May 31, 2000
Student protest delays discussion of narratives until fall quarter
By Jim Burns
A discussion of UCSC's Narrative Evaluation System, which had been scheduled to take
place at a meeting of the Academic Senate on Wednesday, was postponed after a student
protest blocked the entrances to the meeting hall.
Assembled in the entry way to Classroom Unit 2 and in the walkway in front of
the building, the students--numbering approximately 200--demanded the "creation
of an advisory group on student-faculty relations" that would foster communication
over issues like how student performance is assessed.
After senate leaders, senior administrators, and representatives of the protesting
students discussed the demands in a nearby office for 20 minutes, senate chair Roger
Anderson emerged to announce that he was cancelling the senate meeting. "Student
demands...cannot be resolved in a timely manner that will enable the meeting to take
place today," Anderson said.
Anderson, meanwhile, scheduled an emergency senate meeting for Thursday, June
1, at 3:30 p.m. at Kresge Town Hall. He and other senate leaders said the Narrative
Evaluation System (NES) would not be on the agenda, but that several important year-end
matters would be, including the assignment of committee positions, the reappointment
of a committee assessing "merit equity" among faculty, and the affirmation
of the annual faculty research lecturer.
With the spring-quarter winding down, Wednesday's protest effectively delays the discussion of NES reform until the fall quarter, Anderson said. Scheduled to be discussed at the meeting was a proposal by the senate's Committee on Educational Policy that would have continued the requirement that instructors provide narratives in all upper-division courses. CEP's proposal, however, leaves any requirement for narratives in lower-division courses up to individual departments, a departure from current policy. The proposal would apply to entering undergraduates in fall 2001 and to all undergraduates after spring 2004.
The protest also left unclear the status of the senate's recent "mail ballot"
vote on grades. In an e-mail message to senators last week, Anderson acknowledged
that there was a "possible discrepancy" between the language of the mail
ballot and that contained in the draft minutes from the February 23 senate meeting.
"Until the February 23 minutes are approved by the senate, either corrected
or as written, the validity of the mail ballot cannot be determined," Anderson
said in the message.
In the grading legislation that is the subject of the mail ballot, students entering
in fall 2001 would continue to be able to take courses on a Pass/No Pass (P/NP) basis.
But no more than 25 percent of the UCSC course work applied toward graduation credit
could be taken on a P/NP basis.
The mail ballot was requested by 27 senators following the February 23 meeting. At that meeting, the senate voted overwhelmingly (154-77) for the grading legislation. With Wednesday's meeting cancelled and the mail ballots collected but uncounted, Anderson said the February vote remains the decision of record.
Previous Currents stories on the grades/NES:
A message concerning the senate's 'mail ballot' (May 29, 2000)
Count of 'mail ballot' on grades placed on hold pending ruling (May 15, 2000)
Senate's vote on grades goes to 'mail ballot' (April 10, 2000)
Academic Senate adopts UC's conventional grading system (Feb. 28, 2000)
Debate on NES continues at Convocation on Teaching (Feb. 21, 2000)
Annual Convocation on Teaching will focus on NES (Feb. 14, 2000)
NES forums continue; decision expected at senate meeting (Jan. 31, 2000)
First 'narratives' forum produces two quite different perspectives (Jan. 24, 2000)
Continuing the discussion of the NES (Jan. 10, 2000)
Senate narrowly postpones vote on narrative evaluations (Dec. 6, 1999)
Proposal to eliminate 'narratives' goes before Academic Senate (Nov. 22, 1999)
