Faculty Council Business Meeting
Tuesday, March 4, 2003, 12 Noon
Anne and Charles Duncan Hall, Room 1044

Present: John Zammito (Speaker), Ed Akin, Stephen Baker, Steven Crowell, Chandler Davidson, André Droxler, Tom Haskell, Lynne Huffer, Scott McGill, Bob Patten, Herb Ward, and Jennifer West. Absent: Deborah Harter, Hannah Landecker, Julia Morgan, and Mark Wiesner.

(1) Honor Council Proposal (Zammito): The Speaker stressed the importance of the Council responding, without delay, to President Gillis’ request for their advice concerning whether the Honor Council’s proposed constitutional amendments should be put before the student body this semester for a vote this spring. He then appealed to the members for their strong, unanimous support of the Honor Council’s proposal. The Faculty Council passed the following two resolutions:

Resolution One
Faculty Council unanimously recommends to the President that the Honor Council’s proposed constitutional amendments go forward to a vote by the student body this spring semester.

Resolution Two
Faculty Council unanimously recommends that the Administration instruct any of its officials who have concerns about the legality or wisdom of the proposed constitutional amendments to the Honor Code address these concerns publicly to the student body prior to, and without delaying, the vote this spring.

(2) Undergraduate Curriculum Committee—Degree Requirements Report (Zammito): The Speaker stated that he sent an inquiry to Jim Pomerantz (Chair, Undergraduate Curriculum Committee) to ask him if he is planning to revise his committee’s report since the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee has received new information from Provost Levy regarding the issues involved. Zammito stated that he has not received a response from Pomerantz.

(3) Faculty Titles (Zammito): Zammito described issues about information he has received from President Gillis regarding the title “Professor of the Practice.” The Speaker said that Council will carefully consider this matter during their next meeting. Zammito then asked Huffer to provide a report from the Policy Committee concerning those issues, and he asked Ward (Chair, Research Council, 2002) to give an overview of the issues described in the Report on Research Faculty by Rice University Research Council, April 12, 2002, in Council’s business meeting on 25 February.

(4) Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 1:30 p.m., and the next Faculty Council business meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 25, 2003, 12 noon, Esther M. Cohen Dining Room, Cohen House.

Ellen Butler, Secretary