WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY FACULTY SENATE MINUTES – Monday, December 9, 2002
 

MEMBERS PRESENT: Bees, Behrman, Brooks, Carroll, Celestin, Chopra, DeLillo, deSilva, Edwards, Eichhorn, Enns, Forlaw, Goldy, Hershfield, Herzog, Hill, Hiltner, Hodson, Johnson, Kahol, Klunder, Lancaster, Lause, Markovich, McDonald, Miller, Moore-Jansen, Muma Murphey, Parker, Riordan, Rokosz, Ross, Roussel, Russell, Sheikh-Ahmad, Williamson, Wimalesena, Withrow, Zhang

MEMBERS ABSENT: Bakken, Hemans, Kear, Mau, May, Ravigururajan, Teshome, Yeager

MEMBERS EXCUSED: Dawe, Matson, Quantic

Ex-OFFICIO MEMBERS PRESENT: VPAAR Kindrick, SGA, Sell

SUMMARY OF ACTION:

1.  The Senate approved the Minutes for the November 25, 2002, meeting.

2.  The Senate approved the replacement of Jim Clark by Terrence Decker as the Senator representing the Department of Economics with his term ending 6/04.

3.  Upon blind ballot, the Senate defeated by a vote of 22-13 the amendment moved at the meeting of November 11, 2002, favoring the principle of mandatory external peer reviews and referring procedural questions to the Faculty Affairs Committee.

4.  Upon blind ballot, the Senate defeated by a vote of 22-11 the main motion moved at the meeting of October 14, 2002, favoring the principle of mandatory external peer reviews.

5.  The Senate heard a presentation by Leonard Clark, the University assistant counsel and EEO Director, describing the USA PATRIOT Act; and, time having expired for the meeting, the Senate tabled the motion from the Library Committee (see Agenda for this meeting, Sec. V.B.) about that statute.   

I.  CALL TO ORDER: President Lancaster called the meeting to order at 3:30 pm

II.  INFORMAL STATEMENTS & PROPOSALS: none

III.  APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES: Minutes of 11/25/02, accepted as presented.

IV.  PRESIDENT’S REPORT:  President Lancaster told of the Kansas Board of  Regents' "Unified Operating Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2004," which he said involves a 5% budget cut for WSU; and mentioned the Regents' recent "Guidelines for Budget Rescission and Reduction."  Anticipating the vote later in the meeting on the proposals relative to mandatory external review, he gave a summary of his views favoring the proposals.  Finally, he told of the recent report about the funding of higher education in Kansas by the Hall Foundation that shows that WSU "is underfunded and our faculty is underpaid."  The same foundation, he said, has conducted a study of public opinion about higher education.

V.  COMMITTEE REPORTS:

            A.  Rules Committee, E.Behrman, Chair, reported that the Senators from the Barton School of Business have nominated Terrence Decker to fill the Economics Department seat (term ends 6/04)  in the Senate, replacing Jim Clark, who has taken an administrative position.  This was approved by the Senate.

VI.  OLD BUSINESS:

A.  The Senate debated the amendment that had been moved by Senator Herzog and seconded by Senator Behrman at the November 11, 2002, Senate meeting endorsing the principle of mandatory external peer reviews in tenure cases and referring procedural questions to the Faculty Affairs Committee.  After much discussion, the previous question was moved and approved; and a blind ballot was requested.  The Senate defeated the amendment by a vote of 22 to 13.

B.  The Senate then acted upon the main motion to which the amendment had been offered.  This was the motion made by the Senate Executive Committee at the meeting on October 14, 2002, to adopt the principle of mandatory external peer reviews in tenure cases.  The previous question was moved and approved; and a blind ballot was requested.  The Senate defeated the motion by a vote of 22 to 11.

C.  A presentation was made to the Senate by Leonard Clark, the University's assistant legal counsel and EEO Director, describing the main provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act.  University Counsel Ted Ayres did tell the Senate that if anyone contacted them, they should immediately inform hem.  Time having then expired for the meeting, the motion from the Library Committee for a resolution about the Act was tabled upon motion by Senator Klunder, seconded by Senator Murphey

VII.  NEW BUSINESS: none

VIII.  AS MAY ARISE: none

Respectfully submitted

Dwight Murphey

Secretary