Faculty Handbook Committee Minutes
Friday, October 10, 2003

Present were: Cynthia Gilliatt, Chuck Bilbrey, David Brakke and Andy Kohen

Due to a small attendance the group dealt with three items they felt confident to make a decision on. They are:

Bill Voige: wanted language about expectations of student attendance in class and at final exams. We felt that although student expectations of our excusing absences for frivolous reasons are a problem, they are best addressed in the faculty member's own syllabus [see III.H.6, p. 59], or in the student handbook. Rejected.

Bruce Johnson: wanted long term RTA faculty to serve on PACs in tenure cases. RTA contracts, hiring circumstances, credentialing and expectations for service and scholarly
activity varies widely across the campus. A blanket policy would pose greater problems. More compellingly, AAUP is adamant that only tenured faculty make tenure decisions.
Rejected.

Daphnye Saunders Thomas: wanted to add language specifically including service learning to the handbook section on Professional Service III.E.2.b.(3). We felt that the existing language permitted service learning to be counted there, and also that the language describing both teaching and scholarship could also admit service learning, depending on the nature of the project. Thus the additional language would limit how people could choose to count service learning. And since service-learning projects are not compatible with all disciplines, adding such language would make the definition less universally applicable. Rejected.

We deferred discussion of the language about felonies to when Susan could be present, and others for a fuller committee's consideration.

We asked Nancy Lough who was present from Susan's office to recheck meeting times.