WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY FACULTY SENATE MINUTES – April 7, 2003

 

MEMBERS PRESENT: Bakken, Behrman, Brooks, Carroll, Celestin, Chopra, Dawe, Decker, Edwards, Forlaw, Goldy, Hemans, Hershfield, Herzog, Hill, Hiltner, Hodson, Johnson, Klunder, Lancaster, Markovich, Matson, Mau, May, McDonald, Murphey, Quantic, Rokosz, Roussel, Teshome, Williamson, Withrow, Zhang

 

MEMBERS ABSENT: Bees, DeLillo, deSilva, Kear, Lause, Moore-Jansen,  Parker, Ravigururajan, Riordan, Ross, Russell, sheikh-Ahmad, Wimalesena

 

MEMBERS EXCUSED: Enns, Miller, Muma, Russell, Yeager

 

Ex-OFFICIO MEMBERS PRESENT: VPAAR

 

SUMMARY OF ACTION:

1.  The Senate heard the annual report by Elizabeth King, Vice President for University Advancement 

2.  The Senate continued its deliberations about the General Education proposal.

3.  The Senate approved, with one dissenting vote, a motion to express its opposition to the bill passed by the Legislature relative to the termination of funding for any department that uses obscene videos in class.

 

I.  CALL TO ORDER: President Lancaster called the meeting to order at 3:30 pm.
 

VII.  NEW BUSINESS: 
a.  WSU Advancement / Endowement update:  By unanimous consent, the first item in the Agenda relative to New Business was taken out of order, so that the Senate could hear the annual report of the Vice President for University Advancement, Elizabeth King, about the status of University fund raising for the advancement and endowment funds.  King gave a  power-point presentation giving details about fund raising and expenditures.  She indicated that much of the gifting to the University is for current expenditure (some $8.5 million), as compared to a lesser amount (some $2.6 million) for endowment.  She noted the following percentages use of the funds --  .3% Athletics, 3.1% General, 7.1% Library, 18.9 Ulrich, 40.4 Scholarship & 40.7% Educational.  She said that a recent phenomenon, caused by the decline of the stock market, is that many of the funds are below the value they had when they were first received, triggering a state statute that requires that only interest and dividends be paid from them while they are in that condition.

 

II.  INFORMAL STATEMENTS & PROPOSALS:

1.  Senator Roussel reminded the Senate of the state AAUP meeting that will be held this coming Saturday as per her announcement in the March 31st Senate meeting.

 

2.  Senator Williamson inquired about the anticipated impact of the Legislature's rejection of the Governor's revised budget.  VPAAR Kindrick responded that the administration is waiting to see what the Legislature does after it returns on April 30 from its recess.

 

3.  Senator Hodson spoke about the drastic cuts that are being made in funding for Graduate Teaching Assistants, to between $5,000-8,000 per year from $12,000.  She said that even the $12,000 had been "disgracefully low."

 

4.  VPAAR Kindrick pointed out that a Senate meeting on May 5 will conflict with the Honors Convocation that is scheduled for that afternoon. _

III.  APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES:  Minutes of the meeting of March 31, accepted as presented.

 

IV.  PRESIDENT’S REPORT: 

President Lancaster outlined the schedule he contemplates for Senate consideration of the General Education proposal.  He hopes for a vote on the proposal, as it may then be amended, on April 28, with some matters that don't require a vote of the General Faculty being held over to a meeting on May 5.

 

V.  COMMITTEE REPORTS:  none

 

VI.  OLD BUSINESS:

a. Revisions to the General Education Program:   The Senate continued its deliberation on the General Education proposal that has come from the Senate Executive Committee, taking up particularly the sections on transfer credit, course levels and numbering, the completion of Basic Skills courses by 48 hours, and the replacement of I&P courses with Capstone courses.  Senator Murphey asked for reaction to a possible addition that would require students to pass the two parts of the College BASE assessment test dealing with Basic Skills after students have finished 48 hours of work.  When the idea was confronted by considerable opposition, he told the Senate he would not ask the Executive Committee to add it.  Discussion also was on clarifying the wording to apply to degree bound students only

 

VII.  NEW BUSINESS:

b.  COFSP discussion on censorship: President Lancaster showed the Senate a slide depicting a draft letter from the Council of Faculty Senate Presidents to Governor Sibelius opposing the bill recently passed by the Legislature that would direct the Kansas Board of Regents to terminate funding for any department of a Regents' University that purchases or uses obscene videos in a human sexuality or other such class.  Senator Murphey said the letter misrepresents the content and effect of the bill.  After discussion, Senator Klunder moved, (Senator Behrman  2nd. ) a motion to put the Senate on record as opposing the bill.  This was approved, with Senator Murphey asking the Secretary to record his "nay" vote._

 

VIII.  AS MAY ARISE: none

Respectfully submitted,

Dwight Murphey

Secretary