Curriculum Committee Minutes
November 2, 1999
Present: Barry, Breitenbach, Cooper, Ives, Kerrick, Kirkpatrick, Kontogeorgopoulos,
Livingston, Mitani, Neff-Lippman, Neshyba (chair), Pasco-Pranger, Pinzino,
Tomhave, Warning, Washburn
Visitor: Marilyn Mitchell
Neshyba called the meeting to order at 4:03 p.m. The minutes for the meeting of October 19 were approved as posted.
Announcements . Livingston plugged her new course on Personal Finance (BPA 280) as a suitable elective for students who are not majoring in Business.
Subcommittee reports .
Kontogeorgopoulos (chair, International Studies subcommittee) and Ives (chair,
Communication I and Science in Context subcommittees) reported that their subcommittees have discussed Core guidelines and are now reviewing syllabi.
ACTION: Warning (chair, Humanistic Perspective subcommittee) M/S/P that
Philosophy 109 (Religion and Philosophy of Literature) be approved as a Humanistic
Perspective Core course.
He praised the course proposal for its careful attention to the question of “what it means to be human.”
Kirkpatrick (chair, Comparative Values subcommittee) reported on a meeting with the faculty who teach Comparative Values courses. The meeting was helpful in identifying important issues, such as the relation between majors and non-majors in CV courses, the large enrollments in many CV courses, and the differences in how values are treated in CV and non-CV courses.
Warning asked if students have difficulty getting into CV courses. Tomhave answered that there are enough CV seats, but some students—especially juniors—may have trouble getting into the particular courses they want to take.
Neshyba reported that the Biology Department will produce its curriculum review “soon.”
Calendar.
Kirkpatrick reported that the Calendar subcommittee recommends Option 2 for revising the fall-semester calendar. Option 2 would start classes on a Thursday, which is two teaching days earlier than under the current calendar. The last day of classes would be on a Wednesday, just as in the current calendar. Reading period and Final Examination period would stay as they are now. The earliest first day created by this calendar would be August 23, unless faculty chose to override the rule that fall semesters must end no later than December 20. Option 2 would yield two additional instructional and/or vacation days.
Stevens stated that Option 2 would shorten Orientation by two days, so that freshmen would spend only one weekend on campus before classes began. Ives observed that beginning earlier would reduce the number of days for upperclassmen to earn money in summer jobs. He asked when upperclassmen usually return to campus. Mitani stated that upperclassmen typically arrive in Tacoma a week before classes start. Barry said that the Faculty Senate will want to consult with the Dean of Students about how calendar changes might affect the schedule for opening residential housing. Neff-Lippman and Kerrick wondered if three days would be enough time to complete all Orientation tasks, including the testing, advising, and registering of freshmen.
Pasco-Pranger asked about the two earliest starting days that would be created by Option 2:
August 23 and August 24. She wondered if the Curriculum Committee should recommend that classes begin one week later in those years, such that Final Exams would end on December 21 and December 22, respectively. Stevens urged that the Faculty Senate be allowed to state its views on this question. He also noted that the August 23 starting date would occur just twice in the next 23 years. Kerrick declared his opposition to beginning classes as early as August 23.
He asked whether faculty and students really want to start the semester earlier in order to have a longer fall break. Livingston and Warning cited survey data and anecdotal evidence indicating

that the faculty want a longer fall break. ACTION: Kirkpatrick M/S/P that the committee recommend to the Faculty Senate an adjustment of the fall-semester calendar in accordance with Option 2.
A brief discussion ensued about how to use the two additional days created by Option 2.
Breitenbach objected to the Calendar subcommittee’s proposals that 1.5 days (Tuesday,
Wednesday morning) be added to the existing fall break and that 0.5 day (Wednesday afternoon) be added to the existing Thanksgiving break. He predicted that the official half-day holidays would soon become unofficial full-day holidays. Stevens suggested that one day be added to the fall break and the other day be added to the semester as a class day, thereby making the fall semester closer in length to the spring semester. Ives suggested adding one day to the existing fall break and adding Wednesday to the Thanksgiving break. Alternatively, he suggested, we could add two days to the existing fall break. As the meeting drew to a close, committee members tried to figure out ways to give students and faculty well-deserved vacations without providing them inducements to extend those vacations into instructional days. The committee will take up this vexing problem at its next meeting, on Tuesday, November 9, at 4:00 p.m.
At 4:56 p.m., Stevens M/S/P to adjourn.
Respectfully submitted,
William Breitenbach
Secretary