This is a consecutive meeting of the University Senate and Faculty Senate. There are 242 voting members of the University Senate and 160 voting members of the Faculty Senate. A simple majority must be present for a quorum. Most actions require only a simple majority for approval. Actions requiring special majorities for approval are noted under each of those items.

2. TRIBUTE TO DECEASED MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY

FACULTY/ACADEMIC PROFESSIONALS/STAFF

Stephen Chilton
Professor
Political Science – Duluth
1946 – 2007

Edith Hols
Professor
English – Duluth
1912 – 2007

Donovan A. Johnson
Professor
Center for Early Education Development
1910 – 2007

Jui S. Lee
Professor
Physiology
1913 – 2007


STUDENTS

Jaclyn K. Kobilka
College of Continuing Education

Eloma K. Lenya
College of Biological Sciences

Kyle L. Sharbonno
Institute of Technology

Melissa Speich
School of Public Health


3. EDUCATIONAL POLICY COMMITTEE

On February 18, 1999, in adopting a policy on "Collection and Reporting of Grade Data and Syllabus Requirements," the Senate Committee on Educational Policy was required to provide to the Senate "data on the mean grade point average by designator and course level, on the percentage of As awarded by course level, and overall collegiate grade point averages . . . for grades awarded each Fall Semester." The policy also provides that "data should be reported for all undergraduate students."

COMMENT:

These data will be distributed at the meeting and are available on the web at: http://www.irr.umn.edu/grades/.

MOTION:

To approve the University Senate and Faculty Senate minutes, which are available on the Web at the following URL. A simple majority is required for approval.

http://www1.umn.edu/usenate/usen/070405sen.html

MOTION:

To amend Article II, Section 2 of the University Senate Rules as follows (language to be added is underlined). As an amendment to the University Senate Rules, the motion requires a simple majority for approval.

ARTICLE II. RULES FOR COMMITTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY SENATE (Changes to this article are subject to vote only by the University Senate)

...

2. Terms of Membership, Chairing of Committees, and Removal of Members for Absences

...

c. Terms of committee service begin July 1 and terminate June 30. No non-student member is eligible to serve more than two consecutive full three-year terms on any one committee, and shall be eligible for reappointment only after a one-year interval of nonmembership on that committee. No student member is eligible to serve more than two consecutive two-year terms on any one committee. No committee member is eligible to serve on more than two committees of the University Senate, the Faculty Senate, or the Student Senate at a time. These rotation procedures and limitations do not apply to ex officio representatives.

d. Notwithstanding the preceding provisions, faculty, academic professionals, and civil service staff appointed to the four-year terms of membership on the Finance and Planning Committee shall be eligible to serve two consecutive four-year terms, for a total of eight years.

e. Notwithstanding Rule 2(c), the Senate Committee on Committees shall have authority to waive the term limit for faculty, academic professionals, civil service staff, and students from the coordinate campuses.

...

COMMENT:

The Faculty Committee on Committees received a request to exempt Morris faculty from committee term limits in cases where the faculty member currently serving wishes to continue, but has served the maximum of six years and there are no other faculty who wish to fill this vacancy. The Committee proposes this amendment to allow the Committee to waive term limits for all coordinate campus committee members on an individual basis.

MOTION:

To approve the following statement.

The Social Concerns Committee strongly encourages the University Senate to endorse the following statement:

The University Senate requests that the University of Minnesota join with other universities and human rights organizations to respond to the concerns of foreign-born students, faculty, and visiting scholars, regarding the Military Commissions Act.

Congress is now considering legislation to revise the Military Commissions Act and to restore the due process right of habeas corpus to detainees being held by the United States, and to make it clear that the federal government must comply with the Geneva Conventions. Without these reforms any foreign-born resident at the University, or in the United States is at risk of violation of his or her personal rights, with no recourse.

The University Senate asks that the President direct the University’s legislative representative in Washington, D.C. to help support these important legislative initiatives. Further, we ask that the University of Minnesota work with other universities and human rights organizations across the nation to support needed legislative reforms to protect the rights of all residents of the United States.

COMMENT:

Last year, 2006 Cass Gilbert Visiting Professor Richard Kroeker, College of Architecture, spoke to President Bruininks about what the University was doing to protect his rights and the rights of other non-citizens, students, faculty, and visiting scholars in light of the Military Commissions Act. The President referred him to Regents Professor David Weissbrodt, Law School. Professor Weissbrodt directed the matter to the Senate Committee on Social Concerns, since it had been discussing the abrogation of rights of foreign-born residents in the United States.

A report issued in February by Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights states that “since 9/11 national security has often trumped other policy concerns and has justified legislation that puts at risk personal freedoms, the balance of governmental power, and the human rights of immigrants and refugees.” Most egregious is the Military Commissions Act, with its provisions that strip any non-citizen deemed an “enemy combatant” of the right to be heard in court to establish his or her innocence, regardless of how long the person is held without charge. The Constitutional Writ of habeas corpus is the foundation of our nation’s limits on arbitrary executive power over any person. Under the Military Commissions Act, even a detainee who is being subjected to torture would never be allowed to seek relief from any U.S. courts. There is no reason for this dangerously broad forfeiture of the traditional check of last resort on executive power. Denying access to the courts also signals to the world that our nation so fears our own independent judiciary that we must cut off all access to it.

The Social Concerns Committee believes that one of the great strengths of the University of Minnesota is its international character. We benefit greatly from the diversity of our faculty, staff and student body, and are proud to count over twelve hundred international scholars employed on the Twin Cities campus, and thirty-six hundred international students system-wide. Yet the well being of these individuals is jeopardized by a curtailment of the rights of foreign-born residents of the United States under the current federal administration.

MOTION:

To approve the following resolution.

[For a fuller consideration of the issues addressed herein, see ‘Copyrights and the Paradox of Scholarly Publishing” by R. Michael Tanner, Provost, University of Illinois at Chicago]

Publication is the lifeblood of a research university. It is incumbent upon faculty, campus administrators and librarians to ensure the free flow of scholarly information in fulfillment of our campus missions to advance the public good through research and education. Toward this end, our campuses are committed to supporting a sustainable publication process and a healthy publishing industry. The “information revolution” has greatly expanded the means for disseminating and utilizing scholarly discourse, but this opportunity for extending the reach and impact of our campuses is countered by social and economic conventions of some sectors of the publishing industry. Suitable publishing partners for academic enterprises should be encouraging the widest possible dissemination of the academy’s work, and the management of copyright should be directed to encouraging scholarly output rather than unnecessarily fettering its access and use. Without some important changes in publishing practices, authors and readers will continue to be frustrated by barriers to the free flow of information that is an essential characteristic of great research universities.

The CIC Provosts suggest that faculty authors consider a number of factors when choosing and interacting with publishers for their works. The goal of publication should be to encourage widespread dissemination and impact; the means for accomplishing this will necessarily depend on the nature of the work in question, the author’s circumstances, available suitable outlets, and expectations in the author’s field of inquiry. In general, we encourage authors to consider publishing strategies that will optimize short and long-term access to their work, taking into account such factors as affordability, efficient means for distribution, a secure third-party archiving strategy, and flexible management of rights.

Protecting intellectual property rights is a particularly important consideration, as many of our authors unwittingly sign away all control over their creative output. Toward this end, the CIC Provosts encourage contract language that ensures that academic authors retain certain rights that facilitate archiving, instructional use, and sharing with colleagues to advance discourse and discovery. Accompanying this document is a model CIC publishing addendum that affirms the rights of authors to share their work in a variety of circumstances, including posting versions of the work in institutional or disciplinary repositories. While the particular circumstances and terms governing publication will vary on a case by case basis, the underlying principle of encouraging access to the creative output of our campuses should inhere in all of our efforts.

The CIC Provosts recognize the complexity of the issues involved in publication, but are nonetheless committed to helping our faculty make the most of their work. For further discussion of these issues, or for help in assessing options for the publication of particular works, members of our faculty are encouraged to consult with academic deans, campus counsels, university librarians, or academic staff in the provosts’ offices.

Endorsed by the Senate Library Committee April 18, 2007.

COMMENT:

The Senate Library Committee has reviewed the CIC Provosts’ statement on Publishing Agreements and supports the principles it incorporates. The statement encourages authors to be thoughtful in selecting publishing outlets, recognizing potential restrictions that may fetter access to scholarship. The model publishing addendum and information about publisher policies will be made available by the University Libraries to assist authors in those choices.

The Committee recommends that the Senate support the CIC Provosts’ statement.

That the Twin Cities Delegation of the Faculty Senate:

-- adopts as University policy the following Undergraduate Student Learning Outcomes for the Twin Cities campus, and

--endorses these learning outcomes as the guiding principles for teaching and learning at all levels of curricular decision-making on the Twin Cities campus.

Undergraduate Student Learning Outcomes

At the time of receiving a bachelor’s degree, students:

--Can identify, define, and solve problems

--Can locate and critically evaluate information

--Have mastered a body of knowledge and a mode of inquiry

--Understands diverse philosophies and cultures within and across societies

--Can communicate effectively

--Understand the role of creativity, innovation, discovery, and expression across disciplines

--Have acquired skills for effective citizenship and life-long learning.

COMMENT:

The Senate Committee on Educational Policy (SCEP) has discussed these outcomes at several meetings over the last year and recommends to the Faculty Senate that it adopt them as policy for the Twin Cities campus.

The Faculty Consultative Committee reviewed the outcomes as well and concurs in the recommendation from SCEP.

MOTION:

That the Twin Cities Delegation of the University Senate endorses the following development outcomes as guiding principles for undergraduate students in planning and reflecting upon their experiences within and beyond the classroom.

As they progress toward their degree, University of Minnesota undergraduates will develop and demonstrate the following characteristics:

COMMENT:

The Senate Committee on Educational Policy (SCEP) has discussed these outcomes at several meetings over the last year and recommends to the University Senate that it adopt them as policy for the Twin Cities campus.

The Senate Consultative Committee reviewed the outcomes as well and concurs in the recommendation from SCEP.

MOTION:

To approve the following resolution.

WHEREAS, the University of Minnesota recognizes that students learn best in a diverse educational environment^[1]; and

WHEREAS, the University of Minnesota is committed to fostering a uniform campus environment of inclusion, knowledge, and understanding in which faculty, staff, and students learn to value diversity and to respect individual differences that enrich the University community; and

WHEREAS, ethnic background questions based on ethno-geographic origin provide for a more inclusive and consistent level of generality which minimizes confusion in ethnic classification schemes; and

WHEREAS, setting mandatory minimum requirements for admissions applications while leaving individual programs, departments, schools, and colleges the ability to augment their applications with additional options^[2] as they please allows for flexibility without compromising a base level of inclusiveness; and

WHEREAS, compliance at the University administrative level is essential for uniformity and ease of transition; therefore

BE IT RESOLVED, that the University Senate recommends that all programs, departments, schools, and colleges restructure their applications for admission to base any ethnic background questions on ethno-geographic origin, with the mandatory minimum requirements for the ethnic background question wording to include the following:

ETHNIC BACKGROUND (CHECK ALL THAT APPLY)^[3]:
American Indian/Alaskan Native
Asian American/Pacific Islander
Black/African American
Hispanic/Latin American
Middle Eastern American
South Asian American
White (non-Hispanic)^[4]
Other, please specify:^[5] ____________________________________
If you wish to self-identify further, please do so here _______________________________

and therefore

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the University shall exercise its right to augment the ethnic classifications mandated by any future resolution, proposal, or order from the U.S. Department of Education or similar governing body such that all categories stated above are included.^[6]

and therefore

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the PeopleSoft software used by the University for its faculty, staff, and students (for admissions and enrollment) be updated to reflect these changes when the federal reporting requirements are released, or for applications of the entering class of Fall 2009, whichever is sooner.

Approved February 8, 2007 by SSCC.
Approved April 5, 2007 by the Student Senate.

Questions to the President should be submitted in writing to the University Senate office no later than Tuesday, May 1, 2007. The President may also choose to take questions from the floor.

MOTION:

To amend Article IV, Section 2 of the Faculty Senate Rules as follows (language to be added is underlined). As an amendment to the Faculty Senate Rules, the motion requires a simple majority for approval.

ARTICLE IV. RULES FOR COMMITTEES OF THE FACULTY SENATE (Changes to this article are subject to vote only by the Faculty Senate)

...

2. Terms of Membership, Chairing of Committees, and Removal of Members for Absences

...

c. Terms of committee service begin July 1 and terminate June 30. No non-student member is eligible to serve more than two consecutive full three-year terms on any one committee, and shall be eligible for reappointment only after a one-year interval of nonmembership on that committee. No student member is eligible to serve more than two consecutive two-year terms on any one committee. No committee member is eligible to serve on more than two committees of the University Senate, the Faculty Senate, and the Student Senate at a time. These rotation procedures and limitations do not apply to ex officio representatives.

d. Notwithstanding the preceding provisions, faculty, academic staff, and civil service staff appointed to the four-year terms of membership on the Finance and Planning Committee shall be eligible to serve two consecutive four-year terms, for a total of eight years.

e. Notwithstanding Rule 2(c), the Faculty Committee on Committees shall have authority to waive the term limit for faculty, academic professionals, civil service staff, and students from the coordinate campuses.

...

COMMENT:

The Faculty Committee on Committees received a request to exempt Morris faculty from committee term limits in cases where the faculty member currently serving wishes to continue, but has served the maximum of six years and there are no other faculty who wish to fill this vacancy. The Committee proposes this amendment to allow the Committee to waive term limits for all coordinate campus committee members on an individual basis.

The Faculty Consultative Committee nominates Professor Mary Jo Kane for the Faculty Senate Vice Chair position for the 2007-08 academic year. This person also serves as Vice Chair of the University Senate.

MOTION:

That the Twin Cities Campus Faculty Delegation confirm the reappointment of one faculty for an additional three year term on the Committee on Committees. A simple majority is required for approval.

MARY JO KREITZER: Associate Professor of Nursing, School of Nursing. University Senate member: None. Senate/Assembly Committee participation (past and present): Committee on Committees, 2004-07.

INFORMATION:

The Nominating Committee Bylaws specify that the it may present the name of an individual, eligible for re-election, to the Delegation for confirmation of reappointment without another candidate on the ballot to fill the position.

MOTION:

That the Twin Cities Faculty Delegation approve the following slate of nominees to fill three 2007-10 Twin Cities faculty vacancies on the Committee on Committees. A simple majority is required for approval. Once the slate is approved, a ballot will be distributed for voting.

FIRST PAIR
GORDON ALEXANDER: Professor of Finance, Carlson School of Management. University Senate member: 1987-88. Senate/Assembly Committee participation (past and present): Retirement Subcommittee, 2002-10.

STEPHEN WEEKS: Associate Professor of Architecture, College of Design. University Senate member: 2006-08. Senate/Assembly Committee participation (past and present): Disabilities Issues, 1989-91; University College Assembly, 1991-92.

SECOND PAIR
MICHAEL HANCHER: Professor of English College of Liberal Arts. University Senate member: 1986-89, 1991-92, 1993-96, 2001-02, 2003-04. Senate/Assembly Committee participation (past and present): Library, 1991-95.

RAY WAKEFIELD: Associate Professor of German, Scandinavian and Dutch, College of Liberal Arts. University Senate member: 1998-2001, 2006-09. Senate/Assembly Committee participation (past and present): Library, 2000-04 (Chair, 2003-04); Student Affairs, 2001-02.

THIRD PAIR
ROBERT MCMASTER: Professor of Geography, College of Liberal Arts. University Senate member: 2005-08. Senate/Assembly Committee participation (past and present): Council on Liberal Education, 2001-04, 2005-08; Information Technologies, 2000-02; Library, 1991-93, 1995-98 (Chair, 1995-96).

TO BE DETERMINED:

FOR INFORMATION:

The Faculty Senate Bylaws specify that the Twin Cities Faculty Delegation shall elect by written ballot faculty/academic professional members to fill vacancies on the Committee on Committees from a slate of candidates provided by the Nominating Committee. Other candidates may be nominated by petition of 12 members of the Twin Cities Faculty Delegation. Petitions to nominate candidates not on the slate must be in the hands of the Clerk on the day before the meeting at which the election is to be conducted. The elected Twin Cities faculty members of the committee whose term continue at least through 2007-08 are:

Robert Gehrz, Institute of Technology
Priscilla Gibson, College of Education and Human Development
Joan Howland, Law School
Perry Leo, Institute of Technology
J. Michael Oakes, School of Public Health
Carl Rosen, College of Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Sciences
Tom Scott, HHH Institute of Public Affairs

MOTION:

That the Twin Cities Campus Faculty Delegation confirm the reappointment of two faculty for additional three year terms on the Nominating Committee. A simple majority is required for approval.

DANIEL FEENEY: Professor of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine. University Senate member: 1983-96, 1987-90, 1991-94, 1995-98, 1999-2000, 2006-09. Senate/Assembly Committee participation (past and present): AHC Faculty Consultative, 1996-98 (Ex Officio, 1998-1998-2002, 2003-07); AHC Finance and Planning, 1997-2007 (Chair, 1998-2002, 2003-07); Consultative, 2000-2006 (Chair, 2002-03; Ex Officio 1994-97); Facilities Management, 1984-85; Faculty Affairs, 1989-92, 1994-97, 1999-2002 (Chair, 1994-97); Finance and Planning (Ex Officio, 2003-07); Nominating, 2006-07; Research, 1992-94; Retirement, 2002-09 (Chair, 2004-07).

MINDY KURZER: Professor of Food Science and Nutrition, College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Sciences. University Senate member: 2001-04. Senate/Assembly Committee participation (past and present): Equal Employment Opportunity for Women, 1997-2000 (Chair, 1997-99); Nominating, 2006-07; University College Assembly, 1991-92.

INFORMATION:

The Nominating Committee Bylaws specify that the Faculty Consultative Committee may present the names of individuals, eligible for re-election, to the Delegation for confirmation of reappointment without another candidate on the ballot to fill the position.

MOTION:

That the Twin Cities Faculty Delegation approve the following slate of nominees to fill one 2007-08, three 2007-09, and two 2007-10 Twin Cities faculty vacancies on the Nominating Committee. A simple majority is required for approval. Once the slate is approved, a ballot will be distributed for voting.

[The slate of nominees will be available at the meeting.]

FOR INFORMATION:

The Faculty Senate Bylaws specify that the Twin Cities Faculty Delegation shall elect by written ballot faculty to fill vacancies on the Nominating Committee from a slate of candidates provided by the Faculty Consultative Committee. Other candidates may be nominated by petition of 12 members of the Twin Cities Faculty Delegation. Petitions to nominate candidates not on the slate must be in the hands of the Clerk on the day before the meeting at which the election is to be conducted. The elected Twin Cities faculty members of the committee whose term continue at least through 2007-08 are:

Catherine French, Institute of Technology
Susan Berry, Medical School
Arthur Erdman, Institute of Technology
Leslie Schiff, Medical School

MOTION:

To amend Article IV, Section 2 of the Faculty Senate Constitution as follows (language to be added is underlined; language to be deleted is struck-out). As an amendment to the Faculty Senate Constitution, the motion requires either a two-thirds majority of all voting members of the Faculty Senate (107) at one regular or special meeting, or a majority of all voting members of the Faculty Senate (81) at each of two meetings. This is the first meeting at which this motion is being presented.

ARTICLE IV. THE FACULTY SENATE (Changes to this article are subject to vote only by the Faculty Senate)

...

2. Membership

...

c. For the purposes of this constitution, the bylaws, and the rules, faculty shall include professors, associate professors, assistant professors, research associates, instructors, and research fellows on full-time appointments holding a regular appointment as defined the Regents' Policy "Faculty Tenure." "Full-time appointments" are defined for this constitution to require the same time commitment of faculty and qualified academic staff. the term "faculty" shall include (1) individuals who hold full-time regular appointments as defined in the Regents' Policy "Faculty Tenure," and (2) individuals who hold full-time multi-year or annually renewable term appointments as defined in the Regents’ Policy “Faculty Tenure” and who have completed three years of service at the University.

d. For the purposes of this constitution, the bylaws, and the rules, the term "qualified academic staff" shall be interpreted to mean academic professionals and administrators eligible for election to the Faculty Senate and eligible for appointment to Faculty Senate committees. In order to qualify for election to the Faculty Senate, an academic professional or administrator must meet the definition established by the Board of Regents: "Academic professionals generally parallel disciplinary faculty in having the requisite preparation and specialized knowledge in an academic discipline or field on which practice is based and in exercising independent professional judgment. These individuals may be engaged in teaching, research, and service, as are faculty[.]" Qualified academic staff are those in collegiate units or other campus-based staff holding continuous and probationary appointments or qualified campus-based academic staff with fixed term or annual appointments having completed five years of service at the University. The term "academic staff" shall be interpreted to mean academic professionals and administrators eligible for election to the University Senate (but not the Faculty Senate) and eligible for appointment to all other committees of the senates. Qualified academic staff are also eligible to serve on all other committees and in the University Senate as well as in the Faculty Senate and on committees requiring eligibility for Faculty Senate membership. mean individuals who (1) hold full-time appointments as academic professionals, (2) have faculty-like responsibilities with a primary focus on teaching or research, and (3) have probationary/continuous appointments or have completed five years of service at the University.

e. For the purposes of this constitution, the bylaws, and the rules, "full-time appointments" are defined as requiring at least 67% time.

e f. The manner in which faculty and qualified academic staff are elected to the Faculty Senate shall be prescribed in the bylaws.

...

COMMENT:

The Faculty Consultative Committee has been aware that there is a lack of clarity in the current constitutional provisions governing eligibility for the Faculty Senate. This proposal is an attempt to make the provisions clearer. It also corrects a problem: at present faculty-like P&A staff are eligible for the Faculty Senate but contract/term faculty are not. This proposal makes both groups eligible.

The amendment makes contract/term faculty with three years of service at the University eligible for Faculty Senate election and service. The amendment also modifies the definition of eligible P&A staff to conform with current understandings and practice.  Academic professionals (but not professional administrators) who have faculty-like responsibilities in teaching or research (or both) will be eligible for they are in a continuous appointment track (this is a small category) or if they have completed five years of service at the University.  As is the current practice, departments and colleges will be expected to help identify which individuals in their units fit within the Senate Constitution definition.

In both categories ("faculty" and "qualified academic staff"), only those holding full-time appointments are eligible.  The amendment defines full-time as requiring a minimum of 67% time.

MOTION:

To amend Article IV, Section 5(H) of the Faculty Senate Bylaws as follows (language to be added is underlined). As an amendment to the Faculty Senate Bylaws, the motion requires either a majority of all voting members of the Faculty Senate (81) at one regular or special meeting, or a majority of all voting members of the Faculty Senate present and voting at each of two meetings. This is the first meeting at which this motion is being presented.

ARTICLE IV. COMMITTEES OF THE FACULTY SENATE (Changes to this article are subject to vote only by the Faculty Senate)

...

5. Faculty Senate Committee Charges

...

H. FACULTY CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE

...

Membership

The tenured and tenure-track faculty of the Twin Cities campus and those tenured and tenure-track faculty members on the Duluth campus eligible to vote in elections for the Senate shall elect 9 members, and the tenured and tenure-track faculty of the Morris campus shall elect one faculty member. Faculty members shall be nominated and elected by procedures established by each campus faculty, subject to the following provisions:

...

COMMENT:

The previous agenda item contains an amendment to make contract/term faculty eligible to serve in the Faculty Senate and vote for Faculty Senators. This bylaw revision retains the current practice of having only tenured and tenure-track faculty vote for the election of FCC members. While the Senate is representative of all faculty and faculty-like individuals, the FCC is the Executive Committee for the Senate and appropriately represents the ultimate responsibility of the tenured and tenure-track faculty for governance as established in the 2005 Academic Unit Governance policy.

(See: http://www.fpd.finop.umn.edu/groups/senate/documents/policy/acadgovpol.html)

MOTION:

That the Twin Cities Delegation of the Faculty Senate:

-- adopts as University policy the following Undergraduate Student Learning Outcomes for the Twin Cities campus, and

--endorses these learning outcomes as the guiding principles for teaching and learning at all levels of curricular decision-making on the Twin Cities campus.

Undergraduate Student Learning Outcomes

At the time of receiving a bachelor’s degree, students:

--Can identify, define, and solve problems

--Can locate and critically evaluate information

--Have mastered a body of knowledge and a mode of inquiry

--Understands diverse philosophies and cultures within and across societies

--Can communicate effectively

--Understand the role of creativity, innovation, discovery, and expression across disciplines

--Have acquired skills for effective citizenship and life-long learning.

COMMENT:

The Senate Committee on Educational Policy (SCEP) has discussed these outcomes at several meetings over the last year and recommends to the Faculty Senate that it adopt them as policy for the Twin Cities campus.

The Faculty Consultative Committee reviewed the outcomes as well and concurs in the recommendation from SCEP.

^[1] University of Minnesota. Systemwide Academic Task Force on Diversity. Transforming the University: Report of the Systemwide Academic Task Force on Diversity. February 3, 2006. Retrieved October 31, 2006 from http://www1.umn.edu/systemwide/strategic_positioning/tf_final_reports/diversity_exec_summ.pdf
^[2] These are minimum requirements; each individual school or college is left with the discretion to add checkboxes as it sees fit—so long as subcategories of particular checkboxes are indicated as such. For example:
Hispanic/Latin American
¨ Puerto Rican American
¨ Chicano/Mexican American
The process by which individual schools and colleges add such checkboxes to their applications shall be left unchanged by this resolution.
^[3] As an alternative to stating “Check all that apply,” an application may state “Check only one” as long as “Bi- or Multi- Racial” is added as an option.
^[4] The University of Minnesota Council of Academic Professionals and Administrators (CAPA) has determined, and the Student Senate has suggested, that this category be changed to “White/European American.” While Project: Check It supports this change, this resolution leaves the determination of whether to implement this alternative scheme to the individual schools and colleges. Each individual school and college wishing to implement this change must first ensure that such a change comports with the U.S. Department of Education guidelines and reporting requirements.
^[5] The “Other” category is highly recommended, but not mandatory. It is theoretically possible that an applicant may not “fit” into any of the above categories, but the extra burdens that an “Other” checkbox places on the University in terms of reporting requirements are not something that Project: Check It wants to impose.
^[6] Project: Check It recognizes that the U.S. Department of Education is in the process of undertaking similar revisions. We believe that these revisions are inadequate as they do not concentrate on making applications more inclusive; rather, they concentrate on making them more specific, particularly with respect to Hispanics. In doing so, the U.S. Department of Education is seeking to switch to a two-question system—one question specifically for Hispanics, and a second question for all other applicants. Should such a proposal pass and become the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, the University would be bound to comply; however, the University would retain its right to add on to the U.S. Department of Education’s scheme, which this resolution requires that it do.