FINAL REPORT OF THE CALENDAR COMMITTEE FOR FY-06
Note:
Report on Charges #2 and #8 by Bryan Foster, chair, Spring
2006 semester only
Report on other charges compiled by Molly Mulloy, Governance Staff
1. Ensure
adequate arrangements are made each semester to inform students and faculty
through the on-line Timetable of Classes and the media of the regulations
governing final examinations and the appropriate procedures to be followed if
questions arise about the application of the regulations. Inform the teaching
faculty, via e-mail from the Calendar Committee chair one week before the
beginning of each semester (in August and January), of the regulations and
their rationale. Include information that
finals cannot take place on Stop Day. Special notices concerning any changes in
final examinations from those scheduled must be mailed to the faculty and
placed in the University Daily Kansan.
Faculty and GTAs were informed by
email in August and January of the final exam rules.
2. Each semester,
in time for inclusion in the on-line Timetable, solicit and approve or
disapprove applications for examinations and tests other than final
examinations to be given at times other than regular test hours as provided in
University Senate Rules and Regulations 1.4.2, following the committee's
established procedures for requests for special examinations. Transmit
approvals for such examinations for the Spring 2006
semester to the Office of the University Registrar. A similar procedure should
be observed for the following fall semester. The Athletic Director must give
notice of night games at least one year in advance of the event unless it
occurs on a weekend.
Charge #2 dealt with approval of the schedules for Fall 06 Final and Special Exams. The committee unanimously
approved the exam schedule.
3.
Update the five-year calendar every year.
Marjorie Swann, chair of the
Calendar Committee in the Fall 2005 semester, reports that in November 2005 the
committee approved the calendar through Summer 2011.
Unfortunately, this information was not conveyed to SenEx. The academic
calendar must be approved by Governance before it is forwarded to the Provost
and Board of Regents. Therefore, suggest
that this be on the agenda for approval at the first Senate meeting in Fall 06.
4. In an effort
to insure compliance with the rules about final exams, the committee should
send out an informational e-mail to all deans and chairs summarizing these
rules.
Marjorie Swann prepared an
excellent FAQ on the final exam policy which was emailed.
5. Submit to
SenEx: a) the approved minutes of each meeting (minutes must be kept), b)
recommendations for action as they are approved by the committee, and c) a
final report by or before
Not
done.
6. Monitor that
the Registrar’s Office sends a copy of the five-year calendar to the Director
of Intercollegiate Athletics as soon as it is approved, and report to SenEx any
violations of the University Senate Rules and Regulations 1.3.7 governing
athletic events during a final exam period.
Registrar
Cindy Derritt will send the 5-year calendar to Athletics as soon as it is
approved by Governance and the Provost.
7. Consider whether the length of the semester break between fall and spring terms is appropriate.
Waiting
to hear from Marjorie Swann as to whether the committee discussed this charge.
8.
Assure that inconsistencies among rules concerning
final exams, e.g., between the conflicting “3 exams on one day” rule (USRR
1.3.4) and the “common exam” (Timetable) rule, are resolved.
This was resolved by the committee
by altering the language slightly for USRR 1.3.4 as shown below. It is my
understanding that SenEx and the University Council has approved the changes and forwarded
them the Provost for final approval.
USRR 1.3.4: Except for those excused in
advance by the instructor, all students are required to take final examinations
when prescribed. No student shall be obligated to take more than two (2)
examinations on the same day.
However, in the event that a student has three (3) or more final
examinations scheduled on the same day, no student shall be obligated to
take more than two exams on that day. and wishes to take no fewer than two
(2) final examinations on the same day, No later than two weeks before Stop Day, the student shall notify the
instructor(s) from the highest numbered course(s) not having a common final exam no later than two weeks before the
last day of class
of the need to provide a make-up examination to be administered at a
mutually acceptable time.