Question and Answer Session

TL;DR: The Council approved the Order of Business and standing committee assignments, delegated authority to fill committee vacancies, and discussed the academic calendar and the Office of Disability Services.

Abstract: The President called the meeting to order at 4:30 p.m., and after the roll call she thanked the members of the Council for their service. She turned first to opening of the year business. On recommendation from the council's Executive Committee the Order of Business (Appendix A) and the standing committee assignments (Appendix B) were approved. The Council delegated authority to the Executive Committee to fill committee vacancies. The President noted that each Council meeting begins with a question and answer session, and she encouraged members to submit questions in advance so that those who can best answer them can be present at the meeting. In response to questions about the academic calendar and how it is developed, the President said that the academic calendar is the responsibility of the faculty. In a discussion a few years ago about possible changes, no consensus could be reached among the faculty or students about what changes would improve the calendar. For example, Princeton's emphasis on independent work is an argument for scheduling exams and paper deadlines after holiday break. On the other hand the current calendar makes it difficult to sustain engagement with a course and complicates travel plans especially for international students who wish to go home for break. There is current interest in reopening these discussions. Office of Disability Services The President introduced the Director of the Office of Disability Services, Eve Tominey, who had been asked to describe for the Council the work of her office. Since October 1 marks the sixth anniversary of the office, Ms. Tominey called this a particularly good opportunity to look back and to the future. (The Provost in an aside in a later discussion noted the office's " extraordinary " accomplishments of the past 6 years.) The office has succeeded in establishing smooth collaborative efforts among students with disabilities and academic and administrative offices and has centralized services. Ms. Tominey described the processes followed by her office, beginning when students self-identify as having a disability. Her office works with them to determine that the disability meets university and legal standards and approves reasonable academic accommodations. She and her staff help students make the transition from the high school setting to college where the level and type of academic work can be more intense and where there may be a greater array of resources