MINUTES OF THE UT MARTIN FACULTY SENATE MEETING

March 25, 1997

CALL TO ORDER
The second meeting of the 1997 Spring Semester was called to order at 3:17 p.m. by President Stan Sieber in the Boling Center Rooms 201-2-3. Present were 42 senators, 3 substitutes, and 14 visitors.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES
President Sieber reminded the senators that the minutes for the various committees, as well as the minutes of the previous Senate meeting, were on the Senate web page.

The minutes of the February 11, 1997, meeting were approved as distributed.


UNFINISHED BUSINESS
There was no unfinished business.

REPORTS OF STANDING COMMITTEES
Executive Committee
President Sieber reported on the March 4 meeting of the Executive Committee. According to the Bylaws, the chair of each Senate committee is to write a letter to the supervisor of each committee member regarding the member's participation on the committees. This should be done by the end of April.

At the next executive committee meeting, committee assignments for the next year will be finalized. The chairs of the Senate committees will be selected at the next meeting of each committee.

Budget and Economic Concerns Committee
Robert Nanney stated that there was nothing to be brought before the Senate from this committee at this time. He did remind the senators that there would be a meeting on April 1 at 3:15 p.m. in Humanities Auditorium, sponsored by the Budget and Economic Concerns Committee. The purpose of this meeting is for Phil Dane to present an overview of next year's budget. Nanney turned the floor over to Dane, who stated that nothing has really changed since the last meeting. It is still being decided how the budget cuts were going to be implemented and THEC was still deciding how to use the formula for funding. He said that this would be discussed at the meeting on April 1.

Undergraduate Council
Helmut Wenz brought a report from the February 25 meeting of the Undergraduate Council, and brought curriculum change proposals from the following as a motion and a second for approval:

Arts and Sciences - (Addition of Women's Studies) - Carried

Biology - (change Zoology to 200, and add 412 and 413 to listing in minutes) - Carried

Modern Foreign Languages - Carried

Engineering - Carried

Fine and Performing Arts - Carried

Graduate Council
Maurice Field gave a report of the February 27 meeting of the Graduate Council and brought the following before the Senate, as a motion and second from the committee:

Non-standard Format Classes (Economics) - Carried

Curriculum change proposals from Arts and Sciences, Business Administration, and Fine and Performing Arts - Carried

Instruction Committee
Jerald Ogg brought a report from the February 18 meeting of the Instruction Committee. He brought the following motion from the committee regarding student absences:

Absences for University required activities will be considered legitimate provided the instructor is notified in advance.

Motion carried.

A motion was also brought from the committee regarding addition of study days, as follows:

Beginning with Fall Semester 1997, to add a study day each semester; to register both semesters on Friday before classes start on Monday; to add as a study day the last Friday in the fall semester and the Tuesday preceding the currently-scheduled study day in the spring. (NOTE: with these changes, classes will end on Thursday in the fall semester and Monday in the spring.)

Motion carried.

Ogg also reminded members of the Instruction Committee that their next meeting would be on Thursday, April 3 at 3:30 p.m.

Library Committee
There was no report from the Library Committee at this time.

Personnel Policies Committee
Frank Black thanked the faculty for their input and participation in the Tenure Policy Changes, as brought as a recommendation from the committee. (A copy was included in the Senate packets, and is available on the Faculty Senate web page.) After much discussion and proposed changes in wording of the proposal, a motion was made and seconded to table this proposal. Motion carried.

NEW BUSINESS
Sieber turned the floor over to Sue Byrd, who invited the senators to the SQE Fair on Monday, March 31, in the University Center. Posters will be displayed showing what the SQE teams have been doing and the progress that has been made.

Sieber reminded the senators that Kay Durden, Jim Clark and he are Counselors to the President and would be going to Memphis on April 7 to meet with Dr. Joe Johnson. Sieber asked senators to make suggestions to the counselors about issues to be raised at the upcoming meeting.

ADJOURNMENT
Motion to adjourn was made and seconded; the meeting was adjourned at 4:25 p.m.


Stan Sieber, President

Anna Clark, Secretary