Faculty Senate Minutes
November 2, 1999
PSF 8/99-00

The meeting was called to order by the Chair, Fran Kavenik, at 3:35 in D137 Molinaro Hall. Other Senators present were Duetsch, Feldt, Gellott, Goldsmith, Gregory, Hansen, Kinchen, Lindner, Lyter, Mayer, McKeever, Meyer, Mullen, Noriega, Ostheimer, Piele, Richards, Schmidt, Selke, Snyder, Van Dyke, Wallner, Wang, and Warren. Also present were D. Cress, R. Deane, G. Greenfield, T. Jacobsen, E. Letven, R. Singer, A. Statham, W. Streeter, and E. Wallen.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

The Minutes of the Senate for October 5, 1999, were approved without objection.

REPORT OF THE CHANCELLOR

There was no report of the Chancellor.

REPORT OF THE UNIVERSITY COMMITTEE CHAIR

Professor Gellott reported on the most recent meeting of the UW System faculty representatives. She noted that President Lyall had described the 1999-2001 UW System budget as the best one in a decade. Funding is provided for improved advising, for new technology, and for implementation of portions of the 2008 Plan. Moreover, funding is provided for a 5.2 percent salary plan in each year of the biennium, although final approval awaits completion of the State's negotiations with organized labor unions. Immediate health insurance coverage for new hires will begin November 1. Improvements in retirement benefits will become effective when they have been found to be actuarially sound and have survived likely legal challenges.

Professor Gellott reported that themes are already being developed for the 2001-03 UW System budget and cited examples involving international and global studies, facilities maintenance, graying of the faculty, and compliance with new teacher certification rules. She said degree programs that are designed to meet the needs of working adults will be given high priority. The promotion of the State's economic development through increased investment in higher education will underlie all new proposals.

Finally, Professor Gellott noted that UW System administrators are concerned about apparent variations in sick leave reporting practices among the UW institutions. To achieve greater uniformity, each institution's human resource unit has been directed to reexamine the institutional reporting practices. Comparisons show that UW-Parkside has one of the lowest reported rates of sick leave taken.

INFORMATIONAL ITEMS

The Annual Reports of the following 1998-99 Standing Committees were accepted and filed: Academic Actions; Research and Creative Activity; and Teaching. As a point of information, Professor Gellott asked that the Academic Actions Committee report what fraction of the appeals heard were upheld.

NEW BUSINESS

INSTITUTE FOR COMMUNITY-BASED LEARNING

Instead of the resolution that appeared on the agenda, the Committee on Academic Planning recommended the following:

RESOLVED, that an Institute for Community-Based Learning be created as described in agenda document 3, with the stipulation that the Institute have its own advisory committee and that a majority of that advisory committee be comprised of faculty members.

Professor Meyer MOVED THE SUBSTITUTION of this motion (SECONDED by Professor Mayer) for the motion that appeared on the agenda, noting that the Committee was unanimous in its endorsement of other aspects of the proposal, but felt that a joint advisory committee with the Center for Community Partnerships did not ensure a sufficient degree of faculty oversight of Institute activities.

Professor Kinchen asked why this Institute is needed in addition to the Center for Community Partnerships. Professor Statham replied that the faculty Director and advisory committee could more effectively establish faculty-community connections and implement new programs.

Professor Noriega asked whether the Institute could be expected to facilitate student work with community groups, e.g., the work of language students in the community. Professor Greenfield said that this was definitely one of the things the Institute would focus on. He went on to describe similar foci for community-based learning programs at Princeton, Trinity College, and UT-El Paso, leading in each case to enriched on-campus instruction through links with the community.

MOTION TO SUBSTITUTE APPROVED on a voice vote.

Professor Mayer asked whether approval of the Senate was needed for such an Institute and what the source of funding would be. Professor Duetsch noted that UWPF 3.09 does call for Senate approval. Professor Statham indicated that responsibility for the generation of ongoing grant support would fall to the Director and the advisory committee.

MOTION APPROVED on a voice vote.

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE DISCUSSION: WEAPONS CARRY POLICY

It was MOVED (Professor Saffioti-Hughes ) and SECONDED (Professor Meyer) that the Senate resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole for the purpose of providing advice to the Committee on Health, Safety, and the Physical Environment regarding the University Police weapons carry policy.

MOTION APPROVED on a voice vote. Professor Kavenik called upon Professor Van Dyke to Chair the Committee of the Whole.

Professor Wallen, Chair of the Committee on Health, Safety, and the Physical Environment, described the history of the Committee's involvement with the weapons policy since they were asked by Chancellor Keating to begin a review of the policy in February 1999.

Professor Gregory said that she appreciates the presence of the University Police and called for greater support for the department. She said that if a group of people want the police to carry weapons to ensure their safety, those wishes should take precedence even though the group may not be large. She then suggested that a survey should be conducted of the views of women on this matter. Professor Saffioti-Hughes replied that there have been attempts to survey women regarding their concern for safety, but pointed out that the concern for safety does not justify the current weapons carry policy - it simply indicates a need for the presence of police.

Professor Lindner asked what it meant to have a part-time weapons carry policy. Chief Deane replied that, under the policy formerly followed on this campus, the police were only authorized to carry their weapons in certain well-specified situations. At other times, their weapons were kept locked in a box in the trunk of their squad car. Professor Lindner then asked why the new policy is regarded as more effective. Chief Deane replied that, without weapons, the officers are more often mistaken for security personnel and their orders are more often ignored. He added that the officers need weapons to ensure their own safety.

Professor Schmidt observed that, in his judgment, the past three years of police call summaries (distributed at the meeting) show little need for a full-time weapons carry policy. Professor Snyder asked if records have been kept of the number of times guns have been drawn. Chief Deane replied that during the past two years weapons have been drawn four or five times; prior to that no record was kept.

Professor Gregory asked if it is illegal to carry guns on campus. Chief Deane said that it is.

Professor Schmidt expressed concern about the possible escalation of violence involving armed police officers and suggested alternatives such as stun guns, pepper spray, or trained dogs. He questioned whether the current policy reduces the likelihood of violence. In reply, Chief Deane said that there is evidence that a show of force reduces violence and that alternatives present other liabilities.

Professor Kinchen asked why the campus needs a full-time weapons carry policy. Chief Deane replied that it is necessary to deter crimes, adding that this may be a consequence of the times we live in.

Professor Lindner wondered whether the record of police calls shows that the current policy is needed. Professor Noriega called for further examination of alternatives to carrying guns. Chief Deane said that in his judgment the current policy is needed and again said that the alternatives are inadequate.

Professor Mullen pointed out that the news media create an exaggerated impression of violence in our society through intense coverage of a relatively small number of incidents.

Professor Kinchen asked whether the incidence of crime on the campus has decreased during the past two years under the current policy. Chief Deane said that it had not, and attributed that to increased levels of social activity on the campus.

Professor Mayer said that, although he previously opposed the current policy, he now supports it because he has heard numerous student accounts of threatening situations in the dormitories and at social events on the campus. He also expressed concern about the increasing frequency with which University police officers are called upon to assist other police units.

With the time of adjournment at hand, Professor Van Dyke determined that the consensus of those present was that this discussion be continued at the next meeting of the Senate on November 30.

The meeting adjourned at 5:00.