• Karen reported that the subgroup of faculty meeting with her has been a very successful effort.
• Graduate Life Center: The Donaldson Brown Hotel and Conference Center is in the process of being transformed into the Graduate Life Center. In part, this transformation includes: (1) graduate student housing for approximately 80 graduate students; (2) graduate school offices; (3) mixed purpose spaces (large meeting room and/or meal functions); (4) a coffee shop; (5) recreation rooms; (6) graduate student organization offices (including office space for the graduate representative to the BOV); (7) a reception area; (8) a testing center; (9) computer labs; (10) a wellness area with counseling. Plans are also being made for temporary housing for visiting scholars. Further, there are discussions regarding a child care center and married student housing.
• Graduate Facility: There has been some discussion regarding the idea of formal identification of graduate faculty that would somehow distinguish them from undergraduate faculty. The main drawback is that it might produce an elitist view of those identified as graduate faculty. However, having certain faculty designated as graduate faculty and working with Karen to advance graduate education has potential advantages such as, being able to clearly identify those faculty who are responsible for graduate education and who mentor graduate students.
• Provost McNamee has allocated money to support 49 more Ph.D. students beginning Fall 2005. The monies flow through the Graduate School to the colleges. Colleges identified how many new Ph.D. students they wanted to procure support for and then presented a plan. Priority areas were considered in evaluating the plans and allocations were then made. Most deans were pleased that they were getting new resources. Every college received some resources.
• Programs with masters as terminal degrees are important to graduation education at VT; however, new monies will be invested in Ph.D. programs.

• Ben Davenport (BOV Rector) and Sandra Lowe (Chair, Academic Affairs Committee, BOV) will visit the Faculty Senate in February.
• Status of the charter initiative: the charter process is evolving and thus far three levels have been identified—(1) sets of items all universities can take advantage of immediates; (2) certain things a university can do depending on capability; and (3) a comprehensive approach which looks like the proposed charter legislation. Small schools are still concerned about large schools getting what they want and not lobbying for higher education monies.

• Nothing to report since the last Faculty Senate meeting.
• Next CFA meeting is January 28, 2005.

The following unedited reports were not presented, but were written by the respective Faculty Senate representatives to commissions or committees specifically for inclusion in the Faculty Senate minutes.

University Athletic Committee (Frank Gwazdaukas), January 20, 2005 Meeting

Rosemary Goss announced that Dr. Jim Wightman would be the next “Huddle with the Hokies” colloquium speaker. The talk entitled “Molecules in Motion” will be presented at 1:30 p.m., Saturday, February 5, at the Merryman Center Team Room. Senators are encouraged to attend.

Terry Swecker reported on the work of the NCAA Compliance and Oversight Subcommittee. The report covered rules education of coaches, financial aid, and eligibility certification. The major recommendations were increasing staffing for compliance activities and increasing education of peripheral groups, such as boosters who are outside of athletics.

Joe Tront discussed a meeting with a faculty senator about the Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics (COIA). COIA is concerned with admissions, scholarships, curricular integrity, time commitments, and the Office of Academic Advising for Athletes. Based on the discussions, it appears COIA has been around for about 10 years. They have presented suggestions for rules changes to the NCAA. The group appears to be a dissident group. It was felt that membership in the organization by the Faculty Senate does not appear to provide benefits to student athletes.

Chris Helms presented a report of athletes' academic performances for Fall 2004. There were 464 student athletes on team rosters. A third of students maintain a cumulative of 3.0 or greater GPA. Average team cumulative GPA is 2.88 Cumulative GPAs are: 2.70 Baseball; 2.60 Men’s Basketball; 3.07 Men’s Cross Country; 2.50 Football; 2.77 Golf; 2.94 Men’s Soccer; 2.68 Men’s Swimming; 2.82 Men’s Track; 3.06 Men’s Tennis; 2.50 Wrestling; 2.95 Women’s Basketball; 3.17 Women’s Cross Country; 3.02 Lacrosse; 2.97 Softball; 2.91 Women’s Soccer; 2.92 Women’s Swimming; 2.90 Women’s Track; 3.07 Women’s Tennis; 3.24 Volleyball.

Jim Weaver presented the ACC Fall football schedule. Tech will have one Thursday night home game.

9. New Business:

• Susan Anderson was elected to the Commission on Equal Opportunity and Diversity with her term ending in 2007. Ruth Greene was elected to fulfill Edd Sewell's spring semester commission duties until May 2005. When Edd returns from leave he will continue representing the Faculty Senate on the Commission on Equal Opportunity and Diversity.
• The COIA resolution for "Change in Membership of Commission on Outreach and International Affairs" was approved. The change was from the current wording "One representative from the area of International Programs appointed by the President (three-year term)" to "One member from the area of International Affairs who shall be the chair of the University Council on International Affairs (UCIA) or his/her appointee."