Members Present: Alligood Blaisten-Barojas Boileau Conti Dinan Elstun Fuchs Gantz Hamburger Hammond Jensen Lont Oates Rosenblum Rosenzweig Rossini Sofer Spikell Taylor Tongren Torzilli Travis Wood Zoltek

Members Absent: Albanese Buckley Carty Censer Chang Crockett Fulmer Hurt Johnson Krauss Manne Mellander Metcalf Mitchell Potter Ruth Sage Sanford Tabak Thomas Todd Wright

Guests Present: J. Fletcher S. Jones D. Holt K. Gentemann

I. Call to Order

The Chair, Anita Taylor, called the meeting to order at 3:10 P.M.

II. Approval of Minutes

The minutes of the February 15, 1995 meeting were approved with the elimination of the word "voice" in the statement "The amendment failed by a voice vote of 11 to 10 ..." listed under New Business.

III. Announcements

Ms. Taylor announced that the Senate office will move to Robinson B-440 soon. Today marks International Women's Day and the 75th Anniversary of National Women's Suffrage.

Mr. Rossini addressed the Senate concerning upcoming moves. Two new buildings will be coming on-line in the future as the front four buildings are undergoing refurbishing. Enterprise Hall is scheduled to open the middle of March. The University Center is scheduled to begin space use in mid-June. Any additional space would be initially offset by the renovations in the front four buildings. By the summer of 1996, our current space problems should be resolved.

Margaret Dear was nominated for the Ad Hoc University Grievance Committee.

IV. Unfinished Business

There was no unfinished business.

V. New Business

A. Senate Committee Reports
1. Executive Committee
Ms. Taylor announced that there were no new items to discuss which will not be addressed by specific committee reports.

2. Academic Policies Committee
Ms. Travis reported the AP Committee voted 3 to 0 with one abstention to retain the current catalog policy on attendance. Mr. Rosenzweig asked for the specific motion before the committee and specific wording in the catalog. Mr. Rosenzweig also requested a faculty vote. Mr. Boileau MOVED to postpone discussion until next meeting. Ms. Travis SECONDED the motion. The motion PASSED by voice vote. Ms. Travis also stated the committee is reviewing a request to add a plus/minus to the current grading scales and a request to allow students taking six hours or more a semester to be eligible for the Dean's List.

3. Faculty Matters Committee
Mr. Wood announced the Annual Faculty Evaluation of Administrators should be available by the end of March. Mr. Wood also announced that the University sexual harassment procedures are yet to be initiated. Senators voiced concern that the published procedures have not been implemented. As a consequence, the monthly meeting with the Equity Office and the Co-Chairs of the Hearing Board has not taken place. Ms. Rosenblum reminded those present that the Senate worked two years on the current sexual harassment procedures. Ms. Rosen- blum also questioned the claim that there were no cases to go forward to the Board since cases should be heard by the committee co-chairs. Mr. Wood will report further on the issue at the April meeting. Ms. Taylor also requested Mr. Wood to inquire about the cases which did not go forward to the Hearing Board.

4. Organization and Operations
Ms. Elstun reported two referrals since distri- bution of the mid-year report. The Academic Policies Committee received both referrals. One dealing with when, and under whose authority course withdrawals are granted. The second is a request to allow undergraduates to retake a course with an earned C. The committee will also work on the Wood, Fuchs, Albanese resolution concerning intimidation of homosexual members of George Mason University. Mr. Gantz reported that allocation of Senate seats needs to be addressed by March 1. Since New Century College is without a faculty in place there was no need to make an allocation at this time. Ms. Elstun also distributed an action item. After a lengthy discussion, the motion PASSED by voice vote.

5. Facilities and Support Services
The committee reported new thefts of computer equipment recently took place. All Senators are to be on alert and report any recommendations to the committee on how to increase security and review procedures. The Faculty and Support Services Committee will pass the recommendations on to Mr. Stanley Taylor.

6. Nominations Committee
Mr. Rosenzweig reported that Ms. Elstun and Mr. Tongren were nominated to the Board of Visitors Awards Committee and that the Customer Service Award Committee needs one more volunteer. Mr. Rosenzweig also mentioned that the Nomination Committee will be requesting members for the now passed "task force on multi-year contracts." Ms. Rosenblum suggested that, if a list of Senators involved in various committees exist, we may use it to assign Senators not on current committee assignments to serve on newly formed committees.

VI. Other New Business

1. Report on Effective Teaching
Doris Holt and Karen Gentemann reported the development of a new student instructional rating system report format. Mr. Gantz voiced concern over the statistical methods used to normalize information and the need to look at individual data not comparative data. Mr. Zoltek MOVED that the Committee on Effective Teaching consult with the Faculty Senate members who routinely perform statistical analysis to assess the reliability of the new instructional rating report. The Committee on Effective Teaching will meet with these faculty members collectively rather than on an indi-vidual basis. The motion was SECONDED by Mr. Torzilli and PASSED by voice vote.

VII. Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 4:20 P.M.

Respectfully submitted,

Karen Oates
Acting Secretary

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