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WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

FACULTY SENATE MINUTES

Regular Meeting – March 7, 2005

Jim Stewart, 2004-2005 Senate President, called the [MSOffice1] Senate to order at 4:01  pm.  Twenty-eight (28) people were present including twenty-four (24) Senators, one (1) recorder, one (1) guest and two (2) ex officio members.  (See attached roster).  

Approval of Minutes of February 7, 2005

Senators approved the minutes of February 7, 2005 with one amendment.

Items from the Chair

President Stewart made several announcements and requests:

Academic Fee Committee:  A request for a faculty volunteer to serve on an “Academic Fee Committee” which originates from Barbara Fasser’s Academic Budget office.  The committee will meet once in mid-March to review proposals.  David Fewings, Finance & Marketing, was appointed.

Committee on Strategic Plan Process:  Jeff Newcomer, Executive Council of the Senate, will co-chair a committee with Provost Bodman to update the University’s Strategic Action Plan.  Stewart reported that several faculty had volunteered for the committee.  Stewart requested that Senators volunteer or consider serving on related subcommittees.  Stewart will prepare a slate of faculty to present to the President and Provost.

Faculty Senate Nominating Petitions:  Stewart reminded the Senate that nominations for 2005-06 are due back by Friday.  Stewart encouraged members who are completing their term to consider serving again to provide institutional memory to the Senate body.

Academic Freedom:  Stewart drew attention to a statement on Academic Freedom from The Evergreen State College which was included in the packets as an information item.

Items from the Administration

Legislative Matters

o   President Morse confirmed that a bill is pending that enables some branch campuses to offer four-year programs, and that three Community Colleges can offer some upper degree programs.  Funding issues remain.  

o   Morse reported that OFM will be more involved during the process to certify “green” buildings.  Morse reported that Western alone had done its capital project applications correctly for every project; and dismayingly, the process will now be changed.

o   Preliminary discussions on tuition increases project that schools can go to 9% but would have to provide their own financial aid. 

o   Morse confirmed that she has been very aggressive in talking to legislators this year about Western’s level of funding, and as a result there appears to be greater understanding of funding needs and the importance of our niche in higher education.   Morse added that the Finance Committee Report will be out this week, and a Budget is expected during Spring Break.

o   In answer to a Senator’s query, Morse reported that the Academic Bill of Rights apparently did not make it out of committee.

Provost Bodman’s Report

o   Senators raised concerns regarding the recent union debate about classification of chairs as administrators and not as faculty.  One Senator commented that the idea that chairs would not be faculty may have contributed to recent feelings of demoralization, adding that since faculty rotate into the Chair’s position, the whole debate seems to call into question something fundamental about one’s role at Western. 

o   Provost Bodman responded that he will issue a statement to the campus to address this question and additional questions related to the challenge of defining “casual faculty” and union participation.  He will also address the two distinctly different interpretations of the role of Chair (traditionally at Western as faculty), which is inadequately defined by current legislative statute.  That statute specifically excludes those who supervise other faculty from the bargaining unit.  At the same time it allows only one bargaining unit at a time for faculty. 

o   Bodman reported he has asked for clarification from PERC which has concluded that both sides of the issue need to be heard, since there is no precedent.  This has the effect of postponing the union election for some time.

o   Another issue that is related to the definition of  “part-time”, “temporary” or “casual” faculty is the voting rights of Limited Term Faculty (LTF).  Those who vote traditionally have .5 or better appointments, but the definition of those with 1/6 appointments who teach perhaps only one quarter, or Visiting Professors who have lengthier appointments, is not clear in the statute, and needs resolution by PERC. 

ACTION ITEMS

Reading of Standing Committee Minutes (Exhibit B)

Senators approved Standing Committee minutes and noted the following: 

1)   Academic Technology Committee will enforce a new policy of “password hardening”.  This will be a serious campaign to strengthen passwords to prevent hacking.  Senators will be asked to encourage constituents to enforce the new policy.

2)   University Planning Council minutes described the “Student Response System”, and faculty are encouraged to investigate its use.  UPC’s classroom design process was applauded. 

Communications Facility Design:  Senators mentioned discussions on video screen placement, which have not been easily resolved.  A complaint was raised about what was term “the abysmal design” of the teaching podiums in the Communications building and the lack of knee room, the metal earphones that can cause headaches, the loss of sound when the equipment is moved, and the inevitable disappearance of batteries that renders the equipment useless.  Another Senator reported that although the walls are soundproof, after a long lecture he is just exhausted from speaking loud enough to be heard and “has to go home and go to bed.”   Faculty are encouraged to provide additional feedback to UPC as building plans emerge. 

3)   Provost Bodman will bring forward a proposal on General Studies based on the work of the Academic Coordinating Commission.  Kris Bulcroft is expected to help in its formulation upon her return.

Minutes Accepted:

A.     Appointments and Elections – Jeff Newcomer, Officer

¨    Senators were reminded that nominations were due on Friday for the Spring election.

Senators appointed the following faculty to committees:

¨       To Academic Coordinating Commission:  George Sanders, Accounting, Spring Quarter to replace Maryann Reynolds (on sabbatical).  A representative to UPC from ACC is still requested.

¨       To Academic Fee Committee– David Fewings, Finance & Marketing

Revised Faculty Grievance Procedure

§    Jim Stewart began discussion on the revised draft of the Faculty Grievance Procedure by reminding everyone that the previous draft was the result of years of work involving dozens of faculty, with a review “more thorough than the US Patriot Act!”.  Stewart reiterated that the current draft was a pretty good policy that has been reviewed word by word and phrase by phrase, with a fine tooth comb, by the Executive Council, the President and the Provost.  It was pretty good before, and now it is substantially improved.

§    Stewart plans to discuss the draft today, and then present it April 4^th for an up and down vote.  Amendments, therefore, must be proposed before the next meeting and distributed in writing to Jim Stewart or Ira Hyman for review before the Senate vote, so that the entire approved document can be presented to the Board of Trustees.

§    In the discussion that ensued, Senators applauded fundamental changes in the pre-complaint resolution process.

§    Senators supported the pre-hearing resolution process and will consider introductory language to emphasize its non-litigious good faith attempt to resolve disputes. 

§    One Senator recommended barring lawyers from any phase of the hearing.  In several straw votes Senators concluded that legal representation should be allowed to both parties in the formal hearing, and will consider further whether a lawyer’s role should be limited to that of advisor.

§    Senators learned that statements of fact taken under affirmation or formal oath during a hearing can later  be subpoenaed for production in a court of law.

§    Senators may consider an extra step in the process regarding the role of the Executive Council, since the number of voting members is less than the number of council members.

§    Senators may seek to limit the role of the university’s legal counsel and request assurance that a different attorney advises each one of the parties and the President in the event of possible conflicts of interest. 

§    Senators heard that a bargaining unit for faculty would start with the grievance process that is part of the handbook, but at some point it might become a negotiable item.

Stewart again reminded Senators that the typical round robin format of amendment does not work with this document, and when the document comes forward again it will come as an up and down motion to approve. Additional amendments must be well-crafted and presented to the body in written form.  Stewart has already addressed questions raised in the document to Wendy Bohlke, Office of the Attorney General.

The question of the Ombuds proposal was raised.  Stewart responded that it will be interesting to know how this will work since we have never tried this before.  It is hoped we will send our Ombuds for training the first time round.

Adjournment

Senators moved to adjourn at 6:04 pm

Written by Rose Marie Norton-Nader, Recorder, 3/7/05

                                                                                                            _____________________

                                                                                                            Lorraine Kasprisin, Secretary

Faculty Senate Roster 2004-2005