March 24, 2000
Meeting of the General Faculty and the Faculty Council
March 24, 2000, 3:00 p.m.
103 Bingham Hall
Please note change of location.
Chancellor William O. McCoy and Professor Richard N. Andrews will preside.
Agenda
ACT 3:00 Memorial Resolution for Everett Keith Wilson, Professor of Sociology Emeritus. Presented by Prof. M. Richard Cramer.
INFO DISC 3:05 Chancellor’s Remarks and Question Time.
- Chancellor McCoy invites questions or comment on any topic.
INFO 3:20 Chair of the Faculty’s Remarks. Prof. Richard N. Andrews
INFO 3:40 Update on the Carolina Computing Initiative. Marian Moore, Chief Information Officer
INFO 3:50 Announcement of Candidates for Chair of the Faculty. Prof. Joseph S. Ferrell
ACT 3:55 Proposed Amendments to the Faculty Code of University Government
- Res. 2000-1. To Abolish the Established Lectures Committee
- Res. 2000-2. To Make Possible the Election of the Chair of the Faculty in the Fall Semester
- Res. 2000-3. To Change Certain Provisions Relating to the Nominating Committee
- Res. 2000-4. To Change Representation on the Faculty Council from Strict Representation by Rank to Proportional
- Representation for Two Categories of Faculty
INFO 4:15 Annual Report of the Administrative Board of the Library. Prof. Howard Aldrich, Chair
INFO 4:25 Annual Report of the Committee on Community and Diversity Prof. Harry Amana, Chair
INFO 4:35 Annual Report of the Executive Committee of the Faculty Council. Prof. Richard N. Andrews, Chair
ACT 4:45 New or Old Business.
ACT 4:55 CLOSED SESSION
- Honorary Degrees to be Awarded at Commencement 2001. Prof. Barbara Moran, Chair of the Committee on Honorary Degrees and Special Awards
ACT 5:10 RETURN TO OPEN SESSION
Adjourn.
Joseph S. Ferrell
Secretary of the Faculty
Minutes
Attendance
Present (50): Adler, Ammerman, Angel, Assani, Black, Blackburn, Bowen, Bynum, Carl, Collins, Cordeiro-Stone, Covach, Debreczeny, Drake, Elvers, Fishman, Grossberg, Harrison, Janda, Johnson, Kallianpur, Kaufman, Ketch, Kjervik, Kopp, Lubker, Ludlow, McCormick, Meehan-Black, A. Molina, P. Molina, Moran, Otey, Pfaff, Plante, Raasch, Rao, Raper, Regester, Savitz, Sekerak, Slatt, Steponaitis, Straughan, Strauss, Vaughn, Vevea, Walsh, Ward, Weiss.
Excused absences (33): Bender, Bluestein, Bolas, Boxill, Bromberg, Clegg, De La Cadena, Eckel, Fink, Gasaway, Graves, Hooper, Huang, Kalleberg, Kupper, LeFebvre, Madison, Margolis, Marshall, McKeown, Melchert, Moreau, Nord, Panter, Postema, Taft, Thorp, Topal, Raab-Traub, Rosenfeld, Schaller, White, Williams.
Unexcused absences (1): Graham.
Memorial Resolution
A Memorial Resolution for Everett Keith Wilson, Professor of Sociology Emeritus, was presented by Prof. M. Richard Cramer.
Chancellor’s Remarks
Provost Richard Richardson, representing the Chancellor in his absence, announced that the Carolina Center for Public Service has sent out grant applications for the third annual Faculty and Staff Grants for Public Service.
In response to a petition submitted on behalf of librarians, the Board of Trustees has agreed to include librarians among those eligible for salary increases funded from the special $300 tuition increase recently approved by the Board of Governors. Our librarians currently rank 80th in the nation, out of 111 research libraries, in terms of their average salary ($44,000). The Board ‘s decision was unanimous.
Last week, the Legislature’s Joint Select Committee on Higher Education Facilities visited our campus. Prof. Andrews represented the faculty in our presentation. He was joined by six other faculty members. The Committee’s co-chairs, Senator Tony Rand and Representative George Miller, said they intend to work hard on behalf of capital funds for the State’s public universities and community colleges. They feel that North Carolina has failed to practice good stewardship of its higher education facilities. Earlier that day, the Committee had visited North Carolina State University. Several members of our faculty rode on the bus with the Committee from Raleigh to Chapel Hill. This presented an excellent opportunity to discuss the impact that the University has had on the State’s economy through our interactions with businesses and institutions located in the Research Triangle Park.
Chair of the Faculty’s Remarks
Prof. Richard N. Andrews, Chair of the Faculty, reported that the Licensing Labor Code Advisory Committee has recently completed a report to the Chancellor on the question of affiliation with the Fair Labor Association or the Workers Rights Consortium, or both. The Committee’s membership includes representatives of the faculty, student body, and administration. The report was unanimous. The full text is available on the Faculty Governance website. The report addresses how the University should interact with the two national organizations seeking to serve as multi-university coordinating organizations for the implementation and monitoring of labor codes for manufacturers producing university-licensed products. Pursuant to the Committee’s recommendations last year, the University has already endorsed a basic labor code, required of all the licensed manufacturers, and requires public disclosure of all the sites, world-wide, where licensed merchandise is produced.
The principal issues that remained unresolved have to do with mechanisms to ensure compliance with the basic labor code. The Committee recognized that the University will be best served by (1) affiliating with other universities and other parties to achieve our goals, (2) fostering a credible monitoring organization to respond to complaints when they arise, (3) establishing a method of sharing the costs of monitoring with other parties, and (4) setting up procedures to assure accountability to all the participating universities. Aside from labor-related issues, the University wishes to maintain a self-supporting licensing program to police the quality and use of its name, and to continue to receive the revenue stream gained from licensing. Three-quarters of this revenue goes toward general need-based scholarships. The remainder supports a small fraction of the athletics program.
The immediate issue is whether the University wishes to continue its association with the Fair Labor Association (FLA) or to join a proposed new organization, the Workers Rights Consortium (WRC). The FLA is a coalition of manufacturers and human rights groups and over 100 affiliated colleges and universities. The WRC is being organized by a coalition of student and worker-rights organizations. The Committee recommends that the University affiliate with both of these organizations, subject to certain conditions that will assure appropriate freedom of action on our part. Neither of the organizations is ideal. Each has desirable features and each has some features that are unacceptable to particular members of the committee. The report, therefore, recommends that our continued participation in each organization be conditioned on successful resolution of the unacceptable features of each.
Prof. Gopinath Kallianpur (Statistics) asked if it would be possible to mail such reports to the faculty before bringing them before the Council for discussion. Prof. Andrews replied that the report was finalized only yesterday. He had immediately made it available on the Faculty Governance website and announced that availability to the Council by E-mail. He hoped that Council members will be able to read at least the main body of the report, which has been distributed in paper copy. He will be glad to answer questions about it at the April 28 Council meeting or via E-mail.
Update on the Carolina Computing Initiative.
Marian Moore, Chief Information Officer, reported that about 400 laptops will be delivered during each week of next year’s eight-week freshman orientation period. Each freshman will have a two-hour training session on setting up and connecting the laptops. Over one-half of last year’s freshman class purchased laptops through the program. Faculty in English, Mathematics, and Chemistry have participated in a pilot program for using laptops in classroom instruction. Wireless technology for connecting to the internet has been installed in classrooms used by the English and Math Departments. A focus group has been held to obtain feedback from the students. One result of that has been a requirement of a one-year insurance policy on the laptop. Financial aid in the form of grants or loans will be available to as many as 40 percent of the students to enable them to purchase the laptops. She encouraged feedback from the faculty as the CCI continues to be implemented.
Prof. Stanley Black (Economics) ask for assurance that the computer labs will not be neglected. He and other faculty will continue to use them for some time to come. Ms. Moore assured the Council that the labs will maintained. She also said SAS Institute has granted a full license for all of its software to all faculty and students. SPSS, another software company, is working on a pilot with the University which allows students to use software in the same way as they would use a textbook. They will offer the package to the student for a semester. Those who do not choose to purchase the package will be able to gain online access.
In response to a question from Prof. Bonnie Angel (Nursing), Ms. Moore said that transfer students will be subject to the laptop requirement. She added that over one hundred grants have been awarded to faculty for using information technology in their classrooms.
Announcement of Candidates for Chair of the Faculty.
Prof. Joseph S. Ferrell, Secretary of the Faculty, announced the nominees chosen by the Advisory Committee for Chair of the Faculty. The Faculty Code requires three candidates, election in the spring semester, and a majority of the votes cast. The candidates are Robert S. Adler (Kenan Flagler Business School), Sue Estroff (Social Medicine and Anthropology), and Beverly Long (Communication Studies). Election results will be announced at the April Faculty Council meeting.
Proposed Amendments to the Faculty Code of University Government.
Prof. Ferrell explained four amendments to the Faculty Code recommended by the Committee on University Government. The full text of each resolution will be found on the Faculty Governance website.
Resolution 2000-1. Amending the Faculty Code of University Government to Abolish the Established Lectures Committee.
As its title indicates, this amendment abolishes the Established Lectures Committee. For many years, this Committee has been responsible for arranging the John Calvin McNair Lecture in Science and Theology, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Lecture on Civil Rights, and the Weil Lecture in American Citizenship. In 1999 the Committee reported that it had arranged to transfer responsibility for the McNair Lecture to the Department of Religious Studies, the King Lecture to the Chancellor’s Committee for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration, and the Weil Lecture to the Institute for the Arts and Humanities. The Committee further recommended that no new members be appointed for the 1999-2000 academic year, that the Committee remain in existence for one more year to assist with the transition, and that it then be abolished. The first two recommendations have been implemented. The proposed amendment implements the third. Prof. Douglas Kelly (Statistics), a member of the Committee on University Government, moved adoption of the amendment. It was approved by the General Faculty unanimously.
Resolution 2000-2. Amending the Faculty Code of the University Government to Make Possible the Election of the Chair of the Faculty in the Fall Semester.
The Faculty Code now requires that elections for Chair of the Faculty be held in the Spring Semester. The proposed amendment enables, but does not mandate, an election for this position in the Fall Semester. The purpose of this change, if implemented, would be to allow the incoming Chair more of an opportunity to become familiar with ongoing faculty governance concerns. Prof. Kelly moved adoption of the amendment. It was approved by the General Faculty unanimously.
Resolution 2000-3. Amending the Faculty Code of University Government to Change Certain Provisions Relating to the Nominating Committee.
The proposed amendment makes two changes in the section of the Faculty Code relating to the Nominating Committee. The first change makes it possible for a retiring member of an elective committee to be nominated for election to another committee. It does not affect § 4-1, which makes a retiring member of an elective committee ineligible for election to the succeeding term on the same committee. If approved, the change would permit, for example, a retiring member of the Advisory Committee to run for election to the Committee on Financial Exigency and Program Change. The second change provides that the Secretary of the Faculty, rather than the Chair of the Faculty convenes the Committee. That change simply codifies current practice.
Prof. Kelly moved adoption of Resolution 2000-3.
Prof. Richard Pfaff (History) moved to amend by deleting the change making it possible for a member of the Nominating Committee to be nominated for election to a standing committee other than the one from which he or she is retiring. He felt that the Code’s current policy of not re-electing the same people over and over is a good one.
Prof. Vincas Steponaitis (Anthropology) asked for an explanation of the composition of the Nominating Committee.
Prof. Ferrell replied that the Committee consists of the retiring members of the elective committees of the General Faculty. That’s 20 or 22 people each year. Prof. Andrews pointed out that the Code also authorizes the Executive Committee of the Faculty Council to appoint up to five additional members if needed to ensure representation of all segments of the faculty. This year the Committee had 24 members.
Prof. Steponaitis asked if the Committee would be looking for about 40 or 50 faculty to fill the slates. Prof. Ferrell said when one includes Faculty Council vacancies, the number is approximately 60 to 80. The Nominating Committee tries to recruit three nominees for each vacant seat. Prof. Steponaitis said he agrees in general with the policy of seeking new faces for the elective committees, but he also agrees with the University Government Committee’s thinking that flexibility here is desirable because of the large number of nominees needed. Prof. Ferrell said that most people who have completed three years of service on an elective committee are not especially eager for another assignment. One exception to this is service on the Committee on Financial Exigency and Program Change. That Committee has never had to meet in its 24-year history, but should it be called into service, its task would be to advise the Chancellor as to termination of faculty positions due to extraordinary circumstances. Such an assignment suggests that the Committee’s members need to be distinguished, experienced, senior faculty whose accumulated wisdom would be up to such a daunting task. This has led the Nominating Committee to look to members retiring from the Advisory Committee or the Hearings Committee, for example.
The amendment put forward by Prof. Pfaff was defeated by a vote of 21 Yes, 24 No. Resolution 2000-3 was then adopted unanimously as submitted.
Resolution 2000-4. Amending the Faculty Code of University Government to Change Representation on the Faculty Council from Strict Representation by Rank to Proportional Representation for Two Categories of Faculty.
Prof. Ferrell said the purpose of this change is to simplify the procedures for apportioning seats on the Council. Now, seats in each of the 17 electoral divisions are apportioned among four rank categories: professor, associate professor, assistant professor, instructor, and fixed-term faculty. When this system was instituted, the Faculty Council was elected from only four electoral divisions: Humanities (which then included Fine Arts), Social Sciences (which included all of the professional schools in Academic Affairs), Natural Sciences, and Health Affairs (which included all of the professional schools in Health Affairs). In most of the divisions now in use, there is an insufficient number in at least one of the ranks to merit one Council position, in which case that rank is combined with other ranks. Prof. Ferrell has found that administering this apportionment system has become unnecessarily cumbersome and complex. The proposal is to elect Council members from only two rank categories. The first category would include all faculty in the division having permanent tenure. The second category would include all other voting faculty in the division. Prof. Ferrell distributed an analysis showing how the proposed change would affect each voting division. The analysis shows that in almost every division, the change would have no significant effect on the current composition of the Council. He noted that the proposed change also responds to the perceived need for first-term assistant and associate professors to concentrate their energies on research and teaching. He has found that many deans and department chairs discourage first-term assistant and associate professors from undertaking any committee service outside the department.
Prof. Kelly moved adoption of Resolution 2000-4. The General Faculty adopted the resolution unanimously.
Annual Report of the Administrative Board of the Library.
Prof. Howard Aldrich (Sociology), Chair of the Administrative Board of the [Academic Affairs] Library, summarized the Board’s Annual Report for 1999-2000. He said the good news is that librarians will be included in salary increases funded by the recent $300 tuition increase. The bad news is that, due to the elimination of the inflation factor in the continuation budget for the library purchases, the Library is being forced to choose between purchases of books or journals. Each department’s library liaison will be asked to make this choice on recommendations of the departmental faculty.
In response to a question about this year’s shortfall, Prof. Joe Hewitt, Associate Provost for University Libraries, said that this year the Library experienced a net reduction of over $660,000 in its budget in comparison to last year. The main part of that loss was over $1.5 million of appropriations in the 1998-99 budget that were not continued in 1999-2000. This reduction was partially offset through reallocation, cutting four positions, cutting budget for temporary wages (which goes primarily to students employed part-time), and drastically reducing investment in infrastructure. There is some flexibility in the coming year’s budget, but it is not known yet how much can be reallocated. One possibility is to cut about $400,000 in journal subscriptions, but Prof. Hewitt hopes to avoid that if at all possible. He said that there is a pressing need for the University to advocate and promote the Library as a high-priority legislative item. Without additional funding from the 2001 legislative session, the library will definitely have to cancel some journal subscriptions.
Prof. Pfaff (History) asked what could be done in terms of faculty indignation or pressure, or anything else to encourage the Administration to change the order of priorities for the Library.
Prof. Stanley Black (Economics) asked if there was any place on the web where the University’s Budget could be viewed.
Prof. Andrews said the University is about to undertake the first campus-wide series of budget hearings. The documentation involved in that process will be accessible on the web. He asked Prof. Hewitt how North Carolina State University (NCSU) has handled issues of library funding. Prof. Hewitt said that NCSU earmarked the additional revenue received from its 1997 tuition increase for student aid and library resources, whereas Carolina used its revenue for faculty salaries, student aid, and a small increase for libraries, partially offset by reductions in other sources of funding. State’s decision provided a budget increase for its libraries of over $4 million in one year. This has enabled NCSU to acquire better technology and pay higher salaries than Carolina can afford. Prof. Hewitt expressed his thanks to Provost Richardson for all he has done to help gain salary increases for our librarians. They are very grateful. Provost Richardson replied that his efforts were helped greatly when the Trustees realized that UNC was ranked 80th in the most recent survey of librarian salaries while NC State ranks 45th.
Prof. Donald Bynum (Orthopaedics) asked if there is anything being proposed in the higher education bond proposals that might help the Library. Prof. Andrews said that funding the renovation of the House Undergraduate Library is one of the highest priorities in that proposal.
Annual Report of the Committee on Community and Diversity.
Prof. Harry Amana (Journalism and Mass Communications), Chair, presented the Committee’s Annual Report. He said he is standing in for Prof. Gerald Horne, who is on leave, and will be relinquishing the chair to Prof. Horne on June 30 when he returns. Prof. Amana reported that this year the Committee has:
- Reviewed the list of “Cultural Diversity Requirement” courses required of undergraduate students.
- Expressed its view that the Chancellor or his designate needs to provide oversight of diversity issues. (The Minority Affairs Review Committee has submitted an in-depth report, and some of the issues it addresses overlap those issues related to this item.)
- Initiated an ongoing discussion on the possibility/feasibility of a University “Diversity Clearinghouse” that may lead to a recommendation next year from this Committee.
Other activities during the year are mentioned in the written report.
Annual Report of the Executive Committee of the Faculty Council.
Prof. Richard N. Andrews, Chair, presented the Annual Report of the Executive Committee of the Faculty Council and asked for questions or comment. There were none.
Honorary Degrees to be Awarded at Commencement 2001.
The Council and General Faculty went into closed session to consider the recommendations of the Committee on Honorary Degrees and Special Awards for honorary degrees. Prof. Barbara Moran, Chair of the Committee, presented five nominees. Each was approved unanimously and will be forwarded to the Board of Trustees.
Adjournment.
The Council and General Faculty returned to open session. The business of the day having concluded, the Council and General Faculty adjourned at 4:35 p.m.
Joseph S. Ferrell
Secretary of the Faculty
