[In these minutes: 1. Discussion with President Yudof, 2. Student Forum on Academic Integrity, 3. Discussion of Classroom Expectations, 4. Discussion of University Grievance Policy, 5. Discussion of Graduation Proficiency Test, 6. Discussion of Student Senate Docket]
STUDENT SENATE CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE (SSCC) MINUTES
November 4, 1999
[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: Jason Reed (chair), Sabeen Altaf, YeeLeng Hang, Jed Ipsen, Reid LeBeau, Chaz Rice, Aaron Street, Kerstin Trimble, Mark Uszenski.
REGRETS: Tiffany Stedman.
GUESTS: President Mark Yudof.
1. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES
The October 7, 1999 minutes were approved.
2. DISCUSSION WITH PRESIDENT YUDOF
Jason Reed welcomed President Yudof to the meeting and asked if he had anything to discuss with the committee. The President touched on the following topics before taking questions:
Basketball - The basketball allegations are finally starting to calm down. A 1,000 page report was produced, which he is reading, and which will need to be trimmed before it is released. Future organizational changes will be necessary, but no determination has been made yet regarding personnel changes.
Campus - Homecoming was a great success, The University now needs to channel that energy into other efforts around campus. Construction signs are becoming inconvenient, but the hope is that all projects will be completed on time. The campus community will be better off in the long run.
Students - The number of students applying to the University is up, as well as retention rates. Financial aid has been a big problem this semester, but repairs should be completed to allow next semester to progress more smoothly. Additional residence hall space will be an issue for next year again since the Southmall project, which would have added 400 rooms, will be delayed.
Funding - The total bond package for the state needs to be increased to $700-800 million for the University to be able to get to enough to fund its entire package. After a meeting with government leaders, Yudof said that seemred receptive but are not committing since it is so early.
Q: Morris is operating without a Chancellor, Vice Chancellor, or Director of Admissions. When will these positions be filled?
A: The first chancellor search at Morris was a bust because the faculty did not like the final candidates, and without their support the campus will not operate efficiently. Therefore, the University needed to wait six months to allow new people to apply for the position. After meeting with the search committee, they have said that there are better candidates in the pool this time. Once a chancellor is selected, then that person will appoint a vice chancellor. The Director of Admissions position not being filled is something that hurt Morris in terms of enrollment this year. While all the other campuses saw increases, Morris experienced a decrease. A marketing plan might be what the campus needs to attract students from other states.
Q: Should Morris wait to publicize the campus until administrators are in place?
A: Ultimately, it is up to the campus, but it would seem to only do more harm to wait. Most administrators are not well-versed in these skills, so hiring a public relations firm might be the best choice.
Q: What has been done with the tobacco settlement funds?
A: Senior Vice President Frank Cerra has the most details on this topic. Educational programs, faculty buy-out, and community-based health care have all been funded. The tobacco funds totaled $8 million, but parts of this went directly to the community. The Academic Health Center (AHC) is still left with a $7 million per year deficit which needs to be stabilized. HMO's have driven down the prices which has lead to less subsidy of teaching and research from clinical work. With the announcement of Georgetown selling its hospital, other areas of the country are being hit and will need to take notice. The solution will probably be nation-wide.
Q: One initiative that was started this fall has been free night and weekend parking. This is beneficial to many students. There is one concern though. When the SSCC traveled to Morris earlier this week, I parked my car in the State Fair parking lot. When the group returned at 12:30 a.m., and I tried to retrieve my car, I discovered that all the gated entrances to these lots were closed. I was therefore unable to retrieve my car until the next morning. Can this problem be solved before other students face the same situation?
A: Free parking was instituted to help students, not trap them in parking lots. Please send me an e-mail and I will address the problem.
Reid LeBeau said that the day before he had attended an SAC meeting, at which time people stated that they were very impressed with how the academic misconduct charges were being handled.
President Yudof thanked that group for their support. He reminded the committee that academics need to come first. The national average is that only 42% of basketball players graduate from college. He believes that not allowing freshmen to play basketball, but instead concentrate on college, sends a positive message. Yet, he is doubtful that the NCAA would support this. There is another possibility to keep players academically eligible. If a player leaves school, for any reason, their academic standing would be considered. If they were below standards, then the school would lose that scholarship until the time when the player would have graduated. This would make the University, and athletic departments, very interested in helping all athletes to graduate.
Q: What are the prospects for a decent bonding package?
A: The package that the University has introduced is very reasonable, but no commitments have been made because of the complexity of the system. Legislators have questioned the Duluth projects on the list, especially the ice sheet on campus when one is available in town. The Cargill donation has also been questioned in regards to future money that Cargill might receive, but legislators have been assured that this funding is unconditional.
Q: What will be the impact of the Wisconsin fees lawsuit on the University?
A: The chances that a decision will just affect Wisconsin are minimal. Most likely a national rule will be decided upon, but its impact on the University, whether positive or negative remains to be seen. There seems to be no major decision yet. If the courts rule that a fee is not legal, then why can it could be included in tuition?
Jason Reed then thanked for the President for taking time to speak with the committee.
3. CHAIR'S REPORT
Jason Reed thanked Crookston and Morris for their hospitality during the SSCC visits, noting that sugar beets are more amazing than he originally thought.
Regarding basketball, President Yudof imposed sanctions include a one year suspension for post-season play as well as NCAA probation. His report is due out around November 10, once he has had eight to nine days to review the material. Cost for the investigation will be $1.5 million, with another $1.5 million for the buyout of former basketball coach Clem Haskins contract. The total should be around $3 million. NCAA Infractions Committee will meet in Spring or later to decide other penalties.
The Senate has a Diversity Committee which is looking at merging the Disabilities Issues Committee with the Equal Employment Opportunity for Women Committee along with other non-represented minority groups at the University. Currently the Diversity Committee does not have any students members, but he will be attending the next meeting to stay informed.
4. STUDENT SENATE CHAIR'S REPORT
Reid LeBeau said that the Student Advisory Committee (SAC) will be nominating a representative to serve on the Minnesota Higher Education Service Council. He will be voicing support for Aaron Street during the nomination process. Final appointment then rests with the Governor.
The Student Legislative Coalition (SLC) has been having some leadership problems, which will hopefully be cleared up when the committee meets tomorrow in Crookston. SLC has also picked February 24 as its Lobby Day.
Jason Reed then said that February 24 is a Senate meeting day, and perhaps SLC should reconsider.
Reid said that he would bring this up at the meeting.
5. DISCUSS COORDINATE CAMPUS VISITS
Jason Reed expressed thanks to the Crookston and Morris students for hosting the SSCC in their recent visits, and said that he was looking forward to the Duluth trip Spring Semester.
6. STUDENT FORUM ON ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT
The committee discussed details for the forum and made the following decisions:
Jason Reed said that SCEP has been discussing this item and asked if committee members had any comments or concerns.
Q: Is there a rule that mid-terms cannot be scheduled during Homecoming or Spring Jam weeks?
A: This is not a rule; mid-terms can be given during these times.
Committee members made the following comments:
The discussion was then tabled until the November 18 meeting.
8. DISCUSS CHANGES TO THE UNIVERSITY GRIEVANCE POLICY
Jason Reed said that Laura Cooper would be at the November 18 meeting to discuss this policy, so students should read the material and come prepared with any questions.
9. DISCUSS GRADUATION PROFICIENCY TEST
Jason Reed informed the committee that Ann Waltner, Associate Dean for Liberal Arts, would be at the November 18 meeting to discuss the use of the GPT and to answer questions from the committee.
10. DISCUSS ITEMS FOR STUDENT SENATE DOCKET
Members produced the following list of items to be included on the docket:
With no further business, Jason Reed thanked all members for attending and adjourned the meeting at 12:50 p.m.
Rebecca Hippert
University Senate