The
Regular session – March 20, 2006 – 3:30 p.m. – Jacobson Faculty Hall 102
office: Jacobson Faculty Hall 206
phone: 325-6789
e-mail: facsen@ou.edu web site:
http://www.ou.edu/admin/facsen/
The Faculty Senate was called
to order by Professor Roy Knapp, Chair.
PRESENT: Albert,
Apanasov, Benson, Biggerstaff, Blank, Bradford, Brown, Burns, Catlin, Clark, Cramer,
Croft, Draheim, Elisens, Fast, Fincke, Franklin, Frech, Gade, Garn, Gutierrez, C. Knapp,
R. Knapp, Kolar, Kutner, Lai, Lester, Liu, Magnusson, Marcus-Mendoza, Megginson,
Pace, Raadschelders, Ransom, Roche, Rugeley, Scamehorn, Schwarzkopf, Tabb,
Trytten, Warnken, Weaver, Wei, Wyckoff
ISA representatives:
Hough, Smith
ABSENT: Badhwar,
Civan, Geletzke, Hamerla, Hawamdeh, Hayes-Thumann, Houser, Skeeters, Wood
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Announcements:
Faculty tribute
Benefits
Senate Chair's Report:
Appointment of dean for new College of Earth &
Energy
Complete withdrawal report
Committee nominations
Faculty deaths
AAUP meeting
Courses with numbers ending in 60, 70, 80, 90
Central campus instruction
Environmental Concerns Committee proposal concerning ex-officio members
Resolution recognizing Senator Cal Hobson
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The Faculty Senate Journal
for the regular session of February 13, 2006 was approved.
The Faculty Tribute will be
held Thursday, April 6, at 4:00 p.m. in the Sandy Bell Gallery, Mary and Howard
Lester Wing, of the Fred Jones, Jr. Museum of Art.
Remarks concerning retirement
changes and short-term disability insurance by Human Resources representatives
were postponed until the April or May meeting.
Prof. Knapp reported that the University expects to hear sometime this
summer about IRS approval of OTRS choices for current employees.
One of the items on this
week’s regents’ agenda was approval of the appointment of a dean for the new
College of Earth & Energy.
A copy of the results from
the fall 2005 complete withdrawal surveys is available from the Senate office.
Prof. Knapp announced that the
Senate Committee on Committees would meet soon to fill vacancies on committees
and requested volunteers for the Faculty Appeals Board and two scholarship
committees.
Prof. Knapp reported the
deaths of the following emeritus faculty:
John Sokatch (Biochemistry) on February 6, Ed Nuttall (Communication) on
March 5, and Gene Levy (Mathematics) on March 15.
Prof. Schwarzkopf announced
that he and others were trying to revitalize the OU chapter of the American
Association of University Professors. The
next meeting is Friday, April 14, at 3:30 in Jacobson Faculty Hall. Senator Cal Hobson, who will be retiring from
the state Senate this year, will discuss effective ways for faculty to work
with legislators.
The Academic Regulations
Committee proposals concerning courses with numbers ending in 60, 70, 80, 90 (http://www.ou.edu/admin/facsen/arcprop2.htm)
will be postponed until the April 10 Senate meeting to allow the committee
additional time to propose responses to Faculty Senate concerns.
The proposed resolution from the
ad hoc committee on central campus instruction (attached: http://www.ou.edu/admin/facsen/cctfrsln.htm)
was approved on a voice vote, with no discussion. Prof. Knapp thanked the faculty who served on
the committee. (For background
information, see 2/06 Senate journal and “undergraduate Chemistry classes” in 9/05
and 10/05 Senate journals.)
The Environmental Concerns
Committee submitted a proposal to allow its ex-officio members to be voting
members of the committee (attached: http://www.ou.edu/admin/facsen/ECCmem.htm). Ms. Sophia Morren, a member of the committee,
explained that the reason for requesting the change was to expand the pool of
potential officers. The committee has a
chair, chair-elect, and secretary. Staff
members are appointed for only two years, which does not give them enough time
to serve as chair-elect and then chair since members are reluctant to be an
officer the first year. That leaves only
faculty to be chair, and sometimes they are unable to be chair because of other
commitments. Some ex officio members
would be willing, but they would like to be able to vote if they hold an
office. Ms. Morren acknowledged that this
request was not normally how ex officio positions operate.
Prof. Raadschelders said the
modification could be problematic because the ex officio member would be
wearing two hats. Ms. Morren said the ex
officios were members of the committee because of the nature of their positions
at the university. Prof. Knapp observed
that the proposal, then, was to allow ex officios to be voting members and
serve as chair if they become voting members.
Prof. Benson said he did not know how common it was for other councils
and committees to have ex officio voting members. In general, he thought it was a bad policy. Committees can only make recommendations to
the administration. The people who ought
to be voting on the recommendations should be the faculty, staff and students appointed
by the Faculty Senate, Staff Senate, UOSA, or President’s office. He noted that one way to address the problem
would be to change the terms of the Staff Senate appointees to three years. Then more people could chair the
committee. Prof. Schwarzkopf pointed out
that the Chair and Secretary of the Faculty Senate may or may not be members of
the Senate but are, by office, allowed to vote.
He suggested that the person who is declared chair of the Environmental
Concerns Committee (ECC) could be, by office, a voting member. Prof. Megginson said it would be reasonable
to do as Prof. Schwarzkopf suggested and also make the staff terms three years. Prof. Knapp said the Staff Senate would have
to decide whether to have their representatives serve three years. Ms. Morren noted that the ex officio member
who had volunteered to be chair for next year happened to be a faculty member. Prof. Benson commented that one of the
difficulties in making an ex officio a voting member is there would be no term
limit. Voting members should be limited by
their appointment.
Prof. Knapp said he thought
it would be difficult for the ECC to give advice to the ex officio person whose
job involved the particular issue being discussed. Ms. Morren said the ECC replaces its chair
every year. She described the offices
represented by ex officio members. Prof.
Gade asked how they were chosen. Ms. Morren
said the ECC had asked that some be added to the committee. They are members based on their position at
the University. Prof. Marcus-Mendoza noted
that the faculty, staff and student representation was balanced now. If the ex officios were added as voting
members, the ECC would be out of balance, with 4 faculty, 9 staff, and 3
students. She asked about the
possibility of adding more representatives from the governance groups. When asked how the chair was chosen, Ms.
Morren said a vote was taken, but usually only one person was willing to serve. Prof. Teri Jo Murphy (Mathematics) is the current
chair but could not attend this meeting.
Prof. Knapp said the concern was that the ECC gives advice to the people
who would be made voting members. Ms. Morren
clarified that the ECC gives advice to the president. Prof. Knapp said ex officios generally were
resource people, and to let them vote on what they are supposed to provide in
the way of information is a concern. Summarizing,
suggestions from senators included extending the terms of the staff members,
allowing an ex officio to vote if serving as chair, and adding additional
members. The proposal was tabled until
the next meeting, with the expectation that the ECC will have a revision that
addresses the Senate’s concerns.
Prof. Schwarzkopf proposed a
resolution that will be voted on at the next meeting: “The Faculty Senate of the University of
Oklahoma Norman Campus recognizes Senator Cal Hobson for over a quarter century
of service to higher education in general and the University of Oklahoma in
particular.” Prof. Schwarzkopf explained
that state Senator Hobson had regularly attended meetings to give advice to
faculty on what was coming up in the legislature and how to deal with it. He has supported faculty issues. He is term-limited as of this year. The Faculty Senate would serve itself and Senator
Hobson well by recognizing what he has done for the University.
The meeting adjourned at 4:00
p.m. The next regular session of the
Faculty Senate will be held at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, April 10, 2006, in Jacobson
Faculty Hall 102.
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Sonya Fallgatter, Administrative Coordinator
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A. Steve Bradford, Secretary