Faculty Assembly Minutes, November 19, 2010

Registering Attendance:

Anthropology: F. Crespo, J. Hawes, L. Markowitz, C. Tillquist
Biology: C. Corbitt, J. Mansfield-Jones, D. Schultz, J. Steffen
Classical & Modern Languages: W. Cunningham, M. Dalle, T. Dumstorf, J. Greene, G. Hutcheson, D. LaLonde, A. Leidner, M. Makris, M. Medina, W. Pfeffer, C. Sullivan, L. Wagner, W. Yoder
Communication: L. Della, J. Ferré, A. Futrell, J. Gregg, J. Hart
English: D. Anderson, M. Biberman, T. Byers, K. Chandler, G. Cross, J. Dietrich, S. Griffin, D. Hall, S. Henke, B. Horner, A. Jaffe, K. Kopelson, C. Petrosino, A. Rabin, S. Ryan, H. Stanev, D. Tanner, B. Williams,
Fine Arts: D. Lai
Geography/Geosciences: C. Hanchette, K. Mountain, W. Song, M. Walker, H. Zhang
History: J. Hunt, T. K’Meyer, Y. Ma, E. McInnis, J. McLeod, L.S. Weissbach
Humanities: A. Allen, P. Beattie, P. Pranke, T. Soldat-Jaffe, M. Stenger, M. Williams, E. Wise
Mathematics: C. Biro, M. Bradley, L. Gibson, C. Hu, J. Kim, T. Riedel, P. Sahoo, D. Swanson, C. Tone
Pan-African Studies: J. Hudson, T. Rajack-Talley
Philosophy: D. Owen
Physics: C. Jayanthi
Political Science: J. Farrier, A. Martens, R. Payne, R. Vogel, S. Wallace
Sociology: J. Busch, C. Negrey
Women’s & Gender Studies: D. Heinecken, K. Story, N. Theriot

Professor Byers, Chair, called the Assembly to order.
The minutes of the Assembly of April 16, 2010, were approved as distributed.

The Chair recognized Professor Hall who moved approval of the candidates for both undergraduate and graduate degree for December 2010, pending successful completion of all requirements.  Professor Griffin seconded the motion.  The motion carried unanimously.

Professor Stenger, Parliamentarian, took the chair for the discussion of the proposed Minor in Film and Digital Media Studies.

The Chair recognized Professor Williams who moved, seconded by the Curriculum Committee, approval of the Minor in Film and Digital Media Studies.    Discussion included Professors Steffen, Byers, Wise, Griffin, Pfeffer, and Ryan. 

Hearing no call for further discussion, the Chair put the question for approval and the motion carried.

Professor Byers resumed the chair.

The Chair presented, for the future guidance of the Assembly, a ruling that  “Actions taken by the Academic Standards and Curriculum Committee regarding the creation or revision of minor programs that reside completely within a single Department, and that do not require funding from the College or have other budgetary implications outside the Department, fall under the category of ‘Actions that primarily involve departmental and/or program requirements’ and therefore shall become official if not challenged within a month of their publication in the Committee’s minutes, per the Standing Rules of the College, section III.B.1.d.”

The chair asked if there was a motion to overrule this ruling.  Hearing none, he stated that the ruling would stand. 

The Chair recognized Professor Williams who moved, seconded by the Curriculum Committee, a policy regarding conflict of interest in adoption of educational materials.

Discussion included Professors Griffin, Steffen,  and Weissbach.

Professor Griffin moved, seconded by Professor Wise, substitution of the following for the first sentence of the committee’s proposal:  “The College of Arts and Sciences does not allow faculty to profit financially from requiring  University of Louisville students to purchase educational materials.”

Discussion included Professors Vogel, McLeod, and Weissbach.

Professor Weissbach moved that the word “members” be added after “faculty.”  The Chair ruled this motion editorial and hearing no objection from Professor Griffin instructed it to be added.

Professor Weissbach moved that the word “their” be added before “University of Louisville students.”  Professor Schultrz seconded the motion.    Discussion included Professors Ferre, Weissbach, Steffan, Schultz, and Griffin. 

Hearing no call for further discussion, the Chair put the question on the amendment to the substitute amendment, and it passed with 35 in favor and 22 opposed.

Hearing no call for further discussion of the substitute amendment, the Chair put the question and it carried. 

Returning  to the discussion of the main motion, Professor Steffen moved that “annually” be added to the following statement:  “Faculty members who gained from such materials must report annually the following to the Dean’s Office.”

Discussion included Professors Pfeffer, McLeod, and Hanchette.

Hearing no call for further discussion, the Chair put the question and the motion to add “annually” carried.

Returning to the main motion, Professor Weissbach moved, seconded by Professor Griffin, that “mitigate” be changed to “attempt to eliminate” in the phrase  “(3) steps that were taken to mitigate any financial gain” and elsewhere that the word  “mitigate” appears. 

Discussion included Professor Rabin. 

The motion to substitute “attempt to eliminate” for “mitigate” carried.

The Chair recognized Professor Rabin who moved  to change “Class syllabi must include steps taken…” to “Class syllabi must report that steps were taken….”

The motion carried.

Professor Steffen moved to remand the document to the Curriculum Committee for the addition of a statement of consequences/penalties . 

The Chair ruled that the motion to return the proposal to the committee was debatable.  Discussion included Professors Griffin, Ferre, Vogel, Williams, Weissbach, and Markowitz. 

The Chair put the question on the motion to remand to the committee.  The motion failed.

Hearing no call for further discussion, the Chair  put the question on the main motion as amended.  The motion carried.

A motion to adjourn was made, seconded, and carried.

Policy on Conflict of Interest in Adoption of Educational Materials as amended and approved.

The College of Arts and Sciences does not allow faculty members to profit financially from requiring their University of Louisville students to purchase educational materials.

Faculty members who gained from such materials must report annually the following to the Dean’s Office:

  1. The semester, course number, and the enrollment, and the required materials from which they gained financially.
  2. a good-faith estimate of the financial gain realized from the assigned materials; and
  3. steps that were taken to attempt to eliminate any financial gain.

 

Class syllabi must report that steps were taken to eliminate any financial gain.