RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY
UNIVERSITY SENATE


MINUTES:  Regular Meeting of the University Senate

DATE:  March 28, 2003

TIME AND PLACE:  1:10 p.m., Multipurpose Room, Rutgers Student Center, 126 College Avenue, College Avenue Campus

MEMBERS PRESENT:  Adelaja, Ambar, Atwood, Barnes, Barone, Bell, Bottega, Brazier, Bry (Kelly), Caprio, Cerulo, Chambers, Colaizzi, A. Cooper, T. Cooper, Cowley, Darien, Davidson, E. Dennis, DeRosa, Dess, Domb, Durante, Evans, Fischetti, Flanagan, Forman, Gaunt, Gossett, Gould, Greenhut, Grennille, Hall, Hara, Haugerud, Hillman, Hirsh, Hodgson, Hornichter, J. Hughes, Hyndman, Josh Jackson, Jessen, Karel, Kauffman, Kennedy, Kenney, Kirby, Kirschner, Kleiman, Kokini, Krucher, Laguna-Diaz, Lanterman, Lashley, Lee, Liberman, Manhoff, Markowitz, McCormick, Messer, Naus, Nedick, Obayashi, O’Connor, Oren, Panayotatos, Parrish, Pellegrine, Penfield, Plummer, Pottick, Preston, Puniello, Rabinowitz, Abhay Rijhsinghani, Amit Rijhsinghani, Rountree, Saidel, Salge, Schiavo, Schock, Scott, Seneca, P. Simmons, R. Simmons, N. Smith, D. Snyder, P. Snyder, Swenson, Tandon, Thompson, Tuckman, Walker-Andrews, Wang, Wasserman, Webb, Winterbauer, Worrall, Wozniak, Zaborszky

EXCUSED:  Abreu, Baruh, Bathory, Blasi, Boikess, Borisovets, Bossard, Boylan, Chism, Cohen, Cotter, Craft, Deutsch, Diner, Doshi, Erlichson, Friedrich, Gillett, Gillis, Hawkesworth, Jesse, Jones, Kenfield, Klein, Leath, Leontiades, Marsh, Maudlin, Maurer, McKay, McKeever, Mensah, Miller, Patel, Pieczenik, Rabii, Sondahl
Szatrowski

ABSENT: Advani, Bay, Berz, Breton, Bushnell, Caruso, Case, Cronk, Dekhterman, R. Dennis, Driscoll, Elgallab, El-Shakhs, Griffiths, Hanlon, Hirschmugl, Hull, Joanne Jackson, Johnson, Joo, Keoskey, Kressel, Lehman, Leustek, Lichtenfeld, Maradonna, Massenburg, Nordstrom, Ocone, Owusu, Pancholy, Perr, Ramsay, Roden, Schlegel, Sears, Segers, Shovlin, Silver, H. Smith, Solomon, Stauffer, Sukhdeo, Taylor, Tsurumi, Vodak, Wadia, Weis, Wilkinson, Zylstra

ATTENDANCE SUMMARY:  Faculty:  Of  94 total:  46 present (49%), 24 excused (25.5%) 24 absent (25.5%); Students:  Of  50 total:  27 present (54%), 7 excused (14%), 16 absent (32%); Administrators:  Of 39 total:  24 present (62%), 7 excused (18%), 8 absent (20%); Alumni:  Of 6 total:  4 present (67%), 0 excused (0%), 2 absent (33%).
View Senate attendance record for this year.

NON-VOTING MEMBER PRESENT:  Redd

NON-VOTING MEMBERS ABSENT:  Sambolin, Wright

PRESIDING OFFICER:  Paul Panayotatos, Chairperson
 

CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT:  Chairperson Panayotatos called the meeting to order.  He said that the Board of Trustees chair had agreed to accept future Student Charter Trustee nominations in ranked order from the Senate’s Student Affairs Committee, providing that the Board was not bound by those rankings.  He noted the good press coverage of the Senate’s February Resolution in Opposition to Proposed and Continued Budget Cuts and in Support of Excellence in Higher Education in New Jersey, and read from a relevant New York Times article.  Chairperson Panayotatos also commented on the recent rally in Trenton protesting proposed state budget cuts.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY:  Agenda:  The agenda was approved as distributed by the Secretary.

Minutes:  On motion and duly seconded, the Minutes of the February 21, 2003 Senate meeting were approved as distributed by the Secretary.

Communications:  The following communications were presented by the Secretary:

Secretary Swalagin noted that November 2003 will mark the 50th anniversary of the Rutgers University Senate.  He said that the Senate’s membership has quadrupled from the original 50 members since that time, and urged all Senators, in addition to submitting nominations for Senate leadership and board representative positions, to encourage those colleagues they feel would make good Senators to stand for election.

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT:

President McCormick delivered the administrative report, which included comments on several issues.

On the war in Iraq, he expressed his gratitude for the prevailing atmosphere of respect for the voiced views of others at Rutgers.

Regarding the budget crisis, he thanked the students for rallying in protest of proposed budget cuts in Trenton.  He also distributed copies of a Star-Ledger article featuring an interview with Senator Tahirah Cooper on the state budget, as well as a fact sheet entitled “Proposed FY04 Budget Offers Little Support for Rutgers, The State University, and its Students,” which had been prepared by Senator and Vice President for University Budgeting Nancy Winterbauer.  He urged everyone to continue to write their legislators protesting cuts in state funding to Rutgers and higher education in New Jersey.

In his comments on the proposed restructuring of higher education in New Jersey, President McCormick said that, although discussions are continuing, legislation is unlikely to be introduced for some time.  He said that an e-mail update on the subject would be sent to all Rutgers e-mail accounts the following week.

President McCormick closed his administrative report with an invitation to all to attend the inauguration ceremonies on Sunday, April 13, 2003, at which time he will be officially welcomed as the 19th president of Rutgers.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Equal Opportunity Committee - Thomas DeRosa and Pheroze Wadia, Co-chairs
Co-chairperson DeRosa introduced a Report and Resolution in Response to Charge S-0305 on the Status of Affirmative Action.  Before reading and moving the resolution, Senator DeRosa made an amendment on behalf of the Equal Opportunity Committee, by adding “and gender” to “race and ethnicity” in the first “Be It Resolved.”  Following discussion, the report was accepted, and the resolution adopted as follows:

Whereas, Rutgers University is an institution that values diversity, equality, and access to higher education;

Therefore, Be It Resolved that the Rutgers University Senate hereby supports continued consideration of race and ethnicity in affirmative action policies in admissions; and

Be It Further Resolved that the Senate urges the U.S. Supreme Court to reaffirm this legal principle; and

Be It Finally Resolved that the Senate urges the University President to strive to find ways of ensuring diversity on campus irrespective of the Supreme Court decision.

Student Affairs Committee - Tahirah Cooper and Matthew Ramsay, Co-chairs
Co-chairperson Cooper and Senator/Student Affairs Committee Member Andrew Durante summarized Charge S-0212 on Use of Athletic Facilities for Non-Athletic Events, and moved a report and resolution on the charge.  Senator Cooper explained that, through informal discussions with President McCormick, the recommendations of the report and resolution had already been accepted by the University administration, and that the resolution had been revised to reflect that fact.  Following discussion, the report was accepted, and the resolution adopted as follows:
Whereas, Rutgers University is dedicated to education, research, service and learning, with many diverse and unique entities operating together towards a common mission; and,

Whereas, the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics is an integral part of our culture and a remarkable resource for the Rutgers community; and,

Whereas, athletic facilities were regularly and successfully used for large-scale non-athletic University events in the late 1970s through the 1980s; and,

Whereas, non-athletic University departments and organizations have had more limited access to athletic facilities than have many non-University organizations; and,

Whereas, the University should allocate all facilities equitably between athletic and non-athletic events; and,

Whereas, through informal discussion and unprecedented cooperation of the administration during the assembly of this report and resolution an agreement has already been reached for formation of an administrative committee to examine this issue;

Therefore, Be It Hereby Resolved, that the University Senate endorses the Report and Resolution of the Student Affairs Committee on this issue, and, with thanks, urges the administration to fulfill its commitment to reopen the lines of communication between the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and the University community at large in respect to use of Rutgers’ athletic facilities for non-athletic events.

Executive Committee - Paul Panayotatos, Chair, and Samuel Rabinowitz, Co-chair
Senate Vice Chair Rabinowitz read an Executive Committee Resolution in Appreciation of Student Participation in March 6, 2003 Trenton Rally Protesting Proposed State Budget Cuts.  On Senator DeRosa’s motion, the resolution was approved by unanimous consent, as follows:
Whereas, Rutgers University is facing unprecedented cuts in its state funding; and

Whereas, the Rutgers community has responded to proposed funding cuts in various ways; and

Whereas, a large contingent of Rutgers students, acting on initiative, and demonstrating active interest in, and concern for, the future of their University, traveled to Trenton to participate in a rally protesting cuts in state funding; and

Whereas, the student rally in Trenton on Thursday, March 6, 2003 embodied a strong and clear message to the New Jersey State Legislature that access to affordable, high-quality education in New Jersey must be preserved;

Therefore, Be It Resolved, that the Rutgers University Senate, on behalf of the University community, commends all of those who have responded in protest of budget reductions, particularly those students who rallied in Trenton on Thursday, March 6, 2003; and,

Be It Further Resolved, that the University Senate encourages all members of the extended Rutgers community to follow the students’ example, and continue to speak out against reductions in state funding, and to lobby for restoration of appropriate levels of funding support from the State of New Jersey.

OLD BUSINESS:

There was no Old Business.

NEW BUSINESS:

There was no New Business.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE REPORT:  Vice Chair Rabinowitz reported on the March 7, 2003 Senate Executive Committee meeting.  Executive Committee minutes are available on the Senate website.

REPORT OF THE REPRESENTATIVES TO BOARDS OF GOVERNORS AND TRUSTEES:
Senator Walker-Andrews reported that, although the Board of Governors has not met since the previous Senate meeting. the tuition hearing will be held on Tuesday, April 29 at 1:00 p.m. in the Rutgers Student Center Multipurpose Room.  Senator Redd reported that the Board of Trustees has not met since the previous Senate meeting.

REPORT OF CAMPUS FACULTY LIAISON:  Senator Kauffman, reporting for the New Brunswick Faculty Council (NBFC), reported that the NBFC had sent a mailing to New Brunswick faculty urging cooperation with students who attended the budget-protest rally in Trenton, and encouraging them to write their legislators on the issue.  He also noted that Marcy Cohen, Director of the Center for International Faculty and Students, had presented a report to the NBFC on the new Student Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), which Rutgers is now required to use.

ADJOURNMENT:  The meeting adjourned at 2:38 p.m.

Kenneth Swalagin
Secretary of the University Senate