Faculty Assembly Executive Council Minutes

March 13, 2013

ASB-230

900-1015 AM

Present: President Mercer, Jill Weiss, Jennefer Mazza, Donna Crawley, Bob Becklen, Ken McMurdy, Emma Rainforth, and Murray Sabrin

Absent: Jonathan Lipkin, Tae Kwak, and Irene Kuchta

Secretary: Dean Chen

1.  ARC Report

a.  Not enough writing intensive (WI) courses meeting the ARC deadline: affecting the upper-level and transfer students in the next academic year (2013-14).

2.  Approval of minutes (3/6/13)

a.  Approved, with one abstention.

3.  Meeting with President Mercer

a.  FAEC members stressed that public safety is becoming too restrictive, and students have complaints and grievances about that.

b.  President Mercer recognized that there are problems and that reforms are needed.

i.  Public safety is not entirely at fault. Students also have a sense of “cultural alienation,” in which they perceive that campus police is out to get them.

ii.  Students and dorm RAs could take greater responsibility, to act as “buffer” between the public safety and students. Fines are not out of line with other college’s policies, though the fines and public safety interventions may be too frequent at times.

iii.  Public safety training could be improved to better campus policing.

iv.  Students’ accidents and, even, deaths as a result of alcohol are devastating. It could greatly tarnish the college’s image.

c.  FAEC members agree with the president that students and RAs should take up greater responsibility and enforcement in their own hands.

d.  Alcohol education (safe drinking) can be improved to bring awareness.

e.  President Mercer proposed that FAEC members should meet with public safety.

4.  Discussion of Draft Strategic Plan (on the President’s Office Website)

a.  A preliminary discussion

b.  “Curricular adjustment” should be clarified.

c.  Faculty should read over the draft and raise any issues/concerns in the coming FAEC and FA meetings.

d.  Ken and Donna would review Goal #1 (Advance Academic Excellence and Engagement), Murray and Jennefer on Goal #2 (Enhance Financial Strength and Institutional Sustainability), and Bob and Tae on Goal # 3 (Improve Internal and External Relations and Communications).

e.  Jon and Irene will choose one goal each and review it