HUMBOLDT STATE UNIVERSITY Academic Senate Minutes November 5, 2002

Chair MacConnie called the meeting to order at 4:07 p.m. on Tuesday, November 05, 2002, in Nelson Hall East, Room 102 (Goodwin Forum).

Members Present: Adkins, Bicknell, Butler, Cheyne, Coffey, Dalsant, Derden, Dunk, Fonseca, Gill, Goodman, Kinney, Klein, Knox, Little, MacConnie, Marshall, Martin, Meiggs, Mortazavi, Moyer, Novotney, Oliver, O'Rourke-Andrews, Paselk, Paynton, Richmond, Sanford, Schwab, Shellhase, Snyder, Stokes, Thobaben, Varkey, Yarnall

Members Absent: Travis

Proxies: Thobaben for Fulgham

Guests: K. Carlton, College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences; K. Dutro, Office of Counseling & Psychological Services; R. Fritzsche, Office of Academic Affairs; S. Higgins, College of Professional Studies; S. Kenyon, Library; D. Shaeffer, Research & Graduate Studies Office; G. Simmons, Department of Health and Physical Education; R. Vrem, Undergraduate Studies Office

1. Approval of Minutes

It was moved and seconded (Paynton/Meiggs) to approve the submitted minutes of October 22, 2002. Voting occurred and MOTION PASSED.

2. Announcements and Communications

Chair MacConnie announced that the coffee, tea and cookies provided at today's meeting are compliments of President Richmond.

Chair MacConnie announced that President Richmond has approved the resolutions regarding periodic evaluation of faculty unit employees (#21-01/02-FA) and stating GE objectives on course syllabi (#22-01/02-EP). While President Richmond agreed in principle regarding the resolution on the joint senate/UCC/AS assessment subcommittee (#23-01/02-EX), given the uncertain financial situation he is not able to commit to the creation of a staffed clearinghouse to assist faculty in the development of assessment procedures at this time and urged the senate to raise this issue again next year.

3. Committee and State Senate Reports

Educational Policies - The Committee has met and discussed the double counting of institutions; a resolution will go to the Senate Executive Committee soon.

Associated Students - A copy of the Associated Students' approved resolution in response to the Humboldt budget reductions was distributed.

OAA - Senators were reminded that N. Scott Momaday will be speaking at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, November 7. The OAA budget will be presented to the Joint Council tomorrow for discussion and recommendation. There will be a summer management meeting Friday, 2 p.m., to discuss long-term curriculum and enrollment goals that pertain to summer session. The Joint Council also will discuss the possibility of a joint committee with administrators and the senate to discuss common issues; for example, the tenure and promotion process.

Development & Administrative Services - Pavement repairs occurring on campus are due to a settlement agreement with the infrastructure contractor. Discussions regarding the redesign of the SBS Building will occur with the occupants of the building as the redesign process is started. There are several limitations regarding the redesign; plans have not been finalized yet.

Senate Finance - The Committee will be meeting November 18 and will be discussing the budget criteria not accepted by the Senate at its October 22 meeting.

Faculty Affairs - The Committee continues its work on gathering information on RTP and met with members of the UFPC for their input. They also will be meeting with the academic deans. The Blackboard discussion has not produced the number of responses as was originally hoped. People now may post their comments to Blackboard anonymously. All were encouraged to let their opinions be known so that an informed decision can be made.

President's Office - Regarding university involvement in economic development activities, President Richmond has been talking with people in the School of Business & Economics regarding the creation of an office that would provide front door access to the university. The name has been changed to Cal Poly Humboldt Economic Development Portal. Both the mission and principal functions of this office are under discussion. There is an upcoming meeting with the economic development group housed in Eureka, and discussions regarding private support are occurring with local businesses.

Student Affairs - The Committee continued its series of meetings regarding the student grievance process and met with Ken Dutro last week. The Committee is impressed with the diversity of services available and the coordination among the groups involved in this process. One consistent comment that the Committee heard was the need to fill the ombudsperson position.

UCC - The Committee met and recommended the approval of four DCG courses; there are seven courses that probably will be approved in approximately two weeks.

4. TIME CERTAIN 4:25 P.M.

Nomination of the Outstanding Professor of the Year Award [Faculty Awards Committee]

The senate moved to executive session.

The letter of recommendation was read by Ann Diver-Stamnes, Chair, Faculty Awards Committee. After limited discussion, the senate returned to formal session.

It was moved and seconded (Bicknell/Thobaben) to accept the recommendation of the Faculty Awards Committee and to forward this name to the President. Voting occurred and MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

It was moved and seconded (Yarnall/Thobaben) to make this an emergency item for immediate transmittal to President Richmond. Voting occurred and MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

The senators acknowledged the hard work of the Faculty Awards Committee and commended them for their efforts.

5. Resolution on Reorganization of Humboldt State University Foundation (#07-02/03-EX)

It was moved and seconded (Bicknell/Thobaben) to place the resolution on the floor.

WHEREAS, Research, scholarship and creative activities are essential activities of faculty, staff and students at Cal Poly Humboldt, are a part of our mission, and contribute in fundamental ways to student learning; and

WHEREAS, Research, scholarship and creative activities are often supported by non-state funds; and

WHEREAS, The successful completion of activities supported by non-state funds requires efficient and competent fiscal and administrative management; and

WHEREAS, Humboldt State University Foundation has reached a stage of development at which it has become necessary to consider alternative models of organization to accomplish its functions in support of research, scholarship and creative activities; and

WHEREAS, Three models are under consideration for the future of HSU Foundation activities including:

  1. Placing grants and contracts management within campus State offices for fiscal management,
  2. Splitting HSU Foundation into two foundations, one that would manage grants and contracts and one that would manage gifts, endowments, scholarships and other similar trust accounts,
  3. Continuing with the present model,

; and

WHEREAS, Management of grants and contracts under the auspices of an auxiliary with more flexible policies and procedures than are possible on the State-side has benefited grant and contract activity and fostered the growth of research, scholarship and creative activity; and

WHEREAS, Activities designed to develop the potential of the University through fostering relationships with non-State funding sources may benefit considerably from a dedicated foundation for that purpose with its own board of individuals knowledgeable in areas such as fund raising, community development, real estate, and investment; and

WHEREAS, In addition to the HSU Foundation, the university already has at its disposal an additional "501 c 3" authorized auxiliary, the College Improvement Foundation, which has in the past few decades been administered through the HSU Foundation; and

WHEREAS, It may be feasible, at least initially, to establish the College Improvement Foundation as an independent foundation using little or no additional staff; therefore, be it

RESOLVED: That the Academic Senate of Cal Poly Humboldt recommend the reorganization of the Humboldt State University Foundation into two separate foundations, HSU Foundation for the management of grants and contracts reporting to the Dean for Research & Graduate Studies, and the College Improvement Foundation for university development activities whose organization and reporting line shall be the subject of further consultation; and be it further

RESOLVED: That the Academic Senate of Cal Poly Humboldt encourage the university administration to move forward with all possible speed to put in place management personnel at HSU Foundation to facilitate reorganization and to proceed with the evolution of grants and contracts management functions necessary to foster the continued and increased success of research, scholarship and creative activities at Cal Poly Humboldt.

Senator Bicknell informed senators that this issue was discussed by the Foundation Board of Directors, and the Board approved a similar recommendation for reorganization.

After some discussion regarding overhead costs charged for grants, there was general agreement that the issue of overhead charges is a separate issue from the intent of the resolution on the floor and should be discussed at a future senate meeting.

Voting occurred and MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

6. TIME CERTAIN 4:30 P.M.

Discussion Item: Smoking Policy Recommendation

The Board of Trustees passed a resolution stating, "The president of each campus may adopt rules regulating smoking on the campuses. . . . The regulation shall seek to mitigate exposure to second hand smoke. . . ." As a result of this resolution, President Richmond has asked various constituencies for input regarding the issue of smoking on campus. A copy of Cal Poly Humboldt's current policy is included in the packet, along with a list of options discussed by the members of the Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Prevention Committee. During its deliberations, the Senate Executive Committee decided the best way to consider this issue was to bring such options to the senate floor and take a straw vote.

Discussion included the following opinions:

President Richmond has received a few complaints regarding the smoking policy, but the issue was generated in response to a student request that the Board of Trustees reconsider the policy.

There is a state law that requires a 15-foot distance from building entrances. [Original legislation said 15 feet, but what was chaptered into law was 5 feet.]

These regulations do not apply to the residence halls; however, they are smoke-free and have designated smoking areas outside.

It would be helpful to have a campus map that indicates the 25-foot distance from each building to see how much of an overlap there is among the buildings. It may be that a 25-foot distance requirement will essentially ban smoking from many parts of campus.

A smoke-free campus does not seem reasonable and probably would cause several problems including moving a campus problem into the community and infringing on the rights of those living in neighboring residential areas. [If Humboldt became a smoke-free campus, there would be some students who would leave, and there would be some faculty and staff who would be under significant hardship to do their jobs while having to drive off campus in order to smoke a cigarette. Smoking is an addiction and needs to be dealt with compassionately.] [For those who choose to smoke, having a smoke-free campus could mean that they would spend the minimum amount of time possible on campus and conduct as much of their lives as possible off campus which would make their work life difficult and would limit their contact time with other members of the campus community.] [As long as smoking is legal, smokers cannot be excluded from a public institution.]

A 15-foot requirement works for some buildings, but due to exterior architectural style, it does not work for other buildings: the smoke gets trapped near doorways, people in the buildings are not able to open their windows without getting smoke from the outside, and it is not possible to enter a building without walking through the smoke. Perhaps the policy needs a generic start point of 15 feet, but then it also needs to accommodate the different building designs. Option 2 was revised to include a statement regarding accommodation of building design.

During inclement weather, smokers tend to hover near the doorways of buildings and for those who are allergic to smoke it is extremely difficult to pass through a group of smokers to get into a building and not be affected by the smoke.

Perhaps ashtrays could be placed in designated areas with the understanding that smokers must be within a certain number of feet from such ashtrays in order to be "legal." [Perhaps the President could approach the Arcata City Council and request that cigarettes not be sold in Arcata.] [Not every entrance to each building needs to be a smoking area; a percentage of entrances could be smoke-free and the remainder could allow smoking.] [If the ashtrays are mobile and are placed 15 feet from the doorways, eventually they end up closer to the doors. If the ashtrays are immobile, then cigarette butts are found where the ashtray was located originally and a litter problem is created.

Perhaps the wording for the smoke-free alternative could be a smoke-free campus core. This would provide a buffer around the edge of campus where people would still be on campus while smoking, such as along L.K.Wood Blvd., but removed from the building entrances.

Education and common courtesy are both important factors of the smoking issue.

The current smoking policy is not enforced and this needs to be addressed. Consequences of violating the smoking policy should be stated clearly wherever ashtrays are situated or notices regarding smoking permissibility are posted.

Associated Students drafted a resolution that will place this issue on the ballot for the spring elections.

The proposed options are not mutually exclusive. Perhaps a survey of the number of smokers in each building would be helpful so that smoking regulations can be tailored to a specific area.

A straw vote was taken on the proposed options.

OPTION 1: No votes
Keep the current policy
OPTION 2: Received a Majority Number of Votes
Update the current smoking policy to reflect the 15-foot restriction posted on building entrances modified on a case-by-case basis to accommodate building design
OPTION 3: 1 vote
Increase the distance from building entrances to 25 feet
OPTION 4: 4 votes
Have designated smoking areas in paved parking areas 25 ft. from buildings and some other area like gazebos
OPTION 5: 1 vote
Completely smoke free campus

7. TIME CERTAIN 5 P.M.

Athletics Transition Update [D. Collen, S. Butler]

In 2000-01 a task force reviewed Athletics and produced a report at the end of the year. In Fall 2001 the Academic Senate reviewed the report and developed a set of six resolutions in response to it. Dr. McCrone accepted a few of the six resolutions, and the remaining resolutions were not resolved. A copy of the resolved clauses from the six resolutions was distributed. Steve Butler, Vice President for Student Affairs, and Dan Collen, Interim Athletic Director, agreed to attend the senate meeting today and address the resolutions and update the senate members regarding the status of the athletics issue.

Steve Butler, Vice President for Student Affairs, outlined some of the difficulties faced by Athletics including: many personnel vacancies (now filled), budget deficits (now improved with a new fiscal plan and different management), Title IX violations and noncompliance with the CSU CalNOW Agreement (now in compliance), probation status for track recruiting violations, no fund raising events or activities last year (now has reached a record high), no meetings of the advisory committee (now reconstituted and active) and low morale. Achievements of student-athletes include higher GPAs when compared to the institutional average, higher five-year graduation rates when compared to the general student rate, improved retention rate of first-year students compared to the institutional average, and several team championships and individual titles earned. In addition, campus facilities have been upgraded, and for the first time, scholarship money was available the term before it was needed.

The Intercollegiate Athletic Advisory Committee became active last spring, and its composition has been reviewed and revised after consultation with the Senate Executive Committee. Humboldt's conference affiliations are GNAC (Great Northwest Athletic Conference) and the Columbia Football Conference. According to Vice President Butler, Athletics was part of the University Center's audit last year and the NCAA audit will be completed in the near future. Discussions continue with the Dean of the College of Professional Studies regarding the movement of the coaches from that college to Student Affairs and resolution is expected in the near future. There are a number of hires and searches that are in progress. Vice President Butler stated that Athletics is one of the largest student programs on campus and it may be the best recruiting and retention tool available. It is one of the most visible programs to the community, and it is one of most effective ways of raising funds and scholarships at this institution.

Dan Collen, Interim Athletic Director, expressed his appreciation to the senate for the opportunity to attend the senate meeting and provide the senators with an update on Athletics. Copies of the Humboldt 2002 Cal Poly Humboldt Athletics Program Overview and a budget packet were distributed.

Athletics has three separate budgets, salary, operating and scholarship. The budget information has been made available to the campus and the community and the budget coversheet has been posted in the Library and in the Athletics department office. Coaches are involved in determining their individual operating budget and how the scholarship funds are distributed to student athletes. The operating budget is $1.2 million, including IRA fees (27% of budget), state contributions and travel (24% of budget), team generated revenue (30% of budget) and administrative revenue (19% of budget).

Student-athletes are involved in the community through the Captains' Council and fund raising activities. Generating scholarships for Humboldt students is the biggest challenge of the Athletic Department. Fund raising money accounts for 100 percent of the scholarship budget. Scholarship allocations may be increased by generating additional team revenue, holding successful auctions, IRA, moving operating budget surplus money to scholarship accounts and developing new fund raising efforts.

Discussion comments included:

It would be helpful to know why Athletics was moved to Student Affairs from Academic Affairs. What were the reasons other than the fact that administrators in Student Affairs were interested in housing Athletics and administrators in Academic Affairs were not interested. [Athletics was not being well managed and the transition to Student Affairs has improved the management. Most institutions have Athletics managed by Student Affairs or the President's Office.] [Concern was expressed about the effect the move from Academic Affairs to Students Affairs has had on the Department of Health & Physical Education and the College of Professional Studies.]

Plans are underway to set up endowments to support scholarships. The problem is to generate scholarship money in advance so that current and future needs are considered.

Concern was expressed about the possibility of Humboldt having a tiered-model. [The actual budget of each sport in terms of scholarship has been shown. Some sports receive greater scholarship dollars than others, and the coaches were involved in that decision process. By raising scholarships in general, every sport has had its scholarship amount raised. Some sports are able to generate more money for Athletics in general through scholarship dollars, and there are some sports that use their scholarship money for retention, not recruitment. The important fact is that coaches are involved in the prioritization and allocation of scholarship funds.] [It would be helpful to see a budget listing coaching salaries, scholarships and operating expenses in order to make a judgement as to whether the sports are tiered or not.] [This information will be supplied to the senate.] [A copy of the report that was submitted to the OCR has been provided to the senate chair and Chair MacConnie will make this report available to anyone who would like to see it.] [The EADA (Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act) report, completed October 30, is on Athletics' web site and lists the breakdowns, scholarship dollars, allocations, and other useful information.]

Distribution of the scholarships is more or less equitable between the genders, but is the procurement of the scholarships equitable? Anecdotal information says that the female athletes are required to raise their own scholarship funds and the male athletes raise their scholarship funds with the assistance of the administration through dinners, auctions, etc.[The process is to engage the coaches to work together and recognize any obstacles in order to have a successful program. Some sports do have more opportunities to raise funds because they have the history of the sport supporting them or the head coach has been employed long enough to build a solid network.]

What is the status and role of the Athletic Compliance Committee? [That committee met last spring and probably will be meeting soon. What that committee does is review the process annually and make a recommendation to the senate, usually in the spring.]

Student Affairs and Athletics are to be commended for a job well done in the short time that Athletics has been with Student Affairs.

Chair MacConnie expressed her appreciation to Dan Collen and Steve Butler for the helpful and informative presentation.

It was moved and seconded (Klein/Meiggs) to adjourn the meeting.

Meeting adjourned 5:55 p.m.