Faculty Senate Minutes

October 17, 2001

Members present:
Sarah Altman, Ceretta Davis, Owen Gibby, Allan Grant, Sharon Hatfield, Sharon Ridley, Roger Stephens,Terry Tolle

Items considered:

• Electronic Mail and Internet Access and Usage ---A Clarification of College Practice---The response of members present was uniformly positive. The statement was praised as a model response to a Faculty Senate request for clarification on a subject. There was some elaboration and discussion on several points: the need for large amount of bandwidth in video streaming, downloading music files and listening to internet radio; a reminder that email, though encrypted, is not private but never accessed by anyone other than the addressee except by court order; student records are truly private; the College's cache is regularly purged every 30-60 days.
  
  
• Formal Review---The senate was informed of an initial meeting to begin formulating a policy statement scheduled for October 18, 2001.Some discussion of current understandings of the issue took place: a faculty member will definitely know if he/she is under formal review; there is a fully documented file supporting a decision for non-renewal of an individual's contract; Deans and Vice-Presidents do not terminate -- the decision is made by the President.
  
  
• Budget matters---A general satisfaction with the budget hearings was expressed. There was a feeling that in the process the administration came to once again appreciate the faculty's ability to make do with very limited budgets. There will be a $625.00 lump sum plus a 1.25% raise in the new contracts for the faculty. The Senate was informed that in a recent address to the NCCCFA, President Lancaster spoke of plans to raise NNCC faculty salaries to the national level within 4-5 years. The Faculty Senate will request information about the diverting of funds intended for faculty salaries. There was consideration of requesting institutional financial support of faculty continuing their education, especially those required to constantly retrain to keep professional licenses.
  
  
• Faculty titles---A proposal was submitted for a title change for Instructors based solely on the individual's educational level.
  
  Full time employees:
  
  Instructor Instructor who has less than a Baccalaureate Degree
  
  Assistant Professor Instructor with a Baccalaureate Degree
  
  Associate Professor Instructor with a Masters Degree
  
  Professor Instructor with a Doctoral Degree
  
  In the discussion that followed, the Senate was informed that the title of Instructor often diminishes respect from suppliers and vendors , especially in the Health Sciences. The need to include the Educational Specialist Degree in the rankings was raised. Several faculty expressed concern that titles might be more divisive than helpful.
  
  
• Student Emergency Fund---It was proposed that the Faculty Senate sponsor and administer a student emergency fund to address small, urgent and unforeseen needs that students cannot meet. In addition to individual contributions, funding would come from an expanded Faculty Senate budget, possibly drawing on such sources as the vending machine revenue. A committee to study the issue and make recommendations on guidelines for eligibility, limitation of award amounts and frequency, etc. was established.
  
  
• Barbara Frogge Scholarship---The Senate was informed about the new scholarship in the amount of $300.00 per semester for second-year Arts and Sciences students who have been out of high school for at least five years. The possibility of establishing similar scholarships in the Careers and Allied Health programs was discussed.
  
  
• Academic Support (Developmental) Division Representation--A motion was unanimously passed to amend Article III of the Faculty Senate Constitution to add representation from the Academic Support Division on the Faculty Senate.
  
  
• Miscellaneous Matters---Requests for clarification of several policies were made.
  
  
• Class Makeup Form---How, why and when is it to be used and what are its implications on taking personal and sick leave?
  
  
• Personal Leave--- Does it come out of sick leave? Is it based on an eight hour day? If a faculty member misses one hour and takes it out of personal leave time, are eight hours or half hour increments deducted?
  
  
• Mandatory Friday Attendance---Are office hours required on Friday? If so, why?
  
  
• Children in the Classroom Policy---There seems to be a contradiction in the policy--no children allowed versus those allowed by permission of the instructor. What constitutes an emergency allowing children to be in the classroom? If an instructor does not ever permit children in the classroom or lab, is a note to that effect included in the class syllabus sufficient?
  
  
• Global Education--- The need for a policy was recognized, especially considering the dramatic increase in the state and region's Latino population.

The meeting adjourned at 4:45.

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