The meeting was called to order by Provost Norman Wessells on January 6, 1993, in Columbia 150 at 3:34 p.m. Provost Wessells explained that President Brand was in Chicago at a meeting and thus was not able to preside at this meeting of the Assembly. The minutes of the December 2, 1992 meeting of the Assembly were approved as distributed.
Mr. Theodore Stern, Professor Emeritus, Anthropology, was recognized to present a memorial for Associate Professor Emeritus Malcolm McFee. Mr. McFee passed away on December 8, 1992 in San Luis Obispo, California following surgery to remove a brain tumor. Mr. McFee had been a member of the faculty and the Department of Anthropology from 1965 until his retirement in 1982. The memorial is at the end of these minutes.
Provost Wessells recognized Mr. Jack Whalen, Chair, Committee on the Curriculum, to introduce the motion "Report of the Committee on the Curriculum for 1993 94."
"The University Committee on the Curriculum moves that the following curricular changes be approved. If approved, they will into effect fall term 1993 unless specified otherwise. "The Committee further recommends that:
"The existing credit ranges were established by vote of the University Assembly. The larger ranges are in this report in anticipation of more 4 and 5 credit courses in 1994 95, but departments are not required to offer individual courses at the maximum credit range. The committee does not recommend changing the assembly mandated credit ranges for 196 Field Studies (1 2R)."
Under the direction of Mr. Whalen the Assembly went through the Report
On page 14 Mr. Frank Anderson, Mathematics, questioned the entry of EMS 491/591 Statistical Methods I. Mr. Anderson stated that the University has many statistical courses and that another would certainly be redundant. The course was previously a graduate course, Mr. Whalen explained, and that it was now being given a 400 number so that undergraduates in Exercise and Movement Science could take the class. Mr. Anderson stated that the redundancy still stood. The Assembly voted conditional approval be given to the entry and that Mr. Anderson would be involved in the resolution of the course offering with the Department, the Committee on the Curriculum and the Statistics Committee. If no resolution is reached the entry will have to come back to the Assembly for an up or down vote.
On page 19, Mr. George Sheridan, History, asked that ICOL 199 Special Studies be amended to delete the word "only" at the end of the second line and that the words "designed primarily for" be added before "International College students." This was passed by a voice vote. The entry now reads:
"ICOL 199 Special Studies: [Topic] (1 5R) "Freshman Seminars on global topics approached from disciplinary and comparative regional or cultural perspectives. Designed primarily for International College students."
When page 25 was reached Mr. Jack Bennett, Student Advising, was recognized and the stated that the dropping of classes that were a part of the now dead Department of Speech and met the group requirement in Social Science would in the immediate future have an impact on the undergraduate attempting to complete degrees. Until the gap is filled the spaces needed to fulfill the social science group requirement will present a bottle neck in the orderly progress of students working toward a degree.
Mr. George Sheridan, History, pointed out that on page 70 the third line of the entry for the International College was in error. The line reads "...student must have a formal major in another department or program...." The correct wording is "...student must complete a formal major in another department or program."
On page 71 Mr. Peter Gilkey, Mathematics, challenged the wording of the paragraph on "Language Proficiency for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree." Mr. Gilkey pointed out that the wording made it appear that the Department did not have control over the language requirement for the PhD. After a short discussion Mr. Whalen stated that the minutes of this meeting shall reflect that the academic Department is the sole authority for establishing requirements for a PhD within that academic Department. This authority of the academic department is fundamental and that the wording in the paragraph would be re worked to make clear this basic authority of the academic department.
The Report, as amended, was voted upon by voice vote and it passed, with a few "no" votes being registered.
Mr. Jack Bennett, Student Advising, introduced the following motion:
"Beginning Winter Term 1994, the University of Oregon will no longer accept transfer credits from other institutions which were passed with a grade of 'D'."
Mr. Michael Hibbard, President of the University Senate, stated that the motion was passed by the Senate with a vote of 14 yes, 12 no and 1 abstention. Mr. Bennett presented information on the motion that many schools did not accept the "D" grade when students transfer into their schools. Portland State was one of these schools.
Mr. Bennett stated that students were surprised when the UO accepted the grade of "D" in transfer. The grade is not acceptable at many reputable schools and because the grade indicates a poor effort in a course the grade should not be accepted. Mr. James Buch, Admissions, stated that the motion could cause problems within the state because of articulation between the community colleges and the U of O. Portland State could not recall any problems, but it was possible that some could arise. When a student comes in with an Associate Arts degree the UO accepts the degree as having met the requirements of the first two years, thus the student enters as a junior. However, an AA degree requires that all sequence courses be passed by a grade of "C " or better, while the AA degree accepts the letter grade of "D" for stand alone requirements. This motion would require the UO to wipe out any grade of "D" even if the AA degree was completed in accordance with the requirements of the college. Mr. Buch stated that he was opposed to the motion. Mr. Bennett stated that Mr. Buch thought that the date of implementation should be moved to Fall of 1994. This amendment was accepted by a show of hands 34 yes, 4 no, 0 abstaining. The amendment now reads:
"Beginning Fall Term 1994, the University of Oregon will no longer accept transfer credits from other institutions which were passed with a grade of 'D'."
Mr. Robert O'Brien, Sociology, speaking in opposition to the motion stated that the "D" grade was an awfully useful grade for the University of Oregon and that it is unfair and unreasonable to say that our "D" is worth something and that all other "D" grades are not worth counting. Mr. John Thomas, Student Senator, stated that the idea was a noble one, but that the impact on students would be added cost and delayed graduation. Ms. Janet Descutner, Dance, thought that this motion was a show of arrogance "mine is ok and yours is not."
Mr. Tim Gleason, Journalism, added that admission standards should be sufficient to make the grade of "D" a minor concern as the total transcript evaluation would indicate that the student was capable of doing well at the University. Ms. Barbara Pope asked if the "D" courses could be taken again. They could, but you only get to meet the requirements one time toward the required 186 for graduation.
A call for the end of the debate was made and it was passed by voice vote. The motion, as amended, was now on the floor and it was defeated by voice vote. The business of the meeting having been concluded the Assembly adjourned at 4:53 p.m. Keith Richard Secretary
Mac first completed his undergraduate degree at San Jose State, then enrolled in graduate studies at Stanford, where he gained the doctorate, with a major in Anthropology, in 1962. June taking her doctorate in Education at the same institution. Thereafter, for three years, Mac taught at the University of Arizona. June, prevented by nepotism rules from teaching there, taught art education at Arizona State.
In 1965, the University of Oregon, under then President Arthur Flemming, was itself relaxing its nepotism rules, and June and Mac, drawn, among other things, by the chance to serve on the same campus, came here, she to head the program in Art Education, he to join us in Anthropology.
Malcolm McFee found his place readily among us. He was a man without 'side,' quietly confident of his own worth, and appreciative of the worth of the students with whom he became engaged. He was a lucid and insightful teacher, spicing his observations with a quiet sense of humor. Among the interests he brought with him was a curiosity about the processes of cultural changes, a subject he had studied on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Montana; and he continued to develop those interests here in summer field training and teacher training programs. Increasingly, his interests became focused upon education as a vehicle of change; and thus he converged upon Harry Wolcott, in the College of Education, with whom, for about a decade, he taught a seminar on "Anthropology and Education." Throughout his years here, as Harry has remarked, Malcolm McFee was of great assistance to many doctoral students in both education and art education.
With the larger public, Mac served collateral roles. He was visiting lecturer for the American Anthropological Association, workshop leader for the Oregon Public Schools Klamath Indian Program, as well as serving in other capacities. He continued, as well, to bring forth his studies on the modern Blackfeet, and to contribute to textbooks.
In 1982, after seventeen years of service, Malcolm McFee retired with the rank of Associate Professor Emeritus. June McFee remained to teach one more year. In an interview with the couple in the Emerald, when Mac stepped down, June was quoted as predicting that now life would be easier for both of them. "Except,'" Mac added wryly, "'I'll be impatient for you to come home.'"
They retired to San Luis Obispo, California, where, in early December, in the aftermath of surgery to remove a brain tumor, Malcolm McFee passed away. He leaves behind June, their son, John, and two grandchildren.
At the University. a memorial fund is being established in hisÔ
Mr. President, I request that this memorial be made a part of the official and permanent minutes of this meeting and that copies of this memorial be sent to the immediate family by the Secretary of the Faculty.
Theodore Stern Professor Emeritus, Anthropology