BOARD APPROVES BUDGET, CHANGES TO HONOR CODE
Old Dominion's Board of Visitors unanimously approved the 2001-02 operating budget and plan and changes to the university's Honor Code at its June 16 meeting.
The $243.1 million budget is an increase of 2.2 percent over the 2000-01 operating budget. These numbers include about $4.8 million in additional funds for Auxiliary Services, which will be held in reserve for the construction of the Constant Convocation Center and associated parking facilities.
In his presentation to the board, Robert Fenning, acting vice president for administration and finance, noted that the university was not allocated any new unrestricted funds by the General Assembly. However, the university was granted $180 thousand to be used specifically for operation and maintenance of Constant Hall, which currently is being renovated.
As a result of the General Assembly's actions, there are no funds allocated for salary or benefit increases, and no additional general funds for enrollment growth. In addition, there is a 50 percent reduction in maintenance reserve funds and construction of the Engineering and Computational Sciences Building has been delayed.
The bulk of the budget - $213 million - is allocated for educational and general program use. According to Fenning, priorities in this area include covering increase utility costs, reallocation of faculty positions based on enrollment shifts and recommendations from the provost, University Professor awards, technology initiatives, distance learning, scholarships, strategic plan implementation and student service programs, such as disability student services, the Black Male Summit and the Sisterhood Summit.
The remaining portion of the budget - $30.1 million - will cover such priorities as housing enhancements, TELETECHNET instructional enterprise expansion, parking, intercollegiate athletics, University Village development and additional costs for student health services.
Students who have committed minor violations of the University Honor Code can petition to have their records expunged, the board also ruled Saturday.
Students can petition to have the "academic dishonesty" notation removed from their transcript only if they were punished by probation and at least three years have elapsed since the sanction was first imposed, said Dana Burnett, vice president for student services at Old Dominion. Previous policy made no provision for removing the notation.
The policy change provides more equal treatment of academic probation for all offenses, but still emphasizes the importance of academic integrity, Burnett said.
Students also can apply only if: they have successfully completed the university's "Academic Integrity Matters" seminar; they have no other disciplinary violations during the student's tenure at Old Dominion and; there is no evidence that the academic dishonesty was premeditated.
Students may not utilize the grade forgiveness policy to retake the class in which the academic dishonesty occurred.
In other action, the board approved:
*An emeritus appointment for Jacob Becher, associate professor of physics,
and a posthumous emeritus appointment for Wolfgang Pindur, professor of urban studies and public administration, who died June 11.
*A resolution to change the name of the Institute for the Study of Minority Issues to the Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity, effective July 1.
*A resolution to name the garden area adjacent to the Dragas International Center the Heinz Meier Garden in honor of the late Heinz K. Meier, a former faculty member and dean of the College of Arts and Letters.
At the Academic Affairs Committee meeting, it was announced that the following faculty have been promoted to the rank of professor effective with the start of the 2001-02 academic year:
*William H. Brenner, philosophy;
*Ravindra P. Joshi, electrical and computer engineering;
*Taj O. Mohieldin, engineering technology;
*Dayanand N. Naik, mathematics and statistics;
*Alex Pothen, computer science;
*Jeffrey H. Richards, English;
*David P. Swain, exercise science, physical education and recreation;
*Kenneth K. Yung, business administration; and
*Douglas E. Ziegenfuss, accounting.