The following members of the Council were present:

Dr. Winston Walden
Dr. Virginia Moore
Dr. Marvin Barker
Dr. Roy Loutzenheiser
Dr. Jack Armistead
Dr. Don Elkins
Prof. Rebecca Tolbert
Ms. Alicia Toline
Prof. Charlene Mullins
Dr. John Harris
Dr. Mark Stephens
Dr. Jann Cupp
Dr. Harry Smith
Prof. Melissa Giest
Dr. Linda Null
Prof. Ray Jordan
Dr. Corinne Darvennes
Dr. Kurt Eisen
Dr. Brian O'Connor
Prof. Ken Hunter
Dr. Gretta Stanger

Ms. Amber Evans represented Mr. Clark Downum. Also attending as resource persons were Dr. Bob Bode, Dr. Bob Clougherty, and Ms. Beth Mannle.

Dr. Paul Bonner
Mr. Joseph Woodson
Ms. Tara Neil
Mr. Clark Downum
Dr. Bruce Greene
Dr. Jeff Roberts
Dr. Curtis Armstrong
Dr. Ed Griggs
Dr. Roger Haggard
Dr. Julia Aucoin
Dr. Katherine Osburn

SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS

1.  Approved the agenda as amended.

2.  Approved the minutes of the January 31 meeting.

3.  Received an update on the Regents Degrees.

4.  Endorsed a recommendation to the Administrative Council to revise the Agreement      on Responsibilities and use it for cost study information.

5.  Received a report from the English Department composition committee regarding      internet plagiarism.

6.  Approved a new degree-B.S. in Web Design

7.  Chairperson appointed a nominating committee for 2001-02 chairperson.

8.  Disapproved an SGA Bill to give co-op students early registration times.

PROCEEDINGS

    Dr. Barker asked to add "and Faculty Load Reports" to Item No. 3 on the agenda, and Dr. Stanger added the appointment of a nominating committee to "Such Other Matters." Also, Dr. Stanger said SGA has requested to take Bill #S00-09 off the table today and consider it under "Such Other Matters." Professor Tolbert MOVED approval of the agenda with these changes, and the motion was duly SECONDED. The agenda was APPROVED as amended.

Approval of the Minutes of the January 31 Meeting

    Dr. Loutzenheiser MOVED approval of the minutes of the January 31 meeting as posted on the Academic Council website, and Professor Hunter SECONDED the motion. The minutes were APPROVED.

Update on Regents Degrees and Faculty Load Reports

    Dr. Barker said we now have catalog descriptions of the courses for the Regents Degrees, and those descriptions should be posted on the web very soon. He reported that the four faculty members who are developing courses met with Rachel Rader as a neutral party to explain the legal terminology, and these people will meet again next week to start writing the contract using the format that will be used by all faculty members. Dr. Clougherty said that the intellectual property committee is almost ready to report to Dr. Barker. Dr. Barker answered questions from the group. Dr. Clougherty reported that TBR has appointed a three-person quality board to ensure course quality.

    Dr. Barker asked for the support of the Academic Council for a move away from using the Faculty Work Load report for calculating the cost study-a recommendation that he will take to the Administrative Council today. This would mean a change in the Agreement on Responsibilities to show by percentages six categories-instruction, advisement, research, university service, public service, and administration--and it would also mean a change in the tenure and promotion policies. It would be a much more accurate source on which to base the cost study data we send to THEC each fall. Dr. Barker clarified that the cost study has nothing to do with the funding formula which is driven by SCH. Dr. Smith MOVED to support the recommendation to revise the Agreement on Responsibilities form, and Dr. Null SECONDED the motion. The motion PASSED by a unanimous vote.

Update from the Subcommittee on Anti-Plagiarism

    Dr. Null reported that she took the issue of internet plagiarism to the English composition committee, and a subcommittee was appointed to look at this problem. The subcommittee has met and wishes to take three courses of action: (1) add a statement to all syllabi telling what plagiarism is and what happens if you plagiarize, (2) revise the guidelines and the goals for English 101 and 102 to state what plagiarism is and the consequences of plagiarism, and (3) revise the statement on plagiarism in the Student Handbook. The Office of Academic Affairs will make the request to revise the Student Handbook. Dr. Null read the draft statement on plagiarism that could be used in the above:

    When you summarize, paraphrase, or quote someone else's words or ideas, you must cite your source. It does not matter whether you borrow material from print sources, videos, or movies; from the Internet (for example, e-mail, chat rooms, Web sites, or discussion groups); or from on-line data bases. Failure to cite your source is plagiarism. Students who plagiarize may receive an "F" or "0" for the assignment, or an "F" for the course.

    The subcommittee of the English composition committee will meet again to finalize the plagiarism statement.

Proposal for the B.S. Degree in Web Design

    Dr. Armistead presented the proposal for an interdisciplinary program-B.S. in Web Design--in the College of Arts and Sciences as it was approved earlier by the college curriculum committee and the University Curriculum Committee. The program would be run by a director and a committee of faculty advisors and, if approved, would become effective August 1, 2001. Dr. Armistead and Dr. Clougherty responded to questions from the group. This program differs from Professional Communication in the number of Computer Science courses required and the fact that graduates from the Web Design program would be expected to know not only how to run a software package but also how to work with codes. This program is unique and one that would supply graduates to fill a genuine need in the job market. Dr. Clougherty said that we would be able to handle a maximum of 20-30 students in the program. Dr. Armistead MOVED approval of the proposal, Dr. Loutzenheiser SECONDED the motion, and the Council APPROVED the proposal for a B.S. in Web Design by a unanimous vote.

SUCH OTHER MATTERS

Appointment of a Nominating Committee

SGA Bill S00-09

    Ms. Amber Evans, an SGA student representing Council student representative Mr. Clark Downum who was absent, MOVED to call the SGA Bill regarding early registration times for co-op students from the table, and Professor Tolbert SECONDED the motion. The bill was tabled at the October meeting because there was no one from SGA to speak to the bill at that time. Mr. John Shultz, an Engineering co-op student, shared some of the problems he experienced two years ago when trying to register on the internet while he was on a co-op assignment. The consensus of the group was that most co-op students now would not have a problem with on-line registration because of improvements in the last two years and an advisor or secretary in the student's department would be able to assist those who did have difficulty. The motion FAILED TO PASS the Council.

Announcement

    Dr. Loutzenheiser announced that the Stonecipher Symposium would be held on March 26-27.

Adjournment

    The meeting was adjourned at 4 p.m.

UNAPPROVED MINUTES