Oakland University Senate

December 17, 1965

Agenda

MEMORANDUM
December 13, 1965

TO: All Members of the Senate

FROM: Donald D. O'Dowd, for the Steering Committee

RE: Agenda for Meeting of December 17

The next meeting of the Senate will be on Friday, December 17, 1965, at 4 p.m. in rooms 29 and 30 of the Oakland Center.

A. Old Business

1. Recommendation from the Committee on Instruction (Mr. Tomboulian)

The Committee recommends the adoption of the following policy as an addition to the grading system;

Academic Work Recorded as S or U

Certain courses may carry academic credit towards graduation and are recorded only with "S" and "U" on the transcript. The letter "S" (for satisfactory) means that the academic performance is equal to 2.0 or better on the decimal grading scale. The letter "U" (for unsatisfactory) means that no academic credit should be granted for the work, and that prerequisite or transfer requirements are not met.

Courses completed with these letters would not affect the grade point average. (Thus the grade point average would reflect only those courses for which decimal grades are recorded.) If the course is completed with an "S", the course credit counts towards graduation and would appear in the "transfer credit" column on the grade report. If a "U" is received, the credit would not appear in this column.

A department wishing to offer a course which falls into the above category must obtain approval from the Committee on Instruction in advance of the semester in which the course is to be offered. All sections of the course must be recorded in the same manner.

Comment:
The Committee has received several requests for a category of academic work which did not have to be graded with the regular decimal system. We believe that the above solution meets the demands of the departments and groups offering this type of work.

2. Recommendations from the Steering Committee (Mr. O'Dowd)

a. The Committee recommends the adoption of the following policy:

Except on occasions when by a vote of the Senate or by a ruling of the chairman that the proceeding of the Senate shall be closed, the Editor of the Oakland Observer, the chief student officer of the Dormitory Council and of the Commuter Council will be welcome as visitors to regular Senate meetings.

Comment:
The members of the Steering Committee believe that the approval of this motion will improve communication with the student body, strengthen the institutions that are represented, and recognize the importance of students in the development of university policy.

b. The Committee presents the following amended version of the resolution concerning a School of Performing Arts. The changes represent an effort to reflect accurately faculty sentiment on this matter. Adoption of the resolution is recommended.

A Resolution
The Academic Senate supports the establishment of a School of Performing Arts. This School should have the freedom both in curriculum design and in the development of personnel policies to establish the highest quality professional program in the performing arts. The faculty of the School of Performing Arts should have the freedom to determine the admissions requirements, academic standards, curricular sequences, and degree requirements for its students, subject to the approval of a body representative of the Oakland faculty. In addition, subject to Board approval, the faculty may determine the patterns of appointment to the faculty of the School of Performing Arts and adjust these to the reality of the professional arts world rather than to traditional university practices. The School of Performing Arts should contain the most imaginative program that can be devised to encourage the development of future professional performing artists.

B. New Business

1. Recommendation from the Athletic Policy Committee (Mr. Pitts)

The Committee recommends the approval by the Senate of the document entitled The Intercollegiate Sports Program circulated separately by the Committee on November 12, 1965. Please request additional copies from Professor Jesse Pitts' office. As part of the proposal it is recommended:

That basketball be authorized for a three-year trial period.

2. Recommendation from the Steering Committee with approval of the Academic Affairs Committee (Mr. O'Dowd)

The Steering Committee recommends acceptance of the following motion;

The Meadow Brook School of Music is authorized to operate as a credit-granting academic program following the general organizational format established in the summer of 1965.

Comment:
The initial authorization of this program was for one year. The success of the program in the first summer is offered as the reason for recommending that the Meadow Brook School be accorded a more permanent status as a credit-bearing program.

3. Report of Steering Committee activities (Mr. O'Dowd)

The Steering Committee has established the ad hoc Committee on Honors Programs in response to action of the Senate on April 22, 1965. Mr. Haden has agreed to serve as chairman, and he will be joined by Mr. Hough and Mr. Pitts in exploring "suitable means of dealing with the academic needs of the University's most talented students."