AAC Meeting Minutes, 5:05pm

Present:

Keenan Crump

Gerald Martin

Nathan Cooke

Jessi Stott

Absent:

Jameka Jones

Attendance Policy for Professors:

· Hearing some professors are still using strict attendance policies

· Gerry: If the Faculty Senate has said to have a lax policy due to this flu then why does that not carry the force of law?

· Nathan: Faculty Senate makes recommendations to ignore it, fairly sure that in order to actually change policy it would require going through several committees including Honor/Judicial Boards to actually change it.

· Gerry: So could the students remove the attendance policy?

· Nathan: Theoretically yes but would they? Probably not.

· Briefly discussed procedure to get handbook changed

· Keenan: Has been approached by Deans of departments, was told to tell them what professors are not being lenient or harsh

· Jessi: was planning on going to class unless professors responded to her

· Students afraid of missing class even if sick, afraid of seeking help if professors aren’t going to follow it anyway

· Nathan: Supposed to email Dean of your school if you are going to miss more than one day of classes, Health Center does not issue notes

· Gerry: why don’t they give notes? They are the closest health practitioner.

· Nathan: it’s a liability issue which is why they don’t issue them.

· Gerry: then what is the purpose of the Health Center? Either the Health Center needs to issue notes or we need to find something that professors will take to the bank.

· Keenan: What should I take to the Faculty Senate?

o If Health Center cannot be compelled to issue notes, what would the faculty members accept as an excuse?

o Does it come down to the faculty member writing their syllabus or should it follow the guidelines?

o Why has the attendance policy not been abolished? Or the punishments for not attending be removed?

Working with Faculty Senate to find compromise for prayer at Graduation:

• Inform Faculty Senate we are working on finding a student solution and want to work with them on finding a permanent solution to the problem.

Policy for Walking for Graduation:

• Find out if it is still a proposal for students with 6 or less remaining credits to graduate that Spring and not the following year.
• Extend to Education majors who have just student teaching remaining in the next Fall.
• Jessi: Education people who have just student teaching left have to walk the next Spring instead of with the people they have been with for over 4 years. Would it be possible to change the policy?

For a later meeting:

· Work on Untouchables for budget cuts

o Gerry: Suggested Student Services that could be cut instead of Academics/Athletics, especially those not being used.