Minutes of the AAUP Executive Committee Meeting of November 28, 2007
Present: D. Burns (Chapter President), E. Chudacoff, M. Crichton, W. Kaplan, R. Lomax, T. Moore, I. Robinson, C. Smith.
D. Burns called the meeting to order at 12:15 p.m.
Agenda. The proposed agenda was adopted by consensus.
Announcements: C. Smith informed the Committee that W. Kaplan was celebrating his 92nd birthday. Committee members wished Professor Kaplan good health in the coming years and expressed their gratitude for his many years of service to the AAUP and the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Chapter. D. Burns said that he had sent a letter of condolences and flowers on behalf of the Chapter to Michigan Conference Executive Director J. Lee, whose father died.
Minutes. The minutes of the November 14, 2007 meeting were adopted by unanimous consent.
Treasurer's Report. M. Crichton reported that the Chapter neither received nor spent funds since the last Executive Committee meeting and that the balance in the Chapter's checking account remains $1,487.64. The Treasurer's Report was adopted by unanimous consent.
Fall Chapter Meeting. D. Burns announced that "Are Contingent Faculty Really 'Faculty' and Is It Important?" is the title of the address that Patrick B. Shaw, a labor lawyer, who is Associate Secretary in the national AAUP's Department of Organizing and Services, will deliver at the Fall Chapter Meeting. The meeting will take place at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, December 12, 2007, in the Forum Hall auditorium of the Palmer Commons. The Committee discussed issues that Mr. Shaw might address during his presentation. C. Smith said that he would ask the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs (SACUA) to co-sponsor the program. T. Moore suggested that if SACUA agrees to co-sponsor the lecture, a targeted email should be sent to all faculty members on the three campuses of the University of Michigan announcing the meeting and requesting questions that Mr. Shaw might address.
Active Cases. C. Smith brought the Committee up-to-date on the case of a professor who had indicated a desire to file a grievance about another professor who had failed to carry out clinical responsibilities for which the two professors had joint responsibility. C. Smith noted that the grievant has modified his grievance to include the dean of his unit as a respondent so that it is no longer appropriate that the grievance be handled by SACUA's Faculty Hearing Committee.
Faculty Governance. C. Smith reported that at the November Senate Assembly meeting Provost T. Sullivan spoke about the contribution of the State of Michigan to the University's budget. He said that in her talk she pointed out an inverse relationship between State funding and the cost of student tuition. He added that at that meeting Interim General Counsel Gloria Hage spoke about the status of the domestic partner benefits case that is currently before the Michigan Supreme Court.
C. Smith reported that at the November meeting of the Board of Regents University President M. Coleman had laid out her plan for the next five years of her presidency. He said that she announced the funding of 100 new assistant professor positions for faculty involved in interdisciplinary research. He added that the President described a "top-down" approach to management that many faculty found objectionable.
C. Smith reported that at the SACUA meeting earlier in the week Provost Sullivan had presented a draft of the principles of shared-governance document that had been revised by the University's executive officers. He noted that SACUA members objected to the revisions and asked the Provost to reconsider. At that meeting Professor B. van der Pluijm and Assistant Provost G. Haskell discussed the preparations that the University was making for reaccreditation in 2008. SACUA also at that meeting discussed the case that the United States Department of Justice has filed against the University with respect to wheelchair seating accommodations in the Michigan Stadium for individuals with disabilities.
All Campus Labor Council (ACLC). I. Robinson reported that the ACLC was raising funds to support the legal expenses of student members of Students Organizing for Labor and Economic Equality (SOLE), who were arrested last April during a sit-in in the Office of President Coleman. He said that the students were demanding that the University toughen its labor standards for suppliers producing University-licensed apparel.
The meeting was adjourned at 1:25 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
C. B. Smith
Chapter Secretary