1st EPPC October Minutes

CaliforniaState University, Chico                                                                      

Academic Senate

(530) 898-6201, Zip 020

 

SUBJ:              EPPC Minutes– October 1, 2009, K-209, 2:30 p.m.

Meeting was called to order at 2:30.

 

1.         Approve minutes of September 17, 2009 with Tara Razi’s name to be corrected and her proxy acknowledged.

 The minutes were approved. (Crotts/Berry)

 2.         Approve October 1, 2009 Agenda

 The agenda was approved. (Crotts/Lillibridge)

 3.         Announcements

 The Joe Turner Art Museum is showing the Soloist tonight at 5:30.

 Online registration for the Sustainability Conference opened today.

 Tuesday from 10-2 the Academic Fair will be held.

  The Library has begun selling their excess books.

 Queer Week will be next week.  Information is available on the AS Women’s website.

 There will be GE Design Team presentation tomorrow, October 2^nd at 4:00 in Ayres 120.  It will be repeated during the CELT conference. 

4.Library Advisory Committee (LAC) Discussion.  Jason Nice, this year’s chair of LAC passed out the EM creating LAC and outlining its duties.  Nice said it seemed to him that much of what LAC was charged with was redundant with the Library Book Chairs Committee. Nice reported that the J-Store removal of duplicate journals is currently on hold.  He asked what role EPPC would like LAC to play.  Wolf explained that the Book Chairs wanted to have a role in important policy issues like the J-store situation.  She explained that most of the J-store proposal had caused a lot of concern among the book chairs. Crotts said that with an active chair leading LAC, the committee could be very productive and meaningful. Nice asked who LAC was advising.  Crotts explained that it is both EPPC and the library.  Chair Way agreed that LAC has an important role and that it should bring issues and concerns to the attention of EPPC and that it should also provide feedback to EPPC regarding any curricular changes that might impact the services of the library. Matray said that many faculty in HFA were concerned about the J-store problem. He suggested that this could represent a “teachable moment” that might help restore the committee to its proper standing. Crotts gave a brief history and background on the formation of LAC and Avanzino suggested that the book chairs be invited to LAC meetings when appropriate. Way concluded the conversation by summarizing the main points and inviting LAC to come to EPPC when issues arise and that EPPC would expect an annual report as called for in the EM. 

5.Change in Academic Organization: Multicultural and Gender Studies (MCGS) from GIIS to BSS.  Sara Trechter gave a brief description of the proposal and reported that all of the appropriate consultations have been done.  No objections to the proposal had been received.  Kaiser described the organizational evolution of MCGS. Berry asked about the cross-listed courses and whether the HFA dean had been consulted.  Trechter confirmed the dean had been consulted. The question of support came up and Trechter reported that the current support of .4 release time for administrative duties was expected to continue in BSS.  Kaiser explained some of the typical problems associated with cross-listed courses.  The change was passed as an introduction item.

6.Other:  Ford stirred the hornet’s nest by asking the committee for typical explanations as to why some upper-division courses carry no prerequisites. Kaiser explained that in many subjects, such as sociology, academic maturity occurs in non-linear ways.  She explained that the National Association of Sociologists has refused to endorse any introductory text because of their position that there are many routes to developing the necessary expertise at the elementary level. Chair Way offered that in political science and more specifically in criminal justice, a breadth of academic competence is necessary to succeed at the higher level, and that this breadth is typically achieved by students who have completed a majority of their lower division general education requirements.  Berry provided that many courses currently carry prerequisites that are questionable. He also observed that it was a university rule that upper division general education theme courses were not allowed to carry prerequisites. Crotts noted that it was very common to see the waiver of prerequisites. Kaiser also offered that students who are not properly prepared for a higher level class might hopefully recognize this within the allowed drop period.  She also stated that in some disciplines students with varying levels of preparation can all be assisted to succeed at the higher level with proper instruction. Ford proposed that whenever there is an expectation of academic preparation it is important to articulate that preparation for prospective students.  He said that just because the required preparation was non-linear or because was a breadth expectation, he felt it should still be communicated in an official way. Ford explained that the ABC funding model encourages departments to expand their upper division offerings. Prerequisites that might restrict the enrollment in those courses present an academic conflict of interest for departments and colleges. 

 Chair Way asked the committee for input regarding whether another super-senior discussion should be scheduled. Avanzino and several others expressed that more discussion is clearly in order, even though many policy changes have already been finalized. Edelmann expressed that is was very important to get the word out to the full academic community regarding implemented policy changes. Berry observed that these changes have been made with little or no consultation with the academic senate. Matray said he was supportive of the policy changes and that they were long overdue.  Chair Way summarized the comments of the committee (as is her common practice) and announced the issue would appear on the agenda of our next meeting.

 

7. Adjourn: Meeting was adjourned at 3:30 P.M.

Respectfully submitted,

 Rick Ford