University Senate Minutes of January 27, 1998

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-EAU CLAIRE

UNIVERSITY SENATE MEETING

VOL. XXXIV. NO. 5

January 27, 1998

Members Present:

Angelo Armendariz, David Backstrom, Richard Behling, Thomas Bergmann, Judy Blackstone, Anne Cattarello, Linda Cecchini, Greg Conderman, Victor Cvancara, Gene Decker, R. Dale Dick, Bernard Duyfhuizen, Susan Felber, Brady Foust, Andrea Gapko, Joseph Giordano, Douglas Hallatt, Margaret Hallatt, Susan Harrison, Erik Hendrickson, Larry Honl, Eugene Hood, Carol Klun, Robert Knight, Fred Kolb, Stephen Kurth, Katherine Lang, Timothy Leutwiler, Barbara Lozar, Judy Lund, Ivar Lunde, Barbara MacBriar, Owen Marshall, John Melrose, Tom Miller, David Nelson, Bobby Pitts, Cleo Powers, Donna Raleigh, Walter Reid, Connie Russell, Sandra Seefeldt, Roger Selin, Nancy Shoemaker, Sylvia Sipress, Marjorie Smelstor, Sheila Smith, Paula Stuettgen, Susan Tarnowski, Roger Thiede, Melissa Vogler, Fred Waedt, Michael Wick, Karen Witt

Members Absent:

Robert Barganz, J. Kenneth Davidson, Sr., Obika Gray, Karen Havholm, Sandra Kottke, Maureen Mack, Mona Majdalani (excused), Mark Olsen (excused), Richard Palm, Richard St. Germaine, Robert Scott, Steve Tallant, Ronald Warloski (excused)

Guests:

January Boten, Kevin Gatzlaff, David Hart, Kathy Mitchell, Marilyn Skrivseth, Barbara Stevens, Spectator Staff Member

The regular meeting of the University Senate was called to order by Chair Harrison at 3:45 p.m., Tuesday, January 27, 1998 in the Tamarack Room of Davies Center. The meeting followed the University Faculty and Academic Staff meeting called by Interim Chancellor Smelstor.

The minutes of the December 9, 1997 meeting were approved as distributed.

Response of Interim Chancellor Smelstor concerning ITM overdrawn budget:

Deficit of approximately $350,000 in ITM budget at this point
ITM total budget approximately $6.2 million
Why--expected money from State not forthcoming; expended dollars in areas not planned
Plan in place to end deficit spending
Goal is not to cut because never catch back up
Looking at every current expenditure and aggressively obtaining external funds

Report of the University Senate Chair and Faculty Representative - Susan Harrison:

No report due to canceled Board of Regents meeting, rescheduled Faculty Reps meetings, and no issues in Open Forum of Senate Executive Committee

Report of the Senate Executive Committee - Senator Lunde

Current bylaws mix references to University Faculty and University Senate
Some of current bylaws no longer reflect current practices
Propose to divide current bylaws into two sections with five significant changes
Distribution of minutes to be updated to reflect current practices, save costs and streamline process
Quorum for University Senate set at majority of members eligible to vote
Senate vacancies to be allowed in cases where current Senate representative will be absent for only one semester
Allow for vacancy on any University Faculty Committee to be filled by University Faculty within University Senate during the academic year to avoid holding large-scale, costly elections
Add current practice of providing Senate Chair with a 25% assignment for each of the two summer sessions
Responses to questions of information on report
No reduction in Senate Chair assignment just clarification of current practice
University Faculty quorum is 34% of the entire University Faculty body. A majority is required in Senate because that is standard for a governing body or large committee
Getting Senate minutes out in 8 school days is for protection of faculty
Minutes will always be available in University Senate Office

Motion 34-SE-1: moved and seconded by committee that the Bylaws of the University Faculty be rearranged into two sections--one for University Faculty and one for University Senate and edited as shown (see attachment A)

Discussion:

Amendment 34-SE-1-a1: moved and seconded that Bylaw #8 in the University Faculty section, determining election results be changed to read "in the case of tie votes, the University Senate Chair shall be empowered to determine a means of resolving a tie"

Discussion:

Concern that Senate Chair is not chairing the University Faculty meeting, normally the person chairing the meeting doesn't vote and then if there is a tie vote, they would cast the tie-breaking vote
This bylaw refers to elections, not motions, Senate Chair has determined the means in the past to save conducting an additional election
University Faculty elections are run through the University Senate Office

Vote on Amendment 34-SE-1-a1: Amendment PASSED unanimously

Amendment 34-SE-1-a2: moved and seconded to restore the last two sentences in Bylaw #1 of the University Faculty section, Robert's Rules, pertaining to a parliamentarian

Discussion:

Right to appoint a parliamentarian automatically comes with Robert's Rules
Restore the language to retain the parallelism in the two sections of the bylaws
Bylaw refers to chair when normally it would be the chancellor running the University Faculty meeting

Vote on Amendment 34-SE-1-a2: Amendment DEFEATED

Amendment 34-SE-1-a3: moved and seconded to amend Robert's Rules, #1, of the University Senate section to add "or the University Academic Staff"

Discussion: None

Vote on Amendment 34-SE-1-a3: Amendment PASSED unanimously

Vote on Motion 34-SE-1: Motion with amendments PASSED unanimously

New Business

Report from Faculty Personnel Committee

Distributed as a handout
Read over and discuss with constituents, topic to be taken up at next Senate meeting

Issue of Senate size and faculty and academic staff representation

Handout distributed today
History of issue included
Four ways of composing Senate presented
Current method used
Self-Study Committee suggestions of 1995
Method prepared in response to charge to Executive Committee to develop plan for Senate of between 40 and 50 members
Plan developed by Executive Committee using proportional representation
No method endorsed by Senate Executive Committee
Come prepared to next Senate meeting to endorse one of above plans
Or propose an alternate plan which needs to be distributed to members prior to next meeting
General guidelines for representation on Committees also needs to be addressed
Three ideas presented at bottom of handout

Announcements
Chair Harrison adjourned the meeting at 4:20 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted by
Wanda Schulner
Secretary to the University Senate