By KEVIN FRYLING
Reporter Staff Writer

Carl Wiezalis, president of the SUNY-wide University Faculty Senate, came to Tuesday’s meeting of the UB Faculty Senate to talk about his group’s role in guiding and influencing state policies on public higher education.

Wiezalis encouraged senators to help support this work, as well as represent faculty interests at the statewide level by joining the ranks of the SUNY-wide Faculty Senate, noting that many UB faculty members have, or currently are, serving as senators, alternate senators and committee members for SUNY.

“Your campus has more members on more [statewide] committees than any other university center, comprehensive college or technical college [in SUNY],” he said.

He also talked about the state’s higher education budget, under which UB is expected to receive a 2.9 percent cut to its operating-funds budget, among other reductions to the university and SUNY.

Wiezalis said John B. Clark, interim SUNY chancellor, met with Gov. David A. Paterson Monday and talks frequently by phone with the presidents of the SUNY campuses to strategize about reversing some of the cuts under consideration.

“The basic strategy at this point is to try to get the new governor to see the true implications of some of these policies that have been advanced,” he said. “The chancellor and the chairman of the [SUNY] board of trustees feel that a lot of these budget suggestions are the product of inexperience in the governor’s office.”

He also pointed out that the $109 million figure being circulated as the estimated impact on SUNY of a mandate that all state agencies reduce their expenditures by 3.35 percent is “a modest expression of some of the calculations that I’ve heard.”

In other business, senators approved a number of changes and amendments to existing academic policies, all of which were proposed by the Faculty Senate Grading Committee. These included re-instating restrictions on the use of lawyers in grievance and academic honesty hearings; reducing the length of time in which a student can enroll or cancel enrollment in a course from two weeks to seven days for enrollments and six days for cancellations; and increasing the number of credit hours required to earn Latin honors from 30 to 60.

Also among changes put into place were the creation of two new program honors for graduating seniors—“honors” and “distinctions”—which used together on a diploma will designate students who have attained a high GPA for their major, as well as completed a special thesis, project or seminar course. Use of the term “distinction” alone will designate students who have attainted a high GPA for their major or minor, but have not completed a special thesis, project or seminar course.

Lee Dryden, director of social sciences interdisciplinary degree programs and a member of the Faculty Senate Grading Committee, objected to this amendment due to concern that linking program honors to GPA will impact a program in the Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences, in which students completing a special project are eligible for an honors designation with a GPA as low as 3.0.

Also implemented were new policies regarding nonmatriculated undergraduates, including placing restrictions on the number of courses in which they may enroll without matriculation and requiring a GPA of at least 2.0 after attempting nine or more credit hours to remain at the university.

William H. Baumer, professor of philosophy and chair of the grading committee, said most of the changes put into place at the meeting should go into effect at the start of the 2009-10 academic year.

The removal of lawyers from grievance and academic honesty hearings could occur as early as August, he added.