The
Regular session –
office: Jacobson Faculty Hall 206
phone: 325-6789
e-mail: facsen@ou.edu web site:
http://www.ou.edu/admin/facsen/
The Faculty Senate was called
to order by Professor Mike McInerney, Chair.
PRESENT: Abraham,
Baldwin, Bozorgi, Bradford, Brady, Brown, Burns, Caldwell, Cintrón,
Davis, Devenport, Dohrmann, Fincke,
Forman, Frech, Hartel, Havlicek, Hayes-Thumann, Henderson, Houser, Huseman, Kauffman, C. Knapp, R.
Knapp, Liu, Marcus-Mendoza, McInerney, Megginson,
Mendoza, Milton, Morrissey, Newman, Pender, Penrose, Rai, Ransom, Rupp-Serrano,
Russell, Schramm, Striz, Watts, Whitely, Wyckoff, Yuan
UOSA representatives:
Price
ABSENT: Catlin,
Dewers, Ferreira, Grier, Hart, Scherman,
Sievers, Wheeler
________________________________________________________________________________
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Announcements:
Faculty Senate and General Faculty parliamentarian
2002-03 annual council reports
Faculty appointments to committees
Disposition by administration of senate actions for
2002-03
Resources in Faculty Senate office
Health benefits
Faculty development award guidelines
Senate Chair's Report:
Graduation rates of student-athletes
Health, retirement benefits; parking fee increases
Faculty development award
Classroom maintenance
Regents’ policy manual, renewable term faculty
Senate reapportionment
Peer universities
Academic misconduct—admonition
Research compliance
Legislative relations
Child care
Indirect cost rate
Faculty raises
Issues for 2003-04
________________________________________________________________________________
The Faculty Senate Journal
for the regular session of
A
list of the Faculty Senate members is attached. Prof. McInerney introduced the new senators
and the Executive Committee members.
Prof. McInerney asked the senators to let him know about issues the
Executive Committee should address.
The regular meetings of the Faculty Senate for
2003-04 will be held at 3:30 p.m. on the following Mondays in Jacobson Faculty
Hall 102: September 8, October 13, November 10, December 8, January 12,
February 9, March 8, April 12, and May 3.
The senate Executive Committee elected Prof. Roy
Knapp (Petroleum & Geological Engineering) as parliamentarian of the
Faculty Senate and General Faculty.
The compilation of the 2002-03 annual reports of
University councils was e-mailed July 29 to the Faculty Senate members and to
chairs, directors and deans to make available to the general faculty. Copies are available from the senate office.
The 2003-04 list of faculty
appointments to committees is available on the Faculty Senate web site at http://www.ou.edu/admin/facsen/roster03.htm.
The summary
record of the disposition of Faculty Senate actions for September 2002 to
August 2003 is below. Prof. McInerney noted
that the nepotism, compliance, academic misconduct, and computer policies had
been approved by the regents.
|
|
Date
of Senate meeting |
Item* |
Origin |
Disposition
by administration; |
|
1 |
|
Faculty appointments to
councils/committees |
Faculty Senate |
Appointed; |
|
2 |
|
Nepotism policy |
Legal Counsel |
Approved; |
|
3 |
|
Compliance policy |
Legal Counsel |
Approved; |
|
4 |
|
Tuition and fees |
Faculty Senate |
Accepted; |
|
5 |
|
Computer
policies--Security, Acceptable Use |
Info. Tech. Council, IT,
Legal Counsel |
Approved; |
|
6 |
|
Suggestions on How to Deal
with Addtl. Budget Shortfalls |
Faculty Senate |
Acknowledged with
appreciation; |
|
7 |
|
Faculty appointments to
councils/committees |
Faculty Senate |
Appointed; |
|
8 |
|
Academic Misconduct Code |
Provost office |
Approved; |
|
9 |
|
Computer policy--E-Mail Use |
Info. Tech. Council, IT,
Legal Counsel |
Approved; |
*Full text of recommendation can be found in Faculty
Senate Journal for date indicated at left
The Chronicle of Higher Education, Academe and the University budget are
available in the senate office.
Because
of the meeting of the OU regents and a presentation to the state regents,
President Boren had to cancel his State of the University address scheduled for
this meeting. He will come instead to
the October 13 meeting.
Human Resources Director Julius
Hilburn and Mr. Joe Taylor from Mercer consulting firm gave an update on what
happened with health benefits in the last year and what changes will be made in the HealthChoice (state)
plan.
Mr. Taylor explained that for
the 12-month period ending
Prof. Hartel
asked whether we had tried to find another company that could insure us for $38
million. Mr. Taylor said because of the
time frame and other issues, the state plan was the best option for July 2003. For the next year, we will look at our options
and address issues that are not working well.
Prof. Striz pointed out that the state plan distinguishes between one child
and multiple children, and the premium for multiple children is higher than for
one child. Mr. Hilburn said he recognized
that the new structure was different. However,
the state rates are lower than what we had for an employee plus children. The big difference in premium is when a
spouse is included. What made the change
critical and why it had to be done in a very short time frame was the growing deficit
and the possibility that our funding from the state would be reduced. We needed to move from being responsible for
the full amount as a self-insured organization to the predictability of an insured
arrangement. At the same time, the
administration made a commitment to look at other options for 2005 and get
input from the committees and governance groups. Prof. Hartel remarked
that since the insurance business is competitive, the university should be able
to propose a package to six or seven good companies and find out which ones
could insure us for $38 million. Mr. Hilburn
said Prof. Hartel had described the process we will
go through (see later comments).
Mr. Hilburn said we were
about to start enrollment for calendar year 2004. The state will have a nine percent rate
increase for individual coverage. The
University will continue to pay the full amount for employees and retirees. Dependent rates will increase by an average
of 12 percent. The preliminary
recommendation was to increase the deductible, but based on feedback from
clients and the governor, the state moderated the increases by using some
investment earnings. Office co-pays will
increase from $20 to $25. The $1 million
lifetime maximum cap on medical expenses was eliminated, and the lifetime
maximum for pharmacy was increased to $2 million. The out-of-pocket maximum increased from
$2300 to $2800. A new option, called the
basic plan, will be available to employees and their eligible dependents. Under the basic plan, the first $500 of
eligible expenses is covered, the next $500 for an individual ($1000 for family)
is the deductible, then benefits are paid at 50 percent, subject to a maximum
of $5500 for an individual ($11,000 for family). The premiums are about 12 percent lower than
the high option. It has a component of
consumerism in that the employee decides how to spend the $500. Representative from the state will speak at a
series of employee meetings on campus about the new basic plan and the changes
in the high option plan. Prof. R. Knapp asked
whether there would be a co-pay for an office visit in
the first $500. Mr. Hilburn said, “No,
it would be covered at 100 percent until you reach the $500.” The plan might be worth the risk for someone
who does not use much health care, but it is probably not for someone with
chronic conditions.
Prof. Burns commented that individuals
were
Prof. Kauffman asked about cost
and coverage comparisons with other universities. Mr. Hilburn said we were the last university in
the state to go with the state plan. Mr.
Taylor said the national average increase in health care for 2004 is 15-22
percent. Most companies, including state
and private universities, are having the employee pay more. For 2004, there will be bigger deductibles,
out-of-pocket, and contributions across the country. Prof. Kauffman asked for information on costs
and increases for the Big 12 schools for the last 5 years. Mr. Hilburn said OU is about in the middle in
terms of plan design. We pay 100 percent
for employees and nothing for dependents and spouses. At some universities, the employee pays something
and the dependent’s coverage is subsidized by some amount. The Employment Benefits Committee discussed whether
to charge some for employees and use the dollars saved to buy down the increases
for dependents and spouses. When it was
discussed across campus, the majority did not want to change what the
university is paying for employees and retirees. One of the criticisms in changing to the
state plan was that there was not enough time and dialogue. The process for 2005 will allow time to select
an alternative to the state plan by May, compare it to the state plan in August,
when those rates are established, and have the regents make a decision in
September. Responding to earlier
questions, Mr. Taylor noted that ten years ago, 15 vendors might have been
interested in our business. However, now
only four or five are financially viable with good ratings. It is unlikely the rates that are bid will be
lower than the state’s 2004 rates. Health
care costs will go up about 15-22 percent again. As Medicare gets less funding, there will be
more cost shifting to employers who sponsor health care plans. Prof. Striz asked whether we could get a
better benefit. Mr. Taylor said the
university would look at that but would have to consider the cost as well.
Prof. McInerney pointed out
that the Faculty Welfare Committee would probably solicit opinions from the
faculty to get ideas on how the decisions should be made. Also, the Employment Benefits Committee will
be involved in the RPF analysis, so there will be faculty and staff input on
the bidding process. Mr. Hilburn said he
would share information with the Faculty Senate at some of the decision points. Mr. Taylor commented that a finalist will be
selected in April and the company’s proposal will be compared to the state plan
in August. Typically, the process and
selection are done at the same time.
Prof. Megginson asked whether the information
presented would be available electronically.
Mr. Taylor said he would set it up in PDF format so that the senate
office could distribute it. [Note: The information was sent electronically to
the senators on September 17 and is available from the senate office.]
Prof. McInerney explained
that former senate chair Ed Cline had arranged to get some money for faculty
development. President Boren earmarked
$15,000 for that purpose last year. The
proposed guidelines (attached)
are somewhat analogous to those of the Research Council. A committee, with representation from the
Research Council, will review proposals, probably in the fall and spring. The awards will differ from the ones awarded
by the Research Council in that all aspects of a faculty member’s
responsibilities, for instance teaching, could be supported, not just
research. Awards will be limited to
$2500. The application will be
short. Prof. McInerney asked the
senators to review the proposed guidelines and make suggestions. The senate will vote in October. He noted that President Boren said he would provide
additional funds for the award for next year.
“First,
I would like to commend our student athletes and Joe Castiglione
and his staff for their commitment to academics. The results of all of their hard work are
evident by exceptional improvement in the graduation rates of our student-athletes.
We were best in the Big 12 in graduation
rates this year.
“During
the summer, the Faculty Senate Executive Committee and I have been busy on a
number of issues. In addition to meeting with Julius Hilburn and Benefits
Manager Nick Kelly about health and retirement benefits, we met with Nick
Hathaway in June to discuss parking fee increases. Parking fees did go up, but they did not go up
as much as originally planned. We were able
to prorate the fee increases over several years in order to avoid a large
increase in a year where we have seen reductions in benefits and no pay
increases.
“We
will keep pushing for additional funding for the Faculty Development Award so
the faculty can have support for both teaching and research.
“Last
year, the issue of classroom maintenance was brought to the attention of the
Executive Committee. Provost Mergler has
established a task force to review all aspects of the classroom environment
including, maintenance, technology, access (disability) and novel teaching
approaches. The Provost has earmarked
money for this purpose. The task force is active and recently conducted a
survey of the facilities on campus.
“Last year, the regents
wanted a single manual that covered their responsibilities for all of the
campuses under their direction. Basically,
it will put all the policies in one place.
Provost Mergler compiled a document that was reviewed by a committee set
up by Ed Cline last year. We have established
a committee this year to work with the Provost to finalize the document. David
Levy will be the chair of the committee. We will keep the senate informed of the
progress of this committee.
“One
outcome of the regents’ manual is the differences in how renewable term faculty
is viewed on the
“We
also need individuals to serve on a committee to study the reapportionment of
the senate. The charge is to do this on
a regular basis.
"The
provost would like the senate to look at what would be good peer institutions for
assessment purposes. We need individuals
to serve on a committee. This is an
important issue because when the president seeks additional funding, we can say
we want to strive to be like this university, and this is what we need to do to
get there. It also helps us to explain
what we need to do with the funding we get.
“Greg
Heiser in the Provost’s office has established a
series of web pages to explain the new admonition option of the academic
misconduct policy. In reviewing the
information on these sites, I believe that Greg has done an excellent job in
providing a clear explanation of the policy and how to implement it for the
faculty and the students.
“I
talked to the new Compliance Officer, Debra Chionopoulos,
this summer. The
Norman campus now has a second Internal Review Board, which will hopefully
expedite proposal review. Another issue
was hotline reports, which is a federal mandate. That seems to be a non-issue. To date, there have not been any hotline
reports. She will come to one of the Executive Committee meetings to make a
report on this, as recommended last year.
“Al
Schwarzkopf will head up a committee on legislative relations, which will work
with the President’s office to better communicate our needs and accomplishments
to the State Legislature. We need to
communicate what we are doing at OU, why we are doing it very effectively, and
how we are spending taxpayers’ dollars.
“Last
year, it was brought to our attention that some faculty members are having a
hard time placing their young children in the OU day care facility, given the
demands that already exist on this facility. Administrative Affairs Vice President Nick
Hathaway has been in discussions with Middle Earth day care, which wants to
build a new facility. The lease of the
land to build the new facility is on the regents’ agenda in September, and the
university is working with Middle Earth to help expedite the process. This should provide additional options for
faculty with children in the future.
“For
those of you with grants, Research Vice President Lee Williams said that
although the new indirect cost rate was implemented at the start of July, the
university will honor the indirect cost rates that were submitted with
proposals before July 1. They will take
out dollars at the new rate, but it will max out at the originally funded
amount.
“The
faculty has been through difficult times last year with our change in health
care and another year without raises. President
Boren greatly appreciates the efforts and sacrifices that were made last
year. This was outlined in his email to
the faculty this summer. Faculty raises are the number one priority of
President Boren this year. The hope is
for a substantive raise starting in the summer. He will come to our next meeting to discuss
the state of the university and his plans for the upcoming year.
“The Executive Committee and
I will coordinate with the Employment Benefits Committee and the Faculty Welfare
Committee and Julius Hilburn and Nick Kelly to obtain the best possible health
care plan. As we go through this request
for proposal, we will make sure there is good communication between everybody
so we get good faculty input and faculty knows what is going on. We will also work with Provost Mergler and
President Boren to try to provide some kind of raise for faculty for the next
fiscal year.”
Prof. McInerney said he had
prepared a list of issues that he thought were important for the faculty this
year. He said he had just received an
e-mail about parking so he would add that to the list.
1. Health benefits: work
with Nick Kelly to develop a request for proposal for health benefits.
2. Faculty development
fund: initiate the granting process and work for increased support in the
future.
3. Faculty compensation:
priority on raises and other types of compensation.
4. Legislative relations:
work with President Boren to increase state support for OU.
5. Task force on classroom
renovations: Provost Mergler has set up a committee to study and correct
deficiencies in classrooms (technology, access, general maintenance, innovative
teaching methods).
6. Regents’ manual: set up
a committee to provide faculty input.
7. Renewable term faculty:
establish a committee to discuss and make recommendations about their
status/representation.
8. Reapportionment of the
senate.
Prof. Kauffman commented that
one of the parking problems is that some donors give their hang tags to their
children to use. He asked whether faculty
and staff could be given stickers for their cars so that they would have first
priority during the daytime hours. Prof.
McInerney said the Executive Committee would discuss the suggestion and probably
talk to the parking director.
The meeting adjourned at
____________________________________
Sonya Fallgatter, Administrative Coordinator
____________________________________
Karen Rupp-Serrano, Secretary