GEORGE MASON
UNIVERSITY
APPROVED
MINUTES OF THE FACULTY SENATE
January 21,
1998
Senators present: A. Berry, P. Black, E. Blaisten-Barojas, D. Boileau,
L. Brown, R. Conti, M. De Nys, M. Deshmukh, E. Elstun, D. Gantz, J. Hale, J.
Metcalf, L. Miller, A. Palkovich, W. Perry, R. Ruhling, J. Sanford, J.
Scimecca, C. Thomas, E. Thorp, T. Travis, K. Vaughn, J. Walsh, S. Weinberger,
P. Wilkie
Senators absent: R. Carty, K. Clements, J. Crockett, T. Domzal, S.
Eagle, C. Fuchs, G. Galluzzo, M. Grady, L. Griffiths, D. Kaplan, A. Merten, S.
Muir, J. O'Connor, E. O'Hara, D. Potter, J. Reid, D. Rine, A. Sofer, D.
Struppa, J. Tangney, A. Taylor, S. Zoltek
Guests present: R. Galliugh (Student Senate), S. Mehrnama (Student
Senate)
I Call to Order
Chair
Esther Elstun called the meeting to order at 3:05pm.
II Approval of Minutes
The
minutes of the Special Meeting of the Faculty Senate (December 3, 1997) and of
the normal December 10, 1997 meeting were unanimously approved as distributed.
III Announcements
A.
Palkovich announced that the Salary Equity Study Committee is interviewing
faculty regarding grievance issues. The
Committee is interested in getting a sense of the process whether at the local
unit or a broader level. A systematic
examination of a number of cases is necessary, any faculty able to participate
can contact Ms. Palkovich
L.
Bowen announced that he e-mailed an announcement to Senators regarding an
article on technology and commercialization by David Noble, and pertaining to
faculty rights and tenure.
IV Unfinished Business
There
was no unfinished business.
V New Business
Committee
Reports
1. Executive Committee
It
was reported that the scheduled January 14, 1998 meeting of the Executive
Committee was canceled and rescheduled for Friday, January 23, 1998.
Also, David Rossell's report on early retirement options for faculty
is scheduled for the February Faculty Executive Committee Meeting.
2. Academic Policies Committee
It
was reported that the Committee would meet at noon on January 28, 1998, to
discuss the topics of academic standards, recognition of Honors status on
transcripts, and review of the number of hours of "D" credit students
may apply toward graduation.
3. Facilities & Support Services Committee
It
was reported that the Committee is progressing with the Request For Proposals
for University dormitory management.
4. Nominations Committee
It was reported that the Committee selected Ronnie
Feeg (CNHS) as the nominee to serve on the Search Committee for the Director
of Information Technology. The Search
Committee will report to Joy Hughes (VP for Information Technology).
5. Faculty Matters Committee
6. Organizational and Operations Committee
It
was reported that the Committee would meet at 11:00am on January 28, 1998,
with the agenda consisting of a review of several ad hoc and University committees.
7. Senate Liaisons to the Board of Visitors
It
was reported that the Board of Visitors was meeting during this Faculty Senate
Meeting and that A. Sofer was attending the BOV Meeting.
A preliminary report on the January Meeting of the Board of Visitors
is provided as Attachment A to these minutes.
Topics discussed at the BOV Student Affairs Committee Meeting (January
20, 1998) included football, faculty course evaluations, alcohol regulations
on campus, dismissal procedures for hourly wage employees, and a presentation
on Broadside.
E.
Elstun spoke with William Carr, a representative of the consulting firm hired
to study football feasibility, and the Executive Committee will discuss the
adoption of a Senate Position. The Senate Position will be addressed at the
February Faculty Senate Meeting.
D.
Boileau identified that the study failed to address the capital expenditures
issue of football, requiring approximately $600,000 for a small stadium.
He also stated that to get into NCAA scholarship football is a "two-way
street" because other schools have to want GMU on their schedule, rather
than just that GMU wants scholarship football.
1. Football
for the students -- it exists now as a club sport
2. Football
to please a small group of people -- can exist as a non-scholarship sport
3. Football
to improve the GMU image -- must be a scholarship sport & at great cost
E.
Elstun replied that the consultant was concerned with regard to the Board
of Visitors’ decision to make a final determination in March without the position
of the University’s constituencies. In
response to this concern, it was reiterated that the February Faculty Senate
Meeting will produce a Senate Position.
8. Representatives of the Faculty Senate of Virginia
It
was reported that the Faculty Senate of Virginia would meet February 14, 1998
in Richmond to discuss members’ success at seeing their representation in
the Virginia Legislature.
VI Other New Business
VII Adjournment
The
meeting was adjourned at 3:35pm.
Text
of a preliminary report on the January Meeting of the Board of Visitors,
prepared by A. Sofer, presented and submitted by R. Ruhling.
The
BOV Student Affairs Committee Meeting yesterday evening at 6:00 and lasted
almost up to 10:00. First on the agenda (you guessed it) was a
progress report on football. Gerald
Cook (ECE), Chair of the 16-member Football Task Force reported that the Task
Force has studied the fiscal, regulatory and implementation issues regarding
football, is still looking into policy issues, and marketing/promotional issues,
and has yet to assess the support from students, faculty and staff.
The Task Force has concluded that if the purpose of football is to
raise the community spirit, then GMU must compete with its traditional rivals.
Therefore the Task Force recommends unanimously, that if NCAA football
is to be played at GMU, it should be in the highest level of NCAA I-AA football,
with full scholarships.
Next
came a presentation by William Carr and Michael Slive, representing Carr Sports
Associates, the external consulting firm hired to study football feasibility. The consultants recommended that (1) if GMU decides to add NCAA
football, that GMU not sponsor non-scholarship football in any form for any
length of time; and (2) if GMU decides to add NCAA football, GMU should move
directly to scholarship football, with movement to a scholarship conference
in year four of a five year plan. The
consultants estimated that the total direct and indirect costs for this option
would be $2.67 million yearly. When
facility costs and gender equity costs are included, then assuming annual
revenues of $450,000, the total estimated annual costs of this option is $4.24
million.
Members
of the Board commented that the consultants' projected cost of gender equity
would have been lower, had they taken into account the future swimming team,
and inquired by how much would these costs decrease further if the ratio of
male to female students at GMU were adjusted in future from the current 47:53
to 50:50. They noted also that the recommendation of
the consultants is just one of several factors in the final decision. The Committee agreed unanimously that the University
Task Force should complete its analysis and present it to the Board, and to
President Merten prior to March 1. Committee
Chair DiGenarro emphasized that the final decision on football will be made
by the Board of Visitors, and that the decision will be made in their March
meeting.
Another
issue of interest was faculty course evaluations.
The Board heard presentations from the students and the faculty, and
a discussion ensued which was essentially a rehash of the discussion in the
November meeting. The Board accepted a resolution recommending
that better questions should be placed on the current evaluations, and that
the accessibility of evaluations be increased by placing them on the web,
and encouraging faculty to involve students in working towards these goals. The Board urged the faculty and students to
work out the specific details entailed in each of these items, and requested
a report in their March meeting.
Other
items on the agenda were alcohol regulations on campus, dismissal procedures
for hourly wage employees, and a presentation on Broadside.
The priorities of the newspaper's editor this spring are 1) concentration
on accuracy and credibility, 2) increasing professionalism; and 3)focus on
educational values. In response to
questions by Board members, it was stated that GMU would not represent Broadside
if a lawsuit were brought against the newspaper, that the newspaper does not
have liability insurance, and that if a Board member or anyone/state employee
were to sue Broadside the matter would probably need approval by the VA Attorney
General. If that were not granted
the Board member would have to handle this personally. Chair DiGennaro recommended that in view of
the proliferation of litigation, Broadside should look into obtaining liability
insurance.