University of North Carolina at Asheville FACULTY SENATE MEETING Minutes, October 14, 1993 Senate Members: S. Browning, F. Davenport, M. Gillum, C. Goedsche, G. Henderson, C. James, P. McDonald, B. Miller, D. Mullen, P. Nickless, P. Snoyer, A. Wengrow, B. Yearout, L. Wilson Excused: M. L. Manns, K. Ray Visitors: J. Banks (Chairman of Board of Trustees), K. Brantley, T. Cochran, P. Caulfield, G. Nallan, J. Stevens, L. Trey, H. Quinn I.A. Call to Order Dr. Browning, Faculty Senate Chair, welcomed faculty and guests to the meeting and called the meeting to order at 3:22 pm. Dr. Browning introduced Mr. Jay Banks, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, and revised the agenda to accommodate Mr. Banks. B. Approval of Minutes The minutes of the September 2, 1993 meeting were approved as written. Dr. Browning presented the September 9, 1993 minutes for approval. Dr. Goedsche questioned the accuracy of the word "wrong" on page seven, as it did not reflect the tone of the meeting and could possibly be misconstrued. Senate members discussed the objective of the minutes and agreed that minutes should summarize lengthy conversations and reflect the tone of the meeting. Also, a tape recording is available to determine the accuracy of factual information. Mr. Wengrow moved to correct the minutes by deleting the word "wrong" on page seven. Dr. Nickless seconded the motion. The motion failed. Dr. Wilson stated that the numbers 2.7% and 3.2% on page three were inaccurate and he would forward the correct numbers to the secretary. The minutes were approved with Dr. Wilson's correction. C. Resignation of Dr. Keith Ray Dr. Browning stated that Keith Ray had taken a position at another institution and had to move on quickly for both personal and professional reasons. Dr. Ray will continue to cover his courses this semester but can not continue to meet his responsibilities to the Senate. In accordance with the Constitution, the senators voted to elect an alternate to fill Dr. Ray's unexpired term. The 1993-94 alternates are: Chuck Bennett, Peter Caulfield, and Nancy Kauffman. Dr. Peter Caulfield was elected to fill the unexpired term of Dr. Ray and will serve on the FWDC. II. Report on the Chancellor's Search Dr. Browning stated that President Spangler met with the Search Committee and the Board of Trustees earlier today. Mr. Jay Banks, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, reported on the status of the search process. President Spangler gave a presentation charging the Trustees and Search Committee in their mission and objective. Mr. Banks stated that members of the search committee were forthright in expressing their views and commitment to working together toward achieving the mission of recruiting the finest chancellor possible over the next several months. The committee's goal is to have the search completed by next spring. Mr. Banks considers the phase of determining the criteria for the chancellorship to be the most important and, while certain phases of the search must be held in confidence in order to attract qualified candidates, the criteria phase will be a very open process. Forums will be held across campus to solicit comments, advice and council about what criteria would be appropriate to a chancellor. In addition, the search committee will have open hours at the search committee office for individuals who wish to give their advice privately. Mr. Banks asked senators to encourage qualified people to apply for the position and asked if the senators had questions or comments. Mr. Wengrow and Dr. Henderson, as members of the search committee, relayed their impressions of the search process to date. Mr. Wengrow stated that he was pleased with the beginning that had been made and was grateful to Mr. Banks for the manner in which he has gotten the search off and the tone he had established for the search. Dr. Henderson agreed with Mr. Wengrow and stated she was happy that several of the non- UNCA faculty and administrative representatives seemed to understand and appreciate the liberal arts focus of the institution and were very open to faculty input. In response to Dr. Cochran's question, Mr. Banks stated that the search committee concluded that they would not start out with a search firm but would always have that as an option if needed. Mr. Banks excused himself from the meeting. Dr. Browning echoed Mr. Wengrow and Dr. Henderson's comments. At the first meeting everyone was very open, sharing ideas and insights. Also, he was pleasantly surprised at the level of intuition and understanding the committee has about UNCA and the genuine team effort evident at this stage. In response to a question, Dr. Browning stated that Mr. Monk asked President Spangler if the interim chancellor might also be a potential candidate for the position. Mr. Spangler stated that he would adhere to the guidelines and preferences of the search committee. Dr. Browning stated that the preferences and guidelines of the search committee are simply that the interim chancellor would not be a candidate. III. Administrative Report Dr. Larry Wilson gave the Administration Report. -Enrollment Dr. Wilson stated that efforts are underway to attract students to UNCA and the response from departments and programs has been good. UNCA is offering only slightly fewer courses than a year ago. -Faculty Searches Eight faculty searches are in various stages of progress. -Response to Action by the NC General Assembly Dr. Wilson distributed copies of a response to action by the NC General Assembly in 1991 relative to time to graduate. Each member of the UNC system must submit a plan to decrease the time needed to graduate over the next couple of years. This request is in response to economic questions raised by the General Assembly and is due by early January. A task force composed of Michael Gillum, Alan Hantz, Claudel McKenzie, Bill Miller, Bill Sabo, Caroline Miller, Archer Gravely, Nina East, and Dr. Wilson will formulate a plan to present to the Senate before the end of the semester. Dr. Wilson asked senators to pay particular attention to item five on page four. The General Assembly is interested in raising the definition of full time status from 12 to 15 hours. The Senate discussed funding definitions and the consequences of changing FTE's from 12 to 15 hours. Dr. Henderson stated that she continues to be disturbed by anyone who takes a number with no consideration given to the programs which students major or what constitutes a good program. - Minority Affairs Report Dr. Wilson stated that he and Chancellor Schuman have some of the same concerns expressed in the Minority Affairs Report and asked if the senate preferred a written response, an item by item oral report, or a meeting with a subcommittee. Dr. Browning stated that each Senate subcommittee has the report on their agenda. Given that some issues are within the realm of administrative responses and others require faculty responses, Dr. Browning suggested that the two responses form the basis of any action. Dr. Wilson will give the administrative response at the next Senate meeting. - Bond Issue Dr. Wilson urged everyone to vote for the bond issue. Dr. Nickless encouraged everyone to read the constitutional amendment. IV. Faculty Welfare and Development Committee Report Dr. McDonald reported for Ms. Mary Lynn Manns in her absence. Policy on Extended Illness and Disability for Faculty The FWDC met on September 20th and discussed the Policy on Extended Illness and Disability for Faculty. A committee of the following people has been formed to review and resubmit this policy: Don Lisnerski (Chair), Debra Van Engelen, Charlotte Goedsche, Penny Brunner, and Andy Brantley. Peter Caulfield will replace Keith Ray on the committee. Faculty Development Dr. Larry Wilson and Ms. Mary Lynn Manns have discussed the need for a meeting of the following three committees to discuss faculty development issues: Faculty Welfare and Development, the University Research Council, and the University Teaching Council. This meeting is now being planned for October. V. Executive Committee Report Dr. Shirley Browning gave the Executive Committee Report. - Memo of October 11 Dr. Browning referred to a memorandum sent to senators on October 11 with a letter of appreciation to Chancellor Schuman, a letter of concern to Chairman Poole and President Spangler, and a resolution of concern to Chairman Poole and President Spangler. At the request of the Senate, Michael Gillum and Linda Nelms collaborated in an attempt to capture the sense of the faculty regarding this matter. At the last meeting there was a question regarding which format to use. Dr. Michael Gillum expressed his intent in composing the letter of appreciation to Chancellor Schuman. Mr. Wengrow moved that the Senate adopt the letter and send it to the Chancellor. Dr. Yearout seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved and the letter became Senate Document #0193F. The Senate then considered the draft letter and resolution expressing concern to Chairman Poole and President Spangler. Dr. Browning stated that the letter was written by Michael Gillum and the resolution was written by Linda Nelms. Dr. Browning asked Dr. Goedsche to speak on Ms. Nelms' behalf regarding the resolution as she had a long- standing commitment and could not attend the meeting. A lengthy discussion followed concerning the merits of sending the letter or resolution, the confidentiality of personnel matters, the tone used, and the goal in sending either document. Mr. Wengrow moved that the letter drafted by Dr. Gillum be forwarded to President Spangler and Chairman Poole. Dr. Nickless seconded the motion. Dr. Davenport made an amendment to the motion that the letter also be sent to the Asheville-Citizens Times and the Blue Banner. The amendment was seconded by Dr. Miller. Discussion followed concerning the appropriateness of sending copies of the letter to the two newspapers, community relations, and quelling rumors in the piedmont area. Dr. Mullen called the question on the amendment. The Senate voted five to four in favor of the amendment. There was a challenge to the vote and the vote was taken a second time. The vote was five to five. Dr. Browning broke the tie with a vote against the amendment and the amendment failed. Mr. Wengrow called the question on the original motion. The motion passed by a vote of nine to one and the letter became Senate Document #0293F. VI. Student Government Report Ms. Heather Quinn reported for the Student Government Association. - Blood Drive Ms. Quinn thanked participants in the recent Blood Drive who helped the SGA surpass their goal. -Greenfest Greenfest is scheduled for November 9 with a rain date of November 16. For more information please contact Jo Peterson at 251-6587. - SGA Passed Referendum On September 22 the Student Senate passed the bill for the referendum that was held last Friday and this Monday. The results of the referendum were largely in favor of keeping UNCA a small public Liberal Arts I institution. - Judicial Code On September 29 the Judicial Code was amended to ensure that anyone coming before the student court would not be prosecuted by someone directly involved in the matter. The new Judicial Code was tabled but is expected to pass next week. - Exam Schedule Ms. Quinn reported that many students favor a mid-week reading day during exam week and explained an exam schedule developed by the SGA academic affairs committee and approved by the Student Government Senate. The exam schedule proposed a Wednesday reading day, shortened the exam period to two hours, allowed a maximum of four exams per day, and allotted thirty minutes between exams. After a lengthy question/answer session Dr. Nickless made a motion to turn the exam schedule over to the Executive Committee and asked that they work with Dr. Wilson and also involve the department chairs. Mr. Wengrow seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Dr. Wilson thanked Ms. Quinn for raising this issue. - Faculty Conciliator The SGA has not selected a faculty conciliator from a list of nominees forwarded to the SGA last spring. Ms. Quinn will speak with Mary Bullman about this matter again. Dr. Browning stressed that it was in the students' interest to have a faculty conciliator. - Association of Student Government The Association of Student Government discussed the possibility of submitting a sixteen campus resolution regarding legislative action that would require a surcharge after students acquired a maximum number of credit hours. VII. Academic Policies Report Dr. Bob Yearout reported for the Academic Policies Committee. - First Reading Dr. Yearout distributed APC #1: Human Subjects Policy and requested an editorial change on page five under the Membership section. After discussion, section "d." was rewritten as follows: "There must be representation from the natural science, social science, and humanities areas of the university." VIII. Institutional Development Committee/University Planning Council Report Dr. Gwen Henderson gave the Institutional Development Committee/University Planning Council Report. Dr. Henderson reported that the UPC continues to meet bi-weekly. IDC report on the Minorities Affairs Commission Dr. Henderson distributed an IDC report concerning the Minorities Affairs Commission's Report on the Status of People of Color and Women at the University of North Carolina at Asheville dated April, 1993. IDC commended the Commission for its hard work and scholarly attention to matters covered in the subject report and suggested a follow-up by the Commission and Faculty Senate. The IDC has asked the Commission to 1) develop recommendations based upon its findings and present these recommendations to the Faculty Senate for deliberation and decisions regarding any dispatch, and 2) in making the recommendations, there is a need for clear delineation of those groups comprising "people of color" and those positions categorized as "Administration". With respect to the Senate, the IDC report states: 1) because the Commission appears to have campus-wide implications, it would seem that its line of reporting should be to the Chancellor rather than to the VCAA, and 2) a review should be undertaken to determine (a) whether there is current adherence to the original charge and Senate- stipulated composition of the Commission and, (b) if prevailing campus circumstances dictate reconsideration of that charge and composition. Dr. Browning stated that the FWDC is the Senate committee which deals with committees and their charges and asked the FWDC to review Portion II. of the report and respond to the Senate. In response to Dr. Browning's question, Dr. Wilson stated that the chair of the commission must be a minority. Dr. Mullen chaired the commission last year, however, the commission has not met this year. Dr. Browning forwarded Portion I. of the report to Dr. Mullen so that the commission could review and respond to IDC's suggestions. Faculty Assembly Dr. Browning stated that Dr. John Stevens was prepared to give a Faculty Assembly report but would postpone the report until the next Senate meeting. IX. Old Business There was no Old Business. X. New Business Academic Calendar The Senate discussed the proposed Academic Calendar for 1994-95 distributed earlier in the meeting and accepted the calendar as a first reading document. The Senate discussed shortening winter break, orientation, Martin Luther King holiday, scheduling night classes on Labor Day, and eliminating the second 5 1/2 week summer school term. The Senate agreed to the August portion of the proposed calendar. In response to Dr. Nickless' question, Dr. Browning stated that UNCA's semesters are not longer than other institutions within the UNC system. Dr. Browning urged senators to discuss the calendar issues with their colleagues before the next meeting. XI. Adjournment Dr. Browning adjourned the meeting at 5:35 pm. Respectfully submitted by: Sandra Gravely, Mary Lynn Manns