President Eichberg called the meeting to order in the Farish Hall Kiva at 12:15 p.m.

MEMBERS PRESENT:  [34]
    ARCH:     B. Price
    BUS:        W. Chin, S. Khumawala, M. Parks, D. Rude
    CLASS:   V. Brady, W. Herendeen, A. Jacobson, G. Jowett, J. Kotarba, J. Middents, G. San Miguel, T. Tillery, R. Weldon
    EDU:        S. McNeil, A. Warner, C. White
    ENGR:     O. Ghazzaly, G. Paskusz, D. Shattuck
    HRM:      K. Titz
    LIB:         S. Ferimer, J. Myers
    NSM:      G. Auchmuty, D. Blecher, P. Copeland, J. Eichberg, A. Ignatiev, E. Leiss, D. Wells
    OPT:       S. Quintero
    TECH:    C. Goodson, K. Greenwood
    GSSW:  H. Karger
 
MEMBERS ABSENT:  [18]
    CLASS:     B. Breitmeyer, K. Brown, S. Craig, P. Gingiss, D. Jacobs, B. Johnsen, B. Lange, R. Murray
    EDU:         M. Connell
    ENGR:       T. Cleveland, S. Kleis, R. Metcalfe
    LAW:       S. Huber, P. Linzer
    NSM:       G. Etgen, K. Kadish
    OPT:        R. Manny
    PHA:       C. Pedemonte
 
VISITORS:
Marco Mariotto (Dean of Graduate & Professional Studies), David Bell (UHS Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs), Ed Apodaca (Associate Vice President Enrollment Management and Admissions), Jerome Freiberg (former Senator and Professor of CUIN), Theresa Monaco (Professor of CUIN), Robert Wilson (UH Chief of Police)
 
APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES:  The December 11, 2002, minutes were approved.
 
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
     The Faculty Senate welcomes back Wyman Herendeen, recently elected as a senator from CLASS after a brief hiatus.  The Senate also welcomes back the following recently re-elected senators:  from Business, Wynne Chin; from CLASS, Valentini Brady, Ken Brown and Jonathan Middents; from Education, Michael Connell; from Engineering, Osman Ghazzaly and Jerry Paskusz; from Law, Peter Linzer; from NSM, Alex Ignatiev, Ernst Leiss and Dan Wells; from  Optometry, Sam Quintero; from Technology, Katy Greenwood; and from Social Work, Howard Karger.
     All senators should fill out and return their Time Availability Schedules as soon as possible.
     Applications for the Summer Coordinating Board Fellow Program are due by March 1.  The program offers an opportunity for faculty to learn about the role and functions of the Coordinating Board.  Fellows attend a one-week session in Austin in late May, then work with Board staff on a special project.  For an application or more information, contact the Faculty Senate Office.
 
     Pres. Eichberg reported that the Executive Committee and Council Chairs and UFEC met with Dr. Smith and discussed the 7% budget cut for general revenue that has been mandated by the state for the current fiscal year.  The State has a $1.8 billion shortfall for FY03.  The University has to submit a plan by February 6.  The last information about what the University's parameters would be for this proposed included freezing non-essential personnel positions, deferring maintenance on buildings, possibly reducing debt service on bonds, etc.  In any case there will be limited flexibility of how the University will respond.  But in the words of the President, "the most merciful solution will be sought."
     UH Day in Austin is Tuesday, February 18.  The event is being sponsored by the Cougar Advocates for Texas (CATs).  Faculty and staff who want to participate should sign up on-line at http://www.uh.edu/alumni/involved/cats.html  and be at the Athletic/Alumni Center by 7:45 a.m.  Buses will leave at 8:00 a.m.  The schedule is available on the Web and the Senate homepage has a link to the CATS site.  Please note that staff who participate will have to take a day of vacation.  Faculty who wish to attend should either make arrangements for a substitute to cover each class on that day or reschedule that day's classes on another day.

KUDOS:
 Kudos to Jerry Rogers, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, who was recently honored by the American Society of Civil Engineers with a framed resolution from its National History and Heritage Committee.   The ASCE is  the oldest professional society of civil engineers in the United States.  The resolution thanked Dr. Rogers  for his work with the annual History conferences, co-editing four volumes outlining Civil Engineering History and Heritage, and serving as the National Chair of the History & Heritage Committee.
     Kudos to the Law Center and Associate Professor Anthony Chase, who has been appointed by President George W. Bush to the Federal Reserve Bank Board of Dallas.  He will complete former Enron CEO Jeff Skilling's unexpired term.
 Additional kudos to Law Center Dean Nancy B. Rapoport on her election to membership in the American Law Institute.

BUDGET & FACILITIES COMMITTEE END-OF-YEAR REPORT – Saleha Khumawala, Chair
     Sen. Khumawala thanked the committee members:  Peter Copeland, Garret Etgen, Karl Kadish, Howard Karger, Joseph Kotarba, Barbara Rose Lange, Ernst Leiss, Peter Linzer, Sara McNeil, Ralph Metcalfe, Judy Myers, Karl Titz, and Roberta Weldon.
     The BFC had three productive meetings this past Fall semester.  The first meeting with Dr. John Rudley discussed the University budget.  At the second meeting the committee got an update/status report on PeopleSoft from Craig Ness and Mike Glisson.  The third meeting focused on the University’s Infrastructure with Dave Irvin and Dr. John Rudley. Minutes of these meetings are available from the faculty senate office.
     The committee recommends that it continually keep itself abreast with People Soft and given the fiscal crisis, revisit with Dr. Rudley to discuss with him the University’s revised budget.
[EDITOR'S NOTE:  Sen. Khumawala took over as BFC Chair in July when former chair John Antel resigned to become the Interim Dean of CLASS.]

COMMITTEE ON COMMITTEES END-OF-YEAR REPORT – Jerome Freiberg, Chair
[With thanks to members:  Stephen Huber, LAW; Alex Ignatiev, NSM; Sara McNeil, EDU; Carolyn Meanley, LIB; Jerry Paskusz, ENGR; and Dale Rude, BUS.]
 
    In 2002 the Committee on Committees (COC) began conducting a series of meetings with the chairs (or contact persons in the event that a committee is currently without an elected chair) of University of Houston Standing Committees.  The goal was to improve communications within the faculty governance process.  In the past the COC would appoint faculty to committees, but have little other contact.  Occasional surveys of committees were conducted to determine if the committee was active, but this series of meetings has instituted face-to-face meetings.  Individuals are asked how their committees are functioning, what have the committees accomplished, and what challenges or problems the committees have experienced that might require the intervention of the Faculty Senate or its COC.
 
    To date the Committee on Committees has met with representatives of ten University standing committees. Minutes of each meeting are available in the Faculty Senate Office.

April 10, 2002: David Jacobs, Chair of the University Promotion & Tenure Committee.  The committee has a short, but intensive meeting period.  It appears to be working well.  It was suggested that CLASS, being so large, should have two positions on the University Committee.
 
April 29, 2002: Laura Oren, Chair of the Grievance Committee.  The committee is still concerned about acquiring sufficient representation from the smaller colleges.  It would like to receive feedback from the Provost’s Office, not only about the outcome of cases, but the reasons behind them.  The COC also recommended the Grievance Committee compile statistics about past cases.
 
April 29, 2002: Kathy Sheridan, Chair of the Athletics Advisory Committee.  The committee is concerned about academic status of Student Athletes, financial status of the department, and gender equity issues. The AAC praised Claudia Schleyer, who was hired by the former Athletics Director to raise graduation rates.  The rates are projected to rise for entering freshman from 25% last year to 39% this year.  The AAC feels UH does a good job making its case for equity sports that don’t fit the traditional model.  The problem with the financial situation in Athletics is the lack of revenue.
 
May 13, 2002: Dennis Adams, Chair of the Information Technology & Computing Committee.  The ITCC is concerned about limited resources and duplication of efforts, academic freedom in computing, and the importance of IT to UH faculty. The COC requested that the ITCC send it information on IT budget comparisons to peer institutions.
 
May 13, 2002: Robert Herrington, Jr., Chair of the UH System Fringe Benefits Committee.  One area of concern that the FBC has been trying to address is getting the state to reactivate the Group Benefits Advisory Committee (GBAC). Now ERS is overseen by legislators and the retirement program, which means it is more concerned with budgets than with benefits. The COC requested the FBC to get a reading on how many cases have exceeded or come close to the $1 million maximum lifetime coverage; prepare a summary of Optional Retirement Plans that compares the different providers to try to de-mystify the process of basic investment; and poll the faculty to see how they rate the service from their ORP providers.
 
June 3, 2002: Kathy Anzivino, Chair/Contact, Campus Recreation Advisory Committee.  The COC was briefed on the progress of the new Recreation and Wellness Center.  It then discussed and agreed that the ad hoc Recreation Committee should be formalized into a University Standing Committee as the Recreation Advisory Committee.  The Committee would take effect on September 1 and that there would be three representatives from the faculty on the committee.
 
July 1, 2002: Keith Hollingsworth, Chair, Teaching Excellence Awards Committee.  The TEAC makes the decision on which faculty will receive the four faculty Teaching Excellence Awards, the two teaching assistant Teaching Excellence Awards, and the Core Course Award. The committee also decides the Distance Education Award, although one was not awarded this year due to a lack of candidates.  TEAC has been trying to coordinate the El Paso Awards.  The COC recommended the TEAC consider instituting a Faculty Service Award.
 
Aug. 28, 2002: Robert B. Wilson, Jr., UHPD Chief & Contact for the Safety & Security Cm. Chief Wilson said he co-chairs the Safety & Security Committee with Rob Schneller, Executive Director of Safety and Risk Management. The work last year was to prepare a Emergency Preparedness Plan, which is in the process of being formalized into a M.A. P. P. (document in the Manual of Administrative Policies and Procedures). This document is to update procedures post-Tropical Storm Allison. Chief Wilson will send a comparison of UH's safety record with its peer institutions as soon as the information is available (in early November).
 
Oct. 9, 2002: Nancy Hixon, Contact for the UH Art Acquisition Cm.  The COC and the Senate can assist the Art Acquisition Committee by informing the University Community, especially Deans, that the ArtAC won’t dictate what art to accept from donors; however, there are strict criteria for art to be used to build the UH collection. There are two ways to accept art: for the art collection, or as property. There is a process for accepting art works and any art donation should be channeled through the committee. Dr. Freiberg suggested that the committee develop a one-page description of the process for the University Community to follow.
 
Nov. 12, 2002: Ira Shepard, Chair of the Transportation & Parking Advisory Cm.  The COC and the Faculty Senate can help the TPAC get information out to the faculty about upcoming changes in parking.  The campus should be prepared for increases in parking costs and for lot changes.  More spaces will be built on the periphery in surface lots, but at least one interior lot will disappear.  Lot 14A will be subsumed by construction of the new Science-Engineering Research and Classroom Building.  Faculty and staff displaced by this occurrence will be accommodated by an expansion of Gated Lot 15F as a gated Faculty/Staff Lot.

EDUCATIONAL POLICIES & STUDENT AFFAIRS COMMITTEE END-OF-YEAR REPORT – Katy Greenwood, Chair
     The committee members identified a focus and theme for the work of the committee during 2002 as Policy Implications of the Drive Toward Tier One Research Status at the University of Houston.  It also identified objectives, including:  monitor the impact of House Bill 1641 – Graduate Factors Bill; identify other higher education issues, such as Texas higher Educational Coordinating Board emphasis “Closing the Gaps” and possible impact at University of Houston; review current policies regarding Undergraduate and Graduate Admissions; coordinate and communicate with student organizations,  the Student Senate and the Undergraduate Council and work on the traditional concerns of the committee, i.e. quality of core curriculum, shared decision-making, stated policies of the University of the need for such.
     Speakers invited to the EPSAC meetings during 2002 were Nancy Graves, Chair of the Undergraduate Council; Dawana Miller, Student Government Association President; Elaine Charlson, Associate VC/VP of Academic and Faculty Affairs; and Brian McKinney, Director, Academic Programs.
     Among its accomplishments, the EPSAC:  called for a stated policy from the Dean for Graduate Education, Marco Mariotto, regarding House Bill 1641 which was presented to the Senate; called for a stated policy from the Office of the Provost regarding the status of implementing the Q grade, after consultation with student representatives and the Undergraduate Council (still in process and under development); increased communication with the Undergraduate Council and the Graduate and Professional Studies Council; and reviewed the stated policies involving Academic Honesty.
 
     Recommendations for 2003 Committee include:  continue to monitor stated policies in terms of undergraduate and graduate admission to make sure that test scores are not the sole determinants for admissions, in keeping with State and Federal statutes; continue to explore policies that will best serve student needs in their drive toward completion of degrees, while at the same time maintaining quality programs; and continue to explore policies as stated  in the Faculty  Handbook, that will foster and maintain faculty voice and shared decision-making toward enhancing the educational experience at the University of Houston.

FACULTY AFFAIRS COMMITTEE END-OF-YEAR REPORT - Giles Auchmuty, Chair
     The Faculty Affairs Committee had an active year in 2002.  The main topics included:  the review and revision of the document on the "Roles and Responsibilities of University of Houston Department Chairs," which was approved by the Faculty Senate at its May meeting; the development and analysis of the 2002 Faculty Climate Survey; and participation in the discussion of possible changes in the Faculty Handbook, especially the promotion and tenure guidelines.
     In connection with the document on the role of department chairs, the committee made a series of revisions and suggestions.  After a number of versions of the document had been produced, the committee had a meeting with Provost Edward Sheridan which resulted in a document that was subsequently approved by the Faculty Senate.
     In the spring semester, a subcommittee of the Faculty Affairs Committee put considerable effort into the development of a questionnaire that was intended to survey faculty views on the performance of the upper administration.  The survey was sent to all faculty members eligible to vote in Faculty Senate elections.  Over the summer, the responses were analyzed and the results were tabulated.  They were distributed to at the beginning of the fall semester and produced considerable discussion and comment.  A special meeting of the faculty senate was held on November 1, 2002 to discuss the report.
     The committee is currently involved in discussing possible and recommended changes to the Faculty Handbook.  It is paying particular attention to changes in the guidelines for promotion and tenure.  This process is on-going and the committee will need to continue this work this semester.
     There have been a number of other issues that have been discussed during the year.  One that has arisen out of the climate survey is to provide suggestions to the administration on how to develop programs to alleviate salary compression.  There has been a merit equity process in place for the last few years that has helped in some colleges, but which is regarded as ineffective by many faculty.  If anyone has suggestions on possible mechanisms to reduce salary inequities for active and productive faculty, the FAC would like to hear about them and investigate their possible applicability at UH.
     Sen. Auchmuty expressed his thanks to all those who participated in committee activities this year and, in particular, to those who worked so hard on the Faculty Climate survey. The Faculty Senate is greatly indebted to you.
 
        The Faculty Affairs Committee met on January 21 to discuss suggested and proposed changes to the Faculty Handbook.  The committee's suggestions and comments are being forwarded to Dr. Elaine Charlson together with comments  by other Faculty Senate members.
     There was some discussion about possible ways to remedy salary inversion and whether current merit equity increment procedures helped or exacerbated salary problems. The committee will send a letter to Provost Sheridan asking for data and information on current practices.
     The committee discussed the fact that the IT division has reduced its support of academic software to only funding Microsoft and McAfee products.  In particular there is no IT funding for software that is used for instruction in different departments and colleges on campus.  This includes mathematical and statistical software and CAD software.  As a result, different departments and colleges are funding their own licenses for software that are also purchased by other groups on campus.  The committee agreed that the IT division should make a greater effort to provide central support and funding for academic software licenses.
 
      The committee also discussed concerns about the fees for faculty and staff use of the new Recreation and Wellness Center.  A related issue is the continuance of facilities in Garrison and Melcher gyms.

FAREWELL ADDRESS FROM THE 2002 FACULTY SENATE PRESIDENT:  Joseph Eichberg
     Over the past few weeks, several people have asked me if I will be glad when my tenure as President of the Faculty Senate is over.  Now that the moment has arrived, my answer is not a simple one.  This has been an eventful, busy and sometimes stressful year, and my duties as President have taken up more time than I could have possibly imagined.  But overall I have found it to be an inspiring opportunity for learning:  learning about the aspirations of faculty, learning how the administration functions and gaining a better understanding as to what the interrelationship between faculty and administration should be in order to achieve shared governance.
     In this address, I would like to briefly review the principal accomplishments and activities of the Senate in the past year and then to make a few recommendations for the future, recommendations which my successors may wish to consider.
 
     Accomplishments:

1.  There has been continuation of contacts and discussions among Senators through the New Senate orientation Luncheon and two Senate retreats.  These events are now well established as Senate activities.
 
2.  Adoption of the document defining “Role and Responsibilities of Department Chairs: The dialogue between the Senate and administration preceding finalization of this document was, in my view, a successful example of shared governance.
 
3.  The standing committees of the Senate met throughout the year and considered a number of important issues.  To single one out, the Committee on Committees played a key role in negotiating procedures and policies for the permanent Commission on Women.  The Commission will differ somewhat from a University standing committee, but will have faculty representation on it at all times.
 
4.  A Principles of Shared Governance statement was drafted and submitted for informal review to all Senators.  It has also been given to the administration for comments.  The next step will be formal consideration by the Senate.  It is my goal that the final version of the Principles statement should be adopted by the Senate as a preamble to its constitution.
 
5. The revision of the Faculty Handbook is well underway and will be completed within a few months.  This is not merely a cosmetic revision, but will significantly modify some policies and will add and substantially expand the description of others.
 
6.  There is no doubt that holding the Faculty Senate climate survey and making public its results had a major impact.  The survey outcome was a strong statement by the faculty concerning the performance of the central administration. I have the sense that the process of conducting the survey served to unify members of the Senate.  Since the survey’s release, interactions with the administration have continued, albeit at a diminished level; and a number have been productive.  Thus, in the past few months the Faculty Affairs Committee has initiated a review of the effect of the equity adjustment policy initiated by Provost Sheridan several years ago in order to ameliorate salary compression.  Further, the survey recommendations provided the impetus for the Research Council to begin developing a set of procedures intended to define what constitutes research excellence.  The intent is to have greater faculty involvement in making decisions concerning the allocation of future research excellence funds, if these are received from the state.
 
7.  Finally, the Senate sponsored Symposium on Shared Governance, held in November, featured a number of excellent presentations and thoughtful discussion.  Although attendance was rather sparse, I think all attendees felt it was a most worthwhile endeavor.

1.  An important legislative session is now underway.  As I stressed in my earlier comments, the University faces a fiscal crisis in the immediate future.  Faculty, students and staff are virtually certain to be negatively impacted. More positively, this situation presents an opportunity for the Faculty Senate to cooperate with President Smith and other members of the his administration during its remaining life in order to find ways to minimize the pain for all of us.
 
2.  A National Search for a new President/Chancellor will occupy the Board of Regents in the coming months.  It is essential that faculty both at UH and at other components of the UH system have representation and input during the search process.  In the near future, UFEC (University Faculties Executive Council), which is composed of the Presidents plus one additional representative of the Senates of the four constituent System institutions, will communicate with the Board of Regents encouraging them to make sure there are faculty members on the search committee.
 
3.  Working more closely with Councils:  The presence of University Council Chairs at Faculty Senate Executive Committee meetings has proved to be very beneficial in that the Chairs have provided the Senate with information as to the activities and concerns of the Councils.  In several instances, we have been able to assist Councils in their deliberations and actions.  The attendance of myself and President-elect Jacobson at recent meetings of the Research Council is a particular case in point. In the future, I think the Senate and Councils should work together more closely and, in this regard, I recommend that the Senate consider appointing a Senator to each of the Councils who would regularly attend meetings and act as a standing liaison between Councils and the Senate.
 
4.  Task Force on Shared Governance:  I believe that a campus-wide Task Force on Shared Governance should be created by the Senate with the overall charge of recommending how best to foster the expansion and extension of the governance process to all levels of the University, including Colleges and departments.  Members of the central administration, as well as deans, could be invited to participate in order to achieve broad representation.
 
5.  Electronic Newsletter:  My final suggestion is that the Senate takes the lead in establishing a campus-wide electronic newsletter.  The purpose of this newsletter would be to provide a forum for faculty, staff and administrators to express their opinion on any and all issues that the writers deem to be of interest to the campus community.  Contributions would be restricted in length and would undergo an editorial review to assure clarity and to avoid libelous statements.  The newsletter would appear periodically, hopefully several times a year. Such a newsletter has been successfully initiated recently at several universities (whoever is interested can investigate the websites of the University of Colorado at Boulder and UCLA, for example).  I think this broadened means of communication could do much to promote dialog among campus constituencies.

      I could not have done my job this year without the invaluable help and advice of the members of the Executive Committee.  I would like to thank all of them: President-elect Anne Jacobson, Secretary Al Warner, standing Committee Chairs Saleha Khumawala, Katy Greenwood and Giles Auchmuty and Members-at-large Peter Copeland and Dave Shattuck and last but by no means least the immediate Past president, Jerry Freiberg.
     I would also like to extend my appreciation to Mary Brantley and Brenda Jones who continue to do a yeoman job in the Senate Office keeping things running, paper moving, and on occasion offering me valuable advice. The entire Senate should know that we are extremely lucky to have two such long-serving, dedicated and knowledgeable staff members.
     I think the Senate is also fortunate to have Anne Jacobson as incoming President and Giles Auchmuty as President-elect. Anne already has an excellent grasp of issues and I know she will work hard to make the Senate an effective body.  Anne, I pledge to give you any assistance I can during the coming year.  Giles, your education in University matters is about to be significantly accelerated.  My advice to both of you is:  Enjoy the ride!

INAUGURAL ADDRESS FROM THE 2003 PRESIDENT OF THE FACULTY SENATE:  Anne Jacobson
     Senate Colleagues and Distinguished Visitors, the past two years have been very important years for the Faculty Senate, during which the Faculty Senate has genuinely changed.  Jerry Freiberg, who has just ended his term as past president, initiated a number of practices that have made the senate a more cohesive unit; these include our retreat, which has certainly been a great innovation.  Our welcome gatherings for new senators, which have also helped developed our sense of the Senate’s possibilities.   Under his leadership, and continuing under Joe’s, we have been addressing specific issues that have a very general application, such as that of shared governance.  And my admiration for the sort of leadership we have had is really very great.  (I don’t, of course, mean to slight earlier Faculty Senate’s, but my attention was less on the presidents before it was on the cards that I have to follow particular individuals.)
     Listening to Joe on many occasions, I was struck by the way in which he did not impose his own views on a discussion.  This seems to me right; the Faculty Senate president is not elected to pronounce THE TRUTH or to impose practices and policies.  The Faculty Senate president represents, facilitates and recommends.  Among other things, such as presiding over meetings.
     Readers of UHCN will know that representation and research are two areas or issues where I will be trying to make some recommendations and facilitate some interactions.  I want today to connect these themes to a broader question.  It is a question I think we need an answer to, or perhaps a range of answers.  This is the question:  What do we want the University to be?  What, in a word, is our vision?  In what general constructive project will we want to engage the coming administration?  We do aim to be a premier public urban research university, but what sort of version of that do we want to be and have?
     It is hard to see how to answer such a question unless we have a good idea of our present best conception of ourselves and of the values that should underlie any development from this institution so conceived.  What is our best conception of ourselves?  That is, what do we think is most important, most fundamental?  And how do our values arise from this?  What are these values?
     An old tutor of mine, Gilbert Ryle, introduced some useful terminology for, as he called it, the distinction between knowing that and knowing how.  One might know that William Faulkner wrote The Sound and the Fury, and know how to play the flute or paint shadows that still pick up the colors beneath them.  As faculty we produce research papers, scholarly books, new experiments, works of art, new understandings of skills and arguments, and so on.  And we transmit the knowledge in this very general sense that includes theories, facts and skills.  So our community is a knowledge community, and that is at least close to the foundation, the most important aspect of us as faculty and of UH as an institution.  The knowledge community of course includes staff and students.  For many of us, indeed, much of the value of knowledge is lost if it is not transmitted to students as members of the generations following us.  And the staff and the administration obviously provide very important functions in our community.
     You may be thinking that I should have put something like “saying the totally obvious” under the role of president as I see it.  However, I am really trying to find a way to make a very difficult question – what should we be – more manageable.
     What follows from this conception of ourselves?  What are the motivating values that fit a knowledge community.  Two certainly leap to mind:  autonomy and accountability.  The autonomy I have in mind is not the autonomy of individuals. It is rather the autonomy of knowledge; that is, it is excellence in knowledge acquisition and transmission that we may want to see directing the decisions of the university, its major paths of development.  And accountability means that research and teaching excellence must be answerable to the judgments of the faculty and the larger communities of researchers and teachers.  Ideas can come from anywhere, but those we act on have to be judged by those with the knowledge and experience.  Accountability in a university is, then, a multi-level matter; we need to act to preserve the institution, and following the administration’s leadership, but the institution loses value if it cannot answer to the expertise of the faculty.
     You may disagree with what I have said so far.  That is fine, I really do just want to focus attention on a question about vision.  When the new administration comes in, I think we should be able to say:  Here is what we are and here is where we want to go.  We may not have a very unified vision, but we can benefit from articulating as full a one as is possible and appropriate.  What we have seen so far really highlights some general university issues:  to what extent can we pull together as a community to establish excellence?  What is the role of centers of excellence in a knowledge community?  How do we envisage our hiring if we do aspire to excellence.
     Any articulation of a vision is in part about the future and change, unless one just wants to stand still or go backward.  And this brings me to a third component:  Transformation.  And I will focus briefly on  diversity.  There are new knowledges and new participants in knowledge.  There is a great deal of pressure from granting agencies and foundations to “diversify the American mind.”  As a state institution, we are also answerable to the citizens of an increasingly diverse state.  Both interdisciplinary and inclusion are simply inevitable; since we are the most diverse research institution in the country, we ought to be very visible national leaders in understanding and managing the changes that our student body reflects, and that transformations in knowledge require.  But we need to think deeply about these issues.
     So where do we go from here?  Well, I am going to ask the Faculty Senate to consider reformulating one of its committees to make it into a “Research and Community Committee.”  The committee members, and the Faculty Senate more generally, will have a chance to discuss its creation and constitution at the retreat on February the 14th.  Joe Kotarba has, thank goodness, agreed to chair the committee.  Obviously, I hope it will help us understand ourselves and our relations, both in the internal community and in our more general Houston community, better.  I hope it will help us in formulating something at least a bit like a vision of our future.  The committee will also be coordinated with the Research Council.  Other questions I hope we will be asking at the retreat is:  What can the Faculty Senate do?  What are the actions appropriate to it?  As things are now, Joe and I have been going to the Research Council, and over the past half year we have been examining the issue of faculty-derived criteria for the distribution of excellence funding.  President Smith has asked the Research Council for guidelines, and Joe and I have been involved in that discussion.
     I will also ask senators to create some communication lines among themselves and with council members.  We need to increase the representation of individual faculty members, and to do so without overburdening ourselves.  I think that simply a meeting a year in the college with the deans would be an improvement; similarly, a meeting with the chairs might bring to the surface problems that no one member wants to articulate.  Sens. Barbara Rose Lange and David Jacobs arranged such an Faculty Senate meeting in CLASS and I think in general people thought it a very good thing.
I want to end on a positive note:  that’s easy.  I’m proud to be a member of the Faculty Senate, and I am honored and excited – if a bit apprehensive – at the prospect of helping keeping this all going, and organizing actions around the ideas you all bring.

NEW BUSINESS:
     Sen. Myers asked since the revised Faculty Handbook will likely be a virtual document, shouldn't there be a printed copy put in a place where faculty could access it?  There should also be printed copies that show the changes made in the handbook and state the dates when each of these changes were made.  It is important for faculty to know how the Faculty Handbook read at different points in time.  There are many possible mechanisms to accomplish this.  Sen. Eichberg responded that it is a reasonable request; perhaps a copy of the handbook could be put in each college.  Sen. Myers recommended that a copy also be forwarded to the Library with a copy of record in the Library Archives.
     Sen. Jacobson said there are times when servers have been down and a hard copy of the Faculty Handbook would be useful.  People need to be able to find out what the rules and regulations are.
     Sen. Quintero asked whether a hard copy or CD version of the Faculty Handbook could be provided on a for sale basis?
     Sen. Myers asked about an item that is on the agenda for the Executive Committee and Council Chairs meeting with the Administration.  She stated that she understood that these meetings were confidential and that items are listed for information only but would it be possible to get a update on the Academic Honesty Policy?  Sen. Shattuck said the item about the academic honesty policy was raised due to concern about an academic honesty case that took place last summer.  The issues evolve around actions the Provost can or should take in certain special cases.  Sen. Warner and he met with the Provost and expressed some of these concerns to him.  Sen. Shattuck characterized the meeting as cordial.  Sen. Shattuck stated that the Provost agreed that a relatively small change in the policy could address these current concerns and he agreed to appoint a group to make that happen.  Sen. Shattuck said he felt this would be a good thing.  He added that the Senate needs to watch this change happen, but he was pleased with that meeting.  Pres. Jacobson asked what the change will be?  Sen. Shattuck said it is not yet formulated.
     Sen. Warner said there were a couple of issues raised, one of which was raised by the Provost. One issue is the way the current policy is written, it basically gives the Provost no latitude outside of three options.  Sen. Warner said he and Sen. Shattuck suggested that there should be more options and the Provost clearly agreed. The Provost also brought up that the current policy has no prohibition against individuals serving on more than one level of review for an academic honesty case.  That prohibition should be included.  Sen. Warner said as in any revision process, there is a need to be watchful.  He agreed with Sen. Shattuck's characterization that it was a very positive meeting.
     Dr. Karl Ittmann asked for a few minutes to update the Senate on the activities of the Recreation Advisory Committee (RAC).  Dr. Ittmann said he is one of three faculty representatives on the Recreation Advisory Committee and he wanted to alert the Senate to three areas of concern:  (1) The just completed process of creating fees and process was flawed.  The RAC met for the first time on November 14.  He noted it took over three months of memo and letter writing to get a meeting called.  The first time Dr. Ittmann heard about the proposed fees was when they were posted on the web.  The committee members were essentially kept out of the whole process of determining fees.  Essentially, there was no real consultation.  Secondly, when they set the fees there were some minimal concessions made if one is willing to pay in advance.  There would be a $25 break for paying one year in advance.  There would be a $50 break for paying two years in advance.  In fact the faculty got the smallest break. Faculty got a $25 break and alumni got a $95 break.  So having complained about the fee structure, faculty were then given the smallest concession.  (2) Something faculty really need to be concerned about is that this center is likely to run a deficit.  They are counting on almost $800,000 from the alumni, faculty, and staff memberships.  They are assuming that about 15% of the faculty and staff will join.  All the financial estimates that have been given to the RAC have the revenue estimates front loaded.  Essentially they are going to front load all of the money into this year and hope next year everything works out.  Dr. Ittmann said he suspects that the Recreation and Wellness Center is going to run a deficit this year and the deficit will grow as time goes along.  The projection is that student fees and revenues will increase 27% from one year to following.  He expressed concern that this would be the case.  The Center is assuming that the students will continue to give them $400,000 a year from the student service fee above and beyond the $75 they already pay.  Dr. Ittmann stated that he is not joining the facility.  He urged people not to join.
     Sen. Jowett asked what is the basic fee structure?   Dr. Ittmann said the basic fee structure is a little complicated, depending on when one joins.  The basic fee is $300 a year for faculty and staff, which is paid by the month.  If one joins and pays a year in advance, it is $275.  For that you get access to the facility.  Lockers and towels will be extra, maybe another $25 or $30 for a locker and towel.  Some services or some activities will be fee-based as well.  Certain classes will be free and some will be fee-based.
     Sen. Jowett asked whether The Firm will stay in business.  Dr. Ittmann said they are talking about keeping it in business right now.   Sen. McNeil said that they are not issuing any new memberships to the Firm.  Sen. Quintero said they are not even extending the membership to current members once their membership expires.  Sen. Jowett asked how are they going to keep members?  Sen. Quintero said it will be student only; faculty will not be allowed to continue to participate.
     Sen. Middents said he heard that there are already plans to use the facility as a Natatorium for the swim team and there is some talk about moving physical education classes over there. Dr. Ittmann said the Senate should talk to HHP about that.  Dr. Ittmann said they are not really interested in the idea because it is an inconvenient to them.
     Pres. Jacobson thanked Dr. Ittmann for providing the information and the Faculty Senate will put it on its agenda, discuss it with the administration, and bring back a report.  Sen. Quintero said one additional component to that discussion should be the parking problems that have been generated by the opening of that new building.   Sen. Jacobson said feel free to e-mail her at:  ajjacobson@uh.edu.
     Dr. Ittmann said he would post the minutes of the RAC and all the documents that he has on his Website.

REPORT FROM AND DISCUSSION WITH THE CHIEF OF THE UH POLICE:  Robert B. Wilson, Jr.
     Chief Wilson said he has been at UH for about a year and half and he has really enjoyed it.  UH is one of the best places that he has been.  Chief Wilson said he was asked by Dr. Rudley to speak to the Executive Committee about the bomb threat that was reported in the Houston Chronicle.  In this particular case, calls began over the Christmas break.  There weren't a lot of people on the campus at the time.  An employee of Texas Southern University, where the calls started, subsequently came to work at UH.  In this case since the same employee had been threatened at TSU and then was being threatened at UH, the police became suspicious and identified a possible suspect.  Although the caller made threats to other universities like Rice, University of Texas, UH Downtown, etc., the caller would name this particular individual in those threats.  UHPD tried to tap the phone line to be able to connect the suspect to these phone calls.  They were unable to do this because it is possible to obtain cell phones that only call out but cannot receive calls.  However, UHPD was able to track down the company that supplies these phones in this area.  They visited the company and found that a cell phone had been rented just before the first bomb threat was made.  The application was full of phony information, but the individual paid for it with a credit card.  Chief Wilson said UHPD was able to substantiate that the suspect was in fact making these phone calls.  In this particular case the Texas Rangers and FBI both got involved.  The suspect has been arrested and will be charged locally.  The threats have stopped.
     Chief Wilson said in his 20 years of experience at several major universities, campuses typically receive bomb threats at finals time.  He emphasized that UHPD does take all bomb threats seriously and evaluate each one on its own merits based on what they already know and the specificity of the location or the name of individuals targeted, etc.  They weigh all of the information, but they don't make the ultimate decision to evacuate.  Whoever is in charge of the particular building targeted is located, told of the threat and asked what he/she wants to do.  The police will be happy to help evaluate a building if there is a possibility that this is a legitimate threat.  Once again given the circumstances of each incident, UHPD will talk to the people in charge and give them a recommendation.  Chief Wilson added that he didn't know of any explosions or damage as a result of a bomb threat at UH.
     There was a second issue that came up from the faculty that had to do with CPR responses and First Aid responses.  In concert with the Human Resources department UHPD will be offering classes in February that will certificate individuals in CPR and First Aid.  Anyone interested should be encouraged to take these classes.  They are available at the Police station.  A schedule can be downloaded from the Police Department web site.  Three of the officers are qualified for CPR, First Aid and the use of electronic defibrillators.  UHPD always has a car out with a defibrillator in it in case of cardiac arrest.  The machines are pretty costly.  Parking services was kind enough to buy one and UHPD already had two so there are three machines available at any time.  Everyone in the Police department has been certified on how to use them as well as in CPR and First Aid.
     There was an issue that came up involving a faculty member who apparently had a heart attack and there was concern because of a delay in the ambulance arriving.  Chief Wilson said he wanted to let the Senate know that UHPD went to the 911 Center because they were concerned about how this all works.  UHPD has a display monitor that shows 911 calls that come in from the campus.  911 calls go directly to the Harris County 911 Center but a call also automatically shows up on UHPD screen if it comes from the campus.  If it is for fire or an ambulance, Harris County does the dispatching.  UHPD has very little to do with that unless someone calls UHPD directly.  Harris County has agreed to put in a new monitor for UHPD that will give an alert that there is a 911 call coming from the UH campus.
 The other problem that with the 911 system is that if a cell phone is used the dispatcher receiving the call has no automatic way of knowing from where the call is originated.  The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) has passed new federal regulations that mandate cell phones be equipped with a Global Positioning System (GPS) device to provide automatic location identification.  These regulations go into effect by the end of February.
     Sen. Titz said he got a call yesterday from the Center for Students with DisAbilities indicating that one of his students, who was already disabled in a wheelchair, had been hit at one of the intersections on Cullen.  The tragedy is that a student had been hit at the same intersection last year.  Sen. Titz asked if UHPD has any plans to take a look at the traffic flow pattern in that area.  Chief Wilson said in both of those cases the victim was hit by another student and in both cases the driver ran a red light.  Chief Wilson said he doesn’t know why it seems to happen there more often than anywhere else, but UHPD does watch that intersection and has made some recommendations to the administration about how the intersection could be reconfigured so that such incidents are less likely.  Just up the street from the intersection in question is Cougar Place.  When people get off the bus, they exit on the opposite side of the street forcing them to cross the street to reach Cougar Place.  This is difficult, especially for the disabled.  Chief Wilson said he would like to turn the one-way lane around Cougar Place into a two-lane road.  That would better delineate the intersection around Cullen.  There are steps that have been taken.  Speeding is common on Cullen, but it is a city street so UH can only recommend changes to the city public works department.  Chief Wilson added that since he arrived at UH he has recommended that the speed limit be reduced on Cullen, but so far it hasn’t been.
     Sen. Leiss asked, since UH has the right to close that street, why don’t we do it?  Chief Wilson said he has been told  by the campus planning people that UH can close only the part of Cullen from Holman Street south.  He added that closing Cullen has been one of his primary recommendations. Sen. Leiss said he understands that UH has the right to do so under Texas law.
     Sen. Tillery said when a faculty member contracts for a gated parking lot he assumes that he has a reserved parking space.  When that parking lot is full for some reason and the faculty member can’t find a place to park even after waiting and he/she parks outside the lot, not in a designated place, is it positive to give the faculty member a ticket if there are no spaces in his/her lot?  Chief Wilson said he is pleased to inform the Senate that UHPD has nothing to do with parking.  Chief Wilson said Helen Stout is the Assistant Vice President who handles that and Bob Browand is the Director of Parking.  Chief Wilson said he can make a recommendation about the situation and would be happy to pass the question on to Ms. Stout.
      Pres. Jacobson asked whether UHPD tows vehicles.  Chief Wilson said not in parking lots, but if a car is parked on the street and is obstructing traffic or it is in a fire lane, UHPD may tow.  That is pretty rare and as a general rule UHPD doesn’t write parking tickets.
     Chief Wilson said that UHPD does get concerned with potential criminal activity in parking lots, and as an example noted that Lot 1A by Moody Towers had tall hedges around it and had problems with burglaries.  At UHPD’s recommendation, those hedges were lowered so that officers can look into that lot from the roadways as they drive by and see if there if there is anything amiss.  Also the lighting there has been increased about five-fold.  UHPD has asked the parking folks to assist them in keeping an eye on cars in parking lots and that will reduce the number of problems.  There are new emergency poles being installed.  When the button is pushed, the light goes into a strobe mode so the officer can find the caller quickly.  These poles are solar powered so they should prove to be cost effective.
     Sen. Myers said a few years ago UH had a ring of people stealing cars on campus and the Police put spotters on tops of buildings.  In today's world wouldn't UHPD want some webcams to watch the campus?  Chief Wilson said he supports that idea, but they do cost money even if they are a lot cheaper now than a few years ago.  Chief Wilson said he has invited a company from Utah that installed cameras at the University of Utah Medical Center to come to UH at its own expense and give a presentation.  Chief Wilson said he would like to get a quote.  The company is willing to come to UH and possibilities were positive until our state’s recent budget cut declarations.  He added he didn't know what that is going to mean for the future, but he supports the idea of cameras and believes they would be very helpful.
 
The meeting adjourned at 1:45 p.m.