Minutes of the Academic Policies Committee
for April 28, 2008

April 28, 2008 -- Final Meeting of 2007-08 Academic Year.

APC met in MOLN 248-B (CSCI Conference Room).  The meeting was convened at 12:15, when a quorum was present.

 Present:  Laura Gellott, Stuart Hansen, Rhonda Kimmel, Joy Wolf, Jo-Ann Goodyear, John Longeway.

 Excused:  Doug DeVinny, James Kinchen, Ron Otto.

 Absent:   Carmel Ruffolo

 Guest:  Prof. Gail Gonzalez, Chair, Modern Languages

1.  Laura Gellott reported that the Senate, at its April 22, 2008 meeting had passed all items brought forward by APC:

       * Enforcing completion, by the time a student earns 60 credits, of the English and Math requirement (the sequence of courses ending in ENGL 101 and MATH 102 or 111)

      * completion of the Information Literacy requirement by 60 credits

       * changing the dates/deadlines for Late Drop.

 NOTE:  I will include the exact wording of these policies, as amended on the floor of 

the Senate, in the final report for APC 2007-08.  I am awaiting the posting of the minutes from Sec/Faculty Evelyn Zepp.

 2.  Change to Foreign Language Requirement.  Gail Gonzalez presented a proposal from MODL to change the foreign language requirement to four semesters of college level instruction in the same foreign language, or its equivalent (four years high school instruction in the same language).

A general discussion focused on the kinds of data that would be needed for Senate consideration of such a proposal:

               * how many students come to Parkside having already taken four years of HS

 language, which would be the equivalent of four semesters here and would thus mean that these students have met the proposed requirement;

               * what languages are students studying in the local high schools, as a possible indicator of what languages they would continue to study here;

               * how many additional sections would be needed to accommodate students at

 the third and fourth semester levels;

Stuart Hansen also raised the point as to how this requirement would bear upon students who are in credit-heavy majors, such as CS, the natural sciences, music, etc.   One compensating factor could be the use by students of the retroactive credit mechanism in place for foreign language study -- the possibility of earning college-level credit for work done in high school, provided that they earn at least a B- in the next-level course beyond their high school work.

This discussion will be continued at the first meeting of APC in Fall 2008.

3.  Graduation Honors in Biology.  This proposal will be returned to the department for some revision and clarification and also placed on the agenda for our first meeting in Fall 2008.

Submitted by:  Laura Gellott, Chair, APC, 2007-2008.