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Governance Minutes ArchiveApril 11, 1989
VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE AND STATE UNIVERSITY FACULTY SENATE 11 April 1989 (approved 25 April 1989) 32 Pamplin Hall Present: Senators Arnold, Baumgartner, Beyer, Birch, Blieszner, Bunce, Conn, Cranford, deWolf, Dudley, Duke, Eng, Farkas, Fine, Geller, Geyer, Goss, Grossman, Hansen, Kingston, Kriz, Marriott, Morrill, Nielsen, Oliver, Polan, Salvaggio, Scanlon, Snoke, Sullins, Thompson, Wang, Wokutch Gwazdauskas (alternate for White), Sherman (alternate for Dugger) Absent: Senators Batie, Eiss, Killough, Schug Visitors: Ms. Susan Trulove (SPECTRUM), Ms. Karen DeBord and Ms. Mary Miller (representing Extension faculty), Mr. Buddy Russell (Alumni Association), Dr. James McComas, The Hon. Dick Cranwell, Julie Vert and Laura Barlow (Homecoming Directors) 1. ANNOUNCEMENTS President Conn called the meeting to order at 7:30 pm, welcomed guests, and invited Ms. Vert and Ms. Barlow to speak about plans for homecoming '89. The theme is "Tech into Tomorrow" and the students are seeking involvement of academic departments. Contact them at 214 Eggleston for more information. Following this presentation, President Conn made his announcements: a. We still need more votes for a valid election on the Senate Consti- tution revisions. b. The Committee on Committees will meet after tonight's meeting. c. Larry Moore, Director of Planning, is seeking responses to a ques- tionnaire on planning issues. He held an informal discussion with some members of the Cabinet this afternoon; other Senators are in- vited to send him their answers to the questionnaire distributed tonight. d. Four nominees were submitted to the VTIP Board which will appoint two Senate representatives to the Waste Policy Institute Board: Senators Cranford, Duke, and Kingston, and Dr. Bruce C. Parker (Bi- ology). e. President McComas has established a review committee to examine Commencement prior to Charles Kennedy's assumption of the chairship of the Commencement Committee. Senator Geller will serve on the review committee. f. Congratulations to Senator Polan who was appointed to the VPI Fa- cilities, Inc. Board. g. The Cabinet will meet with Library Director Gherman on 21 April at 8 am in 301 E. Eggleston to discuss library issues. All Senators are invited to attend. h. President Conn is seeking members of a Senate Task Force on Faculty Entitlements. This group will examine issues surrounding the fa- cilities, equipment, and resources that all faculty should expect to receive along with their university appointment. The Senate will make recommendations to the Provost. Volunteers should con- tact Dr. Conn. i. Persons interested in attending a banquet sponsored by the State Council on Higher Education to honor 13 outstanding faculty from around the Commonwealth should notify President Conn. The banquet will be held on May 9 at 5:30 at the Marriott in Richmond. j. As a result of sessions on the University of the 21st Century that took place here and in Charlottesville recently, President Conn is planning to organize a small workshop to continue these dis- cussions. Mr. Bill Dolan has agreed to return to campus and SCHEV supports the idea. Anyone who is interested in being involved should notify President Conn. k. The Senate retreat will be held in early May, at a date to be an- nounced. l. The next meeting, 25 April, will begin with an orientation for new Senators at 6:30 prior to the regular meeting at 7:30. m. The volleyball game with the administrators will be on April 18 in Memorial Gym. Practice for Senators will be at 7:00 and the game will begin at 7:30. Two team t-shirts are available for $10 each. Next President Conn presented a plaque to Dr. Leland J. Axelson who has been Commencement Marshall since 1982. Dr. Axelson is retiring this year and the Senate expressed appreciation to him for his service. 2. PROGRAM President Conn welcomed Dr. McComas who introduced Delegate Dick Cranwell from Roanoke. Mr. Cranwell is a graduate of the College of Business and has been a member of the General Assembly since 1971. He summarized the recent legislative session with respect to higher educa- tion issues, described demographic changes in the Commonwealth that will have an impact on higher education, and expressed concern about election processes. Mr. Cranwell pointed out that colleges and univer- sities not only educate citizens, they also contribute to local econo- mies and, through research, extend the reputation of the Commonwealth to the nation and world. He expects to make a strong plea to delegates from other parts of the state to support higher education in the west- ern portion. After finishing his remarks, Delegate Cranwell responded to questions from Senators on topics such as a resolution of the state employees' pension issue, his sources of satisfaction as a legislator, and his views on the size and name of our university. Next Vice-President Scanlon presented a plaque to President Conn to ex- press the Senate's appreciation for his service to the Senate and the university this year. 3. AGENDA The agenda was adopted. 4. MINUTES The minutes of the Faculty Senate meeting of 7 March 1989 were ap- proved. The minutes of the Faculty Senate Cabinet meeting of 28 March 1989 were accepted. 5. COUNCIL, COMMISSION, AND COMMITTEE REPORTS UNIVERSITY COUNCIL - Senator Scanlon - no meeting COMMISSION ON EXTENSION - Senator Marriott - no meeting COMMISSION ON FACULTY AFFAIRS - Senator Baumgartner - 24 Mar and 7 Apr 89 Approved a resolution changing the Faculty Handbook to permit defi- nite length terms for department heads/chairs and division direc- tors. Postponed consideration of a policy related to the university's compliance with the Omnibus Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1989, pending preparation of appropriate wording for the Faculty Handbook. Approved a resolution stating that the Reconciliation Committee's work requires the cooperation of all members of the university community, that it keeps no records, and that it ob- serves strict confidentiality. This statement will be added to the Faculty Handbook. COMMISSION ON GRADUATE STUDIES - Senator Snoke - 5 Apr 89 Heard a status report on the Waste Policy Institute from Gary Hooper. Approved several courses, with those from the College of Veterinary Medicine approved contingent upon approval by the Animal Care Committee. Procedures whereby qualified graduate students can defer part of their tuition payments during summer are now in place. Senators raised concerns about the criteria for Cunningham Fellow- ships, the lack of information on why proposals are not selected for funding, and the secretiveness of the selection committee. This topic was added to New Business for further discussion. Senators questioned the appropriateness of the Animal Care Commit- tee reporting to the Executive Vice President for Finance instead of to someone with responsibility for academic and research mat- ters. COMMISSION ON RESEARCH - Senator Bunce - no meeting COMMISSION ON STUDENT AFFAIRS - Senator Goss - 6 Apr 89 Elected their representatives to the Student Budget Board. A spe- cial meeting of the Student Budget Board will be held to address many appeals made on its funding decisions. COMMISSION ON UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES - Senator Dudley - Routine approval of courses and textbooks. Began discussion of a student-prepared course evaluation booklet. ATHLETIC COMMITTEE - Senator Nielsen - 2 Apr 89 Provost Perry reviewed the status and progress of academic advising for athletes and discussed the committee's role in monitoring their academic progress. The university's commitment to admitting athletes with a good chance of graduating continues; the "Special Admissions Procedure" has not been needed. Reviewed the budget. Revenue has not kept up with needs, primarily because our confer- ence does not share revenues. BUILDING COMMITTEE - no report COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK COMMITTEE - Senator Nielsen - 29 Mar 89 A subcommittee suggested mechanisms to insure better cooperation between the Computing Center and CNS. Supported the current method of paying for basic telephone and data connections through depart- mental accounts. Discussed various issues related to the campus television network, including access by commerical firms, broad- casting on Blacksburg station 30, and copyright violations. Be- cause of reorganization of Printing, Learning Resources, and Video Production units within the university, this committee may assume oversight responsibility for these units. Senators expressed interest in learning whether CNS does, in fact, provide less costly and more efficient services to the university than other methods and noted that policy decisions appear to be made without consultation with the committee. This topic will be discussed further under New Business. COMPUTER COMMITTEE - Senator Birch - 5 Apr 89 The move of the Computing Center to the Corporate Research Center on July 21 remains on schedule. After the move there will be 24-hour delivery service to Burruss and McBryde, with 1st and 2nd shift deliveries made on 1- to 1 1/2-hour cycles and 3rd shift de- liveries made on 2-hour cycles. Responded to recommendations from the Self-Study, as described on a separate handout distributed at the meeting. EMPLOYEE BENEFITS COMMITTEE - Senator Thompson - 10 and 24 Mar 89 Approved and sent to CFA a faculty retirement transition program. Dismissed the idea of free tuition for faculty dependents on the grounds that the university might have to give free tuition to all state employees. Decided that benefits for part-time employees must be addressed at the state level, where efforts are underway to influence legislators. Recognized deficiencies in the state- negotiated health care package and learned that the university is seeking to improve the coverage of the current policy. Dismissed the question of allowing faculty to choose 9 or 12 salary payments on the grounds that the university does not have the money to cover the current pay system. EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION COMMITTEE - Senator Fine - 11 Apr 89 Disapproved a resolution to add sexual orientation to the list of characteristics against which the university may not discriminate. Endorsed the formation of a Coordinating Council on Women's Con- cerns. Endorsed as having highest priority 12 resolutions from the committee's report TOWARD THE YEAR 2000. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTIES COMMITTEE - Senator Dudley - 11 Apr 89 Considered 17 inventions and copyrights and determined that the university had proprietary interest in 14 of them. Will meet twice over the summer. LIBRARY COMMITTEE - Senator Duke - 3 Apr 89 Approved a definition of BRANCH LIBRARY. Approved formation of a subcommittee to develop a University Libraries Needs Statement (Gherman, Dodl, Ventre, Duke). Learned that the Library has in- stalled new Oce Copiers. Discussed the committee's and director's roles in formation of library policy. NATIONAL SPEAKER'S FORUM - Senator Salvaggio - no meeting Writer Maxine Hong Kingston visited campus on 28 March; former President Jimmy Carter will visit 13 April. A symposium on "Carter and Human Rights" will be in process during Carter's visit. SCHOLARSHIP AND STUDENT AID COMMITTEE - Senator Wang - no meeting SELF STUDY MONITORING COMMITTEE - Senator Arnold - 6 Apr 89 Reviewed responses to requests for progress reports on Self-Study recommendations. Virtually all groups and individuals asked for information have responded. The committee will meet in mid-May to discuss its annual report. The Senate Cabinet may wish to appoint a Senator to replace Senator Arnold who will be out of town. SUPPLEMENTAL GRANTS COMMITTEE - Senator Morrill - 13 Mar 89 Considered 76 new proposals (for $71,089). Had $34,814 available for distribution; funded 52 proposals as well as 2 resubmitted pro- posals, all at less than the amount requested. In response to the question, Are applicants given feedback if their proposals are not funded? Senator Morrill said they could receive information from the Senate SG committee members. PARKING/TRANSPORTATION TASK FORCE - Senator Oliver - no meeting The position description for Director of the P/T Auxiliary has been submitted to the state personnel office for approval. Also, a re- quest has been submitted to have the parking enforcement officers continue on a permanent basis. Implementation decisions are being made by a management group of which J. B. Sutphin is a member. This group has submitted a recommendation on the permitting process to the administration. The advisory board has not been estab- lished. FACULTY SENATE OF VIRGINIA - Senator Conn - no meeting PROVOST SEARCH COMMITTEE - Senator Scanlon - 10 Apr 89 Four candidates have been interviewed; two more will come to campus for interviews: Dr. Fred Carlisle (April 13-14) and Dr. Curtis Tompkins (April 20-21). All six are viable candidates at this time. CONSTITUTION COMMITTEE - Senator Birch On 20 March an 8-page "Constitution packet" was mailed to 1580 eli- gible faculty. It consisted of a bright yellow memorandum that outlined the Constitution changes and encouraged faculty to vote, a copy of the revised Constitution, a detailed summary of the pro- posed changes, and a pre-addressed ballot. A 2-week deadline (4 April) was allowed. As of that date, 575 ballots (36%) had been returned. The deadline was extended to 21 April and Senators were asked to contact their constituents. As of 11 April, 680 ballots (43%) were returned. 6. OLD BUSINESS - none 7. NEW BUSINESS a. CUNNINGHAM FELLOWSHIPS Senators believe that the competition should be run in a profes- sional manner. Criteria and expectations for successful proposals should be widely publicized. Unsuccessful applicants should re- ceive feedback about why their proposals were not selected. b. COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK COMMITTEE Senator Eng reported that the committee was to respond to the Self- Study recommendation that all faculty have access to a telephone and data connection. Results of a survey revealed that most fac- ulty and many staff have telephones; respondents (deans and depart- ment heads) believed that the costs of these services should be covered by operating budgets. Eng noted that the people surveyed are those who control the budgets; they are unlikely to favor changing current procedures; survey results justify the status quo rather than addressing what should be. c. Other issues are related to charges for inbound modem pools, access by outside vendors to the computer system, and sources of payment for computer access by every faculty member. d. ELECTIONS FOR SENATE OFFICES The Nominating Committee nominated Ludeman Eng and Patrick Scanlon for President. There being no further nominations from the floor, nominations were closed. Senators Eng and Scanlon presented state- ments. The balloting resulted in the election of Senator Scanlon. The Nominating Committee nominated William Dugger, John Duke, Daniel Farkas, and Carl Polan for Vice-President. Senator Polan withdrew from the ballot because a senator from his college was elected President. Senator Eng was nominated from the floor and accepted nomination. Nominations were closed. Senator Eng was elected Vice-President. The Nominating Committee nominated William Dugger, John Duke, and Rosemary Goss for Secretary. Senator Farkas was nominated from the floor, but declined to run. Nominations were closed. Senator Goss was elected. The meeting adjourned at 10:25 pm. Respectfully submitted, Rosemary Blieszner, Secretary ADDENDUM Treasurer's Report 17 April 1989 Balance on hand, 13 March 1989 $ 123.01 Plaque for President Conn $ 51.26 Balance on hand, 17 April 1989 $ 71.75
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