MINUTES

 

LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY SENATE

Volume 14                   October 2004              Number 2

 

1.                  Call to Order:  D’eane Sheehan

The October 25, 2004 meeting of the University Senate was called to order at

4:00 p.m. in Ropp Center, Room 105, by President D’eane Sheehan.

 

2.                  Roll Call:  Rose Butler

Senators absent from the meeting:  Gail Clark, Sumeet Dua, Donna Vavrek, Amy Stegall, Alan Goldspiel, and Celia Lewis.

 

3.                  Adoption of Agenda

A motion was made to accept the agenda.  The motion was seconded and approved.

 

4.                  Adoption of the September 27, 2004 minutes.

A motion was made to accept the minutes.  The motion was seconded and approved.

 

5.                  Announcements

A.                 United Way Spokesperson – Ryan Richard, chairperson for the Louisiana Tech United Way, addressed the Senate with facts about the United Way.  The funds given to the United Way by Tech faculty and staff stay in the parish.  He showed the packet to members and reported that 23% of the faculty/staff gave last year.  Members were asked to contact him for further questions.  Information will also be sent out over the Tech website.

 

B.                 Administrative and Planning Council Report – It was reported that the ACT scores for Tech students are now at an all time high.  Dr. Reneau is going to call a special meeting of the APC regarding retention.  

 

C.                 Faculty Advisory Council Report – The next meeting is October 29.  Patsy Bourgeois was elected FAC representative and Paul Murray was elected FAC alternate.

 

6.                  Treasurer’s report – There was no treasurer’s report.

 

7.                  Unfinished Business

 

A.     Bookstore – D’eane Sheehan met with Dr. Rea to discuss the unwritten policy regarding using the same textbook for multi-section courses.  Dr. Rea later met with the Council of Academic Deans meeting.  CADs formulated a written policy regarding this matter.  The written policy states that the same textbook must be used for multi-section courses. 

 

A discussion began concerning this new policy.  It was stated that other universities in the University of Louisiana system use other methods concerning the use of textbooks for multi-section courses.  The pros and cons of the new policy were discussed with several ideas suggested.  A motion was made to have a Senate committee work on a possible compromise of the Bookstore policy of one textbook for multi-section courses.  This motion passed.  Members on this committee are Andrew Higgins, Trey Gibson, Colin Clarke, Bernd Schroeder and Saul Zalesch.

 

8.                  New Business

A.                 Retirement – As a result of a question brought up at the Executive Committee meeting regarding retirement, D’eane Sheehan met with Don Dyson to discuss teacher retirement issues.  The executive committee suggested having a retirement representative from the Baton Rouge office meet with interested faculty in a symposium.  Senate members are asked to inform their faculty of this possible symposium.  Members are also asked to solicit questions from the faculty concerning retirement issues.  These questions should be emailed to the Senate secretary.

 

A motion was made and accepted for this proposal:   Faculty should go back to the departments and ask faculty if they are interested in this meeting.  If not enough people are interested, the meeting won’t occur.  The approximate date of this meeting would be January, 2005.

 

B.                 Library– The SGA has passed a referendum to have a quiet floor established in the library, and it will be monitored.  The SGA has met with Dr. Wicker to discuss this, and he is very receptive.  The SGA has asked for the support of the University Senate.  A motion was made, seconded and approved to support the SGA’s effort to establish a quiet floor in the Prescott Library.

 

9.                  Voluntary Remarks

 

Some instructors are finding it a problem when students drop courses, and faculty is unaware of it.  It was recommended that checking on the mainframe would help in getting this information.

 

Question was asked as to why Louisiana Tech allows a ‘W’ grade so late in the quarter.  The answer is that due to Tech being on the quarter system, it must adhere to the semester system guidelines on when a ‘W’ grade is allowed.

 

A motion was made to adjourn, motion seconded.  

 

 

The meeting was adjourned at 4:50p.m.

 

Rose Butler, Recording Secretary