Approved Minutes of September 21, 2000 Senate Meeting

I. Call to Order

A. A quorum being present, President Reed called the Senate to order

at 2:31 in the Student Lounge.

Present: President Jim Reed; Vice President Carmela Arnoldt; Senators

Renee Barstack, Larry Bohlender, Jim Daugherty, Paul DePippo, Gay

Garesche, Patricia Hofer, Robert Hubbard, David Raffaelle, Jack Rose,

Jeanne

Saint-Amour, Kirt Shineman, Bill Stewart; and Councilor-at-large Linda

Smith.

Absent: Phil Moloso

Guests: Including, but not limited to, Lyle Walcott, Mary Leskovsky,

Manny Griego, Sam Matar, Roberta Delaney, Rosie Mays, Jim Abraham and

Ruth Calahan.

II. Old Business

A. Reconsideration of the committee slate: Jim Reed explained that

he had done as requested by the Senate. He had presented to President

Pollack the faculty committee membership approved by the Senate at its

September 14th meeting. Reed indicated that President Pollack approved

the Senate's proposal. However, he then presented the slate to the

President's Executive Committee (PEC) which reacted strongly

negatively. Reed called for a motion to return to his original slate of

committee appointments. Vigorous discussion ensued about the

appropriateness of taking the slate to the PEC and whether the PEC

could, in fact, overturn the Senate's decision. The point was made that

Reed's explanatory memo to the faculty suggested that the Senate was

asking for an additional member of the Budget Development Committee,

when in fact it was not. Reed reassured the Senate that he had

explained to the PEC that the only difference the Senate was suggesting

was how the last faculty seat on the BDEC would be filled. Arnoldt

argued that we would very unhappy if, say, PSA didn't follow the process

to fill their seats.

Discussion continued with respect to whether or not the previous

Senate recommendation would have to be rescinded before Reed's original

slate could be considered. In response to the argument that the PEC

could not dispose of the Senate's recommended slate, Hubbard moved to

rescind the BDEC portion of the slate. (Rose seconded). More

discussion followed.

Garesché pointed out that none of the other three

members of the Instructional Subcommittee, (besides Reed) from whom the

last faculty member on the BDEC is to be chosen, were aware that they

might be called on to sit on the BDEC. Garesché asked whether the BDEC

would go short of one faculty member, as it did last year, if one of

those individuals would not cross over and sit on BDEC in addition to

sitting on the Instructional Subcommittee. Reed indicated that he will

appoint someone, if that occurs. Comments were made about how Garesché

had come to the Senate to ask to be placed on the BDEC, about whether

this violated the process Reed was devising, whether it would be

tolerated if PSA had violated its process and whether the Senate was

listening to the faculty's expressed preferences. Others responded that

this was not an election, that the process was new and faculty hadn't

been provided with enough information about the slate's departmental

distribution, whether those on the quasi ballot were probationary or

appointive faculty and whether they were incumbents on the committees

they were be asked to sit on.

Discussion moved to whether there are individuals on the Senate

who have attempted to portray the Senate as

not representing the faculty, when in fact it has. Others responded

that the NCA Focus team visit suggested that clearly some part of the

faculty feel they are not being represented. Daugherty moved to

terminate debate. PASSED. Yeas: Arnoldt, Bohlender, Smith, Shineman,

Stewart, Hofer, Barstack, Rose, Daugherty, Rafaelle, Hubbard, DePippo.

Nays: Garesché, Saint-Amour. Motion to Rescind: PASSED. Yeas: Arnoldt,

Bohlender, Smith, Shineman, Stewart, Hofer, Barstack, Rose, Daugherty,

Rafaelle, Hubbard, Saint-Amour. Nays: DePippo, Garesché.

Hubbard moved to approve Chuck Milliner and Sam Matar to the BDEC.

(Daugherty seconded). Discussion followed. Hofer expressed concern

that the faculty is acting like a direct democracy rather than a

representative democracy. She suggested that the Senate has

relinquished its responsibility to represent. Shineman questioned

whether the PEC was the correct body for this to have played out and

recommended that the Senate attempt to repair some of the divisions

which had become apparent. Reed prepared to hand out ballots for a

secret ballot vote. A question was raised as to whether that was

appropriate. Daugherty and Shineman indicated that a secret ballot

could be requested for any vote, but that a vote had to be taken in

order to use a secret ballot. Daugherty moved to have a secret ballot.

(Shineman seconded). FAILED. Yeas: Hofer. Nays: Arnoldt, Bohlender,

Smith, Shineman, Stewart, Barstack, Rose, Saint-Amour, Garesché,

Daugherty, Rafaelle, Hubbard, DePippo. Motion to place Milliner and

Matar on BDEC: PASSED. Yeas: Arnoldt, Bohlender, Smith, Shineman,

Stewart, Barstack, Rose, Daugherty, Rafaelle, Hubbard. Nays: Hofer,

DePippo. Abstentions: Garesché, Saint-Amour.

It was generally agreed that the process to generate the slate would

be added to the next Senate agenda.

III. Meeting adjourned 3:17.

Respectfully submitted,

Gay Garesché