Oakland University Senate
March 20, 1964
Minutes
PRESENT: Messrs. APPLETON. BEARDSLEE, CHERNO, HADEN, HETENYI, HEUBEL, HILDUM, LEE, MAHER, MATTHEWS, MCKAY, OBEAR, O'DOWD, SEIKEN, SIMMONS. SIMONS, STOUTENBURG, STUBBLEFIELD, SUSSKIND, SWANSON, TOMBOULIAN, VARNER, WILDER, WILLIAMSON.
ABSENT: Messrs. BROWN, M., BURDICK, CLARKE, COLLINS, EKLUND, GALLOWAY, HAMMERLE. HOOPES, HOWES, HUCKER, LOWY, MOBLEY, ROOSE, SELLS, TAFOYA.
GUESTS: Messrs. MILLER, ROSEMAN AND TIPLER.
The meeting was called to order at 4:10 p.m. by Chancellor Varner.
Mr. Heubel moved to amend the March 3, 1964, minutes by deleting the words "for referral to the appropriate Senate Committee (Student Affairs Committee)" from the last paragraph on page 4 and asked to have substituted the following words "for distribution to the Senate and placement on the Agenda." Seconded by Mr. Stubblefield.
After considerable discussion as to the meaning of Mr. Simons' original motion a vote was taken on the amendment. Not approved.
Mr., Simons moved to amend the March 3, minutes by deleting the words "(Student Affairs Committee)" and to place a period after the words "appropriate Senate Committee". Seconded by Mr. Stubblefield. Approved.
Mr. Tomboulian asked that his name be removed from the members present at the Senate meeting of March 3, 1964. Approved.
The minutes of March 3, 1964, were then adopted as amended as corrected.
The chair asked if there was further discussion on Mr., Maher's motion and Mr. Hetenyi's amendment regarding procedure on major standing.
Mr. Stoutenburg moved to amend the motion by changing Paragraph Al a. (2) on the "Agenda for meeting of March 20, 1964" to read as follows: "If the student is not removed from probation after one further semester's work in major courses, he is liable to be dropped from major standing at the discretion of the department chairman. A student dropped from major standing may ask the Associate Dean of his division to review the action taken against him if he believes that there are extenuating circumstances in his case." Also to add another step to the major standing procedure to read as follows: "When a student is dropped from major standing the department chairman is responsible for notifying the appropriate academic personnel and administrative offices." (It will be the responsibility of the Committee on Instruction to draft and implement this notification procedure.) Seconded by Mr. Obear. Not approved.
Mr. Hetenyi moved a substitute amendment to add to Paragraph A 1 a (2) the following statement: The Committee on Instruction will entertain an automatic petition reviewing the case." Mr. Hetenyi then moved Mr. Stoutenburg's additional step to the procedure on major standing, "When a student is dropped from major standing, the department chairman is responsible for notifying the appropriate academic personnel and administrative offices." (It will be the responsibility of the Committee on Instruction to draft and implement this procedure). Seconded by Mr. Appleton. Approved.
Mr. Maher's original notion, plus the amendments was then approved.
The procedure for major standing now reads in its entirety as follows:
(1) A student may be admitted to Major Standing if he has passed with at least a 2.0 average all courses prerequisite to the major.
(2) Upon admission to Major Standing, a departmental advisor takes responsibility for supervising the student's performance in his major courses.
(3) When a student drops below 2.0 in major courses, the advisor reports him to the department chairman, and the student is placed on departmental probation. The Academic Standing Committee is also notified.
(4) If the student is not removed from probation after one further semester's work in major courses, he is liable to be dropped from Major Standing at the discretion of the department chairman. The Committee on Instruction will entertain an automatic petition reviewing the case.
(5) It is the responsibility of the major advisor and the department chairman to enforce these regulations. All grades are reviewed by the advisor and the departmental chairman (when necessary) at the end or beginning of each semester.
(6) The Registrar must send copies of student grades to the departmental advisor and the chairman at the same time they go to the student.
(7) Acceptance for major standing for all teaching majors must first be approved by the major department and subsequently by an authorized representative of the Teacher Education program.
(8) When a student is dropped from major standing the department chairman is responsible for notifying the appropriate academic personnel and administrative offices. (It will be the responsibility of the Committee on Instruction to draft and implement this notification procedure.)
Mr. Tomboulian moved the recommendation of the Committee on Instruction that (1) "Courses can be dropped at any time up to the end of the ninth week. The
only grade recorded by the Registrar for a course dropped during this period is an "N" grade. Permission of both the instructor and the academic advisor is required to drop a course; denial of permission is to be subject to review by the Committee on Instruction." (2) "If a student withdraws from the University after the end of the ninth week of a semester, the student's instructors, in consultation with the Dean of Students, will assign an "N" or "0,0" grade in the courses in question."
Mr. Appleton moved to amend the motion to insert the words "fifteenth week" in place of "ninth week." Seconded by Mr. Chemo.
In the ensuing discussion Mr. Appleton pointed out that it was the instructor' s prerogative to judge a student's achievement and that the instructor should have the authority to submit any grade to the Registrar that justly measures the student's performance. Mr. O'Dowd said that the faculty may be borrowing trouble because of potential student pressure on specific faculty members to give "N" grades instead of "0.0s", The chair suggested because of the substantive nature of this motion, that further discussion be delayed until the next Senate meeting.
Mr., Seiken reported the recommendations of the Commencement Committee regarding honorary degrees to be granted at the April 1964 Commencement. John W. Milnor, Chairman, Department of Mathematics, Princeton, New Jersey; Stanley Kresge, President, Kresge Foundation; Logan Wilson, President of the American Council of Education (Speaker). These nominations were approved by the Board of Trustees at their meeting on March 19.
Mr. Seiken also stated that other candidates considered were Paul Goodman, Reverend Martin Luther King, Noam Chomsky, and Theodore Sorenson. Mr. Chemo asked that the minutes again reflect his opposition to the general notion of honorary degrees being granted by Oakland University.
Mr. Appleton stated his concern about the Senate not having had the opportunity of approving the candidates for honorary degrees in April before acceptance by the Board of Trustees, Mr., Appleton said that this action undermines the authority of the Senate and he would hope that this procedure would not be followed again.
Mr. Hetenyi moved that Messrs. Milnor, Kresge and Wilson be given honorary degrees at the April 1964 Commencement. Seconded by Mr. Hildum. Approved.
Mr., McKay asked that these names be held in confidence until acceptance by the candidates.
Mr. Tomboulian moved the recommendation of the Committee on Instruction "That a period of four days be scheduled at the end of each semester in which examinations may be given, or classes held, at the option of the instructor. The scheduling should permit no more than one three-and-one- half-hour meeting period in the morning, and one-three-and-one-half-hour meeting period in the afternoon of each of the four days. The exception to this schedule would be evening classes which would have evening meeting periods. Seconded by Mr., Obear. Final action to be taken at a subsequent meeting.
Mr. Tomboulian moved the recommendation of the Committee on Instruction that "Freshman students are expected to attend all scheduled class meetings of the courses in which they are registered, unless the instructor specifies otherwise. " Seconded by Mr. Hetenyi. Final action to be taken at a subsequent meeting.
Mr. Matthews moved the recommendation of the Academic Affairs Committee "that in addition to the regular departmental major, each departmental major may be combined with a concentration in Area Studies, with the following course distribution: (a) six courses in the major department; (b) six courses appropriate to the student's area specialization as prescribed by the Committee on Area Studies and the major department, and (c) Area Studies 490 to be taken for purposes of writing a senior essay or research project with an area emphasis. Seconded by Mr. Cherno. Final action to be taken at a subsequent meeting.
Meeting adjourned.