Min Feb11

Minutes

AAUP Truman State University Chapter
Minutes for Friday, February 11, 2011 at 4:30 pm, University Club

Attendance: Martha Bartter, Andy Hilgartner, Wolfgang Hoeschele, Diane Johnson, Sylvia Macauley, Betty McLane-Iles, Bonnie Mitchell, David Robinson, Peter Rolnick, Tom Zoumaras

Announcements:

Heidi Templeton will be there to lead discussion/share her experiences. Announcement to be sent out to the faculty via Gwen Parrachione.

Reports:

  • On February 5, David Robinson attended “AAUP Workshop: How to Build the AAUP,” sponsored by the chapter at University of Missouri Kansas City. Judy Ancel, Director of UMKC’s Institute of Labor Studies, helped the group consider many aspects of organizing, including possibilities of collective bargaining in Missouri’s institutions of higher education. More information: http://cas.umkc.edu/aaup/

At the meeting, there was also discussion that some universities are proposing to change benefit plans from defined benefits to defined contributions, that the KC Metro community Colleges reneged on promised retirement deals (which may lead to a lawsuit by over 60 people), and about disputes regarding faculty intellectual property rights at MU-Columbia.

  • Upcoming meetings: MAFS (David Robinson is going to attend); AAUP State meeting in March 19, in Joplin. For the latter, we need to elect a delegate by secret ballot.

  • David Robinson has been nominated for AAUP State President (the incumbent can no longer run, David is currently Vice-Preisdent).

Discussion:

  • All-University Meeting called by President Troy Paino earlier on Feb. 11. There was not much new information concerning the budget cuts (already announced previously). Certain costs are going up, various positions all over campus will be lost. Paino presented various great statistics about Truman as talking points why funding levels (and formulas) should be kept as near as possible to where they are now. He discussed offering more courses as 4-credit courses (e.g., Writing Enhanced courses) as a way to recognize the faculty work involved and to limit increases in faculty workloads. He also announced Truman’s first endowed professorship, in English and Linguistics (more formal announcement to come later).

Old Business:

  • Truman Sustainability Committee: Report from Wolfgang Hoeschele: discussion in recent weeks has focused on recycling center (how to carry on after Howard Worcester’s retirement), and on printing. A font that requires less ink (compared to Times New roman and Arial) is Century Gothic (used for these minutes). The committee is also discussing how to move the campus toward default double-sided printing (apparently opposed by some professors) and avoiding automatic cover sheets for print jobs for students.

A survey is being conducted via department heads concerning the number of sustainability-related courses being offered at Truman. If you haven’t heard from your department chair about this yet, you should be soon.

April 21 and 22 Ted Howard will be visiting, who has spearheaded efforts to enhance positive economic linkages between universities and the surrounding communities (e.g., Evergreen Initiative in Cleveland, Ohio). He will be giving a Global Issues talk on April 21 and leading a workshop with university and community leaders on April 22.

Encourage all AAUP members to take the sustainability pledge available via link from http://sustainability.truman.edu/sustainabilitypledge.asp

  • AAUP Resolution on benefits for domestic partners has been submitted to the Faculty Senate Executive Committee (consisting of James Guffey, Candy Young, and others). There was some discussion about procedures for taking this issue through the FS; getting more co-sponsors will help.

  • AAUP Banner Design; Printing Services can do it for about $50, Bonnie Mitchell is going to pursue this further.

  • AAUP brownbag lunches

    • Feb 16 at 12:30 in SUB Spanish Room (discussed above).

    • Mar 16 at 12:30 in SUB Spanish Room. Tentative topic: Accessibility to higher education. Read Peter Sacks, “Rethinking the Rules of the Higher Education Game: Rising tuition isn’t the only obstacle to equitable higher education access,” Academe (July/August 2010) http://www.aaup.org/AAUP/pubsres/academe/2010/JA/feat/sack.htm

Sylvia Macauley and Gina Morin (admissions) will be knowledgeable people to be involved.

    • April 20 at 12:30 in SUB Spanish Room. Decide on topic – no decision was made, but two topics discussed were the university budget and domestic partner benefits.

New Business:

  • The Faculty Senate has formed a committee to study the exigency plan, on the initiative of Peter Rolnick and others (committee includes him as well as Betsy Delmonico, Torbjorn Wandel, Sal Costa, and John Bohac). This committee was called a “study” committee in order to get passed more easily, but it will be able to make recommendations to the FS.

  • Conversion of contingent faculty to tenured or tenure track: Take a position? This issue was discussed, though without any definite conclusion. According to Troy Paino, we are currently better than the COPLAC average, but this doesn’t mean that there isn’t any problem. There was some question as to whether and how we can move toward more tenured positions without exposing faculty who have taught here for years to competition for their jobs through new nation-wide searches; there was also some discussion about increasing job security for people with contingent positions.

  • Motion was made, seconded, and passed unanimously to reimburse the chapter president, Bonnie Mitchell, approx. $20 for her AAUP Redbook, which will be the “chapter president’s Redbook.” She has passed the receipt to the chapter treasurer. David Robinson will seek to get the State Conference to buy a bunch of Redbooks (at lower price), so that we can either re-sell or give some copies.

Next Meeting: Friday, March 4 at 4:30 pm, University Club