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MINUTES—October 11, 2010
Faculty Senate—EastTennesseeStateUniversity
UPCOMING MEETING: / FOLLOWING MEETING:November 1, 2010 2:45 p.m.
Forum, CulpCenter / November 15, 2010 2:45 p.m.
Forum, CulpCenter
Present: Alsop, Anastasia, Arnall, Bartoszuk, Bitter, Buerkle, Burgess, Byington,
Campbell,Champouillon,Dula, Emma, Essin, Fisher,Foley, Freeman,
Gann, Grover,Hamdy, Harker, Hemphill,Horton, Kelley,Kellogg, Laughlin,
Loess, Martin, Morgan, Mwinyelle, Mustain, Odle, Pearson, Price, Reed, Roach,
Schacht, Sellers, Shuttle, Stuart, Trainor
Excused: Bates, Brown, Calhoun, Ecay, Guntupalli, Hess, Mustain, Odle, Peiris,
Shafer, Slawson, Wang, Zhu, Zou
CALL TO ORDER: A quorum being present, President Schacht called the meeting to
order at 2:48 pm.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES: The Senate minutes of September 27, 2010, were
approved.
ANNOUNCEMENTS: A TBR Powerpoint presentation on state universities’
salary situation is posted on the Faculty Senate website.
Because state tax revenues have fallen short of the amount needed to cover
them, there will be no bonuses for state employees.
Senior Staff has determined that, although faculty and staff must participate
periodically in training on how to avoid harassing others, annual training is
excessive. Therefore, after initial training at the time of hire, an employee must
undergo further training once every three years. A related question, does
undergoing training ensure that an employee will be defended by University
counsel if accused of violating harassment policies, was answered: perhaps.
Counsel would conduct his/her own investigation to determine whether to
participate. The only way a faculty member can ensure defense is to have his/her
own insurance policy against liability. The Senate’s responsibility is to make sure
faculty understand their vulnerability.
A request to reconstitute a Task Force on Summer (and now Winter Term)
Teaching has been passed on to Provost Bach. We can discuss the proposed
Principles for Summer School Negotiation today or take it to our constituents
before discussing it at a future meeting. The Survey on Summer Teaching
recently distributed to faculty is from Sarah Bradford, Director of Summer
School, not the Senate, and contains several flaws.
CONTINUING BUSINESS: After senators indicated their desire to discuss the
Principles at the meeting, Schacht requested comments and questions.
Senator Harker expressed concern that when minimum enrollment is negotiated
under Principle 5.c, there will be more stringent standards applied; a higher-paid
faculty member will be more likely to have a course canceled that a lower-paid
one. Schacht said that Principle 4, giving senior faculty first option on a second
course if any are available, should prevent course assignments based on faculty
pay.
Senator Trainor said we need to consider the public’s attitudes about higher-paid
faculty demanding more opportunities to make more than their colleagues.
Senator Arnallagreed, saying seniority creates a two-tiered system and
encourages hard feelingsamong faculty.
Senator Bitter commented that different colleges have differing experiences. In
Education, faculty can teach any course that makes. He would like to see size
determined by accreditation but would not like to see a higher enrollment required
in the summer term than in the regular academic year. If enrollment is not
determined by accreditation, is it determined by the highest number?
Senator Alsop said summer school needs to create both opportunities for students to tale the greatest possible number of courses and opportunities for all faculty
who want to teach to do so.
Senator Byington commented on the dichotomy between regular summer school
and entrepreneurial courses, the former requiring more profit for ETSU than the
latter. Arnall asked if a possible solution might be to schedule more required
courses in the summer. Senator Pearson said that Nursing has so many programs
with required courses that many must be offered in the summer so that students
can keep up with their schedules to graduate on time.
Senator Champouillon said he supports the Principles, but the real issue remains
diluted: how many students are needed to make a course go? How much does
the University plan to make? A professor may have enough students to cover
his/her salary but apparently not enough to satisfy administrators. In summer
2010 some classes were canceled even though they had enough enrollment to
cover their professors’ salaries, but the University still made $1.7 million after
salaries, overhead, and the 36% levied for the academic year.
Schacht said we need to create a platform for the Task Force to use in
deliberations with administrators. Bitter asked that one plank be that no dean or
chair can take a percentage of summer-school earnings until all faculty have a
second class if they want it. Schacht said Principle 6 covers that plank.
Arnall said a maximum cost for any class should be specified to indicate the base
line for profit. Alsop said some courses are more expensive because they require
extra materials. Senator Sells said there still should be some means to establish
the cost of each class.
Schacht said that if a minimum number of students required for a class to make
is published, students could see it and plan accordingly. Summer school is a most
expensive program. Senator Morgan added that salaries and benefits make it so.
Bitter moved that all senior faculty who wish to teach be given the opportunity to
teach up to two regular summer school classes or eight credit hours, whichever is
greater, if those classes/hours make.
Senator Kellogg asked that the Principles contain specific wording covering
cohorts, that we honor agreements to offer classes in collaboration with other
universities and colleges so that students in cohorts can complete their degrees.
Schacht said the idea is covered under Principle 3, that “student access and
progress toward degrees should take precedence,” but a sentence about cohorts
will be added.
Arnall asked if chairs can get money for their departments before faculty salaries
are covered. Alsop answered that chairs are encouraged to make as much as
possible and have it returned to the department to be used for travel, etc.
Schacht asked for a second to Bitter’s motion. Senator Burgess seconded, and the
motion passed unanimously. Senator Trainor expressed concern that the seniority
qualification specified in Principle 4 provides an opportunity for “gaming” the
system. He moved to delete that element from the Principle. Bitter agreed that
it should be modified, saying that a faculty member should be able to choose only
one five-year window to exercise the option of two courses or eight hours. Alsop
said that those close to retirement could be unfairly excluded. Stone added that
exclusion can affect one’s social security as well as retirement benefits.
Senator Buerkle said that his department includes six lecturers earning only
$25,000 annually; the chair tries to help them out by giving them summer
teaching. Senator Dula said that summer teaching is a retention issue; all
faculty should be offered the opportunity to earn the pay in order to keep them at
ETSU.
Bitter reported that the money earned by summer school does not come back to
departments until long after summer. He wants deans and chairs to save money
to cover the following summer. Schacht said that 5.d covers that concern by
specifying that “courses with below-minimum enrollments will still go if offering
the course is necessary to meet student needs . . . .”
Senator Loess asked if the motion is to remove all of Principle 4. Schacht replied
no, just the qualification of seniority. By a vote of 15 to 13, with 6 abstentions,
the motion to remove seniority as a qualification for summer teaching passed.
Pearson said we must ensure that full-time faculty be given priority over adjuncts
for summer teaching. Senator Gann added that it is in students’ best interests to
have full-time, dedicated faculty. Buerkle said he does not want to differentiate
between full-time and tenured/tenure-track faculty. Schacht said that the
percentage of tenure-track faculty is being allowed to shrink; ETSU has 7% fewer
tenure-track faculty than in 2002, whereas adjuncts have increased by 57%.
Alsop said that in his meeting with the Senate Executive Committee, Provost
Bach agreed that, “of course,” profits from summer school can be used for
salaries.
By a vote of 28 with 5 abstentions, the Senate agreed that summer school teaching
opportunities should be given to tenure-track faculty first, full-time faculty
second, and adjuncts third.
NEW BUSINESS: Schacht asked if language defining academic freedom should be
added to the ETSU Faculty Handbook Section 2.1.2. Champouillon moved to
accept the proposed addition. Loess seconded. Dula commented that we may
need to incorporate a statement defining shared governance to clarify the point.
Schacht asked if we should include the AAUP definition in the section. That
definition will be distributed to senators, and the modification will be revisited.
Bitter asked if the Handbook should specify limits to free speech. Schacht
replied that no slander or libel would be protected.
Burgess moved that the updated (2009) AAUP Statement on Ethics be included
in the Handbook; Senator Shuttle seconded. The motion passed with one
abstention.
Byington explained that in CCRHS, clinical faculty are being hired without
terminal degrees because very few clinicians in such fields as radiography
and medical technology have doctorates. But, since doctorates are
designated as terminal degrees in these fields and terminal degrees are
specified as requirements for tenure-track positions, those people being
hired are ineligible for tenure-track positions. Schacht asked if the College
is asking that the terminal degree requirement be modified. Senator Hemphill
said that in CBAT, the dean and ETSU’s president are able to waive the
requirement, and Senator Horton said the same is true in University School.
Schacht asked that Byington bring a specific proposal to the Senate. He said
faculty within a college should decide the qualifications for tenure-track
positions.
Schacht deferred committee work until the next Senate meeting, adding that
although most faculty senates agree that making committee structures work is a
nightmare, we are accepting the challenge.
ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business, Schacht adjourned the meeting at
4:28 pm.
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Please notify Kathleen Grover ( or x96672), Faculty Senate Secretary, 2010-2011,of any changes or corrections to the minutes. Web Page is maintained by Senator Doug Burgess ( or x96691).