Faculty Council Meeting of Tuesday, 27 November 2001
President: Joe Liles; Vice-president: John Woodmansee; Secretary: Floyd Bullard

Minutes

Announcements

Joe announced that a surprise change was going to be made to the agenda, and he hoped no one would be terribly put out.  Two stated agenda items would not be discussed in detail.  One is senior exam exemptions.  The Student Government Association (SGA) wanted to discuss the issue with the Faculty Council officers before taking it to the full faculty.  The other is judicial issues.  Joan, Steve, Jerry, Martha, and Tom (Trocano) have all been working on a proposed change to the judicial procedure, but they’re not ready to present it yet.  So that will be presented next week.

A request was made that no administrative action about exam exemption be taken until the Faculty Council has a chance to discuss the issue at length.  Steve stated he was willing to agree to this without a vote, and per Joe’s request, the faculty agreed to trust him in this on good faith.

Jonathan Bennett announced that the School Improvement Group (SIG) had extended their schedule, and it would still be possible for people to give them feedback on the School Improvement Plan (SIP) until 18 January.  Also, on 11 December (an ALT Day) SIG would hold concurrent sessions to get people’s feedback about the SIP. 

Ray announced concerts by the wind ensemble and the jazz ensemble on Sunday, and that the following group Scott’s groups would have a concert.  Both concerts would be at 3:00 in the auditorium.

Gail reminded everyone that a reception would be held on Thursday to thank everyone involved in the creation of the new school transcript and profile.  Joe thanked Gail for rescheduling that reception from the present moment to Thursday.

Agenda Item 1: Senior Class Trip

Steve stated that the students were not calling the trip a trip, but a “Senior Retreat”.  Their purpose was “to give the whole class a chance to reflect on [their] experience and allow [them] time to be together before [they] disperse.”  They proposed several dates and discussed it with Steve, Jerry, Joan, and the department heads.  They would like to take their trip either 18-20 May or 17-19 May.  This would conflict with either the last day of AP exams or the first day of our exams.  They would have requirements upon going (C- or D in any second semester class would mean exclusion, as would a Level 2 for unexcused absences, or any Level 3).  They anticipate a need for chaperones, who would also cook for the students.  They would leave at 8:30AM on Day 1 and return by 6:30PM on Day 3.

This would mean losing an academic day from the calendar.  Steve said that he and Tom discussed where that might come from, and they had 2 ideas: (1) a one-time-only day off of Miniterm, or (2) exams starting not on Friday, but on Saturday, with no half-day off the following week.  Steve said he was open to other ideas.

Discussion ensued.  Two teachers were “appalled” that we were considering letting students be “away with friends having a crazy time” and then come back to take exams immediately.

Two other teachers said it was unfair to faculty and juniors to have to work (or take exams) on a Saturday so that seniors can have an academic day off.  Another teacher said that Saturday exams would result in lower exam scores.

Several teachers questioned why the trip had to conflict with an academic day.  Why couldn’t it take place over an extended weekend?  Steve said that students felt strongly about this: this was a time when they got to take home a lot of their belongings.  Also, extendeds were in the calendar so that students could go home and relax.

Several teachers voiced unhappiness with these arguments against having the trip over an extended weekend.  A faculty member suggested that they take a trip during their Spring Break, and why not unsupervised by NCSSM parties, and not excluding any students?  Steve said he would suggest that to the students.

Someone said that the time students most needed to bond was the beginning of their junior year.  If the school was going to approve of and sponsor such a trip, why not make it for first-semester juniors?  Later another faculty member echoed this notion.

A concern was voiced that taking out an academic day for this would set a bad precedent, and that the day was not likely to return. 

One faculty member stated very articulately her opinion that the unhappiness being voiced by so many faculty didn’t stem from faculty distaste for trips (which doesn’t exist), but from our perception that classroom time is not valued.  What we’re doing is not important.  Coupled with an exam exemption proposal, that perception is understandable.  Many faculty are begging for a Miniterm day to return to the classroom.  That did not occur, but the administration is willing to give up a Miniterm day for this event.  In the hierarchy, that puts the trip above Miniterm, and classroom time at the bottom.  Why must we make the compromise instead of the students?

One teacher said, “The trip is a waste.  It think this is a farce built by the kids, and it’s not profitable for them to go.  It serves them no purpose, nor us as a community.”

Another stated, “We talk a lot about asking students to make responsible decisions, to look at things ethically, to be careful in their thoughts and actions.  Now they say: “Someone else has to make up for our play time.”  That’s not the kind of decision we want our students to make.

One faculty member commented that “when I think about the planning going into this, and I think about the academic trips I’d like to take… why not bonding at the museum, or at a the play?  I’ve seen kids eat this stuff up.  I’d rather be ‘behind’ something like that kind of bonding than ‘play-bonding’… I’d rather support educationally-focused bonding.”

One faculty member argued that extendeds were not just a time to rest, but a time that families cherish.  Kids might not be allowed to attend NCSSM if their families didn’t know they could bond again periodically.

At last, a motion was made “that we not take academic time—including Miniterm—away for a senior class trip.”  It was seconded and voted upon.

In favor: 34.  Opposed: 1.  Abstentions: 4.

Agenda Item 2: “The Big Picture” document

Joe reminded everyone that earlier in the semester we had asked an ad-hoc committee to write down specific proposals that the faculty council could discuss and vote upon: proposals that affected the academic life of NCSSM.  They have completed their task, and the document that everyone has already received is called simply “The Big Picture” document.  We can accept it as it is, modify it, or outright reject it.

Discussion ensued.

Q: How short are we on classroom time compared with the recommendations by the College Board?  A (Joe): It’s different for every test.  But in all cases the College Board was recommending far more contact time than we have.  But I can say accurately, without including the details, that the statement in this document is correct.  To be successful, students need more lab time and more class time than we currently have.

Q: I don’t want to forbid evening classes from others, but neither do I want to teach evening classes myself.

Q: I don’t like the notion that more class time is better. We should get out of the students’ way and let them learn.

Q: Regarding item 2 [restrictions on seminars].  This would result in fewer seminars.

Q: I’m not sure shortening Miniterm is a good thing.  There are valuable academic experiences other than classroom experiences.

Q: I think we’re missing the forest and seeing only leaves.  We don’t use Alt Days the way we should, although I’m in favor of Alt Days in principle.  The same thing is true of Miniterm.  What we need to do is come together as a community and create an academic environment.

Time ran out and many people were dissatisfied that our discussion was incomplete.  Joe said that we would continue the discussion next week and would like to vote on it.  Someone pointed out that that meant we would have two “power items” on our agenda next time.  Joe: “Yeah.  Be on time.”