University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Senate

Academic Calendars CommitteesFaculty Policy Guide Honorary Degree Awards SEC Meeting Schedule Senate Agendas & Minutes Senate Meeting Schedule Senate Meeting Videos Senate Members Senator Guide

Minutes
Urbana-Champaign Senate Meeting

November 24, 1997

A regular meeting of the Urbana-Champaign Senate was called to order at 3:10 p.m., in Foellinger Auditorium, with Chancellor Michael Aiken presiding.

Approval of Minutes

11/24/97-01 The minutes of October 27, 1997, were approved as written.

Senate Council Report

Senator Richard Schacht (LAS), Chair of Senate Council, reported that the following persons have requested floor privileges to speak concerning the items indicated and moved that they be granted such privileges—in connection with:

EP.95.08, Proposal to Establish a Jointly Administered Ph.D. Program in Architecture and Landscape Architecture, Alan Forrester, Director of the School of Architecture and Vincent Bellafiore, Head of the Department of Landscape Architecture

EP.98.03, Proposal from the College of LAS to revise the major in German and the curriculum preparatory to the teaching of German, Marianne Kalinke, Professor and Head, Dept. of Germanic Languages and Literatures

EP.98.04, Proposal from the Graduate College and the College of LAS to create an M.F.A. program in Creative Writing, Paul Friedman,Professor of English and Director of Creative Writing; Dennis Baron, Professor and Acting Head of the Dept. of English; and George Hendrick, Professor of English and Chair of the MFA Task Force

EP.98.07, Proposal from LAS to Discontinue the History and Philosophy of Science Option in the Humanities Major in the Sciences and Letters Curriculum, Professor Brian Rainer,Assistant Dean of LAS, and Evan Melhado, Associate Professor of History

EP.98.09, Proposal to Change the Name of the Department of Civil Engineering to the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, David Daniel, Professor and Head, Dept. of Civil Engineering

EP.98.10, Procedures for Awarding a Provisional Vocational Certificate as an Alternative Process for Certifying Agriculture Teachers, Professor Wayne Banwart, Assistant Dean, Academic Programs, College of ACES, and Jeff Moss, Visiting Assistant Professor and Chair of the Agriculture Education Area Committee

AB.98.01, NCAA Athletics Certification Self-Study Written Plan, Terry Cole, Associate Director of Athletics

There was no objection.

Schacht reported that Senate Council discussed the following at its November 5 meeting:

Disclosed Criminal History Admission Case Review Committee (CRC). This committee will review admissions applicants who have reported current indictments or previous criminal convictions, and an Appeals Committee will hear appeals of denied admission related to disclosed criminal history. The CRC will report to Director of Admissions and Records Ruth Vedvik; the Appeals Committee will be appointed by and report to the Provost. The Senate Committee on Committees has been asked to recommend two nominees for the CRC and five nominees for the Appeals Committee.

Grievance Procedure Task Force (GPTF). Chancellor Aiken will appoint this Task Force to review campus grievance procedures, and he has requested the names of at least three individuals who might appropriately be asked to serve on the task force. Council members were asked to forward their suggestions of nominees to Nancy O'Brien.

Police Training Institute/Fire Service Institute Merger Task Force. Schacht provided the names of those serving on this task force, which will be chaired by Gary Heichel. Council asked to be given an opportunity to review the task force report before any subsequent recommendations are acted upon, saying that changes in unit structure should be approved by the Educational Policy Committee and the Senate.

Tenure Issues Committee. This Senate Council ad hoc committee has been charged with reviewing the recommendations of the USC Principles Committee and developing recommendations for Senate action relating to them. They are expected to report to Senate in the spring.

Appraisal of Annual Meeting of the Faculty. Council discussed scheduling alternatives that might encourage greater attendance at the annual meeting, one being that the event be combined with a regular meeting of the Senate. This discussion will continue.

Campus Budget Oversight Committee. Schacht, after expressing his regret that the Provost was unable to attend today's meeting, reminded senators he has extended the call for comments on the CBOC selection process. On October 24 he addressed Senate committee chairs, asking that comments, suggestions and recommendations relating to the process set forth in Communication No. 1 be conveyed to him by December 1. Senate Council will consider responses received and consult with the Provost in developing a report for Senate action.

Athletic Board Issues. Schacht reported that recommendations received from the Athletic Board for changes to its composition have been referred to the University Statutes and Senate Procedures Committee (USSP). USSP is currently drafting an amendment to the Bylaws to incorporate these proposed changes in membership and length of terms on the Board.

NCAA Certification Review. Schacht reported that Associate Director of Athletics Terry Cole met with Council and provided the history of and process for certification of intercollegiate athletic programs by the NCAA, saying that the Urbana-Champaign campus is scheduled for review in 1998. Chancellor Aiken will appoint a self-study committee, composed of faculty, unit administrators, financial aid officers and representatives from other campus departments, and has requested Senate input on faculty representation.

Council Meeting December 10, 1997, with President Stukel. President Stukel recently articulated his "vision" for the University for the next decade. He has invited individual responses from the faculty and has offered to share his views with Senate Council. A special meeting for this purpose has been scheduled on Wednesday, December 10, at 3:10 p.m.

RS.98.01, Resolution on Communication with the Faculty; Senate Library Committee Issues. Schacht reserved his comments for discussion of these items later on today's agenda.

Revision to Code of Policies and Regulations (Policy on Individuals with HIV Disease). Schacht will ask the Conference on Conduct Governance to prepare an amendment to the Code for review by Senate Council.

Faculty Workload Issue. Council discussed the need for Senate involvement in developing a policy that addresses instructional workload and other faculty roles and responsibilities.

Computer Usage Policy. Council discussed CCSO implementation of campus-wide policies governing computer access and acceptable use. Although the policies went into effect November 19, the categories of authorized users are still under consideration. Schacht reported that Council referred the policy document and guidelines to the General University Policy Committee to determine whether the policy is sound or if certain modifications would be desirable.

Executive Session. Council met in Executive Session to discuss the vice-chancellor evaluation process.

Schacht announced that the following senators agreed to serve as tellers: Peter Loeb (LAS), Nancy O'Brien (LIBR), H. George Friedman (ENGR), and James L. Robinson (ACES).

Chancellor's Remarks

Chancellor Aiken addressed a complicated and important issue, which could affect the future welfare of this campus. There is a new phenomenon beginning to appear which will fundamentally change the concept of air transportation for small cities such as Champaign-Urbana. That phenomenon is the emergence of regional (50 passenger) jets, which are most efficient when they fly distances between 300 and 500 miles.

We think the concept of "hub" and "spoke" will be modified for some communities where there is a sufficient load factor between 2 medium-sized destinations (e.g., C-U and Des Moines). We may find that regional jets will fly directly between smaller-sized cities.

One must consider the context of intense competition that is beginning to appear in central Illinois. As you may know, air service has been discontinued to the cities of Danville and Decatur, while Bloomington and Peoria have been active in the procurement of jet service. Bloomington has such service to Orlando and Denver through AirTrans (formerly Valujet) and the community of Peoria has committed $15m to develop a new airline called AccessAir, which will add to United already in its stable, and is expected to appear in a year or so and offer jet service to both coasts.

Air industry experts have advised us that while we have frequent enplanements (20/day), they are fragmented among 4 different carriers, and for the size of our community, we have one of the lowest levels of enplanements. Experts have also advised that C-U has considerable "leakage", or potential Willard passengers who drive to Indianapolis or Chicago to connect with a jet flight.

As a result, the consulting firm of Kiehl, Hendrickson has been retained to assist in identifying strategies to deal with the above issues. A review of the carriers who now use Willard Airport indicate that 1) American is our most frequent user, and is already in the regional jet business, 2) Northwest now flies to Detroit and Minneapolis, with a hub in Memphis, all advantageous distances for regional jets, which Northwest utilizes, 3) USAir recently added regional service to eastern/southeastern cities only, 4) TWA currently has no regional jets, and 5) Delta does not fly into Willard at present, but since they are Cincinnati-based and fly to points in Indiana, they are a potential carrier.

Chancellor Aiken emphasized that both the campus and the Champaign-Urbana community have a stake in these issues and both have been participating in the discussions. Also, we have been told that if our campus concentrated on a single carrier for our air service, it might provide our best opportunity for favorable rates. However, this issue may be contentious, since individuals who may be using grants for air travel are accustomed to shopping among several carriers for the lowest rates.

He urged all present to participate whenever possible in the upcoming campus discussions about the importance of regional jet service.

Questions/Discussion

There were none.

Old Business

11/24/97-02 The Chancellor presented for information SC.98.08*, Nomination Procedures Relative to the Campus Budget Oversight Committee (CBOC). Council Chair Schacht, after receiving no floor responses to his invitation for comments, reminded senators of his December 1 deadline for communications on the CBOC's composition and selection procedures.

Consent Agenda

Chancellor Aiken announced that, in the absence of objection, the following items would be approved by unanimous consent. Senator John Hill (FAA) requested that EP.98.07*, Proposal from LAS to Discontinue the History and Philosophy of Science Option in the Humanities Major in the Sciences and Letters Curriculum, be moved to Proposals for Action. Hearing no further objections, the Chancellor announced that the following items were approved by unanimous consent.

11/24/97-03 EP.95.08*, Proposal to Establish a Jointly Administered Ph.D. Program in Architecture and Landscape Architecture
11/24/97-04 EP.98.03*, Proposal to revise the undergraduate major in German and the curriculum preparatory to the teaching of German
11/24/97-05 EP.98.04*, Proposal from the Graduate College and the College of LAS to create an M.F.A. program in Creative Writing
11/24/97-06 EP.98.09*, Proposal to Change the Name of the Department of Civil Engineering to the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
11/24/97-07 SC.98.09*, Deadline for Filing Nominations for the Faculty Advisory Committee

Proposals for Action

11/24/97-08 Chancellor Aiken presented for action EP.98.07*, Proposal from LAS to Discontinue the History and Philosophy of Science Option in the Humanities Major in the Sciences and Letters Curriculum.

Senator John Hill (FAA) described the proposal's justification as "sketchy", adding that he would prefer to see a proposal for a new program before one is eliminated. Professor Evan Melhado explained that a new interdisciplinary minor is being proposed through the College of LAS, but is not quite ready to be brought forward at this time.

Senator Richard Schacht (LAS) asked if the College of LAS believes the study of the history and philosophy of science to be a dying interest. Melhado replied that, while interest continues, the program has not succeeded in attracting and retaining sufficient students to be retained in its present form. Senator Stephen Portnoy (LAS) questioned the apparent lack of a departmental approval. Professor Brian Rainer, Assistant Dean of LAS and Director of its General Curriculum Office, explained that since no Department of Humanities exists, his signature serves in its stead.

11/24/97-09 By voice vote, EP.98.07 was approved.

Prefiled Resolutions

11/24/97-10 The Chancellor presented for action RS.98.01*, Resolution on Communication with the Faculty. Senator Al Kagan (LIBR), sponsor of Alternative A of the resolution, described the objective of his resolution as a call for greater dissemination of information relating to matters coming before the Senate (i.e., requiring the placement of agendas and documents relating to matters to be discussed or presented for action on the web prior to meetings). After amending the phrase "two weeks" to "ten days" ("Be it resolved that Senate agendas be made available…in advance of Senate meetings"), he moved its approval.

Speaking on behalf of the Senate Council (sponsor of Alternative B), Chair Schacht moved to substitute Alternative B for Alternative A, believing that A was too restrictive for Senate action. Senator Jason Konzelmann (LAS) moved that the phrase "and students" be added after "faculty" in both the title of the resolution and the first line of the text. Kagan and Schacht had no objections.

Senator R. Linn Belford (LAS) believed that mandating placement of all Senate meeting materials on the web (see A) may hamstring the work of the Senate by preventing the addition of late-breaking items to the agenda.

11/24/97-11 By show of hands, the motion to substitute Alternative B for Alternative A
11/24/97-12 was approved. After the question was called, B was approved by voice vote.

11/24/97-13 The Chancellor presented for action RS.98.02*, Resolution on Faculty Composition of the Library Committee. Senator Harry H. Hilton (ENGR), sponsor of the resolution, moved approval of his resolution, after removing the 3rd. Whereas (…the University of Illinois College of Engineering faculty generate non University supported research representing 40% of such total UIUC funding).

Schacht noted that the resolution seeks to mandate the nomination of a faculty member for the Library Committee, where a vacancy does not exist, which violates the Senate Bylaws. Based on that argument, Senator H. George Friedman (ENGR) asked the parliamentarian to rule whether Hilton's motion was out of order. Parliamentarian Joseph Wenzel did so rule, and Hilton's motion was ruled out of order, which precluded any further discussion.

Reports for Information

Chancellor Aiken presented the following reports:

11/24/97-14 AB.98.01*, NCAA Athletics Certification Program Self-Study Written Plan

Senator Stephen Kaufman (MED) requested that the Athletic Association and Athletic Board include the following in the Goals of its Self-Study Plan, to be carried out as part of the NCAA Athletics Certification Program:

"To consider whether the caricature and impersonation of a Native American Indian as the UIUC athletic mascot serves the integrity of the UIUC athletic program, the campus, and the principles of the NCAA.

11/24/97-15 EP.98.10*, Procedures for Awarding a Provisional Vocational Certificate as an Alternative Process for Certifying Agriculture Teachers.

Reports of the Proceedings of other Meetings

The Chancellor presented the following meeting reports.

11/24/97-16 SC.98.10*, October 8-9, 1997, Board of Trustees, R. Schacht
11/24/97-17 UC.98.02*, October 23, 1997, University Senates Conference, G. Belford

New Business

The Chancellor asked if any senator wished to present an item of New Business, reminding the body that any such item requires the approval of two-thirds of senators present and voting prior to its placement on the agenda.

11/24/97-18 Senator Hilton moved to add RS.98.02 to the agenda, as amended to read that the Senate Committee on Committees nominate a faculty member from the College of Engineering to the Senate Library Committee "when a vacancy becomes available." By a count of hands (34-36), the motion failed to garner the necessary two-thirds vote, and the resolution was not added to the agenda.

The meeting was adjourned at 4:30 p.m.

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