Absent: Adyemi, Bilyeu, Donnell, Holmes, Nicholson,
Rife, Seago, Ward, Welleford, Wood
Minutes from the November meeting were approved.
Bob Andrews, President of Faculty Senate, indicated that the essence of tuition increase discussion at the last Faculty Senate meeting was relayed to the Board of Visitors. At last month’s meeting, Bob addressed the Academic and Health Policy Committee and the Finance, Investment and Property Committee presenting the faculty suggestion that the $200 increase should be increased to $300 provided that the extra $100 be used for providing extra classes for students. This recommendation also had support from SGA presidents. Chris Kenney from MCV is the student member of the Board this year. Justin Rose, a member of the Academic Campus SGA, is present at Faculty Senate today. Dr. Trani read a supporting statement to the Board from parents of a student. The Board approved unanimously the $300 increase.
At the Academic and Health Policy Committee, Bob Andrews also underlined that Faculty Senate would like to have a non-voting faculty member on the Board of Visitors. Bob talked with several Board members about the proposition and he will be following up on this matter.
Recapping the topics of the last University Council, Chris Turner said that Paul Timmerick gave a summary of University’s budget situation. Capital projects are still contingent upon Governor Warner’s plan specifying the execution of the projects. With regard to VCU’s priorities, the following buildings are slated for improvements: the libraries, Sanger Hall, and Hibbs or the business building. There are more buildings listed for improvement as well. Dr. Trani announced that Dr. Peter Kirkpatrick has accepted the Interim Executive Director position in the Office of International Education (OIE). Bob Andrews announced that Faculty Senate will need to name a new secretary to replace Peter. Chris Turner reminded senators about the upcoming Lobby day on January 9, 2003 which will take place downtown by the Capitol.
Bob Andrews and Chris Turner attended the Faculty of Senate of Virginia meeting. At the meeting, Faculty Senators from across the State are stressing the importance of getting the message out to delegates and senators downtown about priorities for education. The legislators listen to their constituents. Lobby Day is important. Chris explained that Lobby day is an idea that has been successfully done by AAUP in Washington. Now it needs to be done on the State level. Both Grant Warren, from the Staff Senate, and Justin Rose, SGA, present at today’s meeting will participate in Lobby day. Our representatives need to hear first hand what is needed and necessary for faculty across the state as well as for staff and students. There will be a push to have faculty on Boards of Visitors across the state. There are specific budget recommendations that Brian Turner from Randolph-Macon has put together to present to the delegates. There is also a position paper written by Pat Cummins. Chris Turner and Pat Cummins have met with Paul Timmerick, and Pat has put forward a position paper regarding the funding for the retirement system. The paper indicates that there should be a full-level payment scale and that summer pay should also be included in the system. The AAUP webpage has a similar document on this issue. Chris Turner sent out an email including the contact information for General Assembly members who live around us. Northern Virginia and Tidewater constituents will be lobbying their representatives before the latter come to Richmond. During Lobby day, there will be a professional lobbyist on-hand who will come to explain the proper manner in which one should lobby their representatives. Chris and Nora will be sending out more information about the Lobby day via email. Chris asked that we invite students to come to Lobby day. We should also inform students that their parents should also become active in Lobby day. Faculty Senate of Virginia is on Senator Lambert’s schedule. Chris hopes that Lobby day can become an annual event. Chris also urged Faculty Senators to forward all position papers on to their colleagues. Dianne Simons suggested that when lobbying it is a good idea to have your information written down in bullet format and in your pocket in order to be as succinct and precise as possible when talking with a delegate.
A Faculty Senator had a question regarding summer salary benefits.
Pat Cummins indicated that she came from the Ohio system where there was
no difference between 9 and 12 months contracts. On the issue of
the number of class sections being offered next semester, Pat Cummins indicated
that students need to come out and say that if taxes are not levied then
they end up being the ones who bear the burden of financial (tuition) increases
alone.
Bob Lamb underlined that fact that funding is what causes the issues to surface. If the University has put money into the patent and those monies helped to develop the invention then the University will obviously want its share. Resolutions from disputes on Intellectual Property go through Dick Franson’s office, the Office of Technology. He first looks at it the issue and then if not resolved by him it is forward to Marsha Torr’s office and then on to the Intellectual Property Committee that has Faculty on it. If still not resolved it goes to President Trani. Judy Lewis pointed out that the Faculty member can also have judicial review of the matter. Bob Andrews indicated that the Faculty member would also be able to file a grievance moving it to Dr. Trani’s office and then on to the Board of Visitors. “The policy as it now stands before you is a better policy and should be moved forward,” said Bob Lamb.
Dianne Simons proposed the motion: Faculty Senate commends those
Senators, other Faculty members and Administrators who served on the review
committee. Their work provides a model for collectively working together.
Faculty Senate thereby commends the entire committee for its work on the
Review Committee.
-Motion approved unanimously
Motion to pass the revised Intellectual Properties Policy
-Motion approved unanimously
The next scheduled Faculty Senate meeting will be held on Jan. 21 in the Forum Room on the Academic campus. On Feb. 4th, Dr. Trani will address the entire Faculty at the Grace Street Theatre, all Faculty Senators are to attend the General Faculty meeting with Dr. Trani.
Bob Andrews and Chris Turner informed Faculty Senate about the Rebuilding
Together group which has marked the last Saturday in April to work
in the Carver neighborhood. Student leaders have expressed a desire
to have a non-academic event to provide student interaction with faculty.
This initiative to work in the community would be a good endeavor to allow
students, staff and faculty to work together for improving an adjoining
neighborhood.
Peter Blake:
Greetings from Secretary Wheelen and Governor Warner. When I was at the State Higher Education Council, I worked closely with Faculty Senates and the AAUP. Honestly, I don’t know what to tell you about the budget situation. You have received emails from Dr. Trani. We all hope that, as the Governor has indicated in some of his comments, the economy may turn around and that we can revise the revenue projection and therefore avoid cuts beyond those that are being contemplated for Dec. 20th. You understand that as mandated in the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Governor is required to balance the budget. This was the reason for the October 15th decisions. Unlike previous years, the Governor has decided to look at the tuition side of things. Most institutions have agreed to increase tuition (50-60% of present cuts will be able to be absorbed through tuition increases in Spring 2003). The Governor needs to make another billion dollars cut in his upcoming speech to be delivered on Dec. 20th. He thinks he can preserve funding for K-12 which means that cuts elsewhere have to be greater. During his recent interview on WRVA radio, the Governor said that he is looking at about 20 bad choices and on that list are cuts to universities, public libraries and art grants. There are some areas in mental health as in health and human resources that will be targeted. In conversations, he has indicated clearly that he feels higher education had already taken a hard cut. Let’s hope that the revenues follow through and that nothing happens to base funding. What does this mean to you? You should probably be telling me what the consequences will be, i.e. class enrollments, sizes, daily situations, etc. (Peter passed out a chart showing how cuts impact VCU’s budget) The State does anticipate enrollment increases for the next seven years. 38,000 or more students are to come into the system state-wide and VCU will have its share to take.Enrollments are increasing at other schools but they are out-of-state students. Dr. Trani has said that in-state enrollments will be fixed at the current rate.
Peter Blake asked to hear from Faculty Senators who voiced their concerns as indicated below.
Judy Lewis:
What about the quality of the education for students who are presently here? What is the quality if you are having larger enrollments in a course? Basically there are two sources: taxpayers and students. Students are the ones being taxed now. Students are the ones footing the bill. In addition, what about student/faculty contact. There are only 24 hours in a day. One must remember the number of students who are sending emails to their professors. All this calls into question the time and quality that you can give to each student.
Pat Cummins commented on the impact of the cuts in her department:
The number of classes has been reduced thereby increasing class sizes. In a typical elementary language course, enrollment is now limited to 38. Imagine trying to get to all of those students in order to work on their speaking and conversation skills. Then there is the question of support. We have over 50 faculty and we have only one secretary who now works without any student-work help. We understand that the Governor does not want to raise taxes, but the tuition of students is going up. The students are bearing the blunt of the budget situation.Chris Turner also pointed out the effects of class size on writing intensive courses. She commented that she heard on the radio this morning that students in high school are not writing papers because their teachers simply do not have time to grade them. Chris said,
“My student enrollments I have capped at 40 because it is impossible to grade a writing intensive course with more students than that. You will be amazed by the number of teachers who do not give writing assignments because they do not have time to grade them. My department’s response was to get a large classroom and cram in as many students as possible. We do not even have paper in my department!”Fred Certosimo:
We talk about students. As a Dad, who writes three tuition checks, tuition increases hurt. Here in the Dental School, I am on the Admission Committee; we are focusing on out-of-state students, and what about the I-95 corridor? People there are crying for more dentists. We seem to be missing the picture. We are focusing on out-of-state undergraduates in Dental. We have a great number of in-state applicants but we cannot take them. Furthermore, Pharmacy and Dentistry courses are being taught in Sanger Hall and the spill over from these courses will be in Lyons. All faculty will need to be teaching by power point and that is not what I call teaching.
Elizabeth Hodges:
For 12 years we have been trying to limit enrollment in English courses at 18 instead of 25 in a class. We have lost remedial writing. Many students are not ready to go into the freshman course. When I see classes going up by four additional people, you just can not accomplish a lot by teaching up in front of the class when it comes down to writing. A lot of work comes from working on the development of critical thinking skills and wanting to make connections between the texts and the students. With 21 students in a class, a teacher has more than 1,000 pages of drafts to correct. 3,000 pages if you teach three classes. On the average, a professor spends 45 minutes to an hour per draft. On the student side of things, many VCU students work, 20, 35 or 40 hours a week and take a full load. With additional tuition costs, they are also feeling the burden.Nora Alder:
In the School of Education, our professors used to place VCU students into area schools and monitor their progress as student-teachers, but this is now coming to a stop because we need to cover the other courses that adjuncts had covered.A Faculty senator from the School of Arts:
Many Faculty members are being told to teach lower-level courses and therefore lower the number of upper classes offered. Students will need to be here 5 years to graduate. For our Art students, the Pollock Building is cold with no heat and the building has been deemed as unhealthy. The University did receive some money through the Bond issue for the building, but the current state of things is atrocious especially for a flagship school.
Judy Lewis:
We are all here because we are committed to the students. We are wondering how far one can stretch things before they break. We all are stretched and we are doing it so students can get the thoughtful responses from us they deserve to have. But physically, it is impossible to keep this energy on forever.
Peter Blake thanked the Faculty Senators for sharing their concerns
and that he would relay on these issues and comments to the Governor.
The meeting adjourned at 5:50pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Dr. Peter S. Kirkpatrick
Faculty Senate Secretary-Treasurer