Oakland University Senate
April 6, 1966
Agenda
MEMORANDUM
April 4, 1966
TO: All Members of the Senate
FROM: Donald D. O'Dowd, for the Steering Committee
RE; Agenda for Meeting of April 6, 1966.
The next meeting of the Senate will be on Wednesday, April 6, 1966, at 3:30 p.m. in Rooms 128, 129 and 130 of the Oakland Center.
A. Old Business
1. Recommendations from the Academic Affairs Committee (Mr. Simmons)
a. The Steering Committee recommends that you bring to the meeting the memorandum from the A.A.C. setting forth a detailed motion for legislative action affecting the entire curriculum.
b. The Senate is requested to approve the following motion concerning a new catalog entry:
A course in Speech is authorized to be offered beginning fall semester 1966 for the benefit of students who wish to improve their ability to communicate with an audience in an organized and disciplined manner.
2. Recommendations from the Steering Committee (Mr. O'Dowd)
a. It is recommended that the following traditional enabling legislation be approved:
All members of the Senate who are available on campus in late August will assemble to act on behalf of the entire body in approving the recommendation of seniors for honors and degrees. The requirement of a minimum of fifteen votes for the enactment of legislation will be suspended for this one summer meeting of the Senate.
b. In view of the vote establishing the Committee on University Government at the last Senate meeting, the Steering Committee proposes the following motion:
The Senate as presently constituted will remain in office until a new University government is established or until May 1, 1967, whichever date is earlier. The existing procedure for filling vacancies in the Senate will continue to be followed.
Comment:
This motion is presented to guarantee continuity in University government for a period of several months without going through the procedure of holding a regular Senate election this April.
B. New Business
1. Recommendation from the Committee on Graduate Study (Mr. Hoopes)
a. The Committee on Graduate Study recommends that the Senate approve a new Master's Degree program as described in the attached proposal.
The Senate approves the establishment of a Master's Degree program in Systems Engineering and requests the Board of Trustees to authorize the establishment of this new degree program by the University.
2. Recommendation from the Athletic Policy Committee (Mr. Pitts)
a. The Committee recommends that the following motion be adopted:
Basketball is authorized as an intercollegiate sport for a trial period of three years. At the expiration of this trial period, the Athletic Committee will present all the evidence it has been able to collect as to the impact of intercollegiate basketball upon the level of academic achievement among collegiate basketball players, student spectators, and the rest of the student body, as well as the increase or decrease of commitment to purely intellectual values as evidenced by the success of extra-curricular activities which have a definite intellectual primacy such as theatre, literary magazine, Oakland Observer, fine arts festival, attendance at visitors' lectures, etc.
Comment:
The Department of Sociology and Anthropology declares its intention to begin next September a study of the student cultures in this University, and will endeavor to develop measurements to outline the content of the cultures and the boundaries of the membership groups which carry these cultures. It will develop indices which would permit to monitor changes. The Department will apply for a small grant in order to "tool up" during the year 1966-1967 and will apply for a major grant to be secured in 1967. The measurement of the impact of intercollegiate basketball is a minor concern of this research. However, even if a major grant should not be secured, the pilot research undertaken in the year 1966-1967 should permit the development of measurements which could be applied in 1969 and compared to the results of 1966.
3. Recommendation from the Academic Affairs Committee (Mr. Simmons)
a. The attached memorandum contains a motion authorizing the establishment of a Concentration in Linguistics. The Steering Committee submits the entire memorandum to the Senate for study and action.
4. Recommendation from the Faculty Affairs Committee (Mr. Collins)
a. The Senate is urged to approve the following:
This body goes on record as encouraging all members of the administration, as well as all faculty members, to become better acquainted with the classroom activity of this university by visiting classes. We feel that such classroom visitation would be of benefit to all concerned. As a courtesy to the teacher involved, his permission should be requested in advance of the visit.
DDO'D:mm
Attachments: 2