Undergraduate Academic Council
Meeting Date:
Monday, April 17, 2006, 9:30-10:45 AM
Present:
Jeanette Altarriba, Scott Barclay, Seth Chaiken, Richard Collier, Sue Faerman, Chris Faugere, Robert
Gibson, Carolyn Malloch, Lisa Trubitt
Minutes:
Minutes from the April 3, 2006 meeting were reviewed and corrections acknowledged. Those minutes,
with required updates, were approved.
Committee Reports
CAAS: The council was informed that the committee dealt with an academic grievance case.
CAS: The Committee on Academic Standing sought the UAC's guidance concerning a petition for a
late drop from a student who received a failing grade in the course but felt the instructor had acted
improperly. The CAS's inclination was to take no action, believing that, though approval would
"resolve" the matter, both issues should be pursued by the appropriate venues (judicial proceedings and
the academic grievance process). The UAC concurred.
Standards of Academic Integrity:
The Vice Provost noted student complaints about inconsistency of application of penalties. The option
of a "warning" would no longer be available to faculty. It was noted that, before assigning freshman
students the same penalty as seniors, the University may have an educational responsibility. It was
agreed that the reference to the University Libraries online materials concerning reference, citation,
etc., and to their U UNL 205 and 206 courses will be included in the revised statement; this was
stipulated by UAC policy two years earlier.
The Vice Provost also noted that persons other than the instructor can report instances of lapses in
academic integrity, including students. There are pros and cons concerning the desirability and
effectiveness of an "honors code." Certainly a culture of shared obligation to maintain standards of
integrity is desirable so that students reporting incidents feel less like "snitches."
A member observed that a range of options remains without clear guidelines for professors, so
inconsistent penalties will remain. The council strongly felt that syllabi should clearly indicate the
professor's policies on lapses of academic integrity in the given course. It was noted that UAC can
mandate this within the minimum required contents already specified by the council for syllabi.
It was questioned why there is a statute of limitations when the report of a breach of academic integrity
can be removed--by student request--from the files maintained in Undergraduate Studies. It was agreed
that the policy will warn students that referral to Undergraduate Studies may impact a student's
admission to a graduate or professional school, the bar, etc.
UAC Minutes, 4/17/06
Page 2 of 2
Since the standards of academic integrity have to appear in "Student Guidelines" and since this
publication is owned by the University Council, it was asked whether that body needs to be consulted
first. It was agreed that it is appropriate for the policy to be considered first by the University Senate
and that, if approved, the University Council then be approached.
With the understanding that text reflecting the changes discussed at the meeting will be added to the
proposal, the policy was approved unanimously without dissent or abstention.
Revision of the Major in Women's Studies
Dick Collier noted that Arts and Sciences has yet to approve these changes but he was informed that
approval is expected and will occur imminently.
The "Coherent Clusters" were renamed "Coherent Concentrations" to match the terminology used by
other University majors. It was noted that in each concentration the phrase "two of them at the 300level or above" should be changed to "at least two of them at the 300-level or above". For the 12
credits of electives, it was noted that the proposal did not but needs to stipulate that the electives be
from Women's Studies courses. It was then noted that in some cases it is possible that the department
will decide other courses might be appropriate, as is allowed in the current major requirements'
description of the electives.
Contingent upon the department's acceptance of the revisions made by the council and contingent upon
the college's approval of the proposal, the proposal was passed unanimously and without dissent or
abstention. [NOTE: On Thursday Dick Collier was informed that the department and the college
approved the proposal as amended by UAC, so this will be announced at Monday's Senate meeting.]
Informatics Minor:
It is anticipated that this minor will be presented to UAC and considered at the April 24th meeting.
Next Meeting:
The next Undergraduate Academic Council meeting will be held Monday, 4/24/05, 9:30 AM, LC-31. Since
there remains an attendance problem, members are again asked to contact the Chair in advance if they
cannot make that meeting.
Minutes Taken:
Notes taken by Dick Collier on behalf of Joanne Baronner, Undergraduate Studies.