CHARGES TO THE CALENDAR COMMITTEE FOR FY-03

Approved by SenEx: 6/7/02

Standing Charges

1. Respond to requests for variations from the final examination schedule under University Senate Rules and Regulations 1.2.3 [See additional charge #6]

2. Notify the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics of the projected dates for the final examination periods through the spring semester 2007. [N.B. This notification has already been given.] Monitor athletic events scheduled and report to SenEx any violations of the University Senate Rules and Regulations 1.3.7 governing athletic events during a final exam period.

3. Ensure adequate arrangements are made each semester to inform students and faculty. through the "Official printed or 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. [See additional charge #6 on wording changes of USRR 1.3.2.] Inform the teaching faculty, by memorandum from the Calendar Committee chair in August and January, of the regulations and their rationale. [N.B. Please see additional charge #7 which asks that a change in the months mentioned be considered.] Special notices concerning any changes in final examinations from those scheduled must be mailed to the faculty and placed in the University Daily Kansan.

4. Each semester, in time for inclusion in the 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 for requests for special examinations. [See additional charge #8 for consideration of an explicit draft statement on such procedures.] Transmit approvals for such examinations for the Spring 2003 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.

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 April 1, 2003. The final report should make clear what was done (or not done) about each of the charges to the committee and make recommendations to SenEx for action. The report also should provide the names of the committee members and include suggestions for charges to, and the chair of, the next year's committee.

Additional Charges

6. Resume consideration of a rewording of USRR 1.3.2 to avoid confusion, misinterpretation, and potential violation of the rules governing final and other examinations during the final week of regularly scheduled classes.

{Rationale: In the opinion of the 2001-02 Calendar Committee the present wording of USRR 1.3.2 is unclear and most likely internally contradictory. A revised wording was proposed to SenEx but was subsequently so beleaguered with second thoughts and definition problems that the committee tabled the issue. Central among the issues is what constitutes a "final examination" as opposed to the "last work submitted in a course". For instance, is a required student piano recital considered a final examination or the last work submitted in a course, and if either, when should it be performed?]

7. Consider changing the dates the chair of the Calendar Committee must notify the teaching faculty of the regulations governing final examinations, as stated in the 2001-02 Charge #3, from August and January to late October and late March, respectively.

[Rationale: Notification by memorandum at the beginning of each semester is often forgotten, ignored, or overlooked resulting in a spate of last-minute, desperate petitions for exceptions. Later reminders as now suggested still allow for the three-week lead time for such petitions.]

8.. Consider a set of written policies and procedures guiding the approval (or disapproval) of petitions for requesting special and common examinations.

[Rationale: A draft of such a policy statement, which was "additional charge #7" for the 2001-02 committee, was prepared by a committee member in late spring. It needs to be reviewed and approved by the 2002-03 committee and submitted to SenEx. See the committee's final report for the text of the draft statement.]

9. Consider and propose a mechanism by which the function of the Calendar Committee can consider and make decisions, through some agent, during the period between the end of the spring semester when the current committee disbands and the activation of the incoming committee in the following fall semester.

[Rationale: Currently there is no functioning authority for any calendar committee business which arises between mid-May and, at best, early September. It has been the experience of the past committee chair that several important queries and petitions for changes or additions to special, common, and final examination dates and times are submitted during this hiatus, and which need approval or disapproval so that faculty can include any approved changes in their course syllabi. The current ad hoc mechanism is that the chair alone (in consultation with the Registrar) makes such decisions and then simply hopes the committee as a whole will officially support the actions taken rather than impeach the chair.]

10. Consider and propose a mechanism for an earlier selection, naming, and participation of the four student members of the Calendar Committee.

[Rationale: Usually, the student members of the committee are not identified by the Student Senate until mid-September. Thus the committee operates either as a committee of faculty only or delays any activities and actions until the committee's membership is complete. It is important to realize that many Calendar Committee matters affect students directly. To try to operate without student input abandons both the intent and effectiveness of the committee.]

11. Consider any special rules and other procedures needed for scheduling of regular and, particularly, final examinations for "on-line" courses.

[Rationale: In a matter still pending Calendar Committee consideration and action, Prof. Sicilian (Chair, Economics) has announced that ECON 104 "Introductory Economics" will be offered as an "on-line" course this fall (2002) semester and has requested certain dates and times for two mid-term examinations (how can there be two midterms? LRD) and a final examination. Since an on-line course, by definition, has no regularly scheduled class time, scheduling the final exam can not follow the usual procedure of scheduling a final exam date based upon the regularly-scheduled class time. Anticipating that there will be more so-called on-line courses, new rules and procedures need to be formulated.]

12. Explore the possibility of a full-week fall break instead of the current Thursday/Friday break in late October. Consider the impact on: a) the required number of class days per semester, b) the question of the current Thanksgiving break in November, c) fall semester starting dates, and d) the placement of the final exam week prior to the end of term holiday.

13. Examine the academic usefulness of the current Stop Day which now occurs on Fridays followed by a "free" weekend before the beginning of the finals week.