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Aug 25, 1999 Minutes



Senators Present: Bible, Conroy, Early, Gillis, Gordon, Hays, Irvin,
McKinney, McGee, Peeler, Renick, Skerpan-Wheeler,
Stimmel, and Winek.

Absent: None

Liaisons Present: None

Guests: John Blair, English
James Andrews, Correspondence and Extension
Isis Gomez, Correspondence and Extension
John Powell, Continuing Education
De Sellars, Continuing Education
Pat Cassidy, Academic Affairs
Mike Moore, The Usual Suspect

CONTENTS
FALL ELECTIONS
COMMITTEE FOR STUDY ABROAD PROPOSAL
FACULTY ADVISORS PPS
APPOINT MEMBER TO OVERSEE FACULTY SALARY DATA PROJECT
COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS
CONFIDENTIALITY OF INTERNAL CORRESPONDENCE
UPDATE FROM CAD MEETING
SET PAAG AGENDA
SELECT DATE FOR COMBINED FS/CAD MEETING
NEW BUSINESS

The meeting was called to order by Chair Hays at 4:05 p.m.

FALL ELECTIONS (Pilus)

1. Voting lists are suspect. Senators, liaisons, and departmental
officials should work together to establish accurate lists.
2. Senators/liaisons are to report election results promptly.
3. Applied Arts must elect a senator to replace Winek who has moved
with Technology to Science.
4. The movement of Technology faculty from Applied Arts to Science
dictates that school senatorial allocations be recalculated.

COMMITTEE FOR STUDY ABROAD PROPOSAL (Blair)

Some study abroad directors feel the need for a committee of study abroad
directors to ensure the academic and economic integrity of study abroad.
Blair supposed that that might be accomplished with a Faculty Senate
Study Abroad Committee. Early suggested, with apparent concurrence by
the other senators, to let the study abroad directors and Correspondence/
Extension form such a committee to operate as necessary without Senate
involvement.

FACULTY ADVISORS PPS (Bible)

Under state law, faculty advisors to student organizations generally are immune
from civil and criminal liability if a member of that organization injures a
person or property. State law also provides that the Attorney General will
defend university employees for acts or omissions occurring in the scope of
their employment and indemnify them if they are found liable in damages. At the
same time, the fact that one is ultimately found to be immune from suit does not
preclude their being sued in the first place; in addition, the state's duty to
indemnify is limited to $100,000 for injuries to a single person -- which would
hardly make a dent in, for example, a damage award in a case involving death,
such as occurred last spring -- and there is no duty to indemnify for willful or
grossly negligent acts or for acts done in bad faith. In sum, faculty advisors
have some degree of protection but certainly are not home free if they are sued
for injuries inflicted by members of their organizations.

Sen. Bible will pursue this matter with University Attorney Fly. Of particular
interest is the question whether section 04.02 of a proposed UPPS in this area
might create some problems in providing that advisors have a duty to "supervise"
their organizations. What is the potential for liability if an advisor is not
physically present at an event at which a member of the organization injures
someone? Could it be argued that this absence amounts to a failure to properly
"supervise" the organization? Would this affect the advisor's immunity? There
is also the question whether the university might require organizations, as a
a condition of being approved, to procure liability insurance for advisors.

APPOINT MEMBER TO OVERSEE FACULTY SALARY DATA PROJECT (Early)

Sawey declines to serve. Early agreed to serve upon the understanding that
he is not responsible for any future analysis of the collected data. That
responsibility lies, in the judgment of the Senate, on the Budget Committee,
of which, Early will be a new, ex-officio, non-voting member.

It was noted that a revision has been proposed to change the bonus system
from an after-the-fact reward to a during-the-fact reward.

It was also noted that analysis of such things as the effectiveness of the
bonus system would be hampered by such a change.

COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS (Irvin)

1. Renominate Ron Sawey and Vivek Shah to the Academic Affairs Computing
Priority Committee. Gillis/Peeler 14-0.

2. Replace Mike Stapper on the Academic Computing Committee
rta

3. Appoint Cynthia Opheim to replace Susan Day as chair representative
on the Grievance Committee. Skerpan-Wheeler/Bible 14-0.

Appoint Ron Brown to replace John Beck as dean representative
on the Grievance Committee. Stimmel/Bible 14-0. [We found another
use for Beck.]

4. Replace Vedaraman Sriraman on the Tenure, Promotion and Compensation
Committee. rta

Appoint Miles Wilson to replace Charles Chapman on the Tenure, Promotion
and Compensation Committee. Skerpan-Wheeler/Bible 14-0.

5. Appoint John Beck to replace Gene Martin on the Academic Governance
Committee. Gillis/Irvin 14-0.

Appoint Rumaldo Juarez to replace Gene Martin on the Handbook Committee.
Bible/Stimmel 14-0.

6. Appoint Jane Johnson to replace Herlinda James on the Library Committee.
McGee/Renick 14-0.

7. Replace Winek on the Committee on Committees. rta

CONFIDENTIALITY OF INTERNAL CORRESPONDENCE (Hays)

Should there be a Senate policy setting secrecy standards on internal
email communications? The consensus seemed to be to flag such communications
in the subject line as "For Senators Only" to allow "burn before reading"
capability.

UPDATE FROM CAD MEETING (Hays)

1. 1999 alumni survey is available in dean/chair offices.

2. The tenure/promotion pps has received cosmetic changes to reflect changes
in state law. It will get a full-blown review this year.

3. The Faculty Senate Handbook, printed form, will probably be available
in late September.

4. Electronic grade reporting creeps onward. Perhaps tested in selected
departments or colleges. Perhaps allowed but not required.

5. New faculty advertisements may need to include time of day [day, evening,
night], days [weekday, saturday], location [on/off campus] teaching
expectation.

6. From Liberal Arts Council. May test 1 or more of the Seven Principles of
Good Teaching in selected classes.

7. New Disabled Student Services manual should get to Senators soon.

SET PAAG AGENDA (Hays)

The Fall PAAG meetings will be on 9-1, 10-6, 11-10, 12-1.

1. Raises. And bonuses -- chicken feed in the dirt -- with a 3-year review
of faculty accomplishments.

2. Enrollment and the Panic of Summer 1999.

3. Summer orientation/advising -- too many sessions, not enough sections
of classes, not enough faculty, not enough staff

4. Outsource catsweb design? What about intellectual property rights of
course outlines on the web? How about having a decent design that's
navigable?

5. Board of Regents report.

6. City wells, Spring Lake dam.

7. Problems getting books on the shelves in the bookstore in time for
the start of classes.

8. Reimbursement for travel. e-tickets. Arcane procedures. Harass
faculty until they simply give up trying to collect what they're owed.

9. Electronic submission of purchase orders (more important than electronic
submission of grades in the face of not enough programmers to keep up
with software demand).

SELECT DATE FOR COMBINED FS/CAD MEETING (Hays)

The Senate always meets on Wednesday afternoon. CAD always meets
on Tuesday afternoon. In the past, the Senate and CAD have tried
to swap moving meeting times so that some meetings are at the
Senate's regular time whilst others are at CAD's regular time.
This semester, more than half of the Senators have classes or other
academic responsibilities that preclude their meeting on Tuesday
afternoons. Chair Hays will pursue the possibility of having all
joint meetings during the Senate's meeting time.

NEW BUSINESS

1. Should we start inviting committee chairs to Senate meetings to
discuss accomplishments, issues, etc.?

2. Let's keep a list of Senate accomplishments and of items in progress
(watchful waiting).

3. Lippmann sent thank you notes for the Senate's success in getting his
faculty development leave funded.

The meeting was adjourned at 6:15 p.m.

cheerfully submitted

grady

sen.19990825