Minutes of the

Second Regular Meeting of the Twenty-Third Senate

Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne

October 20, 2003

12:00 P.M., Kettler G46

 

Agenda

 

 1.    Call to order

 2.    Approval of the minutes of September 8, 2003

 3.    Acceptance of the agenda – J. Grant

 4.    Reports of the Speakers of the Faculties

        a.  Indiana University – M. Nusbaumer

        b. Purdue University – E. Blakemore

 5.    Report of the Presiding Officer – R. Hess

 6.    Committee reports requiring action

        a.  Student Affairs Committee (Senate Document SD 03-3) – S. Isiorho

        b. Educational Policy Committee (Senate Document SD 03-4) – B. Abbott

 7.    New business

 8.    Committee reports “for information only”

 9.    The general good and welfare of the University

10.   Adjournment

 

Presiding Officer:  R. Hess

Parliamentarian:  D. Turnipseed

Sergeant-at-Arms:  J. Njock Libii

Secretary:  J. Petersen

 

Senate Members Present:

B. Abbott, P. Agness, R. Bean, L. Beineke, E. Blakemore, S. Blythe, W. Branson,

G. Bullion, C. Carlson, M. Codispoti, C. Erickson, L. Fox, R. Friedman, J. Grant, T. Grove, S. Hannah, L. Hess, P. Iadicola, S. Isiorho, J. Knight, L. Kuznar, L. Lin, L. Meyer,

M. Montesino, G. Mourad, M. Myers, E. Neal, M. Nusbaumer, D. Oberstar, A. Perez,

J. Purse-Wiedenhoeft, D. Ross, H. Samavati, G. Schmelzle, J. Toole, G. Voland,

M. Wartell, N. Younis

 

Senate Members Absent:

J. Brennan, C. Chauhan, N. Cothern, D. Erbach, D. Goodman, P. Goodmann, A. Karim,

Z. Liang, M. Lipman, D. Marshall, A. Mustafa, J. Tankel, L. Vartanian

 

Faculty Members Present:  J. Clausen, S. Sarratore

 

Visitors Present:  S. Alderman, J. Dahl, E. Frew, R. Kostrubanic, P. McLaughlin, K. Stockman

 

 

 

Attachments:

“Amendment to the Bylaws:  Composition of Student Affairs Committee” (SD 03-3)

“Amendment to the Bylaws:  Dissolution of Academic Advising as Senate Subcommittee” (SD 03-4)

Acta

 

1.     Call to order:  R. Hess called the meeting to order at 12:00 p.m.

 

2.     Approval of the minutes of September 8, 2003:  The minutes were approved as distributed.

 

3.     Acceptance of the agenda:

 

        J. Grant moved to approve the agenda as distributed.

 

        The agenda was approved as distributed.

 

4.     Reports of the Speakers of the Faculties:

 

        a.  Indiana University:

 

M. Nusbaumer:  The Office of Academic Affairs has issued two memoranda (99-1 and 03-2) which suggest Promotion and Tenure criteria.  My concern is the tendency of such suggestions to become de facto policy.  I, therefore, want to remind everyone that authority for the establishment of Promotion and Tenure criteria lies primarily with the faculty at the departmental level.

 

There seems to be some confusion which I need to clarify.  Last Spring the Senate approved Promotion and Tenure procedures for the School of Education.  The Senate does not approve either procedures or criteria at the department level.

 

        b. Purdue University:

 

E. Blakemore:  The Purdue Intercampus Council will meet on November 6.  IPFW will be represented by David Erbach and me.

 

5.     Report of the Presiding Officer – R. Hess:

 

Professor Libii has agreed to be Sergeant-at-Arms.  I meant to bring a staff for him to use, but I forgot it this morning.  I will bring it next time so you can see what your fate will be if you get out of line.

 

6.     Committee reports requiring action:

 

        a.  Student Affairs Committee (SD 03-3) – S. Isiorho:

 

S. Isiorho moved to approve SD 03-3 (Amendment to the Bylaws:  Composition of Student Affairs Committee).  Seconded.

 

            Motion to approve SD 03-3 passed on a voice vote.

        b. Educational Policy Committee (SD 03-4) – B. Abbott:

 

B. Abbott moved to approve SD 03-4 (Amendment to the Bylaws:  Dissolution of Academic Advising as Senate Subcommittee).  Seconded.

 

            Motion to approve SD 03-4 passed on a voice vote.

 

7.     New business:  There was no new business.

 

8.     Committee reports “for information only”:  There were no committee reports.

 

9.     The general good and welfare of the University:

 

S. Hannah:  I would like to introduce two new members of the academic community at IPFW.  Dr. Gerard Voland is the new dean of Engineering, Technology and Computer Science and director of Organizational Leadership and Supervision.  He comes to us from the Illinois Institute of Technology, and we are very happy to have him. He just started at the end of August and is still trying to find out where everything is.  Please welcome him to campus.

 

An even newer member of our family is Dr. Erin Frew.  She is our new and very first Director of Assessment at IPFW.  She started October 6.  Her task is to be the expert-in-residence consultant, assistant, supporter, cheerleader, etc. to departments and schools as they develop their accreditation programs.  She has a good bit of experience in this area, and she is already getting a full agenda from folks that need her help.  We are very glad to have her on campus.  Please welcome her.

 

        R. Hess:  On behalf of the school:  welcome!  It is good to have you both.

 

R. Hess:  I would like to call your attention to the Arts and Sciences Distinguished Lecturer this Wednesday evening at 7:30 in Neff 101.  He is the former Dean of the School of Speech and Theater at Northwestern University, an expert in political communication (i.e., the presidency) and also an expert in the history of American public address.  He is going to be talking about his latest book that he is finishing now which deals with the political impact of the annexation of Texas on slavery.  The title is Texas Annexation and Slavery:  The Fatal Mix in Politics and Rhetoric which will be presented at 7:30 p.m. in Neff 101 this Wednesday.  You will not be disappointed if you choose to attend.

 

M. Wartell:  Our United Way campaign kicks off this month.  Supporting the United Way is a great way of showing our community that we support them, and United Way certainly supports us.

 

The student housing project is on schedule.  We have 35 paid applications already.  American Campus Communities is quite happy with that and, while we may not think that 35 is a whole lot, no other campus asks for applications until the spring, so we are way ahead of the game.  According to them, that is very good news.  On campus, student interest has been very high.  In addition to that, the admissions office reports that student interest has been keen, especially when they go out an hour or hour and a half away to high schools.  Student housing is virtually all the schools and counselors talk about, which is great.  It is something that we want them to be talking about.

 

The other event that I would like to mention, which is at the end of this month, is the Legislative Appreciation Luncheon.  Your attendance would be greatly appreciated.  Several of our legislators will be there.  The students organize this and do a presentation to which the legislators usually respond very well.  It is also a time when we can talk with our legislators and express our appreciation for the unquestionably magnificent job they did last year.

 

        R. Hess:  What is the date of the Legislative Appreciation Luncheon?

 

        M. Wartell:  I think it is either the 29th or the 30th.  (It is on October 29, 2003, ed.)

 

M. Wartell:  The Faculty Appreciation party in November, which Elaine Blakemore has graciously talked us into every year, will be at Club Soda this year.

 

        R. Hess:  Do we have the date for that one?

 

        One of the Senators mentioned that it is the 16th of November.

 

J. Grant:  Since the Chancellor brought up the issue of the student housing, there have been a number of questions raised in the press about sub-par wages of the workers, sub-par standards for the buildings and lack of access for the disabled.  To what extent are these valid issues to be raised?

 

M. Wartell:  Lack of access for the disabled is not a valid issue.  It will be fully ADA compliant.  There are elevators in each building and the rooms are accessible. 

 

        J. Grant:  I think it was raised about the bridge as well.

 

M. Wartell:  The bridge is fully compliant, too.  A lot of people have said, “Why isn’t there a sidewalk that extends further into the campus?”  There is no sidewalk because the bridge is not open for another year, and there will be sidewalks extending all the way into the campus, both on our side and on the other side.  All that will be ADA compliant.  I think it will take some energy, if you are in a wheelchair, to push yourself up that incline, but it is appropriate.

 

With respect to the labor issues, if I can explain that in fairly simple terms, it is a public works project; therefore, prevailing wage is a requirement.  MW Builders, who are the major contractors, certifies Purdue University (which runs the project) that the prevailing wage is being paid.  Also, each of their subcontractors certifies that.  After that certification is completed, if anyone questions whether they are actually paying those wages, then it becomes an issue between the Department of Labor and the contractors.  You read about a suit being brought by six workers, I believe, against one of the subcontractors.  We cannot tell whether that is legitimate, but both the courts and the Department of Labor will work that out.  As far as we are concerned, we are paying the appropriate wage, and that is the prevailing wage which is required by law.

 

        J. Grant:  And the materials and the construction?

 

M. Wartell:  I cannot think of any project oversight that is more careful than Purdue University’s.  They have project overseers who check that.  My assumption is that there are no shoddy materials or problems of that sort.

 

W. Branson:  They are very careful to make sure that the materials meet the specifications as designed by the architects.

 

M. Wartell:  I do not want to minimize this at all, but it is fairly standard when there is a large project to have complaints of this sort.  Sometimes they are accurate, and sometimes they are rumors.  We are not intimately involved at that level of the project.  It is very hard for us to tell.  I believe that IPFW has worked to the letter and spirit of our requirements.

 

P. Iadicola:  I do not want to risk being out of order because of the presence of the Sergeant-at-Arms:  I know there have been some thefts on campus regarding some equipment of the Learning Resource Center.  There were several projectors stolen out of classrooms – seven.  I know that the innovation in classroom technology and the integration of this is very important in terms of us faculty being able to do our job and keep abreast in terms of innovation.  Can you give me any sense of what is being done other than taking the remainder of them out.  What is being done to rectify this problem?

 

M. Wartell:  We are trying to catch the culprits.  I believe we are going to offer a reward.  It is hard to believe that nobody saw anybody carrying projectors out of the place.  A reward will help catch the people.  The Learning Resource Center has discovered a kind of cage arrangement in which we can put the projectors and none of the functioning will be impaired.  You will have them back very quickly.  We certainly understand that we want these in the classrooms.  Look at all the classrooms that have been remodeled to ensure that we have the technology available.  Yes, it is an important problem, and we are working as quickly as possible.

 

R. Hess:  Just a personal comment, Peter.  I have a class just before this meeting, and I had requested a projector and so forth.  It was not there, which happens sometimes.  I went next door and asked my colleague if I could borrow his if he was not using it.  I set it up, used it, and took it back next door.  That is the practical import for faculty who are trying to use whatever in the classroom.  I am learning a lot about machines and how to put things together.  That is just anecdotal as to what might happen.

 

B. Abbott:  Just a note that the Learning Resource Center has already installed the cage that you described in Kettler 246 where I teach Elementary Psychology.  After having put up with this kind of thing for just a few days, Kettler 246 may have the first of those cages, so they are making progress on that.

 

        M. Wartell:  Does it work?

 

        B. Abbott:  Yes.

 

        S. Hannah:  Is it still there?

 

        B. Abbott:  Yes.

 

R. Hess:  It is very appropriate to let them (LRC) know that we appreciate the promptness and their seeing to the problem.

 

R. Hess:  I have a question for whoever might answer it.  If we are going to have Faculty/Student Appreciation state legislators, will there be some sort of announcement of the specific things we want to applaud the state legislators for doing? 

 

M. Wartell:  The students usually put talking points on a piece of paper on the tables at the luncheon.  We will be glad to remind them that it would be nice to send those around to the faculty.

 

10.   The meeting adjourned at 12:25 p.m.

 

                                                                                                Jacqueline J. Petersen

                                                                                                Secretary of the Faculty