University Governance

SENATE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
August 25, 2009, 3:00 P.M., Governance Office Conference Room

Approved: 09/22/09

PRESENT: John Stratton, Ben Eggleston, Lisa Wolf-Wendel, Barbara Phipps, Jim Daugherty, Ada Emmett, Steve Maynard-Moody, Paul Farran, Jeannette Johnson, Mary Ann Baker, Dennis Constance, Kellee Kirkpatrick, Andrea Peterson, Mason Heilman.

EXCUSED: JJ Siler

            Chair John Stratton called the meeting to order.

MINUTES for 5/29/09 and 6/3/09 were approved.

STANDING REPORTS
SenEx Chair.
            John Stratton reported that he and Lisa Wolf-Wendel met with Provost Danny Anderson several times during the summer, and both are serving on the Furlough Planning Committee.  They also met with Steve Warren, Bill Sharp, Josh Rosenbloom and Joe Heppert at KUCR to discuss the Conflict of Interest Policy and the Employee Invention Form.  John has just been appointed to serve on the Chancellor’s Inauguration Committee. He reminded members that Faculty/Staff Convocation, usually held in September, has been cancelled this fall.

Faculty Senate President
            Lisa Wolf-Wendel reported that she and John gave the new Chancellor a list of Governance’s accomplishments in the last five years when they met with her last month.  Molly Mulloy will forward a copy of the list to SenEx members.
            Lisa noted that she sent the Chancellor a list of faculty names for the Provost Search Committee, and faculty names to Vice Provost Don Steeples for five 5-year dean review committees.  She attended two lively meetings of the Board of Regents (BOR) and the Council of Faculty Senate Presidents (COFSP)this summer, noting that the Regents voted to increase KU’s tuition, wish to repeat the faculty morale survey done several years ago, and will be focusing on learning outcomes this fall.
            A small group is being formed by Vice Provost Mary Lee Hummert to “tweak” the new teaching evaluation form. Dan Bernstein, whose Task Force on Evaluation of Teaching developed the form last year, and Lisa will both serve in that group.  

Student Body President
            Mason Heilman reported that Student Senate’s legislative training session is tomorrow, and the first full meeting is September 9th.   He will forward Student Senate’s resolution on gender identify to SenEx.  In regard to the university’s new housing policy regarding room inspections by staff when alcohol-related violations are suspected, Mason said the Student Rights Committee will review the policy, which will require a change in the Student Senate Bylaws.  He is recruiting a new legislative director for Student Senate to replace Stacy Elmer, who accepted a job in Washington.  Lawrence Mayor Rob Chestnut will speak to student Senate on 9/23.

Unclassified Senate President
            Jeannette Johnson reported that her group’s first executive meeting is tomorrow.  A revised annual evaluation policy for unclassified staff was approved unanimously by the unclassified senate and has been forwarded to Provost Danny Anderson for approval.   The group is hoping to create additional opportunities for professional development for unclassified staff.  She and Dennis Constance met with the Provost today and will meet with the Chancellor again in September.

University Support Staff President
             Dennis Constance reported that KU will be hosting a meeting of the classified senate presidents of the other five state universities on 9/16.  When he met with the new Chancellor last Friday, he described the transition that took place five years ago when KU classified employees changed from state civil service status to university employee status.   The Support Staff’s recommended policy on staff assessment of supervisors and managers is being written and will be sent to the Provost.  The Support Staff Senate will review its handbook and policies this year, and is discussing the idea of an employee “Bill of Rights.”

AMENDMENT TO USRR 2.1.2
            John Stratton explained that the change was proposed because a professor wanted to know if distributing her syllabus via Blackboard was permitted under the current policy. Following lengthy discussion,  members unanimously agreed to change the word “should” to “shall,” to delete the words “preferably in writing,” and to insert the phrase  “ ,in print or electronic format,”  all in the first sentence.  The amendment will be forwarded to the University Senate for approval. The first sentence of USRR 2.1.2 would then read:
“Information about the basis for evaluating students' performance and about the requirements that students must fulfill should  shall be made available to students, preferably in writing in print or electronic format, within the first two weeks of class….

PROPOSED POLICY ON LACTATON SUPPORT FOR NURSING MOTHERS
            John Stratton explained that HREO Director Ola Faucher has asked for feedback from SenEx on the proposal, which was drafted by the University Support Staff Senate’s Personnel Committee.  In the discussion that followed, SenEx members were supportive of the concept but questions were raised about how the policy would be implemented.  Members expressed concern that many (perhaps most?) departments on campus do not have a vacant, clean, lockable room with appropriate electrical outlets and access to a refrigerator that could be used as a lactation station. It was pointed out that while a faculty member might be able to use her office for this purpose,  other staff  do not have easy access to appropriate space, especially those working  “in the field” (such as landscaping, housekeeping, etc.).  Another member noted that the Emily Taylor Women’s Center’s website listing of lactation stations includes just one contact person for the entire west campus.  Stratton will report SenEx’s concerns to Ola Faucher.

TASK FORCE ON DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIPS
            John Stratton and Task Force chair Steven Maynard-Moody answered questions about the committee’s proposed charges.  Stratton noted that the General Counsel’s Office and KU’s legislative director Kathy Damron may be consulted by the task force as well. He added that both the Provost and the Chancellor are supportive of the task force’s objectives.  Members edited the charges, then Lisa  Wolf-Wendel/Ada Emmett moved to approve the charges and membership of the task force. Passed without dissent.  The final document is as follows:
1.    Identify the steps that the University of Kansas would need to follow to adopt domestic partnership benefits for employees of the University. 
a.    Note the sources of authority for any changes in benefits policy that might be recommended, e.g., changes in statute, Regents policy, or KU policy.
b.    Note how KU’s peer institutions have defined and implemented domestic partnership benefits. 
c.     Determine the advantages and disadvantages to KU of adopting domestic partner benefits, including but not limited to, questions of equity and diversity, and competitiveness in recruitment and rates of retention for faculty and staff.
d.   Report plan and recommendation for action to SenEx by December 1, 2009.

Members
Steven Maynard-Moody ( Public Admin) - faculty – CO-CHAIR
Natalie Parker (Institute for Policy & Social Rsch) – unclassified academic staff – CO-CHAIR
Lori Messinger (Social Welfare) – faculty
Paul Farran (Student Success Tech Svs) – Unclassified Staff
Peggy Palmer (Student Success Tech Svs) - University Support Staff
Saida Bonifield – student
Madi Vanniman – HREO Staff

TASK FORCE ON CONFLICT OF INTEREST
            Ben Eggleston noted that he served on the committee last spring, convened by Bill Sharp at KUCR, that drafted the policy on COI.  Wolf-Wendel said the new task force is being asked to review that proposal, along with several other issues. Following discussion, Steven Maynard-Moody/Ben Eggleston moved to approve the charge and membership for this task force. Passed without dissent. The final version is as follows:

CHARGE: Review proposed changes in the KU-Lawrence Campus conflict of interest policy and reporting procedures and provide input on issues affecting faculty and staff.  
Timeline:  Complete review and make recommendations by Nov 1, 2009. 
Members:
Sara Wilson/Engineering--CHAIR
Teruna Siahaan/Pharmaceutical Chemistry
 Bill Sharp/KUCR
Ed Canda/Social Welfare
 Eva Horn/Special Education
Unclassified Representative to be named Jeannette Johnson(Unclassified Senate President)
Justin Thomas/Graduate Student, Pharmacy

 OLD BUSINESS
            John Stratton announced that the proposed amendment to the University Senate Code that will add three new members each from the Unclassified Senate and the Support Staff Senate, and one new member from the Student Senate, to the University Senate will be addressed at the October 8th University Senate meeting.  The Chancellor will speak to the University Senate on 9/1, Vice Provost Anderson will speak on 10/8, and Graduate School dean Sara Rosen and Learner Outcomes Task Force chair Dan Bernstein will also be invited to address the Senate this fall. 

NEW BUSINESS
            Ben Eggleston commended John Stratton and Lisa Wolf-Wendel for representing Governance very well in their recent interviews with the Lawrence Journal World.
            Paul Farran commented that 19 states now have furloughs in place for state employees.  Members briefly discussed the state of the economy and how it may affect KU employees, including furloughs in the coming year.
            Regarding today’s publicity on CNN about the number of H1N1 flu cases reported at KU, Jeannette Johnson said that she doesn’t think the situation at KU or in Kansas is worse than in other states.

Respectfully submitted,
Molly Mulloy