Minutes of the Faculty Senate | Faculty Senate | SIU

Meeting convened at 1:00 p.m. by Meera Komarraju, President.

ROLL CALL

Members present: Ira J. Altman, Ken B. Anderson, Kimberly Asner-Self, George E. Boulukos, Rita Cheng (ex officio), Tsuchin Chu, Terry Clark, ?? (for Scott Ishman, ex officio), Bruce A. DeVantier, Mark J. Dolan, Anthony T. Fleege, Edward Gershburg, Stephanie Graves, Edward J. Heist, Eric J. Holzmueller, Holly S. Hurlburt, David M. Johnson, Jyotsna Kapur, Allan Karnes (ex officio), Carolyn G. Kingcade, Meera Komarraju, John T. Legier, Douglas W. Lind, James A. MacLean, Nancy L. Martin, John W. Nicklow (ex officio), Shawna Pope (for Connie J. Baker), Matthew Schlesinger, Brooke H. H. Thibeault, Stacy D. Thompson, Rachel B. Whaley, Mingqing Xiao.

Members absent without proxy: Blaine Bartholomew, Qingfeng Ge, Michelle Kibby-Faglier, Diane Muzio, James W. Phegley, Nicole K. Roberts, James A. Wall, Terri S. Wilson.

Visitors and guests: James Allen (Associate Provost for Academic Programs).

MINUTES

The minutes from the regular meeting on March 20, 2013, will be approved at the next meeting.

M. Komarraju called for a motion to amend the agenda so that action items could be addressed before a discussion on the Board of Trustees takes place under "New Business." Additionally, the Resolution to Recommend Promotional Lines for Non-Tenure Track Faculty, which was included on the March 20 agenda, but was not addressed for lack of a quorum, should be added to the agenda under Old Business. H. Hurlburt moved to amend the order of the agenda as follows: Executive Council, Undergraduate Education Policy Committee, Old Business, Reports and New Business, followed by the remainder of the agenda; seconded by K. Asner-Self.

Motion to amend the agenda carried.

EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

1. M. Komarraju presented for approval the Resolution to Form a Task Force to Address Concerns Raised by the Judicial Review Board (included as Attachment A to the Agenda). K. Anderson indicated that the JRB's initial report requested there be one to two Senators on the task force. Is there a reason why the number was reduced to one? D. Johnson responded it was an oversight and was not the intention. K. Anderson asked whether the current Committee on Committees is being charged with forming the task force or if the coming year's Committee on Committees (ConC) will form the task force. M. Komarraju responded that the task will fall to the current committee. A. Karnes asked to whom the task force would report. He pointed out that JRB issues have historically been handled by the Governance Committee. M. Komarraju responded that the task force will report to the full Senate, and any recommendations can be referred to the Governance Committee for action.

G. Boulukos noted that "resolved" in the fourth paragraph is misspelled. He also commented that the current Committee on Committees would prefer the task force formation fall to the next Committee on Committees, noting there are only two weeks remaining on the Senate year. K. Anderson asked whether the task force would convene in the summer. He was unsure whether the task force could meet before the start of the fall semester. A. Noble-Allgire responded that the JRB had initially hoped something could happen before the next round of promotion and tenure decisions.

Resolution was approved unanimously on a show of hands vote. [see appendix 1 for corrected copy]

2. T. Clark reported on the May 2 Executive Council meeting: a) there was discussion on the JRB task force and whether Faculty Association members should be a part of that committee; b) the UEPC discussed UCOL and the First Year Experience. Comments were that it is not working and that faculty are not as involved in the courses as they should be. A policy statement on this issue will be passed on to the next Faculty Senate; c) the proposal for a teaching path to full professor was sent back to Pat Manfredi because it was believed the document was not well thought-out.

J. MacLean asked for an update on the FOIA request. Provost Nicklow responded that the University fulfilled the requirement, with some information redacted by General Counsel. There will be a meeting with the faculty in the College of Science, but specific questions can be directed to General Counsel.

UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION POLICY COMMITTEE -- D. Johnson, Chair

1. D. Johnson presented for approval the Resolution to Recommend Approval of the RME to Establish a Minor in Dance in the Department of Kinesiology, College of Education and Human Services (included as Attachment B to the Agenda).

Resolution was approved unanimously on a show of hands vote.

2. D. Johnson presented for approval the Resolution to Recommend Approval of the RME to Establish a Minor in Animation in the Department of Cinema and Photography, College of Mass Communication and Media Arts (included as Attachment C to the Agenda). H. Hurlburt asked whether there was anything in the proposal that [would allow students in other departments to take the course]. J. Kapur responded that the courses are already offered by the department, and students in other majors are allowed to take the courses.

Resolution was approved unanimously on a show of hands vote.

3. D. Johnson reported the committee is continuing discussions on UCOL 101 and other matters.

OLD BUSINESS

K. Anderson presented for approval the Resolution to Recommend Promotional Lines for Non-Tenure Track Faculty (included as Attachment B to the March 29 Agenda). He reported that the committee discussed whether to have promotional lines for non tenure track faculty. Other members of the committee were: J. Wall, B. Thibeault, S. Thompson and I. Altman. The committee looked into practices at other campuses. He noted that the current system is a mess; there is no structure. The committee concluded that it was a good idea to have consistency and relevance to qualifications of NTT faculty members. He noted the recommendations have nothing to do with money. H. Hurlburt expressed thanks to the members of the ad hoc committee for their work. C. Kingcade asked how the titles would work. K. Anderson responded there would be visiting and continuing appointments. The committee would like the titles to parallel the tenure/tenure track faculty titles. They attempted to come up with terms, but there were too many variations. M. Komarraju noted that there are several departments that use the term "senior" in [the NTT titles]. K. Anderson indicated he is aware that the senior rank is included in the current NTT contract, though that is up for negotiation.

Resolution was approved, with one abstention, on a show of hands vote.

REPORTS

1. Chancellor Cheng reported: a) the presidents and chancellors of the Illinois state universities have signed a joint letter to the Governor regarding the pension issue. A study conducted by the Institute of Government and Public Affairs (IGPA) of the University of Illinois suggested that universities pick up the cost of pensions, but that it be phased in gradually. The study also suggests changing the annual cost of living adjustment (COLA) to link to the consumer price index, increasing employee contributions by an additional 2 percent and adjusting pensions to allow better benefits for employees hired after January 2011. The letter to the Governor is posted on the IPGA website (http://igpa.uillinois.edu/); b) new freshman registration is significantly ahead [of previous years], and new student orientations are up as well. The Graduate School and the School of Law continue to step up their admission processes; c) Mobile Dawg is receiving national attention and is being well received; d) NPR did a story on the work being done by [Jesse Trushenski(?) with the Center for Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences; the Chicago Tribune carried a story on Jan Thompson's documentary film on POWs; and the School of Law has moved up to 140 in the rankings and is in a three-way tie with two other institutions; e) the financial aid brochure has been sent to [prospective] students; f) there are several lab upgrades being done on campus, and the hope is they will be completed by fall; g) there is no new information on the budget, but she will keep the Senate posted.

2. Provost Nicklow reported: a) Katie Sermersheim has been named interim Dean of Students; b) the dean search in the College of Mass Communication and Media Arts was cancelled because he did not believe there was a sufficient pool of candidates. The search will run again in the future; c) wait listing is being piloted this term and is functional. There are concerns, however, that not enough students use their SIU email addresses; d) the Department of Education (DOE) requires that faculty specify the textbooks they will use each semester. It is a requirement that textbooks and class schedules be posted. Any institution that receives federal dollars is subject to the DOE's regulations.

QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION

1. D. Johnson asked if wait listing gives students first dibs on the courses for which they want to sign up. Provost Nicklow responded that an email goes to the first student on the list, and s/he has to respond within a certain time frame before an email is sent to the next person on the list.

2. J. Kapur commented that some faculty may not have determined what textbook they will use as the semester approaches. Do they have the option of not listing a textbook? Provost Nicklow responded that faculty do not have that flexibility; the University has to abide by the DOE's requirements. G. Boulukos asked if there were some reasonable parameters for having to list the textbooks, noting that some textbook companies like to make revise the editions. Provost Nicklow responded that textbook editors generally know in advance any changes being made. J. MacLean asked if faculty can indicate that no textbook is required, but is optional. Provost Nicklow responded that he would not recommend doing such a thing. B. DeVantier asked what the penalty is for noncompliance. Provost Nicklow responded that noncompliance would likely be discovered through the normal audit process, and the University would be given a certain amount of time to comply. It is possible that noncompliance with the DOE's regulations could result in the loss of financial aid to the institution. J. Allen added that the University has to file [various documentation] with the Higher Learning Commission each year, and there are so many ways to be out of compliance. The University could be at risk if it does not comply with the DOE's requirements, so why take that chance?

NEW BUSINESS

M. Komarraju reported that she was approached by a faculty member who had concerns about the situation with the Board of Trustees. She indicated she attended the last two Board meetings, but both ended up not taking place because of a lack of quorum. At the last Board meeting, the student trustee from Edwardsville walked out in protest of the lack of representation for SIUE on the Board. A. Karnes mentioned that part of his FAC report has to do with the Board and the bad press that has been occurring. Some trustees at Chicago State want to push out their president, and yesterday, two long-term Republican trustees at Illinois State were not reappointed. He commented that SIU is not alone in its problems with trustees, though the campus is in a more critical situation. K. Anderson read a statement about faculty concern on campus regarding the actions of the Board of Trustees (included as appendix 2 to the minutes). He then moved the following (seconded by I. Altman):

The Faculty Senate charge the Executive Council to draft a resolution calling on all current members of the Board of Trustees to voluntarily tender their resignations, without prejudice, and further calling on the Governor to accept these resignations as the magnanimous gestures of selfless individuals who are placing the good of the University above their individual interests. And, further resolving that thereafter, the Governor should consult with the legislature and swiftly emplace an entirely new Board populated with well qualified, individuals, with relevant experience, who can help position SIU for future prosperity as major research university.

B. DeVantier believes the proposed motion could be seen as self-serving, in particular because there is another campus involved, as well as the School of Medicine Springfield. He suggested the motion be amended to acknowledge and partner with those campuses. G. Boulukos commented that [the University] is in a crisis. The question is what the Senate can do to resolve the problem. K. Anderson's solution does not resolve, but rather exacerbates the situation; it causes [the campus] to take sides. H. Hurlburt agreed that the Senate needs to say something and needs to act in concert with Edwardsville. Much of the issue deals with representation for them. M. Komarraju reported she did speak with the SIUE representative(?), and they are very concerned about their representation. J. MacLean believes the Senate needs to act, though he is unsure calling for all the trustees to resign is a reasonable option; doing nothing, however, could be the worst thing the Senate could do. H. Hurlburt believes the Senate needs to decide if it wants the Executive Council to draft a statement/resolution asking the Governor and legislature to act in the best interests of the community, the University, etc.

M. Dolan disagreed that the worst thing the Senate could do was nothing. He agreed the Executive Council should draft a statement. He commented that the current conversation is very similar to the one that took place a few months ago when the Senate debated whether to draft a resolution asking the president and Board of Trustees to "play nice." G. Boulukos suggested adding to whatever statement is made that the State Senate should act quickly once the Governor makes his appointments and that they should respect the other campus, resolve this issue and move forward. T. Clark pointed out that this meeting is the last working session of the Faculty Senate. Any statement that is drafted would essentially be passed on to the new body. He agreed with M. Dolan that doing nothing is interesting action. K. Anderson explained that there is nothing in his motion that calls for the trustees to "play nice or get out." The wording is constructed to allow people to magnanimously step down. This fracas has gone on for two years now; the motion would allow for a gracious exist. D. Johnson commented that there is more than just the Board of Trustees involved in the squabble. If a statement is drafted, it should also include the president. He agreed with G. Boulukos's more practical suggestion to call on the Governor to do what he is supposed to do, as well as mention that SIUE needs representation. The current situation is dysfunctional, and the president is part of that. A. Karnes believes the three Board of Trustees members are more interested in electing officers than doing business. They had the option to do business and chose not to do so. That shows him that they do not have the best interests of the University at heart.

M. Komarraju summarized the three options that have been suggested: do nothing; ask the Governor and state legislature to act quickly and include representation for SIUE; and ask Board of Trustees to resign. H. Hulbert suggested rather than voting on one motion, maybe the language suggested by G. Boulukos could be combined into K. Anderson's motion. A point of order was raised that there is a motion currently on the floor, at which time K. Anderson re-read his original motion. D. Johnson then moved to amend the motion to remove the wording calling for the resignations of all the trustees and include G. Boulukos's language for the Governor to make his appointments, to include representation for SIUE; seconded by G. Boulukos. K. Asner-Self asked G. Boulukos to clarify the language he is proposing. G. Boulukos proposed that the Executive Council draft a statement urging the Governor to appoint trustees who will represent SIUE and work with the State Senate to get those names approved. There was discussion that this wording was not really an amendment because it completely changes the original motion. After some discussion, D. Johnson withdrew his motion and a vote was called on K. Anderson's original motion.

Motion failed 7-16-3 on a show of hands vote.

G. Boulukos moved that the Executive Council consider language to ask the Governor to appoint and work with the State Senate to appoint trustees and to consult with the State Senate to make sure SIUE is represented; seconded by D. Johnson. Senators began to debate the language that the statement should include. K. Anderson pointed out that the motion on the floor directs the Executive Council to draft language. H. Hurlburt commented that Senators should not be attempting to draft language on the floor of the Senate. B. DeVantier expressed support for M. Dolan's suggestion that the Senate do nothing. M. Dolan clarified that he was not advocating doing nothing; he was just mentioning that taking no action at this point might be a wiser course of action. After further discussion, G. Boulukos called the question; seconded by T. Clark.

Motion to call the question carried.

Motion requesting Executive Council action failed 11-12-2 on a show of hands vote.

REPORTS (cont.)

3. A. Karnes submitted his report on the Faculty Advisory Council to the IBHE (included as appendix 3 to the minutes).

4. [S. Ishman's proxy] reported: a) the Council heard a presentation from Karla Berry, Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence; b) resolutions approved forming a Campus Wide Committee to Examine Allocation of Indirect Funds and renaming the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education to the Department of Counseling, Quantitative Methods, and Special Education. A fourth resolution to add a Masters of Arts Degree in Chemistry was tabled for further analysis.

BUDGET COMMITTEE -- J. Wall, Chair

G. Boulukos reported: a) the University is anticipating an approximate 5% cut in appropriations. The $8.5M overall cut will be billed back to units at 70/30. This cut is almost twice as much as the one made midyear; b) there is a new IT system in which units will be billed for services such as computer maintenance and setup; c) Chancellor Cheng pulled a suggestion from the Senate Budget Committee on more efficient cuts in postage costs, grant writers, etc. N. Martin asked about new operating expenses. G. Boulukos responded that the New Student Services building is a new expense.

FACULTY STATUS AND WELFARE COMMITTEE -- H. Hurlburt/J. Kapur, Co-Chairs

H. Hurlburt reported her committee is working on a draft letter to encourage further collaboration. Also, a number of people are asking where they can find the faculty survey on the website. She noted that it is attached to the agenda for February.

GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE -- No report.

COMMITTEE ON COMMITTEES -- K. Anderson, Chair

K. Anderson reported the committee made a reappointment to the Position Request Evaluation Committee.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

B. Thibeault announced that Foreign Language Day is coming up, so expect lots of students on campus speaking another language. She encouraged faculty to speak with the students in a different language, if they know something other than English.

ADJOURNMENT

The meeting adjourned at 2:48 p.m.

Respectfully submitted, 
Kimberly Asner-Self, Secretary

KAS:ba