Minutes
Urbana-Champaign Senate Meeting
October 6, 2008

A regular meeting of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Senate was called to order at 3:15 p.m. on the 3rd floor of the Levis Faculty Center with Interim Vice Chancellor for Research Ravi Iyer presiding.

Approval of Minutes

10/06/08-01          The minutes of the April 21 and April 28, 2008, Senate meetings were approved.

Senate Executive Committee Report

Senator Nicholas Burbules (EDUC), Chair of the Senate Executive Committee (SEC), provided the following report.

Ravi Iyer, Interim Vice Chancellor for Research, will be presiding today in the absence of Chancellor Richard Herman.  Associate Chancellor Peg Rawles will also be on hand to respond to questions and comments.

The Senate will be considering nominations for honorary degrees in executive session as the final business item prior to the Committee of the Whole discussion about parking.  All non-senators will need to leave the room during our executive session.

The Chancellor has issued a statement today stating that the University of Illinois and the Academy on Capitalism and Limited Government (ACLG) have agreed to dissolve their agreement that would have funded teaching and research on capitalism and government.  The ACLG will instead become a non-profit off-campus entity.

Tellers for today’s meeting are Senators Harry Hilton (ENGR), Tyler Matteson (FAA), and Joyce Tolliver (LAS).

Chancellor’s Remarks

The Vice Chancellor welcomed all back to a new academic year, and he congratulated senators on their election.

Questions/Discussion

Senator Burbules read an email that President B. Joseph White sent to the entire campus community just before today’s meeting.  The President responded to concerns about provisions of the Illinois State Ethics Act, specifically the apparent prohibition of political activities of members of the campus community while on campus.

Subsequent comments included whether the alleged prohibition extended to classroom discussions, display of partisan political buttons and bumper stickers, use of university resources (computers, Internet) to lobby for federal grant funding, and a definition of “workplace” for purposes of this policy.

While President White’s message addressed many of these concerns, Associate Chancellor Rawles indicated she would seek an answer to the “workplace” question from University Counsel and the Ethics Office.

Consent Agenda

The Presiding Officer announced that, absent objections of any senator, the following proposals were approved by unanimous consent:

10/06/08-02  EP.09.02* Rename BALAS in Religious Studies to BALAS in Religion
10/06/08-03  EP.09.03* Establish a BALAS in Gender and Women’s Studies
10/06/08-04  EP.09.04* Revision to the BSLAS: Astronomy
10/06/08-05  EP.09.05* Revision to Undergraduate Minor in Astronomy
10/06/08-06  EP.09.06* Minor in Community Based Art Education
10/06/08-07  EP.09.07* Graduate Minor in College Teaching
10/06/08-08  EP.09.08* Master of Studies in Law (M.S.L.)
10/06/08-09  EP.09.09* Revision of Stage Management Concentration
10/06/08-10  EP.09.10* Revision of the B.A.: Teaching of Spanish
10/06/08-11  EP.09.11* Revision of the Undergraduate Major in the Sciences/Letters Curriculum in Mathematics
10/06/08-12  EP.09.13* Interdisciplinary Minor in Asian American Studies
10/06/08-13  EP.09.14* Terminate the Professional Writing Concentration of the Rhetoric Major
10/06/08-14  EP.09.16* Proposed Undergraduate Minor in Speech and Hearing Science, AHS
10/06/08-15  EP.09.17* Revision to currently offered Master of Art in Art Education
10/06/08-16  EP.09.18* Masters of Education in Art Education
10/06/08-17  EP.09.19* Rename the M.A. in Speech Communication to Communication

Proposals for Action

10/06/08-18          Presented for action from the Senate Committee on Committees was CC.08.03*, Nominations for Membership on Standing Committees of the Senate, and CC.08.04*, Nomination for a Representative to the Faculty Advisory Council of the Illinois Board of Higher Education (FAC/IBHE).  Senator Kim Graber (AHS), Chair of the Committee on Committees, moved approval of the slates on CC.08.03, its addendum, CC.08.03A, and CC.08.04.  There were no floor nominations and nominations were declared closed.

10/06/08-19          By voice vote, all nominations were approved.

Proposed Revisions to the Senate Bylaws

10/06/08-20          Dr. Iyer presented for action SP.09.04*, Revision to the Bylaws, Part D. 15 – Committee on Public Engagement.  Senator William Maher (LIBR), Chair of the Committee on University Statutes and Senate Procedures, and Senator Nancy O’Brien (LIBR), Chair of the Committee on Public Engagement, summarized the background of this proposal.  Senator Maher moved its approval.

10/06/08-21          By voice vote, SP.09.04 was approved.

Reports for Information of the Senate

The following reports were presented for information:

10/06/08-22          SD.08.01*, 2007-08 Annual Report of the Student Discipline Committee
10/06/08-23          FB.09.01*, Proposed Call for a Constitutional Convention and its Possible Impact on State Universities Retirement System Pensions
10/06/08-24          SC.08.08*, May 22 BOT
10/06/08-25          SC.08.09*, July 24 BOT
10/06/08-26          SC.09.03*, September 11 BOT
10/06/08-27          HE.08.14*, June 3 IBHE
10/06/08-28          HE.08.13*, May 16 FAC/IBHE
10/06/08-29          HE.08.15*, June 20 FAC/IBHE
10/06/08-30          HE.09.01*, September 19 FAC/IBHE
10/06/08-31          UC.08.08*, April 22 USC
10/06/08-32          UC.08.09*, May 28 USC
10/06/08-33          UC.08.10*, June 26 USC

Committee of the Whole

At 4:20 p.m., the Senate approved a motion to convene as a Committee of the Whole House to participate in a discussion initiated by the Parking System Review Committee.

Among the transportation items that were raised during this session included vehicle parking affordability, priority, proximity, availability, flexibility, timesharing, improving shuttle service, visitor parking, and many bicycle issues.

Professor Sheldon Katz, Chair of the Parking System Review Committee and 2007-08 Chair of the Senate Committee on Campus Operations, thanked senators for their comments and indicated his Committee hopes to incorporate as many suggestions as possible into their next report.

The Senate approved a motion to rise and report for purposes of exiting the Committee of the Whole at 4:50 p.m.

The meeting adjourned at 4:50 p.m.

Robert C. Damrau, Senate Clerk
*Filed with the Senate Clerk and incorporated by reference in these Minutes.