Academic Policy Committee Meeting Minutes December 2, 2011

Attendance: Andrei Barkovskii, Amy Pinney, Mark Vail, Jason Rich, Bryan Marshall, Robert Blumenthal, Steve Auerbach, Chandra Power

Absent: Olufunke Fonteonot

Regrets: Kirk Armstrong, Warren Belanger, Martha Colvin, Jennifer Flory

1)      Call to Order – Amy Pinney

2)      Minutes approved

3)      Guest

 Steve Elliott-Gower on Honors option for students.  Option gives students who are in the honors program an opportunity to get honors credit for non-honors course. Students must meet with professor before course or before end of third week; proposal has to be in Steve’s office by the Friday of the third week of class. Options include lit review, project, etc.  Approval requires signatures of professor, department chair, Steve; once that is accomplished, a separate honors section is created.  If they are designed correctly up front, they give students opportunity to meet regularly with professor, design and execute project that can be made public; an opportunity for students to get into research.

            Minimum requirements? Minimum 7-8 page research paper; not written down because don’t want too many constraints on front end; the office may send proposals back if they don’t appear rigorous enough.

            Stated deadline for approval of honors option? Not particularly.

There is no action for this committee to take. Committee members can help their constituencies understand the Honors Program and its requirements and check out the website.

4)      Old business

a.       Report back on ECUS mtg – Bryan filled in for Amy

There was nothing to report back to us on from our meetings. Bryan filled in ECUS on our discussions.

b.      Video Recording Class Lectures.

                                                              i.      Update from Mark – Creation of handout after consulting handbook and dialoging with Mark Cardinelli.   Handout reads: Video/Audio recording of Classroom Activities Students As a rule, instructors must first give permission in advance to any student wishing to video or audio record classroom activities, except in the case of a disability requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If a student is claiming a need to record due to a disability, that student should contact Disability resources for an evaluation.  / The Federal educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) guarantees the privacy rights of all students. Since fellow students can be recognized from classroom recordings, their privacy rights are placed at risk by these recordings. Additionally, classroom recordings by students potentially violate the instructor’s intellectual property rights. The decision whether to allow students to record classroom activities belongs solely with the instructor (except under the ADA).

It seems problematic that the decision rests solely with the professor as the professor could be ending up granting permission to violate FERPA.

It also seems advisable that within the ADA situations, students should have to agree not to distribute or publish the recording.

Do we need waivers from every student? Do we need to add this policy to common syllabus?

                                                            ii.      Discussion of action for this committee to take – We think that we should request that legal write a policy for inclusion in faculty and student handbooks and send it to this committee. We also think that Kay Anderson’s office be involved. We also want legal to answer our questions about what professors can/should say to requests for audio/video recording. We don’t want the answer to be “up to the professor’s discretion.”

c.       Faculty Handbook – Andrei –

Examining the policy manual’s wording on Faculty Reporting to Work.

Issues regarding 9 vs. 10 month contracts, reporting to work dates, monitoring of changes in policy manual, imprecise/vague language, communication of policy changes

Real concern as to how this might affect Maymester, breaks, salary, leave. 

Amy will seek clarification.

5)      New business

a.       Signatures to withdraw from a class

Why so many signatures? Why not just advisor’s signature?  Kay Anderson’s office was looking into this issue. Jay will contact Kay.

b.      Drop/add/withdraw notification.  

Why don’t we get notification when students withdraw? Jason will ask Kay.

c.       Advising holds.  

Anyone can take off an advisor hold. We think only the advisor should have access to releasing holds. We need a policy. Jason will contact Kay.  Amy will invite Kay to the next meeting.

6)      Meeting was adjourned at 4:45