WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

FACULTY SENATE MINUTES

Regular Meeting

October 27, 2003

James Loucky, Senate President, called the Senate meeting to order at 4:02 p.m.  Thirty (30) people were present including twenty-four (24) Senators, one (1) recorder, and two (2) guests.  (See attached roster). 

 Approval of Senate Minutes

§       The Senate approved the minutes of October 13,  2003 as written. 

Items from the Administration

University President Karen Morse reported a productive discussion with the University Planning Council on issues related to potential enrollment increases.  Morse met with the Legislative leadership to discuss Western’s strategic master plan and the idea of a university compact, with the goal of preventing future budget cuts.  

§       Provost Bodman reported that Senate leadership and the Provost’s Council met together for the first time with excellent results.  He expressed appreciation for having faculty leadership on the council.  A working group of Deans and Senators (Jim Stewart and Tom Read) will draft tenure and promotion language.  Bodman offered to share a cover memo that deals with questions pertaining to an interim policy on appeal of negative decisions, which Bodman considers to be a key policy omission.  Executive Council faculty and deans also plan meetings on the question of interdisciplinarity across colleges. 

Items from the Chair

§       President Loucky urged Senators to participate in work groups on academic freedom, interdisciplinarity, or any other concerns that might be raised, and suggested more consistent use of outlook groups to relay Senate information to faculty in their departments. 

Associated Students

§       Maya Tomlin, Associated Students VP for Academics requested faculty input on online evaluations.  Tomlin reported that previous hitches in going forward were most likely due to the ambitious nature of the project, and suggested that a small scale pilot project would be more workable. 

§       Tomlin asked for faculty to volunteer three types of classes for piloting:  a large lecture class with lab, a capstone class in a major, and a mid-major prerequisite class. 

Constituent Concerns

Constituent concerns included:

§       A request for an update on replacement faculty positions;

§       Parking concerns related to space around the communications building, and overuse of the Parks Hall parking spaces because of the new recreation center;

§       Lack of faculty voice in the decision to replace classrooms with an expanded Arntzen Hall eatery;

§       Request for removal of a noisome bus stop near classrooms in the PAC, particularly since there is not enough sidewalk space to accommodate people who are waiting for the bus;

§       Improvement of bookstore ordering to meet faculty/student needs.    

Reading of Standing Committee Minutes

The following Standing Committee minutes were accepted.

Academic Coordinating Commission, 10/7/03

University Planning Council, 10/1/03

Senate Library Committee, 6/4/03

Appointments and Elections, Kristen Parris, Officer

To the Senate Legislative Committee:  Jeff Newcomer, Engineering Technology, 1-yr term

To Academic Technology Committee:  Peter Smith, Library

Vacancies:  1 quarter replacement on the Faculty Senate for Carol Guess, English.

Discussion

Faculty Involvement thru Committees

§       President Loucky reported there are requests from the campus community for faculty to participate on various committees in addition to Senate and Standing Committees.  Loucky suggested consideration of the process of appointing faculty to these “other” university committees.  One Senator mentioned that a proliferation of committees may result in a lack of quorum in some cases.

§       Senators discussed campus planning issues, including demise of a facilities committee, as well as need for faculty voice in issues regarding parking, attentiveness to a quality learning environment, and lack of public spaces for interaction.  Further discussion may result in reestablishing a facilities committee.

Campus Planning

§       Senators and President and Provost had lively exchange of questions and information about parameters for state building requirements, and the need for effective review of current procedures for faculty input.  President Morse offered to provide information on the current process used in planning, and how faculty is involved.

§       Senators suggested that faculty have a different perspective than planners who might not actually use the space.  Senators are concerned about the removal of classrooms for the Arntzen Hall Eatery, and pointed out the need for faculty to be present for similar critical decisions.   Other issues about a failure to recognize faculty voice in planning were raised about the new communications building, including the roles of “owners” and “users” as well as the designers. 

§       Members realized that the State is ultimately making the decisions, and during the years from predesign to completion a series of compromises are made to accommodate increasing enrollment.  However, members asked how it is possible to put up a Macdonald’s in a week or so, while a campus building takes years. 

§       Members concurred that process ought to be made more transparent.  Morse suggested that the State universities collectively have an interest in trying to escape from the straitjackets connected with reportage and building constraints.  Morse mentioned the give and take that might emerge through the compacts.

§       Some Senators suggested  faculty and administration might stand together with the other state universities to push back at legislators for the micromanagement which results in delay, defeat of creative suggestion, and drives costs up.  Morse pointed out that the recreation center was not a state funded building, was built in half the time, and at 1/3 less cost.  Morse is investigating how the State process can be changed.

§       Provost Bodman corrected the idea that Washington State the most regulated, and noted it is only somewhere in the middle, compared to California which is the most regulated, and Vermont which is one of the least regulated.

§       Bodman noted that teacher certification requirements add to greater regulations.  The State’s investment in higher education is the largest stock of capital the state is responsible for.  The State does not pay for high schools or elementary schools, but it does pay for university buildings and prisons.  The extent of public involvement in legislative decisions also has an effect.  Bodman added that a difficulty in developing an entrepreneurial project is that you may have to fund it yourself.

 Interdisciplinary Concerns

§       Senators considered issues related to faculty involvement across disciplines, and desirability of discussion with Deans as a step towards forming a task force on interdisciplinary concerns.. 

Adjournment

§       Senators adjourned at 5:44 pm.

Written by Rose Marie Norton-Nader, Recorder, 10/2713/03

                      _______________________________

                                                                                                                          Thomas Read, Secretary

Faculty Senate Roster 2002-2003

_______________________________

Article III.  Faculty Senate

The Faculty Senate is empowered to speak and act for the Faculty in University affairs with particular