Highlights of the Apr 25, 2002, meeting of the College Park Senate

  • Faculty Ombuds Officer L. John Martin addressed the Senate as he
    prepared to step down after his term of service. He read a limerick
    that he had written in honor of President Mote:

    An ombud at Maryland U
    Gave comfort to those that were blue.
    ~~~~~~~Of course, some were red
    ~~~~~~~From frustration 'tis said.
    The ombudsman helped any hue.
    When faculty members complain,
    And the ombudsman senses their pain,
    ~~~~~~~A little more money
    ~~~~~~~Would make them sunny,
    With everyone smiling again.

  • Proposals to Revise the Policy on Student Course Withdrawal and
    Leave of Absence, and to Revise the Policy on Academic Probation and
    Dismissal, were discussed, voted, and passed. These set stricter
    conditions under which a student may withdraw from all courses, and
    under which probationary status is determined. Provost Destler argued
    strongly in favor of these measures, saying they will positively
    impact the retention and graduation fo undergraduates and bring us
    closer to our peer institutions in this regard.

  • A Due Date Policy for Ordering Books for Courses was proposed,
    voted, and passed. This states that "Faculty should generally order
    books which are to be required reading by May 1 for the Summer and
    Fall sessions, and by December 1 for the Winter and Spring sessions.
    Each department shall set rules to encourage implementation of this
    policy." It was understood that (i) this is intended as a guideline
    more than a firm rule, with the purpose of making buy-backs of used
    books more cost-effective for students, and (ii) it applies to textbook
    titles that are already in use in the current semester rather than to
    new titles that students will not already have.

  • A Proposal to Establish a Graduate Certificate Program in
    Large-Scale Assessment was discussed, voted, and passed. This
    pertains to the College of Education and will be offered with the
    MAster's Program in Measurement, Statistics, and Evaluation.

    Bonnie Dorr & Don Perlis
    Senators, Department of Computer Science