards - Report; approved.
      1. There were five requests for non-traditional credit which were accepted. The issue of experiential credit standards will be reviewed in order to set specific standards.
      2. The committee requests that transcripts acknowledge "B" courses on transcripts. "B" courses do not fulfill requirements for an Associate of Arts or Science degree or transfer within UCCSN. The change will be requested through Vice President Lynn Mahlberg.
   2. Budget - No report.
   3. Compensation and Benefits - Oral report; information only. The committee is determining the exact procedure for the overseeing of distribution of professional development funds. There appears to be approximately $32,000 in the budget. All committee decisions will be approved by Academic Affairs or the President's office. The funds are awarded on a year-to-year basis with no carry over. The committee will review requests based on leadership qualities, professional growth, benefit to the school, benefit to the students, benefit to their program and benefit to their colleagues.
   4. Curriculum and Articulation - No report. The committee requested a sense of the Senate regarding the grading scale used in developmental classes. Up until this point, the grading scale has been a departmental decision. However, there is substantial argument for uniformity. In a letter grading system, D's are still considered passing and are therefore accepted for continuance. The sense of the Senate is that grading systems should remain a departmental decision.
   5. Distance Learning - Written report; approved.
      1. The committee is recommending that all online instructors include in their WebCT page a menu item titled "Read First" in order to achieve uniform start times for online students. The page simply includes basic information for helping students get started in their instruction within this specific technology. The page would act as a standard template. The individual WebCT course page would then be specific to the course.
      2. The committee has not been able to find a formula for teaching distance education courses. Researching the System has only produced one model. GBC, without specific written policy, has asked 1.5 credit development release for converting a 3 credit live class to a distance education class. There have been no additional stipends for teaching distance education classes. Intellectual Property Rights also has an involvement in circulating a policy. The system policy does not address the distance education medium. Overload for distance education classes has been equivalent with current policy; a class must surpass 110% before overload pay is awarded. The committee welcomes input.
   6. Facilities - No report.
   7. Faculty and Administration Evaluations - No report.
   8. General Education - No report.
   9. Personnel - Written report; approved.
      1. A subcommittee for the nursing search has been formed with applications received.
      2. The committee submitted approval of sabbatical for Dr. Mike McFarlane and Eric Bateman. The requests were unanimously approved.
   10. Scholarships and Awards - The committee is getting ready for the 2002-2003 scholarship year. Scholarship applications are available through Student Financial Services.
   11. Student Relations - No report.
9. OLD BUSINESS:
   1. Library Standing Committee - The revised mission of the committee was unanimously approved to read as follows:
      "The charge of the Library Committee of the Faculty Senate will be to advise the Library Faculty in matters of Library Policy, to review Library budget requests, and to make recommendations for acquisitions. The committee will receive reports from the Library faculty and represent faculty and student interests in maintaining Library resources and services. The committee will be comprised of the designees from the following areas: three members of the Library professional staff designated by the Library Director, a representative designated by the Chair of Vocational Education, a representative designated by the Chair of the General Education Committee, a representative designated by the Chair of the Nursing Department, a representative designated by the lead faculty for the baccalaureate programs, a branch campus representative designated by the Chair of the Distance Education Committee."
10. NEW BUSINESS:
    1. The Senate moved and unanimously approved a suggestion to Administration that the start of the fall semester be moved to after the Labor Day Holiday.
11. REGENT'S AWARD NOMINATIONS:
    1. Eric Bateman has been nominated for the Regent's Teaching Award. Sarah Sweetwater has been nominated for the Regent's Creativity Award. These nomination packets are currently being constructed and will be submitted at the end of November.
    2. No nominations were brought forward for the Outstanding Student, Staff and Faculty Award.
12. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS:
    1. Constitution and Bylaw Consideration - Chair Rice requested of the Senate Executive Committee that the Senate's Constitution and Bylaws be reconsidered in an effort to operate more efficiently. Certain questions were raised as to the methods of committee formation during the approval process of the Library Standing Committee. There is also the possibility of combining certain committees. All discussion will be geared toward easing the increased responsibilities of faculty outside the teaching forum.
13. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 3:00 p.m.