Senators Present: Albanese, Bergmann, W. Murray Black, Blaisten-Barojas, Boileau, Chung, Conti, Crockett, De Nys, Deshmukh, Eagle, Elstun, Fuchs, Gantz, Hamburger, Hurt, Jensen, Kaplan, Manchester, Mose, O'Connor, Palkovich, Perry, Rine, Ruhling, Sanford, Sofer, Spikell, Tabak, Taylor, Thomas, Wilkie, Wood and Zoltek.

Senators Absent: P. Black, Carty, Clements, Fulmer, High, Mellander, Merten, Metcalf, Miller, Muris, O'Hara, Potter, Rosenblum, and Ruth.

Attending Guests: Tyer (Provost Office), Hennigan (Vice Provost Office), Bauer (Registrar), McKalip (Academic Advising), Scimecca (Sociology), Quinn (Law) Fletcher (University Project on Teaching & Learning) Pascarell (WMST) Rootes (Faculty Senate Office) I

I. Call to Order

II. Approval of Minutes

The minutes of the October 9, 1996, meeting were approved with the following corrections: Divide section V by inserting "B: Other Committees and Representatives" and placing items 7-10 under B, renumbered as 1-4.

Edit the Board of Visitors report to clarify the status of requests to speak.

III. Announcements

1. Elstun introduced and welcomed Cheryl Rootes as the new staff secretary.

2. The Senate and the Office of the Provost will co-sponsor an open information forum on salary equity issues on November 20 at 3:00 in SUB II, Front Ballroom.

3. President Merten has initiated a new administrative policy concerning signature authority and final approval for certain faculty personnel actions. Specifically, the Provost will exercise final approval (1) for all instructional and research faculty recommendations except those that involve promotion and/or tenure; (2) for all non-tenured instructional and research faculty personnel action forms; and ( 3) for all leaves of absence for instructional and research faculty. The Provost, rather than the President, will recommend faculty members to serve on appeal boards in cases involving denial of tenure and/or promotion, and termination.

4. Under New Business in this meeting (see V.C below) is the Senate action on a motion concerning the death of Professor Emeritus Raleigh Steinhauer. Members of the faculty who may wish to do something tangible in his memory are requested to make donations to the Raleigh Steinhauer Scholarship Fund in the School of Business Administration.

5. Significant UCIS changes (enhanced LAN services) are scheduled to occur starting in late December. Keith Segerson will speak about them at the December Senate meeting.

6. Crockett introduced Patrick Wilkie as new senate member from SBA.

7. Senators are reminded to sign attendance sheet, particularly if arriving late after the sheet has circulated. Those who do not sign will be recorded as absent in the draft minutes.

IV. Unfinished Business

Administrators' Response on Summer School Salaries
Administrators declined acceptance of the Senate proposal. They determined that too few faculty were affected and that the cost of the proposal was too high. There were no administrators available to address the Senate meeting today. Scimecca scheduled a meeting with administrators Potter, Scherrens, and Swope on November 25, and asked if the Senate could wait. It appears that delay in reconsideration may interfere with the possibility of any action taking effect for Summer 1997. Renate Hennigan (Vice Provost Office) addressed the importance of meeting existing summer school schedule deadlines. She indicated that delaying publication of the Summer Schedule affects student registration and also interferes with publishing the fall schedule.

The Senate expressed dismay at the delay in the dialogue; the following motion should be understood in that context. Moved (Boileau) seconded and passed that discussion be postponed to the December 4 Senate Meeting (as requested by the Provost) with the understanding that the Summer 97 salary issue be kept open.

V New Business

A. Senate Committee Reports

1. Executive Committee
There was no report.

2. Academic Policies Committee
DeNys reported discussion of University policy regarding publication or posting of grades. The com mittee recommends that no uniform University policy be established. He indicated that the individual case initiating this discussion had occurred through a significant misunderstanding and that no change in policy is necessary.

The committee will be considering the conversion of PAGE to an Honors program. He indicated that this is a top priority.

3. Faculty Matters Committee
Boileau reported that President Merten will establish a Task Force concerning 12 month contracts. He also discussed the status of the Annual Evaluation of Administrators and announced that the Open Forum on Gender Salary Equity would be held November 20. Gantz suggested distributing paper copies of the salary study to faculty before the forum. Conti repeated her request for summaries of the report. There was a suggestion to file copies of the entire study on reserve at Johnson Center. O'Connor suggested making the report available on Masonlink.

4. Organization and Operations Committee
Spikell reported that the Committee had been reviewing the Senate bylaws for 14 months and explained the rationale for the proposed changes. The first reading and consideration of bylaw changes occurred. The second reading will take place at the December 4,1996 Senate meeting. Proposed changes to the bylaws were discussed seriatum. After reading and discussion, the following revisions to the proposed bylaw changes were moved, seconded and passed:

Article I, Section 2b "the HEAD of each collegiate" should read "the PRESIDING OFFICER of each collegiate".
Article II, Section 1c "In the event that no candidate for these offices" should read "In the event that no candidate for this office"

5. Facilities Committee
Report deferred.

6. Nominations Committee
There was no report.

B. Other Reports

1. Senate Liaisons to the Board of Visitors
The next meeting will be November 20, 1996. It will be open. Student Affairs will be discussed at 3:00PM. 2. Delegates, Faculty Senate of Virginia Taylor reported that a summary would be distributed as an attachment to the November 13 Minutes (See Attachment A).

3. Motion from the University Ad Hoc Committee on Diversity Issues
Albanese presented a motion from the committee (Attachment B).

Amendment (Rine), proposed as friendly and accepted as such by Albanese on behalf of the committee to change "Whereas there has been wide spread and alarmed concern" to "whereas there has been concern" and to change "deplores any manifestation of intolerance" to "supports an inclusive stand on intercultural issues." Rine also proposed deleting paragraph 3 and adding the following to the end of paragraph 2 "and in recognition of this fact the Diversity Committee was originally constituted by the Senate." This change was not accepted by Albanese as friendly and was defeated.

Moved (Spikell), seconded and passed to accept the friendly amendment. Motion passed as amended (Attachment C).

Motion concerning the late Professor Steinhauer
Moved (Crockett), seconded and passed:

On behalf of the General Faculty, the Faculty Senate of George Mason University extends deep sympathy to Doris Steinhauer and family on the death of Professor Emeritus of Management Raleigh F. Steinhauer.

VI Other New Business

No new business introduced.

VII Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 4:35 P.M.

Respectfully submitted,

Henry Hamburger
Secretary, Faculty Senate

Attachment A: Report to the GMU Faculty Senate on the October 19, 1996 Meeting of the Faculty Senate of Virginia:

GMU Committee Members Present: Richard Bolstein and Anita Taylor
This meeting with SCHEV staff was followed by questions and comments from senators and faculty representatives.

1. SCHEV Recommendations on Faculty Salaries
In 1989-90 salaries at Virginia public colleges and universities ranked in the 60th percentile nationally. That has slipped to the 30th percentile currently. Budgeted salary increases should bring VA back to the 60th percentile over 3-4 years. Faculty salaries at individual institutions are based on peer groups of "similar" institutions around the country. This was last done in 1987 and resulted in a boost at GMU. Updating of peer groups is in process now and is expected to be complete by next Spring. Variables to be included in the model include: location, programs offered, types of students, ratio of staff to faculty FTE, etc.

2. Student Financial Assistance
Currently funded at one-third of needs. The budget is designed to boost this to one-half.

3. Technology Delivered Instruction
$105,000,000 approved for Internet hardware/software over the next biennium. Senators voiced concern about SCHEV's "control" of programs offered by Virginia colleges and universities in the State in view of the fact that institutions outside Virginia can offer programs via the Internet anywhere.

4. Pay Schedule Issue
Delegates Jim Shuler and George Grayson plan to introduce a bill or language into the Appropriations Act to remedy the problem of the delayed paycheck. This will probably not be written until December. They expect other delegates to join them as sponsors of the bill, but support is unclear at this point. It would go to a house committee, then to the full house, then senate committee and the full senate. Governor Allen's position is not known. If the bill passes and he doesn't sign, nothing can happen until the April veto session. It is imperative for individuals to contact key people urging them to support such a bill. Those to contact NOW are: Governor George Allen at State Capital, Richmond, VA 23219

V. Earl Dickinson, House Appropriations Chair
General Assembly Building
Richmond, VA 23219

Stanley Walker, Senate Finance Chair
General Assembly Building
Richmond, VA 23219 5.

5. Performance Measurement
Phyllis Palmiero from the Virginia Dept. of Planning and Budget spoke on Performance Measurement (PM). DPB and SCHEV share responsibility for higher education PM. Measures were developed primarily by University Presidents and Provosts and submitted along with their 1996-98 budgets. Core Performance Measures approved by SCHEV include:

• a) Graduation and progression rates
• b) Transfer rates to four year institutions
• c) Percent of graduates employed in program-related work, pursuing furrther study, or identifying their program as having contributed significantly to their functioning as workers and citizens, 3 or more years after graduation.
• d) Dollars spent on instruction, libraries, and academic computing as a percent of total E&G expenditures.
• e) Classroom utilization rate.
• f) Faculty productivity measures (provost group met for 3 months to decide) -Student credit hours taught per full-time equivalent faculty. -Research funding generated. These are the only measures approved to date. Targets for faculty productivity measures are to be set by each institution separately. Concern was expressed that no consideration is given to the results of research.

6. Board of Visitors Training
Elizabeth Griffin and Gordon Davies are working on a curriculum for training BOV's. Training was originally proposed to be mandatory, by VA Assembly changed it to discretionary on a wait and see basis. Curriculum focuses on:

• a) Functioning of Virginia government and the place of colleges and universities within that scheme.
• b) The order and conduct of an efficient board.

This curriculum was developed by University Presidents. There was much discussion and debate. Many senators felt BOV's need training in University government, and faculty should be involved in the actual training. Current plans are for a 1-2 day workshop for all BOV's in the Spring. In response, Ms. Griffin suggested FSV coordinate faculty recommendations from all VA institutions as to what they think BOV's should learn and suggest possible formats.

Respectfully submitted,
Richard Bolstein

Attachment B: ORIGINAL motion from the University Ad Hoc Committee on Diversity Issues

"Whereas, there has been widespread and alarmed concern in the GMU community--faculty, students, and staff--concerning the BOV's decision to freeze funding on the proposed Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender (GLBT) Office within the Intercultural Cluster, both because of the general precedent it represents, and because of the specific targeting of a minority population it appeared to be motivated by;

Whereas, GMU's Mission statement intends to "encourage diversity in its student body," and the university non-discrimination clause explicitly covers issues of sexual orientation;

Whereas, the proposed GLBT office is neither redundant nor duplicated by existing student services, nor is the GLBT population already well-served by said services, in recognition of which fact the Diversity Committee was originally constituted by the Senate;

Whereas, it is our understanding that the University Administration is committed to providing all students, and all members of the GMU community, with access to information concerning GLBT issues, including but not limited to counseling;

Therefore, be it resolved that the Faculty Senate:

1.) Deplores any manifestation of intolerance on the part of those whose job is to be custodians of the public trust on which the university community, broadly construed, is founded; and

2.) Supports the efforts of student government and other student organizations to work for the accomplishment of a GLBT office where GLBT students can speak safely and comfortably about issues concerning them; and

3.) Endorses the proposal for the GLBT office as an element in the Intercultural Cluster.

Attachment C: Motion from the University Ad Hoc Committee on Diversity Issues, as AMENDED AND PASSED by the Faculty Senate

"Whereas, there has been concern in the GMU community--faculty, students, and staff--concerning the BOV's decision to freeze funding on the proposed Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender (GLBT) Office within the Intercultural Cluster, both because of the general precedent it represents, and because of the specific targeting of a minority population it appeared to be motivated by;

Whereas, GMU's Mission statement intends to "encourage diversity in its student body," and the university non-discrimination clause explicitly covers issues of sexual orientation;

Whereas, the proposed GLBT office is neither redundant nor duplicated by existing student services, nor is the GLBT population already well-served by said services, in recognition of which fact the Diversity Committee was originally constituted by the Senate;

Whereas, it is our understanding that the University Administration is committed to providing all students, and all members of the GMU community, with access to information concerning GLBT issues, including but not limited to counseling;

Therefore, be it resolved that the Faculty Senate:

1.) Supports an inclusive stand on intercultural issues on the part of those whose job is to be custodians of the public trust on which the university community, broadly construed, is founded; and

2.) Supports the efforts of student government and other student organizations to work for the accomplishment of a GLBT office where GLBT students can speak safely and comfortably about issues concerning them; and

3.) Endorses the proposal for the GLBT office as an element in the Intercultural Cluster."

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