Chemistry Department Meeting Minutes

November 19, 2004

2:30 – 4:30 p.m.

HBC – Room 214.0

In Attendance: Madan Mohan, Lew Barnett, Bill Cheek, Jessica White, Anita Thurwachter, Denis Miiller, Brad Herrick, Ya-Ping Huang, Al Dumbuya, Blanca Lara, Rhonda Raymond, Debbie Sackett, Lydia Bearden, Chris Uzomba, and Marilyn LeBlanc

¨ The meeting was opened by Chris welcoming everyone.

¨ Hourly Hiring Guidelines presented in the last meeting were adopted without change. See below.

¨ Unification of Lab Topics – College Wide

- Debbie suggested phasing this in by semester or year. It will start with Introduction to Chemistry. Debbie will send out unified list of all 15 labs to instructors. Chris asked that everyone e-mail their 12 favorite labs to him. He will then send the compiled list back out, and it will be discussed at the next meeting.

¨ Enforcement of Course Pre-requisites

- Minimum course pre-requisites need to be checked to make sure students are qualified to take the course. Chris has been getting many complaints from students, and he thinks most of them stem from the student not being qualified to take the course.

- The following was discussed:

o Counselors need to know that UT students cannot come into our classes unless they have the lecture and lab of the preceding course. UT offers lectures and labs separately.

o Brad suggested an assessment test that would show students’ knowledge be given on the 1^st class day. Then students would be told how well they could expect to do in the class.

o Part of the overall problem of student complaints is that students are becoming more and more intolerant, not just in Chemistry but in all disciplines. Counselors are collecting data on this.

o Chris asked that everyone think about this and send suggestions to him or bring them to the next meeting.

- It was also discussed that some students drop a Chemistry class but continue to

attend labs. After a student drops, they are no longer covered by insurance and are in the lab at their own risk. Is there a written rule on this, or should it be put in everyone’s syllabi? This needs to be checked out.

¨ Assignment of New Computers

- There is a 3-year turn around on new computers. Anyone who has one that is 5 years or older will get a new one. Debbie will get a flat screen since she is in a small office.

Hiring Guidelines for Hourly Employees in the Chemistry Department

Goal: To establish uniform, college wide policies with respect to the hiring of hourly employees in the Chemistry Department.

Specific Policies:

Initial Hiring:

(1) A person may be hired as an hourly employee in the Chemistry Department if they meet one of the following minimum requirements.

• have completed, with a passing grade (C), CHEM 1411
• have worked two semesters as a work-study in the Chemistry Department

(2) Everyone, regardless of education or experience, is initially hired as a Science Lab

Assistant I.

Longevity and Promotions:

These are a list of the minimum requirements for promotion. Also consider the caveat listed under budget allocation below. Promotions are not required.

(1) To be promoted from Science Lab Assistant I to Science Lab Assistant II, the employee must:

• have completed CHEM 1412 with a passing grade (C)
• be able to perform titrations and standardizations without direct supervision
• have worked, in the Chemistry Department, as a Science Lab Assistant I for at least 1 year (3 semesters)

(2) To be promoted from Science Lab Assistant II to Science Lab Assistant III, the employee must:

• have completed CHEM 2425 with a passing grade (C)
• be able to handle lab operations (safety checks, equipment failures, chemical preparations, lab set ups, etc.) in the event of prolonged absences
• have worked, in the Chemistry Department, as Science Lab Assistant II for at least 1 year (3 semesters)

Budget Allocation and Fiscal Responsibility:

Every fiscal year, the Chemistry Department is allocated a certain amount of money to hire hourly employees. The overall number of hours available for allocation depends on the hourly rate (dollars per hour).

At the beginning of each fiscal year, each campus will be allotted a specific dollar figure for the hiring of hourly employees for the entire year. This dollar figure will be based on need (formula to be determined later). If hourly employees are promoted to levels II and III, this will result in fewer hours available to that campus. However, these employees, being at levels II and III, should be much more efficient and productive - to the point of making the difference in hours moot. This should be considered when promoting hourly employees.