University Senate meeting recap

A recap of the University Senate's first meeting of the 2012-13 academic year, held Sept. 10.

* In his remarks, Senate chair Paul Robinson commented on Purdue president-elect Gov. Mitch Daniels as well as the Senate's undertakings for the year, including work on core curriculum and the balanced trimester initiative, a report on budget cuts in academic departments and administrative units, and a review of faculty grievance policies and procedures. Robinson's remarks can be found at https://www.purdue.edu/faculty/meetings.cfm.

* Under New Business, Teri Reed-Rhoads, chair of the Educational Policy Committee, introduced a proposal to change the summer calendar from three four-week modules to two six-week or one 12-week module. The proposal notes the following benefits:

-- Provides better timing for programs for incoming students, which typically run for a six-week term. Because many high school seniors do not graduate until mid-June, these programs cannot work in the current eight-week module.

-- Offers students the chance to make more progress toward a degree. The proposal cites IUPUI, which offers a full year of chemistry over the summer by offering two six-week terms.

-- Increases students' chances for financial aid, which may be contingent upon attaining full-time status. Full-time status for students during summer term is six credits.

Several senators raised concerns about the effect the summer module change would have on salary, research, lab classes, and curriculum. In addition, there are issues concerning existing policies that need to be modified or changed to encourage higher enrollments in the summer term such as the fee schedule. Discussions also included the current low enrollments under the current structure. 

The EPC proposal also reflects a change in the summer commencement ceremony from the first Sunday following the end of the last summer module to the first Saturday. This change occurred about five years ago by presidential action, but was never formalized in the regulations.

The Senate will continue discussion and is scheduled to vote on the proposal at its October meeting. The proposal is available as a PDF file at https://www.purdue.edu/faculty/meetings.cfm.

* Luis Lewin, vice president for human resources, outlined changes being considered for medical plans for 2013 and provided an update on Purdue's on-site health center, which is scheduled to open in February. Lewin also discussed efforts designed to improve employee health, encourage better health care consumer practices and curb the University's rising health care costs. The presentation is available at https://www.purdue.edu/faculty/meetings.cfm.