At the Senate
Archived article from May 10, 2004
By Richard Gorman
Senate supports larger Asian cultural centers
The University Senate approved a measure at its April 23 meeting that would increase the size, staff and resources of the Asian Cultural Center on the New Brunswick/Piscataway and Newark campuses to make them equal to the resources provided to the Robeson Center on the Newark campus and the Center for Latino Arts and Culture in New Brunswick. Jason Redd, a chair of the equal opportunity committee, said Asian-American students seeking the expansion approached the committee for assistance. Asian-American students make up one-fifth of the Rutgers student population, Redd said.
Mid-semester course assessments approved
The senate voted to approve the use of mid-semester course assessments to help improve academic courses during the year. In offering the resolution, Natalie Borisovets, chair of the instruction, curricula and advising committee, said the mid-semester course assessment is designed “solely to provide information and feedback to an instructor and allow for development and improvement of a course in progress.” The senate already has recommended that teaching assistants be required to use mid-course assessments in their work. The assessments are used in about 100 courses each semester, she said.
Senate endorses AAUP vision statement
The vision statement of the Rutgers Council of the American Association of University Professors was endorsed by the senate after Kathleen Scott and Joseph Blasi, co-chairs of the university structure and governance committee, assured senators the measure did not represent taking sides in current university-union negotiations. The AAUP vision statement sets a series of goals for the university, including: retaining an outstanding and diverse faculty; providing first-class facilities for teaching, research and serving New Jersey’s citizens; and upholding core values of academic freedom, intellectual honesty, shared governance and respect for all opinions. The senate also approved two companion resolutions supporting “appropriate and competitive compensation” for teaching assistants, graduate assistants and members of the faculty, and calling upon all parties engaged in negotiations “to reach a fair and equitable agreement as soon as possible.”
Date change for 2005 university commencement
The senate voted to move the 2005 university commencement up a day to Wednesday, May 18, to avoid traffic congestion, parking difficulties and the logistical issues associated with scheduling two graduation ceremonies on the same day. Both the university commencement and the Rutgers College convocation were scheduled for Thursday, May 19, 2005. Leslie A. Fehrenbach, secretary of the boards of governors and trustees, and the coordinator of the university commencement ceremonies, requested the change in dates. Scheduling both events on the same day — the university commencement at 9 a.m. and the Rutgers College convocation at 2:30 p.m. — would lead to a lack of parking for both ceremonies, significant traffic congestion and related logistical issues, the senate agreed.
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