UH HILO FACULTY CONGRESS
MINUTES FOR MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 29, 2006
K-127 3:00 - 5:00 pm
Members Present: Philippe Binder, Marilyn Brown, Kelly Burke, Jason Cabral, Keola Donaghy, Sevki Erdogan,
Barbara Leonard, Shuguang Li, Gail Makuakane-Lundin, Mark Panek, Tom Pinhey, Jennifer Richardson, Helen
Rogers
Ex Officio Members Present: Marcia Sakai
Others Present: Jerry Calton, Rick Castberg, Hank Hennessey, Jean Ippolito, Faith Mishina, Yumiko Ohara,
Larry Rogers, Kenith Simmons, Cathy Zenz
Meeting called to order at 3:05 by Congress Chair Barbara Leonard
OLD BUSINESS
1. Approval of the minutes of the September 1, 2006
Approved by acclamation.
2. Report from the Chair. Request approval to change the scheduled Congress meeting from Friday,
March 30, 2007 to Friday, March 23, 2007 (March 30 is during Spring Break).
Approved by acclamation.
Report on the ACCFSC meeting held on 9/22 and other meetings attended.
Congress Chair Barbara Leonard attended the All Campus Council of Faculty Senate Chairs
(ACCFSC ) meeting on Kauai. UH Hilo will host the ACCFSC meeting October 19 & 20.
In addition, the Board of Regents will meet at UH Hilo October 19 & 20. President McClain
agreed to meet with the UH Hilo Congress tentatively on Wednesday, October 18 from 3:00 pm
to 4:30 pm in Wentworth Hall Room 1. The Congress Executive Committee will compile a list of
questions that to submit to President McClain prior to our meeting. The faculty are asked to
suggest questions for the President, and the Congress Executive Committee will summarize
and prioritize the questions for the President. All faculty are invited to attend the session.
If you would like to suggest a question, please email: UHHFac@hawaii.edu with your question.
All questions need to be submitted by October 11, 2006. We look forward to this opportunity to
have dialogue with President McClain and to raise issues of interest to the faculty at UH Hilo.
3. Reports from committee chairs:
 Kelly Burke, Academic Policy Committee
Request for approval of membership of committee:
Kelly Burke, Chair
Jerry Calton, COBE (2nd year of term)
Dawna Coutant, CAS (2nd year of term)
Patrick Hart, CAS (2nd year of term)
Barbara Heintz, OSA (2nd year of term)
Stephen Hora and Kennith Simmons, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Office
Approved by acclamation.
Report from the Chair: The committee will meet in the upcoming weeks

Gail Makuakane-Lundin, Admissions Committee
Request for approval of membership of committee:
William (Bill) Mautz, CAS
Emmeline De Pillis, COBE
Charles (Kale) Langlas, HLC
TBA, CAFNRM
Kainoa Kaumeheiwa-Rego, Student Rep from UHHSA
James Cromwell, Director of Admissions
Kenith Simmons, VCAA
Randy Hirokawa, Dean of CAS
Marcia Sakai, Dean of COBE
Kalena Silva, Dean of HLC
William Steiner, Dean of CAFNRM
Approved by acclamation.
Report from the Chair. The committee will meet in the upcoming weeks

Barbara Leonard, Budget Committee
Request for approval of membership of committee:
Barbara Leonard, Chair
Jonathan Dresner, CAS
Bill Heacox, CAS
Rick Castberg, CAS
Helen Rogers, Library
Norman Stahl, OSA
Approved by acclamation.
Report from the Budget Committee:
Rick Castberg from CAS addressed the Congress on the status of the 2007 – 2009
Biennium Budget. Although it has been established, much work remains on
supplemental and additional budgeting issues. In the past, budget issues have not
been transparent, and Congress was not involved in fiscal operations or decisions. For
several years, the Budget Committee has worked toward increased visibility, improved
cooperation, and more positive and prosperous representation of UH Hilo during
system-wide budgeting decisions.

Sevki Erdogan, Assessment Support Committee
Request for approval of membership of committee:
Sevki Erdogan, Chair
Todd Belt, CAS (2st year of term)
Jim Beets, CAS (2st year of term)
Richard Crowe, CAS (2st year of term)
Ruth Robison, OSA (2nd year of term)
William Sakai, CAFNRM (2st year of term)
Errol Yudko, CAS (2st year of term)
Approved by acclamation.
Report from the Chair: The committee will meet in the upcoming weeks

Philippe Binder, General Education Committee
Request for approval of membership of committee.
Philippe Binder (Nat Sciences; Chair)
Marilyn Brown (Social Science)
Todd Belt (Social Science)
Jean Ippolito (Humanities)
Mike Shintaku (College of Agriculture)
Pila Wilson (CHL)
Jerry Calton (COBE)
Melissa Benfer (Student)
Kristi Temple (Student)
Eddie Johns (Student)
Kainoa Ariola (Student Affairs)
Thora Abaraca (Library)
Approved by acclamation.
Report from the Chair:
Proposal for the General Education Curriculum
Full proposal and minority report available at
www.uhh.hawaii.edu/uhh/congress/documents/CongressGECommitteeReportApr061_000.doc
www.uhh.hawaii.edu/uhh/congress/documents/CongreeGEProposalSummaryApr061_000.doc
I. The General Education Program in all undergraduate degree programs at UH-Hilo will include the following
requirement areas:

Basic Requirements, which will include coursework in Written Communication, Quantitative Reasoning,
World Cultures, and Hawaii/Asia Pacific.

Area Requirements, which will include coursework in the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Natural
Sciences. The Natural Sciences Area Requirement must include a laboratory course in a physical or
biological science.

Writing Intensive, satisfaction of a Writing Intensive Requirement.
II. The minimum acceptable coursework for any College’s implementation of this General Education Program must
include, but is not limited to:

Basic Requirements: 6 credits in Written Communication; 6 credits in Quantitative Reasoning; 6 credits
in World Cultures; 3 credits in Hawaii/Asia/Pacific.

Area Requirements: 6 credits in Humanities; 6 credits in Social Sciences; 7 credits in Natural Sciences,
including one laboratory credit.

Writing Intensive: 9 credits, 6 of which must be upper division.
III: Courses used to satisfy the Basic Requirement in Written Communication must:

introduce students to different forms of college-level writing, including, but not limited to, academic
discourse, and guide them in writing for different purposes and audiences

provide students with guided practice of writing processes-planning, drafting, critiquing, revising, and
editing-making effective use of written and oral feedback from the faculty instructor and from peers

require at least 5000 words of finished prose-equivalent to approximately 20 typewritten pages

help students develop information literacy by teaching search strategies, critical evaluation of information
and sources, and effective selection of information for specific purposes and audiences; teach
appropriate ways to incorporate such information, acknowledge sources and provide citations

help students read texts and make use of a variety of sources in expressing their own ideas,
perspectives, and/or opinions in writing.
IV. Courses used to satisfy the Basic Requirement in Quantitative Reasoning must:

enable students to understand the use of mathematical concepts as representations of real world events
and phenomena

require students to develop skills in chains of reasoning from data to conclusions

require students to develop skills in problem-solving using mathematical concepts and techniques
V. Courses used to satisfy the Basic Requirement in World Cultures must:

analyze the development of human societies and their cultural traditions through time and throughout the
world, including Africa, the Americas, the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and Oceania (Pacific Basin)

offer a broad, integrated analysis of cultural, economic, political, scientific, and social development that
recognizes the diversity of human societies and their cultural traditions

examine processes of cross-cultural interaction and exchange that have linked the world's people
through time

engage students in the study and analysis of writings, narratives, texts, artifacts, and/or practices that
represent the perspective of different societies and cultural traditions

Exception for language course: Second semester or above language course that includes a World
Cultures component through language or cultural comparison.
VI. Courses used to satisfy the Area Requirements in Humanities must:





involve students actively in critical thinking and in written or oral communication
use the terminology of the visual, performing, or creative arts; or of the study of philosophy, language,
communication, or religion; or of literary representations
engage students in the study of artifacts, texts, performances, processes, theories, or issues of the
concern in studies of the arts, philosophy, language, communication, religion, or literature
demonstrate the methods or modes of inquiry employed in studies of the arts, philosophy, language,
communication, religion, or literature
illustrate the interrelationships between the discipline and academic disciplines in the social or natural
sciences
VII. Courses used to satisfy the Area Requirements in Social Sciences must:

involve students actively in critical thinking and in written or oral communication

use the terminology of theories, structures, or processes in the social sciences

present theories, concepts, models, practices, research methods, or issues of concern in the study of
these structures or processes

demonstrate inquiry that is guided by theory and/or by quantitative and/or qualitative methods
employed in the study of structures or processes within the social sciences

illustrate the interrelationships between the discipline and academic disciplines in the humanities or
natural sciences
VIII. Lecture courses used to satisfy the Area Requirements in Natural Sciences must:

involve students actively in critical thinking, numeracy, and written or oral communication

use the terminology of computational, physical or biological sciences

include knowledge and theories of the computational, physical or biological sciences

foster a student's ability to perform inquiry that is guided by the scientific method, including
observation/experimentation and scientific reasoning/mathematics

illustrate the interrelationships between the discipline and academic disciplines in the humanities or
social sciences
IX. Laboratory courses used to satisfy the Area Requirements in Natural Sciences must:



use the laboratory methods of physical or biological science
involve the process of, or considers the issues of, experimental design, testing/measurement, analysis
and interpretation of experimental data/results
consider the strengths and limitations of the scientific method

demonstrate the interaction of observation/experiment, and reasoning/analysis.
X. Courses used to satisfy a Study of Hawaii, Asia, or the Pacific requirement must:



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involve students actively in written or oral communication
investigate major aspects of the culture, language, economy, history, or natural environment of Hawai'i
or of another indigenous culture or nation or region of the Pacific or Asia
foster critical understanding of different cultural perspectives, values, and world views and the ability to
acquire additional knowledge about these
illustrate the interrelationships among various disciplines in the study of the culture or region
XI: Courses used to satisfy a Writing Intensive requirement must:

use writing to promote the learning of course materials. Instructors assign formal and informal writing,
both in class and out, to increase students' understanding of course material as well as to improve
writing skills.

provide interaction between teacher and students while students do assigned writing; in effect, the
instructor acts as an expert and the student as an apprentice in a community of writers.

be graded to a significant extent by the student's writing performance

require students to do a substantial amount of writing—a minimum of 4000 words, or about 16 finished
pages—formal, or informal, including analytic essays, critical reviews, journals, lab reports, research
reports, or reaction papers, etc.

normally be restricted to 20 students.
XII. The decision to offer a course for General Education credit rests with the offering Department and College.
Offering a course for General Education credit imposes the following obligations on that department:

Notification to the University community that the course is intended for General Education credit, and the
specific General education requirement that it is intended to satisfy. This includes an obligation to notify
the community of any future changes in the course that may affect its continued suitability for that
General Education requirement.

Public statement of the broad learning objectives of the course, through publication of a master syllabus
or other statement of objectives for the course at an accessible location.

Enforcement of reasonable compliance with the stated learning objectives by instructors appointed by
the department.

Documentation through regular, periodic program review that the course continues to meet the
appropriate set of hallmarks or standards.
XIII. Upon adoption of this program, the following sequence of events must occur:

Each Department must review courses that it may choose to offer for General Education, and prepare a
description of how the each course meets the appropriate set of hallmarks.

Each College Curriculum Committee must review the descriptions provided by the Departments within
the College, and act to approve or deny each course for General Education.

The results of the Colleges’ reviews must be accumulated, and a combined list of acceptable courses
published. (Mechanism to be determined.)
XIV. The Colleges agree that any course certified by one College’s Curriculum Committee as meeting a particular
set of hallmarks will be accepted by all other Colleges for the same requirement area. Acceptance of a course by
one College, when that course is unacceptable to another College and the disagreement cannot be resolved
through discussion between the Colleges, may be appealed to, and finally resolved by, the General Education
Committee of the UH-Hilo Congress.
XV. Colleges that offer courses to fulfill General Education requirements may determine alternative means (credit
by examination, or other alternatives) for the satisfaction of any General Education requirement, subject to the
following conditions:

The Department proposing the alternative means must demonstrate how the appropriate hallmarks are
satisfied by the alternative; and,

The alternative, if offered, must be available to any student that requests it.
Discussion:
Do Language Courses fulfill the World Cultures hallmark?
Should there be an exception to the World Cultures hallmark?
How will the changes in Writing Intensive requirement impact the English Department?
Motion: To amend the Proposal for the General Education Curriculum to remove the language exception from
the World Cultures hallmark.
Vote: 4 in favor, 8 opposed, 1 abstained. Motion failed.
Motion: To table approval of the Proposal for the General Education Curriculum until the next meeting so
Congress can elicit further input from the faculty.
Vote: 13 in favor, 0 opposed, 0 abstained. Motion passed.
NEW BUSINESS
1. Discussion of the Quality of Faculty Worklife: The University of Hawaii Survey Results
Some issues that Faculty Congress will be addressing this year will be related to the
UH Survey just released. The UH Hilo faculty had the lowest level of satisfaction of all
campuses in the UH System, according to the Quality of Faculty Worklife: The
University of Hawai`i, Spring 2006 survey. The 2006 Mean for all campuses was 6.44,
for UH Hilo it was 6.02 (scale range is 1-10. 1=low satisfaction; 10=high satisfaction.
UHH Faculty Morale declined each of the past three years, although UH overall has
increased each of the past three years. Of all the campuses, UH Hilo Faculty scored
lowest on the following statements (scale range is 1-5. 1=strongly disagree; 5=strongly
agree (midpoint 3)):
Overall
UH Hilo
Service in my campus is rewarding for me.
3.69
3.49
The process for tenure is fair.
3.29
3.14
I have good relations with my chair.
4.10
3.89
Faculty input at the university level is
adequate for budget decisions
2.34
2.20
Retirement benefits meet my expectations
2.70
2.55
This campus supports my scholarly goals.
3.18
2.96
This is a fair campus.
3.24
3.03
I am proud to work at this campus.
3.74
3.51
Please rate the way you view the advocacy
For UH faculty by:
College Senate
Campus Senate
Collective Bargaining Unit
3.31
3.40
3.49
3.04
2.96
2.94
Please rate the confidence you have in
Leadership exhibited by:
Central Administration
College Senate Exec. Committee
Campus Senate Exec. Committee
Collective Bargaining Unit
2.65
3.02
3.06
3.23
2.40
2.55
2.66
2.75
Meeting adjourned at 4:50 by Congress Chair Barbara Leonard
Respectfully Submitted October 6, 2006 by Jennifer Richardson, Congress Secretary