Minutes from Faculty Senate Advisory Meeting: Friday 29 September

Meeting Commenced at 2:00

Attendants: Ray Hundley, Meg Hawkins, Elizabeth Smith, Pegi Hunt-Evans, Susan Finlay, Jeff Grieneisen, Courtney Ruffner

1. Approval of minutes from Bradenton and Venice Meetings

2. Discussion Topics:

· Instructional Assistants and Career Employees inclusion on Distribution lists

- Instructional Assistants on distribution list

- Career employees on distribution list

· Review of VPAA meeting

- Dr. Rosen has made a statement that no one will be denied step increase based on success rates (this is informal at this time)

- Mike Mears suggested overall averaging instead of going semester by semester (60/40 % with weighted averages for course success rates)

· Promotion/Step Increase

- Use of compensated activities in promotion

- Currently, there is no consistency between departments regarding the use of compensated activities (some depts. will sign of on them, others will not)

- Propose creation of a promotion portfolio category of “Compensated Activities”

- Propose creation of “Community / Volunteer Activities”

- For Both of the above, what is the system of awarding “credit” for these?

- Where is the “fine line” between having category 4 activites, but no category 1 or 2, for example?

- Discussion that our experience as a whole person is important

- Question: is this a departmental issue of non-consistent treatment of activities? If so:

- Propose a Universal Guideline

- Propose a Template / Model

+ Chairs need to agree with each other and understand the instrument

· Meeting With Drs. Rosen and Pappas

- Propose to meet with just Dr. Rosen on October 10

a. Three items resultant from Venice and Bradenton Faculty Senate meetings are currently under administrative review

b. We need time to research faculty senate issues and review final results

c. We would like to meet with Dr. Rosen initially so that we have focus in our meeting with Dr. Pappas

· Discussion of Primary Issues to Raise and Homework for Faculty Senate members:

a. Success Rates (Ray Hundley)

1. Will Send Survey to Faculty

b. Step Increase (Jeff Grieneisen)

c. Withdrawal Process (Pegi Hunt-Evans)

1. Significant discussion centered around getting information to faculty re: why students withdraw

2 Discussion included distinction between W and WF (on financial aid, for instance).

d. Too many committees (Susan Finlay)

e. SPD Funding (Beth Smith)

f. Parking (Courtney Ruffner)

g. Overloads and Hiring/Firing as full-time (Meg Hawkins)

h. Office Hours (Dennielle True, in absentia)

· Miscellaneous

** Discussion of the potential benefits of a 4-Day School Week (potential savings on utilities, among others)

** Creation of first-day mandatory attendance policy (as per USF)

--Could create extra late-starts

--Could curtail lagging student success rates by eliminating late-arrivals

** Question was raised whether faculty need to continue with step and/or promotion in order to continue employment

** Brief discussion included the distinction between “Continuing Contract” and “Tenure” (including discussion of “Union” and “Right to

Work State”)

· Results:

- Distribution lists should contain information