From making it easier to offer online finals to managing a key graduate student award, the UC Davis Academic Senate made a few housekeeping changes at its quarterly meeting Tuesday.

The Senate adopted a proposed amendment that will allow final examinations for on-line courses to be given on dead day as an alternative to examination during the last hour of the last day of finals.

"We believe that the language offered today removes the ambiguity of the original amendment," said Senate chair Bruce Madewell.

The Senate, which represents all tenured faculty members at the campus, held its meeting of the Senate's Representative Assembly in the Memorial Union.

The senate also approved a measure to direct responsibility for the Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award to the Graduate Council. The award had previously been a responsibility of the Teaching Committee that later became the Program Review Committee in the Undergraduate Council.

"The Executive Council believes that the Graduate Council is the most appropriate committee to administer these awards, and the amendment under consideration here would delegate that responsibility to Graduate Council," said Madewell.

The senate also passed a revision to clarify the relative authorities of the faculties of the schools and colleges regarding curriculum, and over the establishment and discontinuation of academic programs.

The senate also heard remarks from Zack O'Donnell, chair of the UC Davis Staff Assembly. Madewell said such remarks allow the senate faculty to "to gauge the health of our interactions with our closest partners at the university and offer perspectives as to how we might work more effectively together."

O'Donnell said that during the past year the senate and Staff Assembly have accomplished much in working together on issues such as parking and housing, but more progress is possible.

"This year the staff and faculty have established a catwalk," he said. "In the future we hope to build a bridge."

In terms of overall UC business, Madewell called attention to the activities of the UC Academic Senate and suggested members view that body's Web site at http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/senate/reports/welcome.html.

Of particular interest, Madewell noted, are the UC Academic Senate's communications relating to the private equity investments in the 403(b) and proposed 457(b) plans; educational fee waivers; the report of the Task Force on Graduate and Professional Schools Admissions; the instructional activities reports; policies on sexual harassment and consensual relationships; and whistleblower policies.

Other issues explored by the UC Academic Senate include green building designs and clean energy; alignment of campus calendars; health sciences faculty retirement proposals; and recommendations regarding sensitive but unclassified technical information, among others.

The senate also awarded the Distinguished Public Service Awards to Howard Schutz, professor emeritus in food science and technology; Suad Joseph, professor of anthropology; and Wing Thye Woo, professor of economics (see story starting on page 1).

"The award focuses on unpaid service, and is based on the direct extension of the faculty member's disciplinary or technical expertise to the public and non-profit sector," said Madewell.