As of 10/02

STATUS OF ISSUES UNDER ACTIVE CONSIDERATION BY THE FACULTY SENATE

(September 2002-May 2003)

 

Origin

Item

Responsible

Status

Legal Counsel

Review of compliance policy.

Ad hoc committee chaired by Mike McInerney

 

Tulsa President

Tulsa strategic plan.

Executive Committee

 

Faculty Senate

Faculty definition--non-tenured or tenure track.  Representation for renewable term, interdisciplinary, graduate faculty staff or non-OU employees.

Non-tenure track faculty not represented either on the faculty senate or the staff senate.

Sub-committee chaired by Ed Cline

Sub-committee recommendations under review by Executive Committee

VP Admin. Affairs

Review of retirement options.

Ad hoc committee

 

President

Revise Faculty Handbook concerning internal administrative hires. 

There is currently no process for targeted internal hires for senior administrative positions.

Faculty Compensation Committee

 

Faculty Senate

Salaries:  Compression/inversion of mid-career faculty, salaries below national average.

Faculty Compensation Committee

 

President

Student retention and advising.

Task force as sub-committee of exec. comm. to study faculty issues.

Report to be presented to Faculty Senate fall 2002

Faculty Senate

Legislative relations. 

Initiatives to get closer and more personal relationships with legislators.

Ad hoc committee chaired by Al Schwarzkopf

 

Faculty Senate

Research issues: quicker authority to hire outside contractors, fund junior faculty fellowships with private funds, reinstate senior faculty fellowships (replaced with Presidential Professorships?), raise limit on equipment that needs regents approval, graduate fellowships, research on human subjects. 

Sub-committee of Research Council chaired by E. Laurette Taylor

Reviewed issue with Research VP.  Final report submitted to Faculty Senate Chair and Research Council.

Info. Technology

IT policies:  e-mail, campus network, acceptable use of information systems, user ID and password.

Information Technology Council

Under review by Legal Counsel

Faculty Senate

White paper on on-line class notes.

Information Technology Council

 

Faculty Senate

Cost of phone service for faculty

Phone charges, especially international long distance, are much higher than commercial rates. 

Information Technology Council

IT negotiating a new contract

Faculty Senate

Social Security numbers on grade sheets.

Concern about identity theft.

Information Technology Council

Social Security numbers to be suppressed from grade sheets.  New I.D. numbers to be assigned.

Faculty Senate

Revive Campus Planning Council.

The council has had little business and no input to long range planning for campus facilities.

Executive Committee

 

Faculty Senate

OU Child Care facility.

Very high quality child care is scarce.  This is a retention issue for both faculty and students

Under review by Faculty Welfare Committee

 

Faculty Senate

Substantive issues concerning discrimination/harassment grievance policy.

Rick Tepker and Legal Counsel to propose language

Proposed language under review by Executive Committee

Faculty Senate

Establish an honor code that students will conduct themselves in an ethical manner concerning homework, exams, attendance, etc.

Executive Committee

Student Congress to propose language

Acad. Prog. Council

Policy on approving on-line courses.

Standards when offered for normal credit.

Subcommittee of Academic Programs Council

 

Provost

Form task force to revise policy on classroom behavior (including cell phone usage).

There is currently no guideline in the Faculty Handbook that specifies faculty rights or process for controlling disruptive behavior such as cell phone use in class.  Suggest that faculty include a statement in the syllabus.

Executive Committee

 

Faculty Senate

Better perks needed:  free or reduced tuition and fees for family, free or reduced fees to campus facilities (Huston Huffman, golf), larger discounts to events, free parking.

Executive Committee

 

Faculty Senate

Increase promotion raises to $5,000 and $10,000

Executive Committee

 

Faculty Senate

New taxes on research grants: increased fringe rates for graduate students, paying tuition on graduate students, indirect costs on equipment <$5,000

Executive Committee

 

Faculty Senate

High cost of health care for families

Executive Committee

 

Faculty Senate

Renewable term faculty: eligibility for research support, attack on tenure

Executive Committee

 

Faculty Senate

Tulsa faculty: standards; faculty input on rank, salary, tenure

Executive Committee