Another survey was taken indicating that 13 institutions had at least one core Biology course without a lab while 12 required labs for all of their core Biology courses. Ralph Rascati then made a brief report based on the meeting held in Macon for the Executive Committees of the various Academic Advisory Committees. Notes from that meeting are attached to these minutes and copies of handouts from the meeting were distributed. However, inclusion of any new fee in the HOPE scholarships means that more money must be available to serve the same number of students or that fewer students can be served. One alternative the USG is considering is removing non-academic fees from HOPE eligibility and substituting the technology fee.
Consequences are unclear.
After some discussion about the potential consequences to students of this action the motion was tabled. Furthermore, no action should be taken until the system office solicits and receives input from the various Academic Advisory Committees. This motion passed unanimously. Discussion of this resulted in no specific recommendation although several options were mentioned. A thorough analysis of potential financial consequences needs to be done before any changes are implemented.