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Minutes
September 19, 2003
Present: Catherine Larson (chair), Anthony Ardizzone, Mellonee Burnim, Allan Edmonds, Walter Gantz,
Catharine Hoff, Robert Ivie, Daniel O'Neill, Catherine Pilachowski, Olivia Snyder, Georgia Strange
Ex Officio: Kirstine Lindemann, Sharon O'Bryan
Policy Committee representative: Al Ruesink
Absent: Cynthia Bannon
ACTIONS
- Approved minutes of May, 2003 meeting.
- Approved request to allow MSCI M131 count for N&M distribution.
DISCUSSION
Introductions and Goals After introductions, Dean Larson gave a summary of issues for discussion this year:
transfer and course and degree articulation issues; senior year issues; Global Village; further discussion
of math to come later in the year; CDC/ASPO changes and possible partnerships to discuss eportfolio, senior
year issues and internships.
Minutes The minutes of the May 13, 2003 meeting were approved.
Grades of Incomplete The Committee discussed departmental, College, and university policies and practices
regarding grades of incomplete. Suggestions from the discussion included the following: place the issue on
the agenda of a chairs & directors meeting and encourage discussion within departments; send a memo to the
faculty with an explanation of the policy ( including an example of a form that could be used within the
department and a brief policy on incompletes that could be included on a syllabus -- similar to commonly
used statements about plagiarism); put FAQ on web; inform course directors of policy and remind Directors of
Graduate Studies that Kirstine Lindemann can discuss policy issues at AI orientations; revise the College
bulletin text in line with the Faculty Handbook. Other points from the discussion included the reminder
that saying "no incompletes" is also against policy, and that case-by-case discretion will always be a
factor in decisions, especially when discussing when a student can and should withdraw from a class and when
an incomplete can be given.
Senior Year Issues Dean Larson summarized the IU results of Prof George Kuh's National Survey of Student
Engagement (NSSE) and information from the College's exit interview. She discussed the possibility of a
task force to explore senior year initiatives, how best to help students with the challenges of the senior
year: integration, reflection, closure, transition. The task force could facilitate discussion at the
College and departmental level about such issues as capstone courses, senior seminars, theses, other senior
projects, eportfolios, job search strategies, internships, pathways to grad school, and rituals and
traditions for the senior year.
Request from Medical Sciences to allow MSCI M131 to count for N&M. Since it is unusual for the College to
evaluate a course offered by another school or program for distribution within the College, a summary was
given of the complex and long-standing curricular interactions between the Medical Sciences Program and the
Biology Department. Biology was consulted regarding this request, and Catharine Hoff relayed to the
Committee Lynda Delph's response: that Biology had some concern that some of their majors would choose this
course rather than another elective and thus might become even more focused on medical issues, but that the
course itself is a rigorous science course and would be a good choice for other students. Al Ruesink from
Biology also said that the course matched well the kinds of courses he reviews for N&M credit coming from
other institutions. Approved unanimously.
Since time was running short, discussion of the proposed new track for the B.S. Physics degree was postponed
to the next meeting, as was further discussion of transfer and degree articulation issues.
The next meeting is scheduled for October 13, 2003 in Kirkwood Hall 007.
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