Faculty Senate
October 28, 2005
Call to Order: Michael Patton called the meeting to order at 2:04 pm.
Members Present: Casey Bassett, Misty Bennett, Jason Cooper, Charlotte Daughhetee, Michelle Duran-McClure, Sherry Ford, Brook Miller, Michael Patton, Elizabeth Thrower, Cindy Tidwell, Samantha Webb, Jill Wicknick and 3 guests.
Approval of October 14, 2005 Minutes: Elizabeth Thrower moved that the minutes be approved, Samantha Webb seconded and the motion passed unanimously.
President’s Report:
- ACUFP meeting is next week. Michael Patton will attend and will report on the concerns and activities of the University of Montevallo Faculty Senate.
- Michael Patton will be unable to attend the next Board of Trustee meeting since it conflicts with ACUFP. Cindy Tidwell and Samantha Webb will attend the trustee meeting as Faculty Senate representatives.
- Michael Patton and Charlotte Daughhetee met with Dr. McChesney regarding faculty senate policy recommendations on grievance issues and program autonomy. Dr. McChesney has written policy statements reflective of the faculty senate recommendations. These policy statements will be proposed for inclusion in the upcoming revision of the faculty handbook. Dr. McChesney also indicated that the presidential search consultant would be active over the next few months recruiting applicants for the position. The presidential search committee will probably begin to actively screen applicants in January 2006.
Presentation by Gordon Stone:
- Gordon Stone met with the senate and explained the role of the HEP. He noted that a recent survey indicated that 61% of Alabamians consider higher education to be an urgent priority in the state. The next year will offer opportunities for higher education to have a voice in Montgomery.
Committee Reports:
-
Bookstore committee-the bookstore committee
met with representatives of the bookstore to
discuss faculty concerns. The early adoption
rates are based on the bookstore’s ability to
buy used books, early send back dates are due
to expiring invoices. These dates are tied to
the business model but the bookstore could
meet with individual faculty to arrange for
special orders (i.e. staggering book orders
across the semester). The bookstore buys
books based on past buying habits and
typically orders fewer books than stated on
the order form. This poses a problem for May
term and Summer term blocked courses and the
bookstore will order more books for these and
other short term course offerings. Also,
while the bookstore can attend special after
hours events (i.e. poetry readings), they
expressed concerns about security and low book
sales.
- Supplies-while the UM contract grants the bookstore exclusive rights to sell supplies other than books, faculty may inform students of other supply venders off campus. Having an outside vender come on campus is not allowed, but student groups may sell supplies as a fund raiser provided they have cleared the sale with the Business Affairs office
Liaison Reports:
No reports at this time
Old Business:
- Dependent Tuition Waiver-the definition of a dependent is not linked to IRS dependency status.
- Web Page-the web page committee is continuing to meet with campus officials.
- Mini-Survey-Faculty Senate members were reminded to send Jason Cooper questions for the mini faculty survey.
- Letter to the presidential search committee-a final draft of a letter outlining faculty concerns will be emailed next week to senators for approval.
New Business:
- A faculty member made a presentation concerning the difficulties encountered when faculty members attempt to host conferences on the University of Montevallo’s campus. The current guidelines are ambiguous, the policy is not consistently enforced and the cost to organizations is prohibitive. Workshops and conferences can serve as recruiting tools and offer an excellent opportunity to highlight the university’s uniqueness. The senate will explore how other campuses handle such events and work on a recommendation.
Announcements:
- The SGA will hold a presidential search forum on November 8th at 6:00 pm in Comer.
- The next faculty senate meeting is November 11h, 2005 in the Merrill room.
Adjournment: Samantha Webb moved that the senate adjourn, Cindy Tidwell seconded and the motion passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 3:45 pm.
Charlotte Daughhetee, Faculty Senate Secretary