University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

University Senate Executive Committee

 

Minutes from May 3, 2005

Volume 41, Number 14

 

 

Present:                  Robert Erffmeyer, Gloria Fennell, Andrea Gapko, Susan Harrison, Rose Jadack, Vicki Lord Larson, Steven Majstorovic, Scott Robertson, Connie Russell, Linda Spaeth, Todd Stephens, Karen Welch, Jean Wilcox

 

Absent:                  Robert Hollon, Robert Hooper, Steve Tallant

 

Guests:                   Jan Morse, Andrew Phillips, Katherine Rhoades

 

 

The regular meeting of the University Senate Executive Committee was called to order by Chair Harrison at 3:05 p.m. on Tuesday, May 3, 2005 in the Presidents Room of Davies Center.

 

1.        Minutes of April 19 and April 26, 2005 approved as distributed

 

2.        Open Forum – No Items

 

3.        Review of tentative agenda for May 10, 2005 meeting of University Senate

·         Any business not concluded during senate meeting must be returned to committee or it will die on floor at end of session

·         Consensus to institute same rules as used at last senate meeting – 30-minute limit per item until all business concluded, two speaking terms per motion, and five-minute limit for each speaking term

·         Felt manipulated at end of debate on service-learning

·         Wording of rule for moving the previous question on senate table signs misleading – main motion should say motion on floor

·         What happened just politics within rules

·         Mass emailings bringing in others’ perspectives seem to compromise some issues

·         Some people will just not be swayed by reasonable arguments or negotiation

·         Parliamentary procedures for reconsideration of motions will be emailed to senators prior to meeting as several questions have been raised about this possibility

·         Vote on political activities paragraph amendment close; noted one academic staff person voted when vote was to be by University Faculty

·         That vote did not change outcome of amendment

·         Believe now balance taken out of service-learning guidelines

·         Email from Stephanie Jamelske to directors and chairs simply laying groundwork for when budget/pay plan  passed

·         Current pay plan on table is 2% in July 2005, 2% in July 2006, and 1% in April 2007

·         Would be across-the-board if under 2% each year with regents’ current guidelines

·         If debate about printed class schedules brought to senate floor in fall, would need to move quickly to get those schedules to printer by end of September

 

4.        Update on Budget Decisions

·         Hearing rumors that faculty disconnected from process because direct instruction to be held harmless

·         For some departments demoralization so deep that they don’t think others will listen

·         Apparently Administrative and Professional Academic Staff feeling battered since instruction (faculty and instructional academic staff) not to be touched and classified staff unionized, APAS appear to be only ones left to take brunt of cuts

·         Not going to sessions to try to cut each others’ throats

·         Chancellor Larson noted no final budget decisions made at this point

·         Still reading minutes of budget forums – looking for patterns

·         Have been excellent sessions; institution will fare better if all heads are at table

·         Want people to know administration is listening and encouraging engagement of all across campus

·         Can have enormous influence; looking at all ideas very seriously

·         Everything is still on table; everything will indirectly impact instruction

 

5.        Miscellaneous Business

·         Consensus reached that voters who return one ballot sheet in university-wide election process will be considered as participating in vote for purposes of a quorum on referenda

·         Have been many more first pages of ballots returned than second pages across all voting groups

·         Were sent out as packet

·         No idea at this point if quorum has been reached; wished to have decision made before that known

·         Seems parallel to people voting for only one or two nominees for a committee when they could vote for up to three

 

6.        Announcements – None

 

Meeting adjourned at 3:36 p.m.

 

Submitted by,

                                                               

Wanda Schulner

Secretary of the University Senate