MEMBERS PRESENT: J. Allison, G. Avent, E. Bateman, J. Blach, R. Byram, F. Daniels, m. Fenger, P. Fox, G. Goicoechea, C. Holt, C. Hyslop, P. Josey, M. Kuhl, M. McFarlane, C. McMullen, R. McNally, B. Murphy, M. Myrhow, L. Owens, M. Ports, M. Puccinelli, C. Pyatt, J. Rice, K. Schwandt, J. Shaw, G. Smith, J. Smith, S. Sweetwater, G. Tenney, M. Van de Ven, J. Williams

OTHERS PRESENT: President Dr. Ronald Remington, Vice President for Academic Affairs Betty Elliott

1. ATTENDANCE: Silent roll was taken. Chair Jack Smith declared a quorum present.
2. CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order at 1:19 p.m.
3. WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS : Chair Jack Smith welcomed President Remington and Vice President Elliott to Senate.
4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: The minutes of the March 12, 1999, meeting were unanimously approved with the following clarification: Item IX.E. should read "The committee will begin interviewing procedure for the faculty positions with a finish target date of May 21."
5. DR. RONALD REMINGTON: President Remington discussed the following:
   1. Overall, GBC is in fairly good shape despite a few items where money has to be found. It is critical at this time to rally support at the May 5 meeting. A letter-writing campaign is among initiatives in full force. Final Legislative decisions will be made by May 31. Prior to this, an outside consulting group will study funding for the various institutions and identify if there are truly discrepancies in the equity funding formula. Our cost per FTE is the highest in the state but our programs are quality programs.
   2. Gary King and Craig Willis of the Reynold's Foundation were on campus April 12 to tour campus, meet with the landscape architects and view the proposed plans. They were pleased with the proposed plans and progress.
   3. Ron Daniels of the Northwest Accreditation Association visited on April 13 and 14. The campus is in good shape as an institution; however, areas for improvement include supportive program advisement, equipment upgrading and implementing a means of gauging the effectiveness of our programs. Although two of the areas may be easily satisfied, equipment money comes from the state and citizens expect the state to give adequate funding.
6. VICE PRESIDENT BETTY ELLIOTT: Vice President Elliott commended the faculty on the number of accomplishments which have been made in the last three years. Areas for improvement were presented which listed academic advisement, part-time faculty, curriculum degree requirements, job security, academic support for under-prepared students, and the structure/duties of departmental chairs. Initiatives to address these areas are under construction but many of these will evolve as the college continues to grow including having faculty control curricular issues and new biology labs slated for the upcoming technical building.
7. SENATE CHAIR REPORT: Chair Jack Smith reported the following:
   1. UCCSN Code Section 6.6 Initiative - The language of the policy pertaining to disciplinary actions during disputes between administration and faculty had been approved for submission by Faculty Senate Chairs in November 1998; however, the actual policy is still being reviewed and modified. A final decision will possibly be heard at the next Board of Regents meeting.
   2. Benefits - The Committee on Benefits has been abolished with Pete Ernaut heading the new committee under the direction of the Governor. Information regarding legislation pertaining to our health care system has been distributed.
   3. Curriculum Responsibilities - The catalog a student begins under is the catalog he/she graduates from. A draft is available which outlines the responsibilities of faculty to the student. All final decisions will be made by faculty. Mike McFarlane gave a brief update on the curriculum committee which includes re-allotting classes to fulfill the five objectives that the general education requirements should include and the possible reinstatement of the Associate of Science degree with same general education requirements. The committee is still unclear as to the direction of the vocational/technical programs and instructors in these areas are urged to contact the committee with their suggestions.
   4. Grade Inflation - There seems to be a serious problem among part-time faculty's grading practices which are apparent from blatant inconsistencies with main stream grading practices. The issue was turned over to the Academic Standards Committee for review. Suggestions included mandatory attendance by part-time faculty at orientation sessions and workshops explaining the principals of grading curves. Faculty requests documentation of the average grade received and the average grade point average by a student at GBC.
   5. Vice Chair and Benefits Committee Chair - Separate votes were taken unanimously electing John Patrick Rice as Vice Chair and Phil Smith as the Compensation and Benefits Chair for the 1999-2000 academic year.
   6. Learning Resources Center - The faculty unanimously voted in favor of renaming the LRC to the GBC Library once the facility moves back on campus.
   7. Workload Policy - Faculty were reminded of the availability of release time or overload pay under certain conditions outlined in the Faculty Workload Policy. Several may meet these conditions while planning the four-year programs and should plan ahead to avoid conflicts with other faculty members. Any questions should be referred to Vice President Elliott.
8. COMMITTEE REPORTS:
   1. Academic Standards - None
   2. Compensation and Benefits - No written report submitted; approval was given for $300 allowing Kathy Schwandt and Ed Nickel to attend a Microsoft Networking Specialists seminar.
   3. Facilities Committee - None
   4. Personnel Committee - No written report submitted; a brief status review was given of the pending faculty appointments.
   5. Student Relations Committee - None
   6. Budget - None
   7. Curriculum and Articulation - No written report submitted; Math Statistics will move from a 200 to a 100 class due to state articulation and ATC designated nutrition classes will be changed to a nutrition prefix.
   8. Faculty and Administration Evaluations - No written report submitted; administrative evaluations have been completed, tabulated and verified with results forwarded to Dr. Remington and the originals shredded.
   9. Scholarships and Awards - No written report submitted; forms for staff and student recognition have been distributed with a submission deadline of April 29. Please return to Student Financial Services. The President's Award Ceremony will be held May 7. The committee is missing approximately half of the outstanding student plaques. If anyone knows their whereabouts, please contact the committee immediately.
   10. Distance Learning - None
9. REGENT'S AWARDS:
   1. Marilyn Glaser was nominated for the Outstanding Student Award for her work as ASB Treasurer.
10. OLD BUSINESS: No old business was brought forward.
11. NEW BUSINESS:
    1. Elder Hostel Funds - There is money available in the Elder Hostel account for use by the college. There was a proposal to purchase a portable computer set up which can be easily moved from one classroom to another. No action was taken.
12. ANNOUNCEMENTS:
    1. The Associated Student Body will be hosting "Taste of the World" in the College Community Center on Tuesday, April 27. The celebration includes a free concert sponsored by the music department featuring the all-Hispanic duet/orchestral group "Mariachi Michoacan" and foods from around the world including two international desserts by Chef Xavier of Café X. Other food contributions are being solicited.
    2. Margaret Puccinelli, Nursing Faculty, was acknowledged for her dedicated work in the recruiting efforts of the history position for GBC. Her military accuracy and preciseness has moved the process forward in a timely matter.
    3. There will be a Blood Drive on Friday, May 7 between 8:00 A.M. - 2:00 P.M. in the GBC Fitness Center. All are encouraged to sign up.
    4. The Associated Student Body elections are once again coming up. Students will be actively campaigning with voting to be held April 26 - 29.