The Faculty Senate was called to order by Professor Rick Tepker, Chair.

PRESENT: Albert, Benson, Blank, Bremer, Civan, Dillon, Durica, Emery, Fiedler, Fung, Gana, Gilje, B.Greene, Gupta, Harris, Hillyer, Hobbs, Holmes, Horrell, Hughes, Hutchison, Joyce, Lancaster, F. Lee, Murphy, Norwood, Palmer, Patten, Patterson, Ramsey, Reynolds, Shaughnessy, St.John, Stoltenberg, Tepker, VanGundy, Wahl, Wallach, Wenk, Williams

PSA representatives: Iselin

UOSA representatives: Merriman

ABSENT: Baker, Carnevale, Egle, Elisens, E.Greene, Kinzie, C.Knapp, Konopak, Laird, Sipes, Smith, Thulasiraman

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Nominations, councils/committees/boards 1

Committee revisions 2

Student jury duty 2

Senate Chair's Report:

Senators who received awards 3

Course syllabus 3

Parking 3

Library journal subscriptions 3

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APPROVAL OF JOURNAL

The Senate Journal for the regular session of March 17, 1997, was approved.

NOMINATIONS FOR COUNCIL/COMMITTEE/BOARD VACANCIES

A preliminary list of Committee on Committees' nominations for end-of-the-year vacancies on university and campus councils/committees/boards was distributed at the meeting and will be voted on at the May meeting. Nominations can be made from the floor, but the permission of the nominee must be obtained. Prof. Dillon explained that the names came from the solicitation sent to chairs and faculty. The Committee on Committees made the selections based on diversity and broad representation.

COMMITTEE REVISIONS

The Committee on Committees' proposed revisions in committees was distributed at the meeting and will be voted on in May (Appendix I). Prof. Dillon, Chair of the Committee on Committees, said some committees are not functioning--Equal Opportunity Committee, Film Review Committee, University Recreational Services Advisory Committee, Council on Campus Life. The Committee on Committees is proposing that the Film Review Committee and University Recreational Services Advisory Committee be subsumed under the Council on Campus Life. The Council on Campus Life would be an omnibus committee that would hear issues brought by any group, such as the Faculty Senate, Staff Senate, or UOSA. Because the Equal Opportunity Committee (EOC) has not been functioning for a couple of years, the recommendation is to create a task force to study the status of recruitment and retention of women and minorities. The change in the Campus Disciplinary Councils will appoint faculty to a term instead of drawing them from the Faculty Appeals Board. The proposed revisions in the Athletics Council would add gender equity to its charge, increase the number of meetings, increase the faculty representation, and require the Athletic Department budget to be reviewed by the Budget Council since E&G funds are now involved. The Budget Council charge would be changed to reflect the last item.

Prof. Van Gundy asked whether the current charge of the EOC included recruitment and retention of women and minorities. Prof. Dillon said the current charge is broader and may be too broad. After talking with the Affirmative Action Office and some women's groups, the issue seems to be a need to focus on recruitment and retention of women and minorities. Prof. Van Gundy wanted to know why the EOC has not been meeting and what we would be giving up by eliminating the EOC. Prof. Dillon noted that this committee does not hear complaints about discrimination. Its charge is to recommend policy regarding equal opportunity. The EOC was more active a few years ago when it helped form affirmative action plans. She commented that it would be helpful to have a group reassess the policies periodically. Prof. Van Gundy asked whether anyone was evaluating how expeditiously affirmative action complaints are processed. Prof. Dillon said the Affirmative Action office probably has some numbers. She said that is something the proposed task force could look at.

Prof. Hobbs said the provost's advisory committee on women's issues has wondered whether there should be a unit independent of the provost looking at faculty women's issues. Prof. Dillon said the proposed task force would look at that entire structure. Prof. Fiedler remarked that the task force should look at equal treatment of all people, including white males. Prof. Dillon said the perception is there is a problem with recruitment and retention of women and minorities but that Prof. Fiedler could propose an amendment to include white males.

student jury duty

The Provost's office proposed some revisions in the Faculty Handbook to put the university in compliance with state law regarding student jury duty (Appendix II; added language underlined). According to the Provost's memo of April 2, "An Oklahoma statute now provides that 'No school, college, university, or other educational institution may take or permit to be taken any adverse academic action against a student because of the student's service on a grand, multicounty grand, or petit jury.' ... This law preempts part of the following policies, all of which currently permit but do not require accommodations for jury duty: Final Examination Regulations, Makeup Examinations (Other Than Final), and Class Attendance--Students." Prof. Tepker explained that the modification adds jury duty to the list of reasons why a student might need an accommodation. Because of the need to conform to the law, the Executive Committee will recommend approval but will request general counsel to consider exactly what accommodations might be required and to include "reasonable accommodation" language. The revisions will be voted on in May.

Senate Chair's Report, by Prof. Rick Tepker

Prof. Tepker congratulated the senators who received awards at the faculty tribute ceremony April9.

The course syllabus requirement as written by the Faculty Senate was approved (see 3/97 Senate Journal, page 2). The president thought it was a good balance between faculty autonomy and student rights.

Ms. Theta Dempsey, Parking and Transit administrator, met with the Senate Executive Committee to discuss the Catlett parking garage. There seems to be an expectation that all the spaces in the garage will be for faculty and staff, and that is not so. The garage will have about 580 spaces; 12 will be for disability, 100-125 for reserved, which will require a premium payment of three to four times the faculty/staff base rate, about 150 for hourly, and at least 300 for faculty and staff with permits. Prof. Van Gundy asked when the garage would open. Prof. Tepker answered that the garage will be open in May, but the street probably will not open until June. Prof. Bremer said it was the perception of the Music school that there will be more hourly spaces than permit spaces in order to pay for the garage. Prof. Tepker responded that the fee increase for faculty/staff permits will also help pay for it. Prof. Gilje noted that the Executive Committee asked Ms. Dempsey who would purchase the reserved, premium spaces. She replied that those spaces will be sold to faculty and staff first, and any leftover spaces will be sold to students. Prof. Blank asked when the reserved spaces would be in effect. Prof. Tepker answered 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Prof. Dillon added that the reason they are not reserved for 24 hours is to accommodate event parking in the evening. Prof. Tepker observed that Ms. Dempsey was quite candid with the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee told her that parking had become more expensive and less convenient. She is willing to take suggestions; this is a tentative plan right now. Prof. Patterson asked whether the vacant lot on the corner of Brooks and College could be used. Another senator said that was private property. Prof. Wenk mentioned that Ms. Dempsey asked about making the Goddard and Burton lots commuter only. Prof. Gilje asked about the net result in faculty/staff spaces. Prof. Tepker said we lost 175 in the surface lot by Catlett, gained 21 by Thorpe, and gained over 300 in the garage. Prof. Van Gundy asked about the contractor lot on Boyd. Prof. Tepker said that was not discussed.

As a result of the budget situation, the library has announced a plan to make substantial cuts in journal subscriptions for chemistry and engineering and to replace journal access with electronic delivery. The Senate Executive Committee is soliciting comments to incorporate in a letter to the administration. Prof. Durica asked whether there was a written formalized proposal. He wondered how the electronic costs compared to paper costs. Prof. Tepker said he had heard it would cost about the same. Prof. Joyce explained that the library will track the costs before a final decision is made. Prof. Fung said the method the library uses is not representative of journal usage. Prof. Dillon pointed out that no one knows the cost-benefit of electronic document delivery versus paper; however, the inflation rate for paper versions is increasing dramatically. A lot will depend on what publishers do and what the copyright law will be. She asked, "Can we continue to live with that kind of inflation rate without trying alternatives?" We need to establish more valid measures and monitor this. The budget in her department is so low, she has to use interlibrary loan. Prof. Durica noted that publishers are making articles available on the Internet for a reasonable price. If we go to electronic retrieval, will the library pay for it? Some of the money the College of Arts and Sciences gets through computer fees could be spent for this. There needs to be some coordination. Prof. Hutchison cautioned faculty not to be resistant to electronic delivery. It is estimated that human eyes fall on only 10% of the pages in the scientific journals in the library. Electronic media should be as cheap if not cheaper. Faculty should embrace this technology but make sure the right things are happening locally and charges are not shifted from the library to the unit.

Prof. Williams said he would like to have the library dean give a presentation to the Faculty Senate since this affects all faculty. Prof. Tepker said he will try for the May meeting or else in the fall. Prof. Palmer asked why these units were selected. Prof. Dillon said it had to do with the cost of the journals. We are shifting from a philosophy of ownership to use. It could cost less to order certain articles instead of the entire journal. She said she was not sure if the cost would be for the subscription or for the article. Prof. Joyce said she thought it would be by the article. Consortia are working on gathering certain materials. This is a nationwide issue being driven by certain publishers. It is a way to force those publishers to have more reasonable subscription prices. Prof. Blank pointed out that publishers who think they are losing subscriptions will increase the cost because they own the copyright. Prof. Dillon said we may have more options as we go more on-line. Prof. Patten noted that decisions could be based on commercial value. Prof. Joyce noted that the library will want to know ways to get more reliable statistics. Prof. Blank remarked that the decision was made without any input. Document delivery does not necessarily replace everything and is not necessarily cheaper. Some of the journals scheduled to be cut are not available electronically. Prof. Fung reported that Dean Lee planned to cut every journal costing over $2000 regardless of usage. With this library's system, it is not possible to look at the abstracts and decide which articles to order; only titles are available. Prof. Murphy suggested that we find out how other universities are tackling this problem. Prof. Blank said OU is ranked 64th out of 65 research libraries, so other libraries are not facing a problem this serious. What is proposed is a 64% cut in chemistry's subscriptions.

ADJOURNMENT

The meeting adjourned at 4:15 p.m. The next regular session of the Senate will be held at 3:30p.m. on Monday, May 5, 1997, in Jacobson Faculty Hall 102.

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Alexander Holmes, Secretary

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Sonya Fallgatter, Administrative Coordinator

Eliminate the EQUAL OPPORTUNITY COMMITTEE and recommend a joint Faculty Senate/Presidential task force to study the status of recruitment and retention of women and minorities and to make recommendations during the 1997-98 academic year.

ATHLETICS COUNCIL Charge:

Change Big Eight to Big Twelve and check rule changes where they occur.

Business Matters item 7:

Annual budgets of the Department of Athletics shall be prepared with active participation of the Council and presented to the Council at such time and in such detail as permits the Council to make recommendations to the President for consideration by the University Budget Council along with budget submission. The process shall include an annual review of major capital improvement needs as recommended by the Athletics Department, and recommendations shall be made to the President assigning priorities to such needs and, as appropriate, assigning resources. There shall be made available to the Council and or Budget Subcommittee full information on annual income and expenses of the Department of Athletics, including and shall provide information concerning operating surpluses or deficits.

Gender Equity item 14:

The Council will annually review and assess the University's commitment to the principles of gender equity, Title IX, and the goals set forth in the University gender equity plan. The Council shall make recommendations for the development of plans for implementation resulting from the annual review of these goals and shall make recommendations concerning the adjustment of action required in the furtherance of these goals. The gender equity subcommittee will annually review participation rates in men's and women's sports, gender equity compliance progress, new plan development, cost projections, and will report regularly to the Athletics Council. Reports to the Council and/or its gender equity subcommittee shall include the following: financial reporting for men's and women's sports expenditures required by NCAA rules and state and/or federal law; the action taken each year to increase or maintain the participation rate of women varsity student-athletes and the student financial aid rate; and action taken each year in furtherance of the goals set forth in the gender equity action plan.

Meetings item 14 15:

The Athletics Council shall meet at least four six times during the academic year. ...

Item 15 becomes item 16.

Committee Membership:

8 Norman Campus Faculty members, 6 appointed by the Norman Campus Faculty Senate and 2 appointed by the President for three year terms.

3 HSC faculty members, 1 appointed by the President and 2 by the HSC Faculty Senate for three year terms.

BUDGET COUNCIL: Purpose (2nd and 3rd paragraphs)

The Budget Council has immediate responsibility for advising the President of all fiscal matters associated with those programs in the Senior Vice President and Provost's area. The Council is also to advise on functions associated with Vice Presidents other than the Provost the other Vice Presidential units and the Athletic Department which affect the academic program. The budgets of all colleges shall at the planning and review stages come to the Council. It shall further be the responsibility of this Council to review and formulate general policy and reduce to writing guidelines to ensure the effectiveness of the administrative structure of the University.

The Council must be informed of the scope and operation of the entire University budget. While certain areas do not fall within the usual scope of its advisory and recommending responsibility, it is necessary that the budget officers involved in those areas report regularly to the Council. It is further assumed that voluntary reports to the Council will be available from the Director of the Oklahoma University Foundation, the Vice President for Development, the Dean of the College of Continuing Education, and the Athletic Department etc. While the Athletics Council does advise the President on budget matters pertaining to athletics, The Athletic Director and/or the Chair of the Athletics Council shall periodically report to the Budget Council. The Directors of other auxiliary enterprises may be asked to report to the Council.

CAMPUS DISCIPLINARY COUNCIL I & II

Committee Membership: Membership

The Campus Disciplinary Council shall consist of 7 members and shall select a presiding officer at the beginning of each academic year. The Council is apportioned in the following manner.

3 Faculty (one of whom must be an attorney) and one alternate (who must be an attorney) appointed by the Faculty Senate -- Faculty members are to be randomly selected from the Faculty Appeals Board -- 2 3 year terms (1/2 1/3 to retire each year)

3 Students -- UOSA appoints 2, the President appoints 1 -- 2 year terms (1/2 to retire each year)

1 Staff -- Selected by the VP for Student Affairs -- 1 year term.

COUNCIL ON CAMPUS LIFE

In keeping with the spirit of the recommendation in the Charge of the Council on Campus Life, the Committee on Committees recommends collapsing the following committees into the Council on Campus Life.

1) Film Review Committee

2) University Recreational Services Committee

In addition, the Committee on Committees recommends changing the purpose of this Council by changing the following: ... Its purpose is to provide a forum for all Campus constituencies to discuss these matters of comment concern. The Council on Campus Life is an omnibus committee that serves the President, Vice-President and Faculty Senate, Staff Senate, and UOSA by appointing ad hoc committees to respond to issues that arise related to the quality of campus life and do not currently fall within the purview of existing councils or committees. These issues include but are not limited to campus services, film review, and recreational services. In addition the council shall recommend and advise the President or appropriate Vice-President or Provost of the University of any desirable changes in campus policy which are not already better addressed by an existing University council or Committee. ...

The Committee on Committee recommends the following membership changes:

3 students UOSA appoints 2, 1 year terms

President appoints 1

3 faculty Faculty Senate appoints 2 3 year terms (staggered)

President appoints 1

3 staff Staff Senate appoints 2 3 year terms (staggered)

President appoints 1

If the UOSA President, Chair of Student Congress, Graduate Student Senate Chair, Faculty Senate Chair or Staff Senate Chair cannot attend a meeting of the Council, they may send a designee to represent them.

The committee chair will be elected from the members with three year terms. Student member terms shall be for one year, but members may be reappointed for additional terms. ...