For the record

Announcements

Free bus passes
Transportation Services is offering bus passes to university employees again this fall, enabling them to ride free on all Madison Metro Routes, excluding special event shuttles. To receive a pass, bring a valid UW ID card to one of these locations:

• Transportation Services, 124 WARF building, Monday-Friday, 7:15 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
• Transportation Information Place (TIP), Memorial Union, Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and 1-4 p.m.
• UW Hospital and Clinics employees can pick up their passes in the Clinical Sciences Center (CSC) office, G5/140.

For more information on the UW Employee Bus Pass Program, visit http://www.fpm.wisc.edu/trans/TDM/Transit.htm.

Grants anf fellowships

The Robert Wood Johnson Health and Society Scholars Program
Applications are sought for two-year fellowships designed to enhance research, leadership and action to address the broad range of factors affecting health. Those who have completed doctoral training in disciplines ranging from behavioral, social, biological and natural sciences to health professions are eligible. Up to 18 selected scholars will begin training in August or September 2004 at one of six universities, including UW–Madison. Deadline: Oct. 15. Information: http://www.rwjf.org/programs/hss/healthSocietyScholars.jhtml.

Lectures Committee Seeks Proposals
The Lectures Committee solicits applications from departments, academic programs and registered student organizations for support of public lectures to be held during the 2003-04 academic year. As stated in Faculty Policies and Procedures, the function of the committee is to consider “requests for lectures of general interest that are not primarily supplementary to or extensions of programs of instruction provided by colleges, schools or departments.” Applications must meet specifications in the document “Policies and Guidelines for Requesting Lectures Committee Support” and must be submitted on 2003-04 forms. For this document and the form, visit http://wiscinfo.doit.wisc.edu/secfac/lectures/lectcomm/General.htm, or call 262-3956.

The committee will review applications once each month. See schedule below for deadlines; applications are also accepted before these deadlines. Applications will be accepted as long as funds are available. Proposals that include an international speaker should allow additional preparation time for the visa application process. Information: Joe Farrenkopf, farrenkopf@mail.bascom.wisc.edu or 262-3956.

Deadline for Lecture may be proposed (for lecture date no earlier than):

Sept. 15 (Nov. 1)

Oct. 15 (Dec. 1)

Nov. 15 (Jan. 1)

Dec. 15 (Feb. 1)

Jan. 15 (March 1)

Feb. 15 (April 1)

March 15 (May 1)

April 15 (June 1)

Policies and procedures

2003-04 Faculty Senate Calendar
The Faculty Senate is scheduled to meet on the first Monday of each month, except September and January. The first will be held on Monday, Sept. 29, because the first Monday of October is Yom Kippur. Faculty Senate agendas and documents are available on the Office of the Secretary of the Faculty’s Web site: http://wiscinfo.doit.wisc.edu/secfac. Meetings are held in 272 Bascom Hall at 3:30 p.m. Lengthy or complex reports must be sent electronically to the Secretary of the Faculty no later than the date indicated.

The following schedule provides information relevant to these meetings:

Date of regulare senate meeting	Last day of accepting documents for agenda	Last day of adding items of business; agenda is fixed
Sept. 29	Sept. 10	Sept. 12
Nov. 3	Oct. 15	Oct. 17
Dec. 1	Nov. 12	Nov. 14
Feb. 2	Jan. 14	Jan. 16
March 1	Feb. 11	Feb. 13
April 5	March 17	March 19
May 3	April 14	April 16

 

Faculty Senate Meetings Procedures
Registration: Senators (or alternates attending as voting members for absent senators) and University Committee members should complete registration forms and turn them in at the door.

Seating: Senators (or their alternates) and University Committee members sit in the section designated for senators. Tellers will count votes from this section only. When a senator is present, his/her alternate should not sit in this section.

Absence/Alternates: A senator may only be represented by his/her named alternate. A seat becomes vacant if a senator is absent from four consecutive regular meetings.

Speaking/Motions: Members of the faculty and full-time members of the academic staff may speak at meetings, but only senators may offer motions, second motions, or vote. When an individual rises to speak or to make a motion from the floor, he/she should state name and department. Lengthy motions should be given to the secretary in writing so the presiding officer can repeat it during debate if necessary.

Religious Observances and Classwork
Faculty policy mandates that academic requirements should not be scheduled on days when a religious observance may cause substantial numbers of students to be absent. For the fall semester, the policy identifies Rosh Hashanah (Saturday, Sept. 27) and Yom Kippur (Monday, Oct. 6) as such days. Please note that Jewish holidays and observances begin at sunset on the evening preceding the given date, and some holidays are celebrated over more than one day. Please do not schedule mandatory exercises on these dates.

Due to our university’s multicultural community, there may be conflicts between mandatory academic requirements and religious observances other than those listed. Major religious observances celebrated by Muslim and Buddhist students, such as the Islamic holiday Eid al Fitr (Tuesday, Nov. 25) also occur during the semester. A listing, though not exhaustive, of religious holidays is at http://www.interfaithcalendar.org or Office of the Secretary of the Faculty, 262-3958, 130 Bascom Hall.

A student’s claim of a religious conflict should be accepted at face value. A great variety of valid claims exist for religious groups, and there is no practical, dignified and legal means to assess validity. State law mandates that any student with a conflict between an academic requirement and any religious observance must be given an alternative means to meet the requirement. The law also stipulates that students be given means by which they can conveniently and confidentially notify an instructor of the conflict.

Please adhere to the following three guidelines that have been developed to provide clarity for both students and instructors: 1) Announce early in the semester that students must notify the instructor within the first two weeks of class of the specific days or dates on which he or she requests relief. Including this information on your course syllabus is another appropriate method to inform students. 2) Make-ups may be scheduled before or after the regularly scheduled requirements. 3) Instructors may set reasonable limits on the total number of days claimed by any one student. Occasionally, students may not fully understand the necessity for prior notice, and under these circumstances we urge flexibility. Teaching assistants should be advised of this policy.

Finally, on a somewhat parallel topic, faculty are urged to use fairness, compassion and sensitivity when a student asks you or a TA for class time off due to a family emergency. Your understanding in these situations can help the student during the crisis.

Academic Calendar
Faculty contract year begins: Aug. 25

Advising available: Aug. 25-29

Wisconsin Welcome (and additional days throughout September): Aug.29-Sept. 5

Labor Day Holiday: Sept. 1

Last day to cancel enrollment without transcript record or fee and tuition obligation: Sept. 1

Instruction begins: Sept. 2

Last day to drop courses or withdraw without notation on transcript: Sept. 10

Last day to add courses or enroll without department/ dean permission: Sept. 12 (also see Timetable)

Last day for 100 tuition adjustment on dropped classes: Sept. 12

Rosh Hashanah: Sept. 27

Yom Kippur: Oct. 6

Last day to drop courses (undergraduates, specials

and professionals): Oct. 31

Last day to withdraw without academic penalty (undergraduates and specials): Nov. 21

Last day to drop courses (graduate students): Nov. 21

Eid al Fitr: Nov. 25

Thanksgiving recess: Nov. 27-30

Last class day: Dec. 12

Study day: Dec. 13

Summary period: Dec. 14-20

Commencement: Dec. 21

Winter recess begins: Dec. 22