Agenda for the Faculty Senate Meeting

April 4, 2007

Room B-113 Robinson Hall

3:00-4:15 p.m.

I. Call to Order

II. Approval of the Minutes of March 7, 2007

III. Announcements

President Alan Merten

IV. Unfinished Business and General Orders

Senator apportionment 2007-2008 (O&O Committee) Attachment A

University Policy on Copyright Attachment B

V. New Business - Committee Reports

A. Senate Standing Committees

Executive Committee

Academic Policies -- Motion from committee Attachment C

Budget & Resources

Faculty Matters -- Motion from committee Attachment D

Organization & Operations

Nominations --

Jose Cortina, CHSS, is nominated to serve on the ad hoc Provost's committee to explore a Mason Faculty Practice Plan

Ana Stoehr, CHHS, is nominated to serve on the Veterans and Deployment Issues committee

B. Other Committees

Salary Issues Task Force

Faculty Handbook Revision Committee

BOV Finance and Development Committee faculty representative

VI. Other New Business

VII. Remarks for the Good of the General Faculty

VIII. Adjournment

ATTACHMENT A

Apportionment of Elected Senators for 2007/2008

Unit	Allocation	Change
College of Humanities and Social Sciences	17	-1
College of Education & Human Development	6	0
College of Health and Human Services	4	+1
College of Science	7	0
College of Visual and Performing Arts	3	0
Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution	1	0
Krasnow Institute	0	0
School of Management	3	0
School of Law	2	0
School of Public Policy	2	0
Volgenau School of Information Technology and Engineering	5	0
	Total: 50	0

ATTACHMENT B

After further discussion in the Provost's office in response to the concerns expressed about the course materials provision of the copyright policy by some members of the Faculty Senate, a small revision has been made. 
 
As revised, the limitation on the use of such materials prepared in connection with a faculty member's academic responsibilities at the university for teaching purposes in substantial competition with the university, or making these materials available to others with the intent that they be used for those purposes, without the permission of his or her Dean or Institute Director applies only to on-line courses. The policy is unchanged in all other respects

University Policy Number 4002 – Copyright in University Works is submitted by Matt Kluger, Vice President, Research & Economic Development, for review and approval by the Faculty Senate. The policy will be submitted to the Board of Visitors for its approval following the Senate’s consideration.

The principal purposes on the revised policy, as stated in the policy itself, are to –

• Clarify rights of authorship and ownership in copyrighted works, affirming the university's commitment to the "traditional works" doctrine under which copyright in works created at the university by faculty and students is generally owned by the creators;

• Provide for the equitable sharing of the financial benefit from university-owned copyrighted works;

• Clarify roles and responsibilities for the implementation of the copyright policy, including the role of a faculty-based Intellectual Property Committee to resolve disputes; and

• Conform the university’s copyright policy to Virginia law.

Please click the link to read the full text of the policy.

http://www3.gmu.edu/facstaff/senate/Copyright%20for%20Faculty%20Senate%20March%2023,%202007%20final.doc

ATTACHMENT C

Motion: Modify the Absence for Religious Observances policy (which is on p. 35 of the 2006-2007 catalog) so that it will appear as shown below, adjusted to reflect faculty concerns about responsibilities and limitations, and so that it also covers absence for participation in university activities.

Absence for Religious Observances or Participation in University Activities

It is Mason's policy to encourage its faculty to make a reasonable effort to allow students to observe their religious holidays or to participate in university-sponsored activities (e.g., intercollegiate athletics, forensics team, dance company, etc.) without academic penalty. Absence from classes or exams for these reasons does not relieve students from responsibility for any part of the course work required during the absence. Students who miss classes, exams, or other assignments as a consequence of their religious observance or for participation in a university activity will be provided a reasonable alternative opportunity, consistent with class attendance policies stated in the syllabus, to make up the missed work. It is the obligation of students to provide faculty, within the first two weeks of the semester, with the dates of major religious holidays on which they will be absent, and the dates for which they are requesting an excused absence for participation in any university-sponsored activity scheduled prior to the start of the semester, and as soon as possible otherwise. Students requesting an excused absence for participation in a university-sponsored activity must provide their instructor with letter from a university official stating the dates and times that participation in the activity would result in the student missing class. Faculty are encouraged to take religious observances into consideration when constructing class schedules and syllabi.

Rationale:

The Colonial Academic Alliance concluded that all member institutions should have similar policies regarding absences due to participation in university activities, and the Academic Integrity Committee of this university's Athletic Council requested that our attendence policy be modified to cover absences due to participation in university-sponsored activities.

While it has been observed that for the most part GMU faculty are reasonable with regard to not penalizing students who miss a class or exam due to participation in a recognized university activity, it has also been observed that some new faculty and adjunct faculty seem reluctant to make reasonable accommodations. Perhaps in some cases the reluctance is due to a desire to do things "by the book" and avoid making exceptions, and in such instances it may be the case that having an official policy regarding absence due to participation in university activities may be helpful.

It strikes some students and faculty members as odd that GMU has a policy regarding absence due to religious observance but not one covering absence due to participation in university activities.

It can be noted that the proposed policy does not specify what is meant by making a reasonable effort to accommodate students who will miss a class or exam, allowing individual faculty members to for the most part decide for themselves what is appropriate for their classes.

ATTACHMENT D

Motion from the Faculty Matters to approve this policy that will be incorporated into the revised Faculty Handbook:

Employment of Family Member/Partner

Favoritism or the appearance of it can undermine the trust that members of the university community place in personnel decisions as well as the public interest which the university serves. Thus, a personnel decision involving a family member or partner of another faculty member or administrator requires unique scrutiny and special safeguards. In no case should a faculty member or administrator who might have a “personal interest” participate in the hiring, supervision, evaluation, or other personnel actions that involve a family member or partner.

If a faculty member or administrator might exercise or appear to exercise control over the employment or other personnel actions of a family member or partner, the supervisor of the faculty member or administrator must, at a minimum, designate a disinterested person to substitute for the individual who might have a personal interest. Additional steps may also be required if colleagues or subordinates of the individual with a personal interest are involved in the employment activities. “Appearance of exercising control” includes but is not limited to assigning responsibility for personnel actions or supervision to a colleague or subordinate. If the personnel action involves a faculty member or administrator in a local academic unit, the faculty in that unit and all other interested parties must be fully apprised of both the family/partner relationship and the steps that have been taken to ensure that the individual with a personal interest is not involved in the personnel decision.

At least ten days prior to consideration of a personnel action involving a family member or partner of a faculty member or administrator by the Board of Visitors, the Board will be fully apprised of the relationship and the steps taken to ensure that the individual with a personal interest was not involved in the action. Only after the Board is satisfied that the present policy was implemented and that safeguards were adequate should the personnel action be approved.