A call to order …

Three senate presidents talk about upcoming agendas

By Julie Rausch and Amy Geiszler-Jones

Meetings, agendas, minutes, committees, reports, policies — everyone who thinks this sounds tiresome, say aye.

Do we hear a dissenting vote?

During our "call to order" let it be recognized that senates representing university unclassified and classified staff and faculty do essential work throughout the year to resolve problems, clarify issues and make recommendations.

A good way to become acquainted with the senates is to click on senate Web sites under the administrative category on the WSU home page. You’ll find meeting minutes, a list of senators and how to contact them, bylaws and senate constitutions, meeting times and locations and more.

Classified Senate meets the third Wednesday of each month (except April, when they meet the second Wednesday) at 3:30 p.m. in various rooms in the Rhatigan Student Center. Faculty Senate meets the second and fourth Mondays of each month at 3:30 p.m. in 107 Clinton Hall. Unclassified Professional Senate meets the first and third Thursdays each month at 8:30 a.m. in 425 Ahlberg Hall.

Here’s the old and new business on the senates’ agendas.

Classified Senate

Classified Senate President Tom Veltman is interested in building on the already improved communication and networking among classified employees, not only inside the university, but also within the regents system.

Classified staff at WSU can tap into news, resources and issues by signing on to the listserv exclusively for classified employees. It is a forum for classified employees to pass along work-related information and discuss issues. To sign up for the listserv, go to the Classified Senate home page.

"We will be vocal about our concerns regarding the ‘pay for performance’ plan for classified employees that the Legislature is considering. Another issue will be to look at reclassification studies to ensure that employees are being paid according to the level of work they are performing," Veltman says.

Veltman is the university storekeeper in Central Services in 021 Morrison Hall. He can be contacted by calling ext. 3652 or e-mail veltman@twsuvm.uc.twsu.edu.

Faculty Senate

Curriculum is a faculty issue, President Beggs has said repeatedly. And this year’s Faculty Senate intends to make that one of its priorities, according to A.J. Mandt, senate president.

The general education program, revamped five years ago, will be under discussion this year by the senate, Mandt says. The program has come under criticism from the accrediting agency the North Central Association. A survey of students and faculty last year identified some problems, as well.

Another academic area that will get a "hard look" is the process for approving new undergraduate programs, he says. Issues that continue from last year’s senate are the intellectual property and the dismissal for cause policies.

While the senate approved the intellectual policy drafted by the faculty affairs committee, there have been some "sticking points in the details" that remain to be resolved with the administration, Mandt says.

Discussions about the dismissal for cause policy have been ongoing for years. Mandt, Beggs and former Faculty Senate President Elmer Hoyer met several times this summer to continue negotiations. While administrators will still have the authority to go ahead with a case, the negotiations are expected to add measures that would guard against frivolous suits, says Mandt.

This is the second time this decade Mandt leads the senate, but the conditions of this term will be quite different, he says, primarily because of Beggs’ emphasis on allowing faculty to deal with academic issues.

During Mandt’s last term, in 1990-91, the senate met weekly as it tried to repair relations with administrators and deal with program review differences with the Board of Regents.

Mandt, a philosophy professor and director of the honors program, can be reached at ext. 3375 or mandt@twsuvm.uc.twsu.edu.

Unclassified Professional Senate

Among the issues this senate will address this year is the accurate identification of unclassified professional staff, especially in relation to the university’s request for unclassified salary enhancement for fiscal year 2001, Mark McCain, senate president, says.

"We’ll also be working to strengthen our relationship with the Board of Regents and members of the Legislature, and will encourage all members of the unclassified staff to assist," he says. Other issues will include:

• developing a policy to apply to unclassified professionals possibly affected by program discontinuance or financial issues;

• clarifying further the status of unclassified professionals who teach in terms of constituent representation, salary enhancement and university governance;

• taking a leading role in coordinating professional development opportunities for university staff; and

• recognizing excellent service to the university and the Wichita community.

McCain, director of radio and general manager for KMUW, can be reached at ext. 7191 or mccain@twsuvm.uc.twsu.edu.

Before we adjourn, faculty and staff members are welcome to attend senate meetings as your peers go about the business of gathering information and representing you in areas such as pay equity and enhanced professional development. Senates also help to communicate collaborative positions to the university administration and to the Legislature.