ITHACA COLLEGE
FACULTY COUNCIL MINUTES
May 1, 2001
Present: Jim Aguiar, Mara Alper, Luanne Andersson, Diane Birr, Randie Blooding,
Byron Caplan, Joseph Cheng, Carole Dennis, Harry Dimaras, Harold Emery, Michael
Galván, Cathe Gordon, Ron Jude, Ari Kissiloff, Don Lifton, Marian MacCurdy,
Winnie Mauser, Tim Nord, Mary Ann Rishel, Steve Peterson, Fred Pritt, Stan Seltzer,
Bruce Smith, Jennifer Strickland
Excused: Marie Garland, Sabatino Maglione, John Rosenthal, Robert Sullivan, John
Wolohan
Absent: Lee Bailey, Jules Benjamin, Rick Rainville
Guests: Garry Brodhead, Emilie Falc, Sean Vormwald ë01
1. Welcome and Announcements
S. Seltzer, Chair, opened the meeting by welcoming the newly-elected members of
Faculty Council. He distributed a membership list for 2001-2002, along with a list of
scheduled meetings for the new year. He expressed appreciation for the contributions
of departing members Mara Alper, Luanne Andersson, Jules Benjamin, Randie
Blooding, Byron Caplan, Michael Galván, and Fred Pritt.
Only one candidate, incumbent Susanne Morgan, responded to the call for All College
APC Representative. H. Emery moved that rather than conduct a college-wide
election with a single candidate, Susanne be elected to the position by a vote of
Council. F. Pritt seconded the motion, which was approved unanimously.
Discussion has been under way regarding an end-of-the-year TGIF faculty event.
With news of Provost Malekís departure, it will also serve as a farewell affair.
Wednesday, May 16 has been selected as the date. Further information will be
forthcoming.
2. Open Session
M.A. Rishel made her annual report to Council from the Faculty Development
Committee. In regard to their three-year transition plan she stated that they have done
particularly well in fulfilling the various proposals, citing a broad variety of offerings.
This past year some 40-45 events were conducted, with attendance in excess of 700.
The six-session Spirituality Brown Bag Series, proposed by Lee Bailey and John
Schwartz, was one of the more highly successful programs. Workshops on technology
and a library series for new faculty were other highlights. Outside speakers were
sometimes jointly sponsored with other units of the College.
J. Cheng thanked Council for the flowers of condolence sent at the loss of a family
member, and also announced the birth of a daughter, Anna, two weeks ago.
3. Approval of the Minutes of April 3, 2001
W. Mauser moved to approve the minutes. The motion was seconded by J. Aguiar.
With no objection, the minutes of April 3, 2001, were approved as presented.
4. Faculty Handbook Amendment Committee
Appreciating the deference shown to Council by the FHAC by patiently waiting for
Faculty Council to respond to the proposed Handbook revisions, S. Seltzer proposed
an additional meeting of the current 2000-2001 Council during senior week, devoted
to a discussion of the Handbook. H. Emery made the following motion, seconded by
B. Caplan:
MOTION: For the members of the 2000-2001 Faculty Council to hold an
additional session during senior week for the purpose of discussing handbook
issues.
The motion was approved by a vote of 9 to 6.
The chair was asked to poll Council so the meeting could be scheduled at a time
convenient to as many members as possible.
5. Report from BRI Task Force
Emilie Falc made a brief presentation on behalf of the Bias-Related Task Force
regarding their Proposed Actions and Recommendations Resolution, which was
attached to the meeting agenda. She called attention to the three items listed under
"Education in the Classroom." The proposal to mandate a college-wide diversity
course requirement raised concern from several representatives for a variety of
reasons, including time taken from other studies and addition of a requirement in
programs which only allow limited electives as it is. Concern was also raised that
increasing the visibility and emphasis on bias-related incidents in public venues on
campus might create a negative view of our community for those visiting from
outside. The question was raised, "How will success of these recommendations be
evaluated when implemented?" Emilie asked that any further comments or feedback
be communicated to Jeff Claus or Bonnie Solt Prunty.
6. Report on IC Comprehensive Environmental Plan
Sean Vormwald reported that the College has adopted a Comprehensive
Environmental Plan that sets guidelines for the institution to follow in order to reduce
environmental impact. Setting the guidelines is just a start ó implementation is where
effectiveness will be manifested. There is a significant opportunity for students to
work with the Resource and Environmental Management Program (REMP) in order to
implement this policy through independent studies and internships relating to a wide
variety of disciplines. Faculty members are encouraged to try to foster the goals and
vision of the plan. Faculty are encouraged to get involved with REMP and, where
appropriate, consider opportunities for students to receive academic credit for working
with REMP to implement the ideas behind this plan. Feedback to the Ithaca College
Environmental Society (ICES) and REMP is encouraged. Mark Darling is Chair of
REMP, and the Web site is <www.ithaca.edu/remp>.
7. APC Policy on Plagiarism in Group Projects
S. Seltzer directed the attention of the group to the revised policy statement on
plagiarism, which was distributed with the agenda. He handed out copies of a
memorandum from Allison Lieberman, Chair of the Academics Committee of Student
Government Association. After some discussion, a motion was made by A. Kissiloff
and seconded by C. Dennis:
MOTION: To approve the following statement, subject to grammatical changes:
In a collaborative project, all students in a group may be held
responsible for academic misconduct if they engage in plagiarism or
are aware of plagiarism by others in their group and fail to report it.
Students who participate in a collaborative project in which
plagiarism has occurred will not be held accountable if they were
not knowledgeable of the plagiarism.
The motion was approved.
8. Provostís Report
G. Brodhead announced that APC has approved the Academic Program Assessment
and Planning Guidelines document, which has been reviewed and circulated since late
fall. Deans will now begin consulting with departments to set up a schedule that will
include six to seven departments a year. It will take about five years to go through the
cycle of assessment and planning. It is intended to be a collaborative effort within the
department, not a project to be undertaken by the Department Chair or the Dean. It is
important to establish timing within the department so departments can look at their
issues, do an analysis and decide where they want to be in five years. He will be
notifying all faculty about this directly by E-mail.
He reminded the group that the annual ANAC Summer Conference will be held at
Ithaca College again this year, June 14-16. Details will be forthcoming. He urged
everyone to attend the keynote session, and encouraged attendance at other sessions of
interest.
He expressed appreciation to Mary Ann Rishel for her exemplary contribution as
Coordinator of Academic Development Activities.
W. Mauser expressed concern that with the departure of Provost Malek the pursuit of
equitable rights and privileges for continuing, non-tenured faculty ó particularly some
kind of sabbatic or refreshment period ó might be dropped. Brodhead was not aware
of any action yet. Seltzer said he believes preliminary conversations have begun.
Mauser suggested this could be an issue that Faculty Council might wish to address in
some fashion.
J. Aguiar inquired about faculty input into the temporary arrangements regarding the
Provost position. President Williams has said that she is going to be considering how
the Provost's duties might be handled until a sucessor is on board, but nothing further
has been announced. Seltzer will convey to the President the expressed desire of
faculty to have some input to the selection process.
D. Lifton spoke regarding the many achievements of Provost Malek during his short
tenure. He noted removal of the tenure cap, leading the planning initiative,
establishing the Center for the Study of Culture, Race and Ethnicity, the ANAC
leadership, the constant attention to concerns about work load, working hand in glove
with Garry Brodhead on ANAC initiatives, and working with President Williams on
establishing a tone of cordiality between the faculty and the administration. He
requested that Malek's contributions be noted in the minutes; this suggestion was met
by a round of applause.
9. Elections for 2001- 2002
M. MacCurdy assumed the duties of the Chair as S. Seltzer announced his candidacy
for re-election as Chair. As there were no other nominations, Stan Seltzer was elected
Chair for 2001-2002 by acclamation.
S. Seltzer resumed leadership of the meeting, soliciting nominations for the position
of Secretary. M. A. Rishel volunteered to serve. With no other nominations
forthcoming, Mary Ann Rishel was elected Secretary by acclamation.
Nominations for Faculty Council Representative to APC were sought. H. Emery
volunteered to serve. There were no further nominations and Hal Emery was elected
to the position by acclamation.
Four candidates were nominated to fill the three At-Large Member positions of the
Executive Committee: J. Aguiar, C. Gordon, M. MacCurdy, and W. Mauser. Each
candidate made a brief statement of qualifications and interest. Tabulation of a paper
approval ballot by F. Pritt and R. Blooding resulted in the following three people
being elected to serve as Members-At-Large for the 2001-2002 year: Jim Aguiar,
Marian MacCurdy, and Winnie Mauser.
Nominations were opened for Faculty Council Representative to the Faculty
Handbook Amendment Committee. D. Birr volunteered to serve. There were no
further nominations, and Diane Birr was elected by acclamation.
10. Old Business
S. Seltzer noted that John Stanton has notified him that APC is coming forth with an
add/drop policy that gives faculty members a choice of how they want to proceed after
a class meets for the first time. Each faculty member may choose to zero out any
course after the class has met for the first time, thus forcing those students who wish
to get into those courses to see the faculty member for a signature on an override
form. The Registrar's office will not automatically zero out all courses after the first
meeting. They will only zero out those courses that faculty members request, through
their respective Deanís offices, and only after the course has met for the first time.
S. Seltzer sought approval of the Executive Committeeís recommended Bylaw
changes as listed in Attachment 01-03-A.
MOTION: Amend Article I, Section 2 of the Bylaws of the Ithaca College Faculty
Council to the following:
Council elections will be held by the various component groups on
or before May 1 of the year preceding the terms of office.
The motion was approved.
MOTION: Amend Article I, Section 3(2) of the Bylaws of the Ithaca College
Faculty Council to the following:
the faculty member has been at or above half time for three or more
years out of the previous four and is at or above half time for the
current year.
The motion was approved.
MOTION: Amend Article IV, Section 2 of the Bylaws of the Ithaca College
Faculty Council to the following:
The Executive Committee shall have general supervision of the
affairs of the Faculty Council between meetings, shall act for the
Faculty Council as necessary, shall fix the time and place of
meetings, draw up the appropriate agenda, and make
recommendations to the Council.
The motion was approved.
MOTION: Amend the Bylaws of the Ithaca College Faculty Council by including
the following as Article V, Section 2:
Faculty Handbook Amendment Committee
The Faculty Handbook Amendment Committee is a standing
committee of the Faculty Council. It is composed of one faculty
member from each of the five schools and one faculty member at
large elected by the members of the Faculty Council for terms of two
years; terms will be staggered to ensure continuity of membership.
Members of the Faculty Handbook Amendment Committee must be
tenured or have served more than five years as a full-time faculty
member.
The committee reviews and may initiate changes and amendments to
the Faculty Handbook on behalf of the faculty and/or
administration.
The Faculty Handbook Amendment Committee will hold public
hearings for the faculty in general prior to submission of changes/
amendments.
The Faculty Handbook Amendment Committee reports its actions to
Faculty Council.
The motion was approved.
MOTION: Amend the Bylaws of the Ithaca College Faculty Council by including
the following as Article V, Section 3:
Faculty Benefits Committee.
The Faculty Benefits Committee is a standing committee of the
Faculty council. It is composed of five faculty members elected by
the members of the Faculty Council
Terms will be staggered to ensure continuity of membership.
The committee provides advice with regard to types and levels of
faculty fringe benefits.
The committee studies, reviews and recommends changes to existing
benefits and/or proposed new benefits. The Faculty Benefits
Committee may hold open hearings on proposed changes it
recommends; may poll the faculty at large concerning proposals for
changes in fringe benefits.
Members of the Faculty Benefits Committee are members of the
Staff and Faculty Benefits Committee, which is described in
[appropriate section of the College Policy Manual]
The motion was approved.
MOTION: Amend Article VI of the Bylaws of the Ithaca College Faculty Council
to the following:
These bylaws can be amended at any regular meeting of the Faculty
Council by the same procedure as for the Constitution of the Ithaca
College Faculty Council. See Subsection 1.6.3, Article IV.
The motion was approved.
In looking ahead to the next meeting to discuss the proposed Faculty Handbook S.
Seltzer asked the group to submit their questions and concerns to him prior to the
meeting so that the committee can be prepared to answer them.
11. New Business
D. Lifton suggested that the new Faculty Council Secretary monitor time spent in the
role during the coming year with an eye to determining whether it should continue to
carry the release of three hours in future years.
There was discussion about holding an all-college faculty meeting to discuss faculty
issues, in addition to the existing fall meeting, which is more a state of the college
report by the President.
W. Mauser inquired whether Faculty Council wanted to tackle the issue of rights and
privileges of NTE members. She asked that it be put on the September agenda.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:30 p.m.