Undergraduate Council Attending: D. Carver (for F. Chadwell), H. Chereck, J. Earl, P. Engelking, H. Gerdes, J. Long, K. Nicholson, J. Nicols, S. Ponder, S. Pratt, J. Rice, M. Smith, R. Zimmerman Absent: F. Chadwell, M. Gleason, W. Gottshall, R. Koch, A. Leavitt, M. Partch Guests: Craig Hickman, Kate Wagle - Fine and Applied Arts; Kathleen Karlyn - English Meeting began at 12:35 PM. J. Long welcomed the guests and indicated they were here to answer any questions from the UC concerning their proposals. He also welcomed D. Carver as the representative from the Library for this meeting. BFA in Multimedia Design Long noted that this would be a review of the proposal with questions directed toward the representatives from Fine and Applied Arts. A vote would be taken at the next meeting of the UC. C. Hickman gave some background into the proposal and indicated that it is proposing a major that is already in progress--a conversion of the Visual Design program. Most of the new courses indicated are number changes of courses that are now being taught. He also noted that the department is not proposing a minor this year and that the minor will be interdisciplinary and will be open to all students. Three new core courses, large introductory courses with labs, will be offered on an experimental basis. The major will rely heavily on revenue generated by these core courses under the new student credit hour formula. The department plans to hire two new faculty on a temporary basis by fall, 2000. It is the department's plan that the major be self-supporting after the two-year start-up. Plans now are to propose a minor in the future. Wagle indicated that if the program does not become self-supporting after two years, the faculty hired on a temporary appointment would leave. In answer to the question about space for the extra sections, Hickman reiterated that this major is a conversion so additional classrooms are not required. He also noted that there will be a new lab in Grayson Hall to accommodate the students. D. Carver asked if additional resources were needed for audio and TV production, and Hickman indicated that there are no plans to have a studio, and the resources that are now in place would be utilized. Carver's concern was the increased demand on the resources available and the demand for new formats (DVD, etc.). She indicated that the Library does not have the budget to develop that collection. J. Rice had a concern about courses overlapping and being duplicated or competitive with CIS courses. Hickman noted that the CIS course (CIS 123) is geared toward WEB authoring and is of a more technical nature. Students taking the CIS course gain more technical skills, enabling them to put together a WEB site. The Fine and Applied Arts course is oriented toward design. Rice also indicated that it is difficult to distinguish the courses from one another by title or description. P. Engelking's concern was the more advanced courses students would be taking in CIS. Hickman indicated that they would be introductory courses suggested by CIS that do not have a strong technical component. In addition, Engelking was concerned about using CIS courses with prerequisites in the minor. In response to a question about broader student access to the courses, Hickman responded that historically their courses have been restricted to majors. Hickman also noted that students taking the minor would take 3D Graphics without having to take a lot of prerequisites. This raised additional issues of accessibility as well as the question of how well graduates of the BFA would compete for jobs when equally skilled, but more technically trained, people might seek the same sorts of jobs. Long thanked Wagle and Hickman and invited them back to the next meeting of the UC (Noon, February 18, at 350 Willamette). Certificate In Film Studies K. Karlyn was present to answer questions regarding the certificate. Carver was concerned about the additional demands on the video/DVD library stating that the Library's budget was too modest to meet dramatically increased demand. One solution would be to have both units' development officers seek donors. Regarding access to classes and whether they could be restricted to students in the program, Karlyn indicated that the courses would be offered on a "first-come, first-served" basis and advising would direct students. As advising may be a major burden, it was suggested that the department consider giving one person a lighter teaching load to offset the additional work. Karlyn would discuss this with John Gage (head of English). She also agreed to prepare an advising checklist for the certificate. In addition, Karlyn indicated that there might be a problem with course demand because Film Studies courses would be listed in the Multimedia Design BFA. Karlyn then left the meeting and the UC voted on the proposal. For: all present Opposed: none The motion passed unanimously.
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