2008-2009 FACULTY SENATE
California State University, Sacramento

MINUTES
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Foothill Suite

Present:

Altmann, Nursing; Baker, Chemistry; Barrena, Biological Sciences; Blumberg, Music; Bowie, Social Work; Bradley, Library; Buckley, APC Chair and ASCSU Senator (Computer Science); Burke, History; Chang, Computer Science; Choi, Business Administration; Collins, Student Services; Dillon, Government; Dixon, Temporary Faculty (Music); Dubois, Humanities; Fell, Civil Engineering; Gieger, English; Gonzales, Special Education, Rehabilitation, School Psychology, and Deaf Studies; Goetze, Nursing; +Hammersley, Geology; Harvey, Art; Heckathorn, English; Hecsh, GEP/GRPC Chair (Teacher Education); Heedley, Electrical and Electronic Engineering; Henderson, Counselor Education; Hyson, Family and Consumer Sciences; Jordan, Learning Skills; Kirlin, Public Policy and Administration; Kornweibel, Emeritus Faculty (History); Krabacher, ASCSU Senator (Geography); Lang, CPC Chair (Economics); Lilly, Teacher Education; Lin, Business Administration; Lu, Mathematics and Statistics; McCormick, Philosophy; McCurley, Student Services; McKeough, Physical Therapy; +Mejorado, Bilingual/Multicultural Education; Miller, GSPC Chair and ASCSU Senator (Communication Studies); O'Hanlon, Speech Pathology and Audiology; Sheppard, Recreation, Parks and Tourism Administration; Sobredo, Ethnic Studies; C. Sullivan, Biological Sciences; Taylor, Physics and Astronomy; Theodorides, Kinesiology and Health Science; Wanket, Geography; Woodward, Kinesiology and Health Science

Absent:

Bikle, Criminal Justice; Cunningham, FPC Chair (Family and Consumer Sciences); Ingram, Mathematics and Statistics; Ishiura, Temporary Faculty (Child Development); Kenney, Design; Kidd, Communication Studies; Legorreta, Business Administration; Liu, Sociology; Maguire, Criminal Justice; Mahone, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies; Marbach, Mechanical Engineering; Matzek, Environmental Studies; Nylund, Social Work; Onur, Economics; Raskauskas, Child Development; Reisner, Theatre and Dance; Russell, Foreign Languages; Sablynski, Business Administration; R. Sullivan, Anthropology; Wickelgren, Psychology; vacant, Athletics; vacant, Women's Studies

 

The agenda was re-ordered so that FS 09-25 “Graduate Student Loan Deferment Policy” be considered as the first action item. The agenda was approved as amended.

 

ACTION ITEMS

 

FS 09-24/Ex.

APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF APRIL 9, 2009

 

Carried unanimously.

 

FS 09-25A/GSPC/Ex./Flr.

WAIVER OF FIRST READING OF FS 09-25

 

The Faculty Senate waives the first reading of FS 09-25 “Graduate Student Loan Deferment Policy”.

 

Carried unanimously.

 

FS 09-25B/GSPC/Ex./Flr.

MOTION TO POSTPONE FS 09-25

 

The Faculty Senate postpones the second reading of FS 09-25 “Graduate Student Loan Deferment Policy”.

 

Carried unanimously.

 

FS 09-22/CPC/Ex.

CLASS SIZE, QUALITY, AND RESOURCE UTILIZATION TASK FORCE, ESTABLISHMENT OF

 

Background: In fall 2008, the Reading and Writing Subcommittee presented a number of policy suggestions to CPC to address issues of increasing class size in times of budget cuts. In Fall 2008 and spring 2009, the CPC discussed these policy suggestions and sought input from the campus through a variety of activities: the 2008 Senate Retreat, a campus survey focused on class size issues, and a class size summit. As a result of these activities, the CPC considered a number of policy suggestions: putting a hard cap on communication-intensive courses such as composition and Writing Intensive courses, asking departments to designate certain courses as “class size protected” to help deans and departments make informed decisions in meeting target FTES, and changing the way we label courses to reflect class size rather than pedagogical approach. The CPC believes that class size is a complex issue that involves policy, budget, space management, curriculum, and pedagogy, and that multiple stakeholders need to be included in the conversation before policy is proposed to the Senate.

 

The Faculty Senate recommends that a Class Size, Quality, and Resource Utilization Task Force be formed in Fall 2009 to report back to the Senate and Academic Affairs before the end of the Spring 2010 semester.

 

In its report the task force should consider:

1.     Results obtained and proposals considered by the CPC to date

2.     Strategies departments are currently using to deal with class size increases

3.     Strategies other CSUs and other universities across the country are using to deal with class size increases

4.     Processes departments and colleges engage in to determine which courses have their caps changed

5.     Best practices in the design of large classrooms (i.e. Scale Up and other models)

6.     The role of technology as a resource for instructors to meet the demands of large classes

7.     The effect of technology on instructor workload in large classes

8.     The interrelationship between each of the aforementioned items and the graduate programs on campus

9.     Guidelines/processes that have been used to determine whether or not class sizes for particular courses are increased

10.  Workload (WTU) adjustments that have been used to compensate for curricular and pedagogical needs in large classes

11.  The effect on enlarging class size of the tendency of faculty to seek, where permitted, to reduce their contact hours with students.

The members of the Class Size Task Force should include:

·       One designee from Academic Affairs

·       One student representative

·       The Center for Teaching and Learning director or a faculty representative from CTL

·       The Curriculum Policies Committee chair or a faculty representative from CPC

·       The Faculty Policies Committee chair or a faculty representative from FPC

·       The Academic Policies Committee chair or a faculty representative from APC

·       One representative from ATCS

In selecting faculty members for the task force, consideration should be given by committees for selecting faculty from a diversity of disciplines.

 

The Class Size, Quality, and Resource Utilization Task Force’s final report should include both a summary of their findings and recommendations to address class size concerns at CSUS.

 

Carried.

The second reading of the following item will continue at a future Faculty Senate meeting:

FS 09-23/Ex.

BY-LAWS, REVISION OF

 

NEXT SENATE MEETING: THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2009 – FOOTHILL SUITE

1.     Faculty Senate's home page:  www.csus.edu/acse, or, from the CSUS home page, click on Administration and Policy, then Administration, then Faculty Senate.

2.     The Structure of Senate Meetings

3.     Actions of the 2008-2009 Senate

4.     Top Ten List of Things New Senators Should Know

Spring 2009 Senate schedule (subject to change):

·       Tu., 4/21/09 – 2nd meeting of Committee on Committees (3:00-4:00); Executive Committee from 4:00-5:00

·       Th., 4/23/09 – 1st organizational meeting (nominations for Executive Committee positions) of 09-10 Senate (3:00-3:30); 08-09 Senate meets (3:30-5:00)

·       Tu., 4/28/09 - Outstanding faculty awards

·       Th., 4/30/09 – Senate meets

·       Th., 5/7/09 – 2nd organizational meeting (elections for Executive Committee positions) of 09-10 Senate (3:00-3:30); 08-09 Senate meets (3:30-5:00)

·       Th., 5/14/09 – Senate meets

·       Th., 5/21/09 – tentative (finals week)