Novermber 30, 2006
Loyola Marymount University
Faculty Senate Minutes
November 30, 2006
Collins Center
3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Present: Cynthia Becht, Jeffrey Davis, Charles Erven, Sonny Espinoza, Omar Es-Said, Rudy Fleck Vicki Graf, Paul Harris, Gary Kuleck, Blake Mellor, Mel Mendelson, Ed Mosteig, Liz Murray, Jennifer Offenberg, K. J. Peters, Ralph Quiñones, Jonathan Rothchild, Rhonda Rosen, Sue Scheibler and Seth Thompson
Excused: Najwa Al-Qattan, Yvette Lapayese, Chun Lee, Damon Rago, Nina Reich and James Roe
President Graf called the meeting to order at 3:00 p.m. She began the meeting with a moment of silence.
I. Approval of October and November Minutes – President Graf
It was moved and seconded to adopt and approve the minutes of October 5, October 19, November 2 and November 16. The minutes were approved unanimously.
II. Report of the President to the Faculty Senate
- Faculty Forum. The latest Faculty Forum was facilitated by Sue Scheibler during convocation today at the Collins Center. President Graf thanked Senator Scheibler for her assistance with the Forum. Senators expressed the benefits of listening to fellow faculty, several of whom mentioned not feeling safe in the teaching environment on campus.
III. Report of the Committee on the Economic Status of the Faculty (ESOF) – Mike Mills
- The ESOF Committee met with Rebecca Chandler, Vicki Graf, Maria Cano, and Dean Richard Plumb, who is co-chairing the sub-committee on faculty workload and merit review to discuss issues related to the ESOF recommendation.
- ESOF has made the following compensation recommendations for 2007:
1. Adjustment for “Adequate Performance”: 4%
The committee recommends an “adequate performance” increase of 4% for faculty in order to keep up with inflation, the job market, and AJCU projections of 3.5%-4.5% salary adjustments for 2007. LMU salary increases have lagged behind the CPI for several years.
2. Merit Increases: 2.3%
3. Summer Salary: 8.5% of salary in rank
4. Retirement Contribution (403b): 9.5%
ESOF suggests that the Faculty Senate appoint a committee to investigate the current retirement policy.
- ESOF has been asked by several faculty to request the broadening of faculty retirement investment options, including that the entire spectrum of Fidelity Mutual Funds be made available in primary retirement accounts. Faculty also has voiced their concerns about inadequate housing support. The cost of local real estate continues to negatively impact recruitment and retention of faculty.
The Faculty Senate discussed the ESOF report presented by Mike Mills. It was recommended that housing issues be kept separate from the ESOF recommendations in order to keep the report clear and to provide individual focus on the housing discussion. President Graf shared with the Senate that she had contacted the Faculty Representatives on the Board of Trustees so that they may begin talking about faculty concerns at meetings before the budget is reviewed by the Board of Trustees in the spring. She also informed the Senate that CAO Rose and CFO Tom Fleming will be joining the Faculty Senate Meeting on Thursday, December 14 during which time the issue of housing might be raised.
Senators suggested that the ESOF report include evidence showing the difference between LMU salary increases and the CPI. The terms “adequate performance” versus “cost of living” were discussed with suggestions made to change the term used for section 1 to “General Cost of Living” in order to describe the recommended increase of 4% more accurately.
It was moved and seconded that the ESOF Committee be charged to alter the section title of number one to reflect the Senate’s suggestions. Motion passed unanimously.
IV. Turnitin.com – K.J. Peters
- The free two year trial at LMU is coming to an end in December.
- Erin Griffin, AVP for ITS, has asked her staff to stop promoting Turnitin.com.
- Faculty who are still interested in plagiarism detection software can go through their deans to request this program or purchase the program individually.
The Senate was provided with a draft statement that is currently under discussion by members of the Jesuit Conference on Rhetoric and Composition (JCRC) addressing concerns over the use of Turnitin.com.
V. Sub-Committee on the Evaluation of Administrators – Michael Berg
- As of this morning, the committee has agreed to a two-page, two-tiered questionnaire as the recommended instrument by which deans will be evaluated by every faculty member in their respective college. The questionnaire will be presented to the Senate when the document is finalized.
- The evaluation of deans will occur annually.
- For the evaluative process to succeed it is imperative that most or all faculty actively participate by providing responses to the survey.
- Evaluation of the CAO and other members of the Cabinet will not be included in this instrument. An evaluative tool for CAO Rose is being drafted by Margaret Kasimatis.
The Senate discussed the administration of the evaluative process and the reporting of its results. Several senators felt that the raw data of the instrument should be returned directly to the Senate, not to Human Resources. Others felt that it would be sufficient for the Senate to receive summarized results from HR. The Senate discussed including CAO Rose in a future discussion to finalize the nature and intent of the evaluative process.
It was moved and seconded that the Sub-Committee on the Evaluation of Deans make the case to Rebecca Chandler that the results of the evaluation be summarized, collated and simultaneously distributed to the Faculty Senate and to the evaluated individual.
After further discussion, the motion passed with 12 in favor, 1 opposed and 3 abstentions.
The meeting was adjourned at 5:00 p.m.
Submitted by: Cynthia Becht
Prepared by: Rosa Calderon