[In these minutes: Discussion with Craig Swan, Coordinate Campus Visits, Reports]

STUDENT SENATE CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE (SSCC) MINUTES

NOVEMBER 1, 2001

[These minutes reflect discussion and debate at a committee of the University of Minnesota Senate or Twin Cities Campus Assembly; none of the comments, conclusions, or actions reported in these minutes represent the views of, nor are they binding on, the Senate or Assembly, the Administration, or the Board of Regents.]

PRESENT: Khaled Dajani (chair), Judy Berning, Daniel Buechler, Nick Cecconi, Trevor Ewanochko, Christina Frazier, Shawn Lavelle, Kari Lindeman, Matt McBlair, Ryan Osero, Rose Samuel, Jason Stingl.

REGRETS: YeeLeng Hang.

ABSENT: Ryan Brux, Matthew Wohlman.

GUESTS: Linda Ellinger, Jerry Rinehart, Craig Swan.

1. DISCUSSION WITH CRAIG SWAN, VICE PROVOST FOR UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION

Craig Swan, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education on the Twin Cities campus, introduced Jerry Rinehart as the chair of the Undergraduate Dean’s Council and last spring’s co-chair of the Subcommittee on Graduation and Retention. The goal of this subcommittee was to suggest improvements for the Twin Cities campus regarding the concern on student’s low graduation rates. The report is now available on-line , as well as on paper. He noted that there was a similar effort taking place at Morris, so students should check with their Vice Chancellor on those efforts.

Vice Provost Swan noted that several reasons have been given as to why University students take longer to graduate: urban, commuter campus, part-time students. As the subcommittee did their work, they discovered that the University is not really that different from other institutions, and when compared to these schools, the University under performs.

The report noted that it is in a student’s best interest to graduate in a timely manner, since the graduation rate can affect a student’s future plans for graduate school.

Jerry Rinehart said that recruitment and admission are important steps in keeping qualified students on campus. The problem has been that the University has no follow-through once a student is admitted. If the same focus was placed on the retention step of the process, then graduation would improve as a result. He noted that the report was only the first step; now it must be talked about with the students that it will affect.

Q: The report mentioned that some initiatives will start next week. What are they?

A: Next week e-mail notification will start for registration. It will remind students of their queue time, any holds that are on their record and where they can be cleared, and provide information on half-price tuition. Notifications will also be sent to students who have not declared a major and those who are close to graduation and have not filed. Additionally, A-Pass reports will now be available on-line for students to track their progress for different requirements of graduation.

It was noted that Duluth instituted an on-line Portfolio system four years ago for students to use as an electronic resume and that A-Pass is already available at UMC.

Q: Page 22 of the report describes limiting the ‘W’ or creating alternatives. Has SCEP looked at that this?

A: A formal proposal will be sent to SCEP to consider. The report lists several proposals, such as mandating a talk with an instructor before allowing a ‘W’, limiting the overall number of ‘W’s, or creating different types of ‘W’s. It was noted that a student who drops a whole semester of classes would not be subject to these limits, and exceptions would always exist.

Q: The University of Washington was cited as a comparable institution in the report. Does that institution have a General College?

A: It does not, but the University is still similar even when General College is included. In the Big Ten, the University is similar to Michigan State, Iowa, Indiana, and Ohio.

Q: Is the University considering a set curriculum for the freshmen year?

A: A set curriculum is less common at public research institutions than private liberal arts colleges, although some schools, such as IT, almost have a set curriculum. The University might consider offering some registration packages for freshmen, or have them register for the entire year at once.

Q: Where can students be involved in these plans?

A: MSA, SCEP, SSCC, and college boards are all being consulted for their input on the 29 issues presented in the report.

Q: Commuting for first-year students is a risk factor. What improvements are being planned for commuter students?

A: The biggest improvement will be Coffman reopening next year. There are also plan to talk with successful commuters to see what can be learned. An interesting note that is that 40% of students consider themselves to be a commuter, but only 14% live with their parents.

Q: How does the subcommittee feel about the President’s letter on requiring 13 credits per semester?

A: The President is sending a clear message to Twin Cities students that progress is important. While work is needed many times to pay for school, students need to realize that too much work is not good. One approach would be to have students develop a graduation plan with their advisor at the end of the first year.

Committee members noted that while many of their programs already require some kind of graduation plan, 13 credits is an odd number and will end up forcing most students to take more than 13 credits. Vice Provost Swan said that 13 was reached a compromise number between 12 and 15.

A committee member then said that a 13 credit minimum might adversely affect student athletes.

2. REPORTS

Khaled Dajani said that he would put his report in writing to conserve time, but wanted the coordinate campuses to know that he is willing to have them invite speakers for SSCC meetings. He realized that many of the speakers he schedules only deal with Twin Cities items. He would like SSCC to have a broad perspective of issues and individuals from all campuses.

CROOKSTON
Matt McBlair thanked SSCC for visiting campus; SSCC members thanked Matt and his campus for hosting. He then asked for student support for the Bede Hall renovation included in the capitol plan. The committee discussed why Crookston can ask for student support for their student association, while the Twin Cities student had to pay the renovation cost themselves. This concern would be expressed to SCFP.

DULUTH
Shawn Lavelle said that UMDSA is working on structural issues, including a new constitution. An alcohol survey is also being conducted.

SCEP
Chris Frazier said that SCEP is working on three issues. The Subcommittee on Civic Learning, which will discuss the University’s mission, will be holding its first meeting. The website for information is: www.umn.edu/civic.

A second subcommittee is also being formed on Teaching Evaluations as a joint subcommittee between SCFA and SCEP. It will look at how evaluations are used. Darwin Hendel is chairing, and Trevor Ewanochko’s name has been forwarded as a student representative. Coordinate campuses will be involved, including Duluth’s lack of evaluations.

The last issue is that ACEP met last week to discuss classrooms. ACEP approved the report, but there is a potential increase in student tuition and fees to pay for the upgrades. One of her concerns is that the upgrades are for central classrooms, which are not used by graduate/professional students. She would like undergraduate input on this topic.

SCFP
Rose Samuel said that SCFP received an update on the capitol budget and 6 year plan, which includes a $3.1 billion wish list. She noted that more specifics were included in the committee minutes. She said that one building in the request is Northrop, for a total of $80 million over several capitol requests.

SCSA
Jason Stingl stated that SCSA is meeting next week to discuss Campus Life initiatives with Robert Jones. A survey subcommittee is being formed to look at student opinion surveys. Ed Ehlinger, from Boynton, will be attending an upcoming meeting to discuss the pros and cons of credit card payment for tuition. Additionally, the Student Services Fee Subcommittee will be meeting later this month.

3. COORDINATE CAMPUS VISITS

Shawn Lavelle reported that UMDSA meets every Monday night at 5:30. It was decided that SSCC would be e-mailed to determine what night would work best for Duluth and Morris.

With no further business, Khaled Dajani thanked everyone for attending and adjourned the meeting.