Minutes of 9 April 2007 SACUA Meeting

Present: Combi, Frier, Giordani, MacAdam, Potter, Riles, Seabury, Smith (chair); Lehman; Carr, Schneider

5. Electronic mail from Keith Riles to Brett Seabury dated 6 April 2007 regarding UCLA numbers.

6. Electronic mail from John Lehman to SACUA dated 8 April 2007 regarding NASULGC Board on Voluntary System of Accountability.

7. The University of Michigan Regents Communication from SACUA for April 2007 regarding Faculty Governance Update: Response to the Spellings Report.

2. On Saturday, the provost will deliver the keynote address at the State Conference AAUP meeting in Lansing.

Privacy

Professor MacAdam reported that, as a result of recent lawsuits, institutions are now being held responsible for maintaining records in cases of potential litigation. The issue is regarded to be unit-specific and not one for implementation by central IT. A proposal was received from the LSA IT Security Manager and an associate dean seeking to initiate a process by which software would scan files residing on LSA servers that contain Social Security Numbers. Details are vague, and there may have been limited discussion with faculty.

Student Relations

Professor Potter said the committee met last week and considered extending the interval between revisions of the Student Code from two years to three. The most difficult remaining issues appear to be in the areas of sexual harassment and sexual assault. Mr. Schneider conveyed a request from vice president Harper that student mental health issues become an agenda topic for the Student Relations Advisory Committee.

Ombuds Search

Professor Giordani reported that he has met with the four candidates for the Central Ombuds position. All interviews will be completed later this week.

University Budget

The Governor's second Executive Order has been accepted by the State Legislature. It calls for a delay in the second August payment to the U-M General Fund, amounting to $14.8M or about 4% of the annual budget. The percentage reduction applies to all three regional campuses. The announced intention is to restore the funds on 1 October. It is possible to count the funds as an account receivable because the U-M fiscal year begins on 1 July. However, it may be prudent to consider the possibility that the funds may not be forthcoming. Deans have already been thinking about priorities in the event of budget cuts. It may be possible to slow non-essential expenditures while there is still 25% of the fiscal year remaining. There are no specifics yet about next year. The provost's office is keeping a running tab of commitments, like those to new faculty. Budget projections include an expected 2% decrease in energy costs, but there is an expect decline in Indirect Cost revenues, too. For good news, the U-M's bond rating has been reaffirmed at the highest level.

Student Mental Health

Professor Seabury called attention to two reports about addiction and student mental health issues. He explained that he held a discussion session with a 30-member class of undergraduates earlier in the day. The discussion reveals that students don't know what the resources are; only 6 knew about CAPS. Brochures are not easy to find, and are not available in the dorms. He learned of a group of students in the dorms called PULSE that is trying to help other students. Students conveyed some negative remarks about CAPS, particularly the screening procedure, and they expressed an unfounded worry that visits to mental health services would appear on their student records. Professor Seabury said that faculty and administrators need to worry about the resources available to our students.

The provost replied that this would be a good issue to place before the U-M's chief health officer, R. Winfield. She noted that a certain fraction of each freshman class comes to campus with prescription psychotropic drugs, but no one here knows it. If their prescriptions run out, there is no easy way to renew them. Professor Frier pointed out that visitors who met with SACUA one week previously indicated that the problems seem to be even greater among graduate and professional school students. Professor Seabury agreed that graduate school is stressful to mental health.

Professor Giordani provided a recap of SACUA's meeting with mental health service providers. He suggested that there efforts are needed that go beyond anything the faculty can do. He advised there was need for more peer counseling and other resources campus wide. He noted that internet training is available for mental health and alcohol. The programs are optional here, other than for student athletes, but that such programs are mandatory elsewhere and they seem to be helpful. He pointed out that there used to be a Learning Center that did many of these things. The provost replied that the programs being described were outside her portfolio. She suggested that vice president Harper would be the person to contact.

Forums

Professor Riles commented that a group called "Truth in 9/11" has circulated a flyer accusing the Physics faculty of participating in a cover-up of 9/11. He asked whether the university is obliged to rent space to every fringe group that comes along. The provost replied that the U-M is required to be content neutral in renting its facilities. Professor Frier suggested that one view is that it is better to let such groups air their ideas so that they can be evaluated in the open.

Janitorial Services

Professor Riles asked whether the changes in janitorial service made for cost savings have resulted in security problems during the evenings. The provost replied that both the physical plant and the Department of Public Safety are within the CFO's portfolio. She suggested that he ask the question of vice president Slottow.

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Professor Frier moved that SACUA recommends to the Senate Assembly that it suspend its rule stating that a SACUA chair cannot be re-elected to a second term sequentially after having served a full term (MacAdam seconded).

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Professor MacAdam moved that SACUA endorses the AAAC report in response to the revised McDonald-Weiss report about extending the tenure probationary period, and concludes that the existing procedures have sufficient flexibility. SACUA recommends that Senate Assembly endorse the report (Frier seconded).

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Professor Potter moved that SACUA endorses the AAAC report in response to the Spellings Commission Report and commends it to the Senate Assembly for its endorsement (Frier seconded).

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Chair Smith conveyed an offer from U-M Dearborn faculty governance that the Dearborn CESF present its report to the Senate Assembly in May. SACUA members recommended that the offer be accepted.

In each school, college, or degree granting division of the University, including those at the University of Michigan-Dearborn and at the University of Michigan-Flint, the governing faculty shall be in charge of the affairs of the school, college, or division, except as delegated to the executive committee, if any, and except that in the School of Graduate Studies the governing board shall be the executive board, and in the Medical School shall be the executive faculty.