Twin Cities representatives of MSA reported that they have been discussing student advising and are about to draft a resolution on that topic. The Legislative Affairs Committee has been dealing with tuition issues and the Progressive Student Organization recently sent a resolution to MSA endorsing a tuition freeze, which MSA also endorsed. MSA is also discussing the University budget and proposed revisions to its constitution.

A representative of GAPSA reported that J.P. Maier will be the new GAPSA president and that the National Association of Graduate and Professional Students Midwest Regional Conference was held at the University earlier in the quarter.

Duluth senators reported that lobbying efforts are continuing and a letter-writing campaign is under way.

Crookston senators said ACT requirements is on the agenda of the student assembly to be held later in the day. Presently, there is no ACT requirement for admission to UMC. Next week, two representatives from the Student Legislative Coalition will be meeting with Crookston students to update them on lobbying issues. A lobbying trip to the Capitol is scheduled for May 2.

Whereas, the Student Senate approved a resolution urging the faculty, administration, and the regents to provide a means for this student benefit without including the Legislature;

Whereas, the merits of available evaluations could benefit students, without allowing excessive consumerism that would negatively affect our University community morale, by working through the University Senate and circumventing further fracturing of an already fractious relationship with the faculty;

Whereas, the Senate Committee on Educational Policy is currently reviewing the most effective and beneficial process for implementing a policy making available, for student review, student evaluations of faculty, and has a subcommittee currently making progress towards this goal;

Whereas, the proposed change in law effects all the students of the University of Minnesota as well as the students of MnSCU;

Whereas, there has been no formal consultation of the Student Senate Consultative Committee and little consultation on the proposed changes to the data practices act outside of the Twin Cities undergraduate student association;

Whereas, the Student Senate Consultative Committee represents the students of the University at large and not the individual campuses, institutes, colleges, schools, or departments of the University;

Whereas, the Legislative Agenda is subject to the approval by the Student Senate Consultative Committee, as stated in Article I, Section 4, of the Student Legislative Coalition's Constitution;

Therefore, be it resolved that the Student Senate Consultative Committee supports the work being done in the

University Senate and specifically what is being done in the subcommittee of the Senate Educational Policy Committee, and

Be it further resolved that the Student Senate Consultative Committee advises the Student Legislative Coalition

not to add faculty evaluations to its legislative agenda at this time.

Approved by the Student Senate Consultative Committee on March 14, 1997

DISCUSSION:

Mr. Don Ness introduced the Teaching Evaluation Resolution. It supports the University Senate process currently under way and advises the Student Legislative Coalition not to pursue this matter with the Legislature at this time.

Mr. Ness also read the following Professor Evaluations Mission Statement that was approved by the Student Task Force on Professor Evaluations on April ll, 1997:

The University of Minnesota is committed to providing service, user friendliness,
and a quality education to its students.

The ability of students to access summary data of quarterly student evaluations
would assist in the course registration process and would provide a great
service to students.

The University of Minnesota will assist the students in choosing courses with
the highest quality professors by matching teaching styles of professors
with the learning style of the students.

Students should be provided access to summative professor evaluations by making
the evaluations available in written and secured World Wide Web format.

The expectation of internal mechanisms is to exclude teaching assistants as
defined by job classification.

Hearing no discussion, Mr. Ness moved to item III on the agenda.

To approve the following Resolution:

WHEREAS, the University has a long and proud history of student involvement in the governance of the University. In keeping with this tradition, we invite President-Designate Yudof to the first Student Senate meeting of the fall. To encourage continuous communication with students from all four campuses we encourage President-Designate Yudof to regularly attend Student Senate Consultative Committee meetings.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT we, the students at the University are optimistic about President-Elect Yudof's presidency and we look forward to working with him. As is to be expected, students and administration will certainly not always see eye to eye. However, it is our hope that the relationship is an open and honest one and most importantly that it is a relationship based upon trust and respect. We, the students of the University of Minnesota, look forward to establishing a strong working relationship with President-Elect Yudof which will result in a stronger institution that benefits us all.

DISCUSSION:

Mr. Don Ness presented the Resolution Welcoming President-Delegate Yudof and said the suggestions provided by senators at the February 20 meeting were incorporated into the document.

Students discussed the proper format for the message (e.g. letter versus resolution) and agreed that as a Student Senate statement the resolution format was more appropriate.

A suggestion was then made to change the final clause from "whereas, students at the University. . ." to "therefore, be it resolved that we, the students at the University . . .". The modification was accepted as a friendly amendment.

With little further discussion, the Resolution was overwhelmingly approved on a vote of 34 to 0 with 1 abstention.

APPROVED, as amended

To endorse the amendment of Article III, Section 2, of the University Senate Bylaws, as follows:
[new language is underlined; language to be deleted is struck out]

ARTICLE III. SENATE COMMITTEES

2. COMMITTEE ON COMMITTEES

SENATE COMMITEE ON COMMITTEES

The Committee on Committees appoints members of certain committees of the Senate and advises the Senate Consultative Committee on the committee structure of the Senate.

Membership

The Committee on Committees shall be composed of 9 elected faculty/academic professional members, 6 elected undergraduate students, and one Twin Cities graduate/professional student.

Of the faculty/academic professional members, 6 shall be from the Twin Cities campus, and one member each from the Crookston, Duluth, and Morris campuses, all elected for three-year terms by the faculty/academic professional members of the Senate from these respective campuses. Faculty/academic professional members must have served as senators within the last five years.

Of the undergraduate student members, 3 shall be elected from the Twin Cities campus, and one each from the Crookston, Duluth, and Morris campuses, all elected by the Student Senate members from these campuses for one-year terms. The 6 undergraduate student members shall be comprised of 3 of the elected undergraduate Twin Cities representatives to the Student Senate Consultative Committee and the Crookston, Duluth, and Morris Student Senate Consultative Committee representatives. Any undergraduate student committee positions that cannot be filled by October 31 will become at-large positions and can be filled by an undergraduate student from any campus. The Twin Cities graduate/professional student shall be elected by the Student Senate members of the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly from amongst the graduate/professional student representatives of the Student Senate Consultative Committee. The vice chair of the Student Senate Consultative Committee shall serve on the committee filling one of the seven student positions. The term of service of student members shall be one year. Any graduate/professional student committee positions that cannot be filled by October 31 will become at-large positions and can be filled by any graduate or professional student.

. . . .

STUDENT SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMITTEES

The vice chair of the Student Senate Consultative Committee shall serve as the chair of the Student Committee on Committees for a one-year term of office. The chair is eligible for re-election to that position.

Duties and Responsibilities

a. The committee shall give consideration to 1) representation from the various campuses and units when appropriate; 2) the number of committees on which the undergraduate student or graduate/professional student member currently is serving; 3) the recommendations of the respective committee chairs, faculty, academic professional, undergraduate student, graduate/professional student members, and presidents of the respective student associations; and 4) expressions of interest in committee service offered by undergraduate students and graduate/professional students. In addition, the committee shall select student senators for committee membership when appropriate to encourage communication between the Student Senate and the committees. The committee also shall strive to assure full and adequate representation by race, gender, and class rank in constituting committees.

The Student Committee on Committees members shall furnish the full committee a slate of student nominees for review and recommendations.

b. To solicit annually from each newly elected member of the Student Senate a list of Senate committees on which the senator is serving or has an interest in serving.

C. To request annually from student association presidents a list of students whom they believe have the requisite interest and experience to serve on specific committees.

D. To recommend to the Senate Consultative Committee such actions or policies as it deems appropriate.

E. To submit to the Clerk of the Senate an annual budget request for the Student Committee on Committees.

DISCUSSION:

Senator Rob Vanasek, chair of the Student Senate Consultative Committee (SSCC), introduced the motion to restructure the Student Senate Committee on Committees and recalled the discussion from the February 20 Student Senate meeting. Since that meeting, he said, the full Senate Committee on Committees has reviewed the proposal and raised several concerns, primarily concerning the composition of the committee's membership. The faculty members of Committee on Committees suggested that a more democratic approach from the one proposed might be to have the members elected by the student senators from the respective campuses from among their number. It also believes the leadership positions should be more broadly distributed.

Mr. Vanasek said the proposal as written reflects recommendations made by the Ad Hoc Committee on Governance and corrects a system that has not been working well. He strongly encouraged senators to support the proposal as presented, arguing that it will make the Student Committee on Committees more efficient and effective.

There appeared to be general agreement among senators that the Student Senate Consultative Committee members should not also serve as the Student Committee on Committees and a motion to delay action to a later date was approved 34 to 1.

ACTION POSTPONED