Minutes, Truman State University Chapter of AAUP
December 3, 2004, 4:30 pm
University Club
Meetings are open to all university faculty members.
Faculty present: David Robinson (presiding), Martha Bartter, Roger Festa, Jan
Grow, James Harmon, Diane Johnson, Sylvia Macauley, Judi Misale, John Quinn,
Lynn Rose.
1) Minutes of October and November meetings were approved.
2) State of the University Survey (a nearly annual activity of our chapter),
which was recently finished. The participation rate could have been higher, but
there were many surveys going on at the time, and the participation was
certainly sufficient. Also, this was the first year that we did it entirely
on-line (and that seemed to have worked pretty well). Judi, a social
psychologist who is expert on such surveys, gave the meeting a very interesting
tour through the results, and pointed out some important areas of
interpretation, such as gender and divisional differences. The results will soon
be displayed on our chapter website <aaup.truman.edu>, and a packet with the
findings (including all the “written comments” from participants) will be
delivered to President Dixon.
3) Ideas for a Town Hall Meeting for spring semester. There were several
suggestions. We could invite someone from Central Missouri State University,
where a large proportion of the faculty has joined together in an NEA-affiliated
‘union’ called Fellowship of Missouri Education Workers. (Some thought that our
regular meeting might be a better venue for this.) Other themes for possible
town hall discussion: international studies, budgeting, the future of public
higher education. We thought that late March or April would be best for such a
meeting, if we call it.
4) AAUP assuming responsibility in a re-cast University Faculty Club, which
technically runs the University Club House. Chett Breed sent us an urgent
request to take an interest in this. Members were inclined to have our AAUP
chapter participate, since we value the Club House as a meeting place. We were
disinclined, however, to be solely responsible. James Harmon (who has lots of
UFC experience) and David Robinson will contact others to see if we can
constitute a responsible, long-term configuration for the UFC. Possible
interested parties might include Julie Lochbaum (Faculty Development), the Staff
Council, even the History Faculty, which has often used the Club House in the
past, and other such groups.
5) For David Gruber. We finished adding greetings, gifts, mementoes, etc., into
a leather “document box” to be given to our ailing brother. (David Robinson
delivered it to him on the Monday after the meeting. He has since sent us an
email of thanks, encouraging us to continue the work of AAUP.)
Meeting adjourned shortly before 6:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted by David Robinson, President