I.   Minutes Approval

The minutes of the January meeting were approved as written.

II. English Language Proficiency for Admission to Graduate Study

Elizabeth Baranger noted that as part of the preparation for the combined graduate/professional bulletin, she contacted Geoff Woods of the Office of International Services regarding issues related to the admission of international students to graduate study at the University. Woods’ response indicated a high rate of noncompliance from schools and departments in acquiring official TOEFL scores from international students.

Schools responded with their understanding of their schools’ practices regarding TOEFL score requirements. Medicine does not consider for admission any student until the official TOEFL scores are in the folder. FAS considers students for admission after TOEFL scores are received, though there have been occasional instances where this requirement was waived and scores were accepted after admission. Engineering does not consider students for admission until official scores are received. Public Health looks for TOEFL scores or some other proficiency form before admitting students. Education will admit without TOEFL scores but notifies those students that they cannot register for any classes until they have passed the Michigan Language Test.

Alan Juffs, Director of the English Language Institute, outlined the services/classes offered through ELI to grad students, namely the ELI 3/4/5 series of classes and the Ling 8/9/10 classes. The latter are academic skills classes for which students should have a level of proficiency in English measurable in a TOEFL score of 550 or higher. Students with lower TOEFL scores generally cannot manage the Ling 8-10 coursework.  FAS provides TA support for the Ling classes, but most of the seats in the classes are filled with non-FAS students.

ELI is pressured by schools and students to put ESL students with low TOEFL scores in the academic ELI classes (the Ling series); this is a significant problem.

Given the background information from International Services and the English Language Institute, Council considered what options to take. Because the OIS data is unreliable (that is, while the OIS figures suggest widespread lack of compliance, the schools themselves have records showing that TOEFL scores were submitted), attention shifted from issues of compliance to issues of policy.

The Regulations Governing Graduate Study require official TOEFL scores for admission to graduate study. Council members suggested that OIS should not provide visa documents for students unless TOEFL scores for those students have been submitted.  But the Regulations note that “in special cases,” students could be admitted, and that departments (not OIS) are responsible for ensuring compliance.

Juffs noted that approximately 15 graduate students a year show up at the English Language Institute for help; their English language proficiency skills are way below what is needed to do graduate level work. He added that the advantage to uniformly enforcing a minimum TOEFL score of 550 for admission is that students don’t struggle unnecessarily; the 550 minimum would allow education to take place at the appropriate graduate level.

Council moved that a TOEFL score of 550 (213 for the computer test) be required for admission to graduate study. This suggestion will be sent to deans for review. Agreement to this minimum would mean that the “special cases” sentence would be eliminated from Regulations. Students who fell below the 550 minimum but for whom schools see promise could not be admitted on full admission status, but could conceivably be admitted on a provisional basis.

Baranger will send a memo to deans of schools with graduate programs to notify them of the suggested revision to Regulations regarding a required minimum TOEFL of 550; dean’s feedback will be invited.

III. TA/TF/GSA Policy Modification

The Student Affairs Committee had recommended that the TA/TF/GSA Policy Statement be modified to indicate that a “department may, during the year, transfer a student, after consultation with the student and for good cause, from a teaching assignment to another appointment as a Graduate Student Researcher or to another appropriate assignment that provides for essentially equal financial benefits and professional responsibilities.” This recommendation was endorsed by a divided vote of Council.

Provost’s Senior Staff reviewed the recommendation to include “consultation with the student and for good cause” and objected to the “for good cause” phrase, noting that it inaccurately suggests that students could appeal through a separate and distinct procedure an action they consider was not done for “good cause.” Because the department chairs have the right and the responsibility to make changes to teaching assignments and to determine who is in front of which classroom (for faculty and TAs), there is no distinct appeals procedure for a transfer out of or change in a teaching assignment.

The “for good cause” phrase will be removed from the modified policy statement.
 

IV. Graduate Faculty Membership

UCGS members were encouraged to pick up a copy of the latest graduate faculty roster. The roster is also available online via a link from the Graduate Studies page (http://www.pitt.edu/~graduate/).

The meeting was adjourned.