University of North Carolina at Asheville FACULTY SENATE MEETING Minutes, January 26, 1989 Senate Members: S. Browning, A. Comer, L. Friedenberg, M. Gillum, A. Hantz, M. Marshall, C. Mitchell, L. Nelms, P. Nickless, S. Patch, C. Prokop, D. Sulock, A. Wengrow, K. Whatley, B. Wilson, L. Wilson Alternates: C. Altimus, Visitors: J. Buckner, T. Cochran, L. Dohse, J. Garrett, D. Harmon, R. Hart, D. Howard, N. Kauffman, D. Kay, G. Kormanik, W. Lang, J. Maney, C. Reed, T. Seitz, P. Snoyer, D. Van Engelen The January 26th meeting of the Faculty Senate was called to order at 3:34 pm in 132-Owen Hall by Chair Charles Prokop. Dr. Nickless moved the Senate minutes for November 10 and December 8. Dr. Friedenberg seconded the motion and the minutes were approved as written. Faculty Welfare and Development Committee Report Dr. Nickless reported for the Faculty Welfare and Development Committee. The Personnel Department has asked that FWDC review socially responsible mutual funds for employees interested in tax-deferred compensation. Dr. Nickless stated that the Senate action is needed to replace members on the Grievance and Tenure Committees. Alan Hantz is now a department chair and no longer eligible to serve on the Grievance Committee. Also, the University has been advised by legal counsel at GA that it would be wise to replace Phyllis Betts as a member of the Committee of Tenured Faculty since she is now Special Assistant to the Vice-Chancellor. Traditionally, the Senate has replaced members with the next highest vote-getter in the appropriate category. In this case Dr. Betts would be replaced by Ted Seitz and Dr. Hantz would be replaced by Peg Downes. Dr. Nickless moved that the Senate replace Drs. Hantz and Betts with the runners-up in their category. Dr. Patch seconded the motion. In a friendly amendment Dr. Nickless accepted Dr. Comer's proposal that Dr. Betts' replacement serve the entire two-year term (1988-89 and 1989-90) on the Tenure Committee. The Grievance Committee term is for one year. The motion carried unanimously. Ms. Nelms recognized Dr. Kormanik for having the foresight to save last year's ballots. Dr. Nickless agreed with Dr. Browning's suggestion that FWDC consider making replacement procedures a matter of policy. Dr. Nickless presented FWDC #2: Changes in Tenure Policy and Regulations. She reviewed the history of this document as follows: The Task Force on the Tenure Hearings and Grievance Committee was established by the 1987-1988 Senate Executive Committee to Page 2 address two main concerns and to review the Tenure and Grievance procedures and documents. The first concern was raised by Dr. Uldricks in a Senate meeting in Fall 1987 when he brought to the Senate's attention recently approved changes to the UNC-CH Tenure document adding Procedural Irregularities as a grounds for a Hearing on a Tenure/Reappointment decision. At this time, most of the universities in the system did not recognize procedural irregularities as grounds for a hearing or grievance. UNCA and UNCG were, to Dr. Nickless' knowledge, the only campuses who allowed a grievance to be filed on the basis of procedural irregularities. This is the only time the Grievance committee is allowed to hear a grievance resulting from an employment decision -- the role of the grievance committee being to deal with conditions of employment, not employment per se. The Senate Chairs were advised by Ray Dawson in the Fall of 1987 that the Board of Governors was receptive to adding procedural irregularities as grounds for a hearing, but advised against doing it in the system-wide tenure document. He instead recommended a campus-by-campus approach. Chapel Hill was clearly the test case. Second, Grievance Committee members from the 1986-1987 committee had inquired as to the possibility of increasing terms of service on the Committee. Current terms are for one-year only, so every new committee re-creates operating procedures. It is conceivable that a committee could be composed entirely of people who had never served on the Grievance Committee. The Task Force was asked to address these two issues specifically and to determine if there were other concerns. Dr. Patch chaired this group. The document before the Senate is the result of that deliberation. Dr. Nickless referred Senators to the rationale section of FWDC #2, and noted that the changes fall into two important categories. One deals with the procedural error issue, and one deals with who will participate in decisions on the Hearings and Tenure Committee. Each category of changes was moved separately. Dr. Nickless first moved changes in sections D.2, J.4, IV.F and V.B.7 of the UNCA Tenure Document. Changes in D.2, J.4, and V.B.7 would require that committee members who are in the department of the faculty member under consideration or who are related to members of that faculty member's department must excuse themselves from the Tenure Committee or Hearing Committee for decisions involving that faculty member. Changes in IV.F would establish a simple majority as a quorum for the Hearings Committee. Dr. Patch seconded the motion. Dr. Friedenberg moved an amendment to FWDC #2 for consideration and distributed copies of the proposed changes. The motion for amendment was seconded by Dr. Hantz. The focus of the amendment was to replace the statement excusing committee members who are related to a member of the faculty member's department with a statement to the effect that a committee member having a conflict of interest on a case shall withdraw from consideration of that case after consultation with the Committee chair and the chair of the Faculty Senate. This statement would be inserted in section D.2, J.4 and V.B.7 of FWDC #2. A lengthy discussion ensued concerning these issues. In a Page 3 friendly amendment, Dr. Friedenberg agreed to amend the amendment under section D.2 to include excusing committee members who hold an appointment in the faculty member's department. After considerable discussion Dr. Comer called the question on the amendment. Dr. Friedenberg read the amendment and it was split into two sections for voting purposes. The first vote included the amended amendment in section D.2 regarding the Tenure Committee. The motion carried with a 8-6 vote. The second vote concerned sections J.4 and V.B.7 on the Hearings Committee portion of the amendment. The motion carried 11-2 with one abstention. Discussion returned to Dr. Nickless' original motion as amended. After discussion, the motion as amended passed unanimously. Dr. Nickless then moved the changes in D.3.c, D.4, J.2.a, J.3.a, J.5.a, and footnote 5. These changes would provide for establishing procedural irregularities as grounds to appeal to the Hearings Committee. Dr. Comer seconded the motion. In a friendly amendment Dr. Nickless accepted Dr. Gillum's suggestion to include the word "material" before "procedural irregularities" under sections III.D.2.a. and III.D.3.a. The motion passed unanimously. Dr. Nickless then moved that the Senate grant approval to make necessary typographical corrections in the document and to add the sentence "Becomes effective at the beginning of the academic year following approval by the Board of Governors." Dr. Friedenberg seconded the motion, and the motion passed unanimously. FWDC #2 became Senate Document #1089S. Administrative Report Dr. L. Wilson was attending a Board of Trustees meeting and unable to give the Administrative Report. Dr. Prokop reported that the mission statement issue was initially on the agenda for the Board of Trustees' meeting, but in response to the Senate action of December 8 and the Chancellor's support of this action the Board had decided to wait until the next self-study to address the mission statement's wording. Executive Committee Report Dr. Prokop reported for the Executive Committee. There is now a Senate file on reserve in the library which will contain general information that comes to the Senate and documents that have been presented to the Senate for first reading consideration. Also, a committee is now in the process of putting together a view book on UNCA and suggestions are welcome. Suggested viewbook topics and wording should be sent to Chris Streppa. The catalog deadline date has been shifted to March 15 rather than March 1. Anything that passes the Senate by the end of the meeting on March 9 will meet the catalog deadline. Academic Policies Committee Report Dr. Friedenberg reported for the Academic Policies Committee. The APC is currently considering 21 documents. The following Page 4 documents were presented for first reading consideration: APC #1-B - Catalog Copy for the Honors Program APC #5 - Catalog Changes in Mathematics Institutional Development Committee Report Dr. Browning reported for the Institutional Development Committee. At the last Planning Council meeting Dr. L. Wilson presented a proposal for an organizational scheme for an Office of Undergraduate Research. Dr. Wilson suggested that a faculty member be asked to serve as Director; no specific faculty member was suggested for the position. There will be a formal search for this position. Support would include no more than a half-time secretary and an operating budget of approximately $2,000. Dr. Wilson will report back on February 24 with a formal document to implement the office of Undergraduate Research. The document will include a statement of goals and objectives for the office. UPC also discussed the Administrative Office Evaluation survey. The UPC believes the process should be a constructive one. The next UPC meeting will be February 3 at 3:15 PM in NSH (new science hall) in room 117. Three Thrust proposals will be considered. The Arts and the Black Experience Dr. David Hopes Computers in the Liberal Arts University Dr. Peggy Parris Building a Southeast Regional Center for Dr. Gary Miller and Environmental Education, Outreach and Dr. Rick Maas Research Old Business There was no Old Business. New Business There was no New Business. Dr. Prokop adjourned the meeting at 5:10 PM. Respectfully submitted by: Sandra M. Gravely Pamela Nickless Page 5