Executive Committee Meeting Minutes
June 8, 2004
Attendance: (Those present indicated by an underline)
Officers: President Schoenberger, President-Elect Kilborn, Past President Fisher, Secretary: Schultz, Treasurer: Buske
IFO Board Members: Hill, Johnson, Kilborn
Unit Representatives: COB SubbaNarasimha, COE Hornstein, FAH Condon COSE Akubue, COSS Ore, SS _______
Negotiator: Langen
1. Call to order at 2:10 PM
2. Call for new agenda items
6.f. Listserve (Kilborn)
6.g. Memo from Provost Spitzer regarding Audience Response Systems
6.h. Restoration of funds to student services
3. Treasurer’s Report
Treasurer Buske distributed a Treasurer’s Report as well as a separate listing of FA expenses for the academic year 03-04. Our account balance is $5,424. 47.
Susan Motin, who was elected the new FA Treasurer, will organize a July meeting (after July 1) to include her, Treasurer Buske, and FA President Schoenberger to transition the Treasurer’s responsibilities. The committee concurred Treasurer Buske should attend the next Executive Committee meeting scheduled for July 13 since Susan will not be able to attend.
4. Announcements
a. Next year’s meetings
The Granite Room and the Oak Room in the Atwood Center are the locations for next year’s Pre-meet and Meet and Confer meetings – they are in the same location as last year’s meeting, but have new names.
Steve Hornstein suggested the idea of having a parliamentary procedure to conduct a “continuing” Faculty Senate meeting once a semester to prevent us from getting so far behind on Senate business. This would involve recessing to the following Tuesday or Thursday, with no interim minutes nor announcements, just merely recessing versus adjourning. This may require giving up an Executive Committee meeting. FA President Schoenberger suggested Steve look at our present calendar to suggest dates for this interim Senate meeting. It was recommended he look at a week where we don’t need to cancel an Executive Committee meeting. An idea would be to look at a Thursday where no Meet and Confer is scheduled. Steve will take the responsibility of looking at multiple dates and will report back to the committee at our next meeting in July.
b. President to President Meeting
FA President Schoenberger is going to attend the next President to President meeting next Wednesday, June 16. She solicited topics from the committee for discussion at this meeting, and received the
following:
- MN Transfer Curriculum
- Campus administrators being supportive of funding needs -- adequate funding on the campus
- This meeting is not a meet and confer
c. Internal Audit – Data
Treasurer Buske suggested FA President Schoenberger contact John Palmer, Chair of the Budget Committee, regarding this subject; therefore, she will follow up with Past-President Fisher and John Palmer.
Motion to move the agenda to item 6.g. (Ore/Hornstein). Passed
6. g. Memo from Provost Spitzer regarding Audience Response Systems
A committee member expressed their concern regarding this memo, stating unless you’ve used this technology before, you may not use it and must submit a request by writing a letter to your dean. It was stated there should be discussion with faculty in order for them to give their input and faculty should have the freedom of technology. There should be an opportunity to work with Administration on a policy.
Motion that FA President Schoenberger meet with the Provost to discuss the formation of a committee this summer to propose an interim procedure regarding the audience clicker, effective for fall semester (Fisher/Motin). Passed
Motion to move agenda to 5.d. (Hill/Buske) Passed
5 d. Negotiations (Langen)
Bill Langen gave a negotiations report, stating there is no change from his last report.
The agenda was moved to 6.c.
6. c. Result of Injunction (Letter from Theresia)
The injunction was granted during the IFO Executive Committee when Corwin, the attorney we hired (the AFSCME and MAPE attorney as well) called Jim Pehler out of the meeting. After the Statewide Meet and Confer, the Executive Committee met with him. It was a partial injunction because the health plans have already changed, and there is no going back; but the issue is whether the state can unilaterally say “take it or leave it,” is clearly a violation of PELRA.
5. Unfinished Business
a. Sanctioned Meetings
The procedure from the ad hoc committee of Hornstein, Larkin and Johnson went to the IFO Executive Committee, with a request from the local Executive Committee to take it to an external attorney for an opinion. The IFO Executive Committee turned it down and said if any committee wants to meet with the Administration, they have the right to do so; and sent the issue went back here. We are supposed to “tweak” the procedure from the ad hoc committee. Steve Hornstein is the only member of the ad hoc committee who is still on the Executive Committee. He will “tweak” the document and bring it back to the EC in the fall. This topic remains on the agenda.
b. Student Grade Appeal (S. Hornstein)
Steve Hornstein will write a memo to FA President Schoenberger on the status of this grade appeal, and she will, in turn, forward it to
Lin Holder.
c. Article 22/25 – PDP/PDR (Meet and Confer)
Motion that Administration place a disclaimer on the website on Step 3 and Step 8 stating there are concerns regarding the forwarding of comments from department chairs and departments regarding the Article 22 process, that have yet to be resolved and the Faculty Association and the Administration will work together to resolve these concerns during the fall semester ’04, when the FA Senate will discuss this issue (Hornstein/Motin). Passed
d. Negotiations (Langen) – See above
e. Administrative VP Search – Union Presidents’ Meeting
Motion that the Faculty Association President approach the Mediation team and talk about ways we could work with AFSCME, MAPE, and other bargaining units on campus to build those working relationships (Motin/). Motion withdrawn
Substitute motion that the FA President ask the Mediation Coordinating Committee to set up a mediation with AFSCME, MAPE, MSUAASF, and MMA on the issue of the Administrative VP search and that our FA President bring into this mediation a goal of fostering inter-union relations (Kilborn/Ore). Passed
f. Draft of Non-renewal Guidelines – Mankato (attachment) – Did not discuss
6. New Business
a. Last Senate Meeting Minutes (attachment) and Unfinished Business – Did not discuss
b. April 27 EC meeting Minutes (attachment) – Did not discuss
c. Result of Injunction (Letter from Theresia, attached) – See above.
d. Teaching Center (State-wide Meet and Confer) (attachment) – Did not discuss
e. Admissions and Retentions Committee (David Wall Email, attached) – Did not discuss
f. Listserve – Did not discuss
g. Memo from Provost Spitzer regarding Audience Response Systems – See above
h. Restoration of funds to student services – Did not discuss
7. Adjournment at 4:10 PM.