Senate Minutes
May 1, 2006
Brent Lindquist Called the meeting to order at 3:32.
I. Approval of tentative agenda - The agenda was changed to include a Report from the Vice President of Administration, Richard Mann on the traffic safety on campus.
II. Approval of minutes from April 3, 2006.
III. President’s Report – See Report
IV. Report from VP of Administration – Richard Mann
I am accompanied today by Terence Harrigan and Mark Woodruff. There have been some serious accidents on campus which resulted in one death. President Kenny has asked our office to review all safety issues on campus.
Terence Harrigan: We have hired a traffic consultant from Wiley Engineering to look at campus traffic and safety. We have repainted the crosswalks and added pedestrian signage. We have re-activated the light at the HSC. In a few weeks, we will begin building a round-about on Campus Drive. We have placed speed traps in certain areas to slow down traffic; there will be much more of an effort by Campus Police to monitor speeding. We have surveyed different groups (students, staff, faculty) on the areas on campus needing improvement. The major areas that most people surveyed have identified are: Toll Road in front of the Student Union, campus drive intersection with Circle Road, Tabler intersection with Engineering Drive and North Drive.
Richard Mann: We are thinking of closing the stretch of Toll road from just east of the Student Union to just west of the Graduate Chemistry Building and literally making it a pedestrian Mall. This stretch is very dangerous, many students cross here and we are worried about students not paying attention to traffic.
T. Harrigan: Wiley had suggested speed bumps and blinking or flashing lights to warn motorists of an upcoming traffic light which would slow down traffic. There is also a proposal to put overhead pedestrian signs as well as additional stop signs.
Beverly Horowitz: The signage for directions to locations on campus is not always easy to see, especially at night. Are there any recommendations to get better signage that is more visible? The signs are very small.
T. Harrigan: They suggested that we use a diamond coated stop sign that is more visible in headlights.
B. Horowitz: I mean signage that show you where certain buildings/roads are located.
R. Mann: That’s a good point. We’ll have to look into that.
HSC Problems: There is not enough parking at the hospital and people are getting a lot of tickets for illegal parking. Pedestrian crosswalks are non-existent.
R. Mann: We are discussing different areas for parking lots and one is building a 300-500 car surface lot in front of the hospital and also looking into a 1500 car parking garage on what is now behind the hospital.
V. Provost’s Report – R. McGrath
There are a number of accomplishments and awards (see Provost’s Report). The month of April celebrates URECA accomplishments. Over the past 5-years, the number of participants has steadily increased. This year saw a record number of posters (~160 undergraduate poster projects, up from 73 posters in 2002).
As of today, applicants for enrollment for the fall are up 18% from last year. Stony Brook has more than Buffalo, which is the first time this has happened in the history of enrollment at Stony Brook.
Two people that I spoke with last week expressed chagrin when they saw the Stony Brook entry in the New York Times Higher Education of Public Universities lead table of graduation rates. Stony Brook came in at 100. Some people concluded that they “sky was falling”. The “sky is not falling”….in fact the ceiling is going up. Good news is that there are almost 4,000 Universities and Colleges in the United States. Our numbers were actually poor in the 6-year graduation rate (50 something %) and that is not very good. In fact the 6-year graduation rates since 1995 are 54%, 57%, 56%, 58% and 59%. Our first and second year retention rates are closer to 100%. The numbers in the last five years were 85%, 85%, 87%, 87% and 87%. There are many reasons why they are going up. We put in place a number of things designed to keep the undergraduate success rate up. One of them is the undergraduate colleges and second we simply spent money. We have more and more thoughtful advising so that students stay on track. We have other special programs. We have a campus that looks better and is more inviting etc.
Brent Lindquist (introduction to topic VI): The tradition as far as I know is that University courses have to be taught at the university. Mary Scranton ran a proposal through the Undergraduate Council for an exception to this policy. The Undergraduate Council is recommending this policy and I have asked Mary Scranton to introduce the resolution
VI. Proposal by MSRC for courses to be taught at Smithtown HS at the college level: Mary Scranton
This proposal came to us as a result of the Southampton transfer process last fall as we were starting to implement our first class of Marine Sciences majors from Southampton. Several people from Smithtown H.S. contacted us and asked us if there was a way we could sponsor two marine science courses that they have taught for the past 20 years under the aegis of Southampton. Apparently Southampton did this with a lot of other schools. Smithtown is the only school so far that has come to us. Smithtown has been teaching these two marine sciences courses, giving the students college credit for them. The proposal to the Undergraduate Council is detailed (history, etc.). There are a number of New York State schools that are doing this kind of sponsorship. We have had a number of debates with within the Marine Sciences faculty and various members of the Senate about the best way to proceed.
Stony Brook currently offers college level classes (GEO 121) at Brentwood and Sayville High School. There is no AP marine sciences course that is equivalent so if the students wants to take the college level course in High school, they can’t. Tuition of $100 per course will be charged. The course would be administered under the University’s Young Scholars Program. The content and instruction of the course will be the responsibility of the Dean-and-Director of the Marine Sciences Research Center. If possible the Instructor of Record would meet with the adjuncts the previous May or June to review Course syllabus and grading policy. The high-school instructor would be appointed as an unpaid, adjunct instructor of the Marine Sciences Research Center at Stony Brook University
Brent Lindquist (summarizing the senate vote on the resolution): Motion in favor of proposal: 35; Against: 1; abstain: 1
VII. Recommendation on Campus no-smoking policy – Bill Dethlefs
The Environmental Committee is recommending to the University Senate Executive Committee a campus no-smoking policy. Effective Fall 2006 smoking will be limited to pre-designated areas on campus. These areas are yet to be determined. Suffolk County has a policy in effect prohibiting smoking within 50 feet of building entrances. SUNY upstate Medical Center implemented a smoke-free campus last year. They use a pro-active approach. Our time frame would be three-years. We have to work with the unions on campus plus we have to implement programs to help smokers quit. Along with the development of wellness programs the continuing tolerance of any smoking behaviors can no longer be justified.
Dr. Lindquist thought it would be a good idea to have the Graduate Student Organization and the Undergraduate Student Organization involved in this early on. Norman Goodman brought up civil rights and felt that the issue of health trumps civil rights.
Dr. Brent Lindquist mentioned that this was his last meeting as President of the University Senate and thanked everyone for their support and that he was sorry that he leaves with, as yet, no successor identified
Meeting adjourned 4:55 p.m.
Submitted by,
Laurie Theobalt
Secretary
University Senate
Attachments from May 1st Senate meeting:
Campus No-Smoking Policy
Recommendation to the University Senate Executive Committee on a campus no-smoking policy, as initiated by the Campus Environment Committee, on April 28, 2006
In response to the request by the Executive Committee of the University Senate to reconsider previous recommendations made regarding this policy, the following recommendations are made:
Effective fall 2006 smoking will be limited only to pre-designated areas on campus. These areas are yet to be determined, but will allow for existing limitations as noted for dormitories, the hospital, and the Long Island Veterans home. In a time frame not to exceed three years a total ban on smoking is to be implemented campus-wide. This ban will follow a policy recently implemented by SUNY Upstate Medical University that affects all faculty, staff, students, patients, and visitors.
Justification: A ban on all smoking removes two problems with the existing policy; the varied size of the non-smoking radius at campus entrances (15 feet versus 50 feet), and the problems associated with smoking-related litter. It also addresses the role that the university plays as both a health care provider and major employer with an obligation to help contain both the costs of providing quality health care and negotiating lower health insurance premiums for faculty, staff, and students. Along with the development of wellness programs the continuing tolerance of any smoking behaviors can no longer be justified.
A copy of the SUNY Upstate ‘No Smoking Policy: Smoke-Free Campus’ policy statement and press release are available on the University Senate Website link to the minutes from this meeting.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Stony Brook University in the High School
A proposal for college level courses in Marine Science in the High School
Submitted to
The Undergraduate Council of the Stony Brook University Senate
by
Mary I. Scranton, Professor
Undergraduate Director
mscranton@notes.cc.sunysb.edu
2-8735
Preface: Many high schools currently offer college level courses to their students in formats ranging from AP courses to courses taught by college instructors to courses taught at the high school which have been approved by a specific college for college credit. Smithtown High School teachers contacted faculty at MSRC to inquire whether they could offer two college level marine sciences courses to their students under the auspices of Stony Brook University. These courses have been offered in the past as Southampton College courses, and with the closure of Southampton College, a new home for these courses was desired. As we discussed this option, it was clear that, in order to get Undergraduate Council and University Senate approval for such an option, we needed to develop a procedure by which appropriate oversight of college courses taught in high schools could be assured.
Such high school/university courses are not new. The program at Smithtown High School was operated in conjunction with Southampton College for twenty years before Stony Brook University took over the marine sciences program. Presently, Smithtown High School offers a number of courses (although not in marine science) in collaboration with SUNY Farmingdale. It also offers college level programs through the University at Albany and Syracuse. In the marine sciences, 180 students are enrolled in The Oceans and 170 registered for Marine Ecology at Smithtown HS. Note that there is no AP option in Marine Sciences.
Stony Brook currently offers college level classes at two other high schools, Brentwood and Sayville (GEO 121). In addition, there are many other, long-standing programs in New York as well as in other states. Syracuse University has been offering such courses for 35 years. Their “Project Advance” offers 24 college courses in 125 high schools in 5 states to some 4,500 students annually. The University of Albany also has been offering courses in 24 disciplines for 23 years in 300 high schools to some 10,000 students. Indiana University, the Universities of Oregon, North Carolina at Greensboro, the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Minnesota-Duluth, to name a few, offer college-credit courses in high schools. Thus this is a legitimate, popular and productive service of any university. Stony Brook should be responsive to an existing regional demand.
Special considerations:
The “Ocean” course will be offered as a special section (restricted to high school students) of our existing course, MAR 104: Oceanography. As such, FTE would be assigned to MSRC. If the present proposal is acceptable, a similar course will be created in Marine Ecology. “The Ocean” and “Marine Ecology “courses that would be offered at Smithtown would be the equivalent of introductory level science classes offered to non-science majors at the University. The content and expectations of a high-school-taught college level course must meet expectations for university credit. A special schedule would be established, however, for the courses. These would be equivalent to a one-semester, three-credit University course, but taught over the 10-month, high school academic year. As a practical matter, it is difficult to enroll high school students into fall-semester university courses. It takes time to make students and parents aware of the opportunity, understanding the level of commitment and value. This can usually be accomplished in October, but not earlier. The Smithtown High School would enroll students into a marine science class which meets 40 minutes, five days a week, for the entire school year. While each session may be shorter, the course would be equivalent to approximately 135 contact periods at 40 minutes, or 108 contact hours, compared to the 48 hours of classroom instruction in most three-credit college courses. Grades for the University course would be submitted in mid-May, before the end-of-term for high schools in June. The traditional semester college course would be offered over a high school calendar in order to address both the logistics of student enrollment and timely submission of grades. For example, Forensics Science (Project Advance) is a semester course at Syracuse University that is offered over a year at the high school. Registration and payment is completed in October and high school teachers submit their grade sheets to Syracuse University in time for the end of Spring Semester at Syracuse.
Tuition of $100 per course will be charged. The course would be administered under the University’s existing and successful Young Scholars Program which already offers some two dozen university courses to high school students. Pre-requisites would require students (a) to be Juniors or Seniors, (b) to maintain a B average (c) and to obtain permission of the instructor-of-record (a University faculty member) requiring an adequate letter of recommendation from at least one high-school instructor. Students would be part-time, non-matriculated students of the University. To receive university credit, students would:
a. Participate in assignments.
b. Attend field experience activities
c. Submit projects/papers in the course
d. Take University generated or University approved exams
e. Maintain a B average in the Oceans or Marine Ecology course in order to earn college credit
The academic content and instruction of the course will be the responsibility of the Dean-and-Director of Marine Sciences Research Center, in the same way that is true for all of our courses. Each course would have an Instructor-of-Record from the faculty of the MSRC. If possible the instructor-of-record would meet with the adjuncts the previous May or June to review the course syllabus and grading policy. During the course, the instructor-of-record would need to approve all examinations before they are given and receive periodic progress reports on grading. The instructor-of-record would be available at any time to discuss problems or answer questions, but the day-to-day progress of the course would be the responsibility of the adjunct instructors. If possible, we suggest the instructor-of-record meet with the class at least three times during the course—at the beginning of the course in October, for a mid-term assessment in January and near the end of the course early in May. During these visits, the instructor-of-record would lecture on a current topic or lead a field trip and provide an opportunity for students to ask questions. Adjunct instructors would submit the final grades the instructor-of record who would approve them and subsequently submit them to the Registrar.
The MSRC instructor-of-record would be responsible for insuring that the proposed adjuncts were suitable. Adjunct instructors would be reviewed and approved by the same formal departmental process used by MSRC for all adjunct instructor appointments which involves review of resumes, transcripts and letters of recommendation to the University submitted by each candidate. The high-school instructor would be appointed as an unpaid, adjunct instructor of the Marine Sciences Research Center at Stony Brook University. Often, someone on the MSRC faculty has personal, first-hand knowledge of the capabilities of the proposed, adjunct instructor. This is the case for Smithtown High School; the adjunct instructors are already experienced and two are MSRC alumni. In the future, however, other schools may wish to participate. If the demand grows substantially, it may be that a summer training session or a special SPD course to prepare adjunct instructors will be needed. We anticipate that training sessions would take the form of five days of instruction. These might be run over consecutive days, perhaps in the summer, or over, say five consecutive Saturdays, or, perhaps, as an on-line course in the School of professional Development. Candidates for status of adjunct instructors would be required to hold a Master’s degree, to three years teaching experience, and to secure the recommendation of their school principal of department chair. The instructor-of-record can grant temporary approval of adjuncts as they work towards the completion of the necessary requirements. It is premature at this stage to specify the exact logistics of training workshops when the assessment of adjuncts can be done on a case-by-case basis.