MINUTES OF THE UNIVERSITY SENATE FEBRUARY 9, 2000
Present:L. Alpert, B. Altmann, S. Cohen, D. Conley, L. Dann,
J. Earl, M. Epstein, P. Gilkey, M. Hibbard, E. Housworth, B. Jenkins, L.
Blake Jones, R. Kellett, S. Kohl, C. Lachman, E. Luks, R. McGowen, G. McLauchlan,
D. Merskin, P. Mills, R. Moore, G. Moreno, M. Paris, C. Phillips, L. Robare,
A. Schneider, F. Tepfer, J. Terborg, N. Tublitz, M. Weiner, T. Wheeler
Excused: C. Brokaw, E. Campbell, S. Clark, R. Davis, J. Dawson,
C. Gary, K. Helphand, D. Levi, M. Nippold, N. Savage, P. Southwell
Absent: M. Dixon, J. Grzybowski, S. Kolwitz, E. Pfeiffer, J.
Schombert, A. Schultz,, G. Waweru
CALL TO ORDER
Senate President Peter Gilkey called the regular meeting of the University
Senate to order at 3:05 p.m. in 177 Lawrence.
APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES
The first order of business was to approve the minutes
of the January 12, 2000 meeting. President Gilkey indicated that a minor
error in the minutes was noted by Senator Chris Phillips, mathematics,
and has since been corrected. The motion to approve the minutes as corrected
was unanimously approved.
ANNOUNCEMENTS AND COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE FLOOR
President Gilkey briefly reviewed several of the documents included in
a packet
of materials made available to the Senate.
Reduced tuition benefit for faculty and staff family member. President
Gilkey received a letter from the AOF (Association of Oregon Faculties)
saying that the presidents and provosts of the universities were ìdragging
their feetî on this issue. To the contrary, President Gilkey remarked that
quite the opposite is true on the UO campus, and that our administration
has been working with diligence and persistence on this issue. Asking for
further comment, Vice Provost Lorraine Davis concurred with President Gilkeyís
assessment. She stated that the reduced tuition benefit issue came before
the provosts and academic administrators at the OUS meeting the previous
month. Noting that there were some technical issues on how each campus
will manage the transference of the tuition benefit to a family member,
she nevertheless felt there is strong support for the concept in general
and it likely will receive approval. President Gilkey indicated he would
send a letter of response to the AOF.
Other updates. Senate President Gilkey reported
from Associate Vice Provost Jack Rice that in response to motion US 97/98-10,
two additional questions have been included on student course evaluations
for fall term 1999 courses. All but two units (Law School and Romance Languages)
were in full compliance, with the two exceptions expected to be in compliance
by spring term 2000 President Gilkey reported that IFS representative
Paul Simonds, anthropology, and the other members of the IFS are working
on developing a proposed legislative agenda for 2001. Because next year
is a legislative year, the respective institutions are asked to think about
their legislative priorities and provide input to the IFS. Lastly, President
Gilkey remarked that he felt the Town Hall meeting was a great success.
There was some criticism that only officers of instruction were included
in the White Paper discussion and that officers of administration, officers
of research, and librarians were not part of the telephone or written survey
that was conducted. President Gilkey noted that a survey committee has
been formed to address these concerns, with Senator Laura Blake Jones,
student life, agreeing to serve representing officers of administration.
A Library Committee representative and a representative of officers of
research will also be on the committee. President Gilkey has been in contact
with the chair of the FAC to alert him to salary issues concerning these
faculty constituencies.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Resolution
US99/00-7 Distribution of Salary Increases. Before proceeding,
President Gilkey asked for the unanimous consent of the Senate on a procedural
matter. In conversations with the authors of the motion, they felt it would
premature to vote on this resolution at this meeting. Senator Greg McLauchlan,
sociology, in concert with President Gilkey, indicated his willingness
to have this motion concerning distribution of salary increases come to
the floor for discussion and a vote some time after the Senate Budget Committee
has made its final report and results of the faculty survey are available.
Accordingly, a motion to postpone was made and approved by hand vote.
Several questions regarding clarification
of documents previously provided by Provost Moseley and Senator McLauchlan
were posited. Specifically, Senator Elizabeth Housworth, mathematics, asked
what portion of salary increase comes from the deanís office versus the
departments, to which the response was approximately 10% and 90%, respectfully.
President Gilkey noted that documents provided in the information packet
(green pages) distributed earlier to senators are mostly statistical information
on distribution of salaries that the senate asked the Provost to provide.
Senator Phillips revisited one
of Senator McLauchlanís charts regarding the Department of Labor statistics
on CPI (Consumer Price Index) data. Senator McLauchlan pointed to significant
differences between his groupís data and that being used by the Senate
Budget Committee, noting that both groups needed to coordinated their efforts
to find some consensus on what data they could both use for CPI figures.
NEW BUSINESS
Motion
US99/00-6 Group Satisfying 4 Credit Hours Courses. President Gilkey
reported that he had received the following motion from the Undergraduate
Council:
University of Oregon courses that are to be group satisfying
must carry at least 4 credit hours.
Senate Vice President Jim Earl, English, noted that
that there are only a few (perhaps seven) 3 credit hours group satisfying
courses remaining in the curriculum.These courses often become problematic
for some students who, due to their own oversight, find themselves one
credit hour short as they near graduation.If all the group-satisfying courses
were at least 4 credit hours, the problem would be greatly exacerbated.
However, Senator Gene Luks, computer and information science, pointed out
a potential shortcoming if the coursework is not proportionally increased
to justify the extra credit hour. He indicated that this was among the
objections of the one dissenting member of the Undergraduate Council (Mr.
John Nicols, classics). Usually increasing the number of contact hours
by one hour fulfills the extra credit hour; however, this is not standardized
across all departments and courses. Senator Earl suggested that the Committee
on Courses already is charged to oversee this potential problem in their
regular monitoring of courses. Senator Jim Terborg, LCB-management, questioned
the link between contact hours and credit hours, suggesting that the issue
should focus on whether the course work warrants 4 credit hours. With
no further discussion forthcoming, Motion US99/00-6 requiring group-satisfying
courses to be at least 4 credit hours was put to a vote and passed unanimously
by hand vote.
Motion
US99/00-8 -- Extension of Tenure Probationary Period because of New
Baby or Childbirth or Adoption.
The next agenda item was a motion to revise University
of Oregon Policy statement 3.130, which concerns extending the tenure probationary
period due to childbirth. (Full text of the motion to amend current policy
and a
comparison
of old and new language is available on the senate web) Ms. Jean Stockard,
sociology, introduced the motion to revise the policy on behalf of a special
senate ad hoc committee. This motion first went to the Child Care and Family
Support Committee last academic year. The Council of Deans also expressed
their support for the policy change. The proposed revised policy statement
essentially changes the previous policy to recognize the importance of
a child bonding to both parents as being crucial for their well being.
The two basic revisions to extending the tenure probationary period policy
would include (a) the occurrence of an adoption as well as a biological
birth as part of the policy, and would (b) allow both mothers and fathers
to request the extension of the tenure probationary period.
During the following discussion, Senator Luks asked
why there was a need to initiate the requested extension within 12 months
of the adoption or birth. Vice Provost Davis replied that it was to avoid
using the policy as a potential excuse ìafter the factî in a tenure decision.
Faculty members can apply for this extension in advance and is very easy
to administer. The proposed policy revision does not change anything already
in place; rather, it broadens the policy by providing for adoption and
including fathers. Vice Provost Davis clarified that this policy has nothing
to do with leave of absence; it pertains only to the tenure clock. With
the discussion concluded, Motion US99/00-8 to revise UO Policy 3.130 to
extend the tenure probationary period because of new baby or childbirth
or adoption was put to a hand vote and passed unanimously.
ADJOURNMENT
With no other business at hand, the meeting
adjourned at 3:40 p.m.
Gwen Steigelman Secretary
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