MINUTES OF THE UT MARTIN SENATE MEETING
December 3, 1996

CALL TO ORDER
The last meeting of the 1996 Fall Semester was called to order at 3:20 p.m. by President Stan Sieber in the Boling Center Rooms 201-2-3. Present were 49 senators and 16 visitors.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES
The minutes of the October 29, 1996, meeting were approved as distributed.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

REPORTS OF STANDING COMMITTEES
(The Committee reports were not given in the usual order.)
Executive Committee
Sieber mentioned that the minutes for the various committees and for the full senate meetings were now on the web and informed the senators that putting the senate packet on a web page is under consideration , rather than the current method of distribution. He asked if there would be any opposition to putting the committee minutes on the web page, rather than copying them for the senate packets. His suggestion was that we try this for the next set of minutes, and get feedback from the senators at the February meeting.

The process of election of senate officers for the 1997-1998 year has been started. Letters were sent out this week, and Sieber encouraged the senators to send their nominations in.

Letters will be sent in the next few days to the chairs, deans, or directors, as appropriate, asking that they elect a senator to replace any senators who are rotating off in May 1997. It is being emphasized that the senators should not be scheduled for classes on Tuesdays after 3:00 p.m. for the length of their terms.

Chancellor Perry brought a report regarding the visit by the Office of Civil Rights/Department of Education visit for Athletics on Gender Equity. She felt that the visit went well. She said that there were several findings but none of them were seen to be significant, and none of them were new to us. The findings would have been greater had we not already planned to add women's soccer and a women's rifle team to our athletics program. She informed the senators that the NCAA self study had been completed, and that the review team would be here January 28.

Dr. Perry reported that the ROTC program is now off the closure list. The work of many people in Martin and West Tennessee was instrumental in getting this changed, and Dr. Perry expressed thanks to them. For those not familiar with the background of the ROTC program, Dr. Perry stated that although we had a strong program, after the Gulf War enrollments dropped all over the country, including UTM. She said that Colonel Duffy has restored the program to its former quality and quantity, and we are now leading the state in terms of early entrance into that program. It was because of that information that we were able, she believed, to turn the decision around, because we could demonstrate that our numbers were back up to where they needed to be and that we would be graduating the numbers of students that we should be.

There may be a 1 - 3% cutback in budgets this year, but Dr. Perry said that we wouldn't know until probably after the first of the year. If there is a cutback, the budgets for next year would reflect this decrease also. We do not have anything official on this as of yet.

Library Committee
Michael Caldwell brought a report from the Library Committee. During the past year, they have worked on many items, including the timely return of materials, First Search, and allocation of funds. The subcommittee on allocation is trying to improve the current methods of allocating funds, and this year proposed that we designate the sum of $1,000 discretionary funds be set aside for special needs with input from the Library Committee and wanted to control the allocation on a competition basis. This will be discussed at the spring meeting of the Library Committee.

Budget and Economic Concerns Committee
Jim Nance reported on the November 12 meeting of the Committee, and stated that there were no action items to come before the senate at this time. The committee is working on two main issues at present: how past reallocation is progressing and talking (by e-mail) with counterparts at other UT campuses regarding budgets and economic concerns and issues they are having, hoping to find a basis of shared concerns and have a better approach. This would probably be a long term project and they are just laying the groundwork at present.

Graduate Council
Maurice Field presented and moved approval for the curriculum changes from the Schools of Agriculture and Human Environment, Arts and Sciences, and Education as approved in their November 7 meeting, with the packet coming as a motion and second. There was discussion about dropping the thesis option (Educ 702-703, 791-792). Field stated that the intent of the change was to drop the name and that the option remained to do a project or a thesis. K. Paul Jones stated that, in the Graduate Office, going by the proposed course description and title, he would have to say it is a project not a thesis. A motion to amend was made to pull items 2, 4, 5, 7, and 8 from the packet to be voted on separately. Motion to amend carried. The items pulled from the packet were voted on, and carried 29 to 12. The remainder of the packet was voted on and carried.

Field also referred to a point made by Senator Johnson at the last meeting regarding the number of extensions given for graduate credit. In checking the number of extensions given, he found that there had been 8 granted in the last 4 years, but stated that the students were tested before credit was given.

Instruction Committee
Jerald Ogg reported on the November 12 meeting of the Committee. He brought as a motion and a second the following recommendation for revision of the 30-hour requirement:

On. p. 11 of the 1996-97 catalog, under "Residency," item #9, after the second sentence add this sentence.

Exceptions to this rule, not to exceed 6 semester hours, may be granted under extraordinary circumstances.

Clarification was provided by the Registrar, Emily Knudsen, regarding the number of exceptions reported in the minutes for the Instruction Committee (the number reported did not include the Nursing students, which were included in Knudsen's report).

Motion carried.

Ogg also reported that another topic under discussion at the meeting was excused absences. A motion was made by the committee regarding excused absences, but was not brought before the senate for action at present. This has been sent to the Personnel Policies Committee for review before coming to the full senate.

Personnel Policies Committee
Frank Black brought a report of the November 12 meeting of the Committee. There were no action items to come before the senate at present. He reminded the senators that there will be an open hearing regarding changes in the tenure policy on January 21 in the Boling University Center Room 206.

Undergraduate Council
Helmut Wenz presented and moved approval for the curriculum changes from the Schools of Agriculture and Human Environment, Arts and Sciences, Business Administration, Education, and Engineering and the Division of Fine and Performing Arts, as approved in their November 5 meeting, with the proposals from each school being brought separately.

Agriculture and Human Environment. Motion carried.

Business Administration. Friendly amendment brought, changing the dates for Accounting and Administrative Services items back to Fall 96. (This date was changed to Fall 97 in the curriculum committee, because it was thought that it was a typographical error.) Motion carried.

Education. Motion carried.

Engineering. Motion carried.

Fine and Performing Arts. Motion carried.

NEW BUSINESS
President Sieber reminded the senators that the Board of Trustees will be meeting on our campus on February 6 and 7, and that the senators were invited to attend the open meetings.

ADJOURNMENT
Motion to adjourn was made and seconded; the meeting was adjourned at 4:20 p.m.


Stan Sieber, President
Anna Clark, Secretary