AAUP Executive Council Minutes
May 9, 2007; 8:00-10:00 AM
Room 302 McDowell Hall

PRESENT: Linda Bucher (presiding), Leon Campbell, Gerald Turkel, Danilo Yanich, Sheldon Pollack, David Smith, Pat Barber, and Kevin Kerrane (secretary)

Minutes from the April 11 meeting were approved with one change: Richard Braun, not Jeremy Firestone, was the member of the Arts and Sciences Steering Committee who would need to be replaced. Council then met in Executive Session for reports from the Contract Maintenance Office, L. Campbell, and the Grievance Officer, D. Smith.

Regular Meeting:

Office Update: L. Bucher announced that the chapter’s financial records would be undergoing a routine audit on May 23-24.

Treasurer’s report: S. Pollack distributed a chart showing chapter finances from January through March, and noted that the general picture for 2006-07 was better than in the previous year. He added that the two checks for recent AAUP scholarship winners ($2000 each) had been sent out.

The AAUP Voice: G. Turkel said that the next issue would feature those student awards, and would include a tribute to Robert Taggart. He noted that the fall issues would highlight bargaining issues for the next contract, starting with a September article summarizing results of the spring faculty survey.

Old Business:

G. Turkel said that Steve Finner would like to meet with members of the Executive Council in late May to discuss terms of a contract for his work on the chapter history project. Council agreed to pay for his transportation to Newark, and scheduled a meeting for May 30 (Wednesday).

L. Bucher explained that recruitment meetings with various departments were designed to provide information about bargaining, the faculty surveys, and the importance of membership. She had recently met (on April 26) with Engineering faculty, and had scheduled a meeting with Business and Economics (May 11). She also mentioned plans for an AAUP presentation at a fall meeting of the Arts and Sciences Senate.

An AAUP reception for President Harker has been confirmed for Wednesday, September 26, at 4:00. Invitees will include members of the Executive Council and the Steering Committee. Departmental representatives will also be invited.

The Faculty Forum, cosponsored by the administration and the AAUP, is set for October 25 at noon, with David Breneman as featured speaker.

G. Turkel commented that the spring faculty survey had generated an excellent response, and had led to four new members for the chapter. He added that the fall survey should be designed for easy completion and compilation on scantron forms. As a result of a recent election, Marian Palley will replace Richard Braun on the Arts and Sciences Steering Committee, and John Brockman will be filling in during Peter Cole’s 2007-08 sabbatical leave.

New Business:

Council discussed the makeup of the AAUP team for next spring’s collective bargaining. G. Turkel will lead the negotiations, and the slate of other members will be approved by the Steering Committee in the fall.

Discussion followed on items to be included in the next faculty survey and, by consensus, it was agreed that Question 13 (regarding a Vision Plan) should be deleted.

D. Smith noted a lack of clarity regarding the promotability and voting rights of Continuing Non-Tenure Track faculty, and L. Campbell suggested that this could be cleared up more easily by an article in The AAUP Voice rather than a question on the survey. He promised to check on the number of CNTT lines that have been added in the last five years.

D. Yanich proposed that Questions 22 and 23, asking respondents to indicate which college they were in, include a “Not Applicable” option. L. Campbell suggested that the two questions could be simplified into something like: “In what college is your primary appointment?” L. Bucher and D. Yanich agreed to meet over the summer to discuss the format of the survey. All members of the Council are encouraged to provide input re: survey revisions.

L. Bucher ended the meeting with best wishes for the summer, and said that the date and time for Council’s first fall meeting (in late August) would be settled via e-mail.

Respectfully submitted,
Kevin Kerrane
Secretary