The Administrative Committee on behalf of the UAF Faculty Senate
passed the following motion at a meeting on May 20, 1993.
MOTION
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The UAF Faculty Senate moves to confirm the appointment of
Kristine Long, CES, and John Aspnes, SOE, on the University-wide
Promotion and Tenure Committee with full membership rights, under
the condition that they will abstain from participation in discussion
and voting on any candidate who they reviewed at an earlier level in
the promotion/tenure process.
EFFECTIVE: Immediately
Signed: B.D. Spell, President, UAF Faculty Senate Date: 5/25/93
1993-94 UNIVERSITY-WIDE PROMOTION & TENURE COMMITTEE
MEMBERSHIP
John Aspnes, SOE (95)
Don Carling, SALRM (95)
Karen Colligan-Taylor, CLA (96)
Paul Metz, SME (94)
John Olson, CNS (94)
Jerry Lipka, CLA/SOEd. (96)
Kristine Long, CES (96)
Joli Morgan, CRA (94)
Kelley Pace, SOM (95)
Donald Schell, SFOS (96)
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The Administrative Committee on behalf of the UAF Faculty Senate
passed the following at a meeting on August 31, 1993:
MOTION PASSED
==============
The UAF Faculty Senate moves to approve the following policy on
Student-Initiated Withdrawal to apply to all Fairbanks campus
courses (i.e., all UAF courses except those given by the rural
campuses or the Center for Distance Education).
That the last day for student-initiated withdrawal date be moved to
the third Friday after classes begin for all students.
That for classes less than a semester in length, the withdrawal
deadline will be determined in the same proportion as for semester
length courses.
That withdrawals after that time will be by petition only which
requires the signature of the student's instructor, adviser,
department head, and Dean.
That students who are already on a class wait list and who have
attended class and have kept up with class activity during this
period be allowed to register for these classes up until the third
Friday after classes begin as vacancies occur.
EFFECTIVE: Fall 1994
RATIONALE: Currently the last day for a student to
withdraw from a class is 9 weeks into the semester
which is approximately 2/3 of the way through the
semester. The Director of Admissions and Records
reported to the Assembly in 1984 that 44% of regular
students had some sort of drop/add activity between the
3rd and 9th week of the semester. She has indicated that
since then this activity has increased and is probably
now over 50%. Since the addition of the core, many
students find it difficult to expeditiously satisfy their
core requirements due to closed classes. This problem is
exacerbated by the present drop policy.
The purpose for making this motion is two fold:
1. The first and principal reason for this motion is to
help students who are unable to get into core courses in
a timely manner because of closed classes. Many
students who are not serious about finishing a particular
class sign up for an extra class or two and then drop
them too late in the semester for other students to fill
the vacancies. This is particularly troublesome in the
case of core courses which are intended to be completed
by students before they achieve Junior standing. This
proposal will allow students, who are on a waiting list
for a filled class and have kept up with the classroom
activities for just over two weeks, an increased
opportunity to register for these classes.
A related factor that should be considered during this
time of decreasing budgets is that there is presently a
significant work load (and cost) for faculty, graders, and
teaching assistants which goes along with carrying along
students who in the end drop a class. The University is
at a point where we must efficiently use our staff and
facilities in order to provide the maximum offerings for
our students.
2. The second reason for the motion is to get students to
commit themselves to a class at an earlier date.
Presently there are students who attend classes, half
heartedly performing the exercises required in the
classes, but leaving themselves the option of dropping if
they don't believe their grade will be as high as they
wish. This is a self defeating proposition, since often
the reason for a student's low grade is not having made a
commitment to learning the course materials. Thus,
this proposal will produce a class atmosphere that is
more conducive to learning.
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS:
Recognizing that beginning students may not have the
necessary experience to be able to quickly determine if
they have the proper background to succeed in a course,
this motion will give Freshman and Non Degree students
a longer time to make the decision to drop a course. This
will give these students more time to work with
advisers, course instructor, and tutors before making a
decision to drop a class.
Special cases will certainly arise where it will be
necessary for a student to drop a class. The motion
allows for these situations by requiring the petition
process be used after the deadline date.
Students will need an early indication of how they are
doing in each class if this drop policy is to be successful.
Indeed, "Students overwhelmingly report that the single
most important ingredient for making a course effective
is getting rapid response on assignments and quizzes.
This makes each assignment a genuine learning
experience, rather than simply an obligation to complete
toward a final course grade." (Light, Harvard assessment
seminars, 1990, p. 31)
Therefore faculty will need to provide students with the
opportunity to determine what the class requirements
are before the drop date. This should include a detailed
syllabus and at least one graded assignment. The added
time provided for Freshman and Non Degree Students
should provide ample time for additional graded work
such as exams and papers.
Signed: D.B. Spell, President, UAF Faculty Senate Date: 9/2/93
Approved: J. Wadlow, Chancellor Date: 9/7/93
*See Spell memo, Sept. 1 setting 3 weeks. I endorse it.
UA