Present: H. Alley, L. Alpert, K.
Aoki, E. Bailey, A. Berenstein, L. Bowditch, C. Bybee, V. Cartwright, F. Cogan,
J. Earl, A. Elliott, C. Ellis, M. Epstein, L. Freinkel, L. Fuller, F. Gearhart,
D. Herrick, M. Holland, M. Linman, G. Luks, W.A. Marcus, G. McLauchlan, C. Mc
Nelly*, K. Merrell, S. Midkiff, R. Ponto, M. Ravassipour, M. Russo, M.
Shirzadegan, E. Singer*, L. Skalnes, C. Smith*, D. Soper, B. Strawn, C. Sundt,
F. Tepfer, N. Tublitz, J. Wagenknecht, J. Wasko, M. Wilson, M. Woollacott, R.
Zimmerman. *(non-voting participant)
Absent:
B.
Blonigen, R. Graff, M. Myagkov
Excused:
M. Hallock,
R. Horner, P. Keyes, D. Leubke, A. Morrogh, M. Partch
Senate
President Greg McLauchlan called the regular meeting of the University Senate
to order December 4, 2002 at 3:07 p.m. in the EMU Fir Room.
APPROVAL
OF THE MINUTES
The
minutes from the November 13, 2002 meeting were approved as distributed.
STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS
Fall 2002 Preliminary Curriculum Report. Mr.
Paul Engelking, chair of the Committee on Courses, reviewed changes made to the
curriculum report and responded to Mr. Daniel Pope’s question challenging some
of the course listed on the “dropped courses” list. A motion to accept the report with changes as noted was made and
accepted by unanimous voice vote. The
final report is posted on the web at: http://darkwing.uoregon.edu~uosenate/dirsen023/CurRptF02.html.
Mr.
Engelking also announced that the Intercollege General Education Committee now
approves general education requests.
This committee was previously a College of Arts and Sciences committee. Senate President McLauchlan recognized and thanked
the Committee on Courses for their hard work in completing the report.
NEW BUSINESS
Election of the Interinstitutional Faculty
Senate (IFS) representative and alternate. President McLauchlan advised the new
senators that IFS representatives from the university meet bi-monthly with
other representatives from each of the seven OUS campuses during which ideas
are exchanged and policies are developed to further higher education. Robert Zimmerman, physics, was elected
unanimously as IFS representative serving for a one-year (Jan. – Dec. 2003)
term as a replacement for current IFS representative Mr. Peter Gilkey,
mathematics, who was elected to a new 3-year term (Jan. 2003 – Dec. 2005). Mr. Gilkey will serve as president elect of
the IFS this year. President McLauchlan
noted that there were no candidates for the IFS alternate position and asked
for interested persons to contact him.
RESOLUTION
US02/03-1 – Support for a peaceful means of resolving the conflict with Iraq. Senate President
McLauchlan preceded discussion of this issue by reporting that the Senate
Executive Committee had discussed at length whether the proposed resolution was
within the purview of the senate. A
significant majority of the Senate Executive Committee determined that the resolution
was beyond the purview of the senate although a majority of the committee was
in support of the substance of the resolution.
Consequently, President McLauchlan determined he would refer the
question of the resolution being within the purview of the senate for full
senate consideration. Thus, the
president noted, the initial debate will decide whether the substance of the
resolution falls within the purview of the senate; if the outcome of that
debate is affirmative, the resolution will be moved to the floor for debate and
a vote. Text of the resolution follows
(see also http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~uosenate/dirsen023/US023-1.html):
Whereas,
war leads to a transfer of society's resources away from civilian needs, and Whereas,
war threatens democracy by restricting civil liberties, curtailing travel and
international interchange, and erecting additional barriers to the unfettered
pursuit of knowledge and cross-cultural understanding,
Be it resolved that, the
University of Oregon University Senate hereby expresses its opposition to
military action against the nation of Iraq, and hereby urges the United States
government and the governments of all members of the United Nations to
encourage democracy and respect for human rights in Iraq..
President
McLauchlan outlined the parameters for the debate indicating a 1-hour time
period was allotted. During this time,
members of the University Senate and University Assembly were encouraged to
speak using a 2-minute time limit.
After the members had an opportunity to speak, if time was not
exhausted, a vote would be taken to suspend rules of order to permit non
members access to the floor to speak, again, adhering to a 2-minute limit. Further, regardless of the debate’s outcome,
the Senate Executive Committee announced sponsorship of an Open Mike
Session, December 05, 2002 from 4:30 – 6:00 pm for all interested parties to
speak on this issue. Also, a university
and community forum on the Iraq issue will be sponsored in January.
Professor
Frank Stahl, biology, was recognized to briefly introduce the substance of his
resolution and why he believed it was within the purview of the university to
debate and vote on such a resolution.
Professor Stahl spoke about the mission of the university as acquisition
and dissemination of knowledge and understanding. He expressed concern that our country’s elected representatives
may have failed the public. Further,
Mr. Stahl opined that the resolution speaks out in protections of our rights,
and thus is the business of the senate.
He stated his belief that a vote by the senate in support of this
resolution would be heard.
Comments
from senators and assembly members opposed. A
number of senators and other faculty members spoke from the position that the
resolution was not within the purview of the senate, including: Maury Holland,
law, Chris Ellis, economics, Stephanie Midkiff, library, Priscilla Southwell,
political science, Dave Soper, physics, Andy Elliot, ASUO, Lowell Bowditch,
classics, Ben Strawn, ASUO, Maram Epstein, East Asian languages, Frances Cogan,
Honor’s College, Andrew Marcus, geography, Tim Gleason, journalism and
communications, Michael Lindman, student senator, Lisa Freinkel, English, Fred
Tepfer, university planning, and Carl Bybee, journalism and communications.
Although
there was some general consensus in agreement with the underlying premise of
the resolution, there was concern about the inappropriateness of the senate, purporting
to speak officially as the voice of the university, in expressing opinions
representing matters of national political policy. Several senators spoke against consideration of the resolution
saying that the senate’s charter does not include matters such as those framed
in the resolution. Another senator
advised that although there may be a precedent of the assembly passing a
resolution against the Vietnam War in the ‘70s it was done under different
circumstances and by a different governance structure than what is currently in
place.
Many
senators expressed uneasiness about voting on such a resolution because they
were not elected to express faculty political opinion, and that voting on
political resolutions may undermine the credibility of the senate in a public
university. Other senators were
troubled with the hostile environment that consideration of this resolution
would create for the portion of university community that may not agree with
the senate’s sentiments, should it consider the resolution. Senators repeatedly expressed concern that
consideration of the resolution would be symbolic, ineffective, and may have
legislative repercussions for the university in the future. Nevertheless, these senators confirmed the
importance of the university as a place for free speech and open debate, but
that there were other more appropriate venues the university could offer to
address the issues raised in the resolution.
Comments
from senators and assembly members in favor.
Senators and assembly members who spoke in favor of considering the
resolution in the senate included Louise Westling, English, Levi Strom, student
senator, Henry Alley, Honor’s College, Eric Bailey, student senator, and Linda
Kintz, English. These senators deemed
the resolution worthy of debate in an arena of democracy and free speech such
as the senate. Student senators pointed
to increases in racial profiling, threats on civil liberties, fear of drafts,
reduced funding of the Opportunity Grants, and fear of the recently enacted
Patriot Act as examples of the effects this issue already was having on
university students. One senator noted
that the university teaches citizenship and the senate was an appropriate place
for such citizenship. Another senator
asked at what point would this issue become one for the senate’s
consideration.
With
no other senators requesting to speak, a motion was made to suspend the rules
in order to open the floor for comments from others in attendance. The motion passed with 31 in favor, and 4
opposed.
Comments from students and community members in
attendance. A number of persons in attendance at the meeting spoke in support
of the resolution as being within the purview of the senate including, among
others, community members Marsha Foster, Bevan Gilmore, George Beres, and
students Mike Meyer, Tara Clouse, Husin Passeim, and Alex Gonzales.
Community
members and students encouraged the senate to vote to consider the resolution
saying that it was the university’s duty to commit to an environment that
promoted peaceful means for resolving conflict. A member of the alumni advised that this resolution could be
viewed as an expression of condemnation and public conscience, which the person
suggested is the highest form of patriotism.
Another individual emphasized the precedence in the ’70 of the faculty
passing a resolution in opposition to the Vietnam War. One student indicated concern for students
studying abroad who have been warned about the effects of the United State’s
potential actions against Iraq and have been encouraged to take
precautions. He suggested that debating
and passing the resolution might provide some relief for the study-abroad
students. Other students encouraged
the senate to consider the resolution as a means to promote change. They opined that most people feel that
university officials are ignoring public opinion and that the senate has a
responsibility to encourage these officials to listen to the public.
With
the hour time limit exhausted, the question was called. President McLauchlan put the question: Does
Resolution US02/03-1 in support of a peaceful means for resolving the conflict
with Iraq fall within the purview of the University Senate? A hand vote was taken with 8 affirmative
votes and 29 negative votes, indicating that the resolution does not fall within the
purview of the senate. Thus, the
resolution failed to be considered by the senate.
Julie
Novkov, political science, then moved to suspend the rules in order to make a
motion to move the question before a meeting of the University Assembly. President McLauchlan advised that a
two-third vote of the senate was needed to pass the motion. The motion failed with only 24 senators
voting in favor of suspending the rules.
The senate president indicated to Ms. Novkov that the Senate Executive
Committee would consider the assembly meeting issue at the next Executive
Committee meeting.
Senator
David Soper, physics, requested clarification on plans the Executive Committee
is making regarding campus wide discussion of the Iraq issue. President McLauchlan responded that the
senate and ASUO would co-sponsor a community-wide open forum and debate on the
Iraq situation during January. Senator
Frances Cogan, Honor’s College, asked if the Executive Committee intended to
set up a committee to address individual issues in Mr. Stahl’s resolution. President McLauchlan replied that the
Executive Committee would be hearing discussion on the issue in the upcoming
months.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
AND COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE FLOOR.
Senate
McLauchlan noted that a panel discussion would be held December 12th in the EMU
Gumwood Room from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. with its topic the KUGN “Voice of the Ducks”
controversy. The discussion is open to
campus and the Eugene community.
Also,
a public forum would be held December 10th in the EMU Fir room from 2:00 – 4:00
p.m., sponsored by the PEBB Board to address issues with benefits and
policy. The board would like to hear
comments on health insurance arrangements with specific hospitals and any other
feedback on the employee benefits package.
Ms.
Deborah Baumgold, chair of the Undergraduate Council, provided an update on the
council’s current issues, which include undergraduate curriculum reviews,
promotion of undergraduate education, and developing criteria for the success
of the undergraduate program. Specific
active projects involve reviewing course syllabi and materials to insure the
guidelines, specialized knowledge required, prerequisites, and coursework are
appropriate.
Lastly,
Senator Novkov gave notice that the senate should expect a motion at the next
meeting to call for a meeting of the University Assembly to discuss the war on
Iraq issue.
ADJOURNMENT
With
no other business at hand the meeting was adjourned at 4:50 p.m.
Gwen
Steigelman
Secretary