Rutgers University Senate Minutes, November 21, 2008

MEMBERS PRESENT: Abercrombie, Agarwal, Appiah-Kumi, Ashraf, Barone, Beachem, Bhuyan, Blimling, Blumenthal, Bodnar, Boikess, Borisovets, Brown, Brush, Bubb, Bumby, Ciklamini, Cooke, Cotter, Covey, Creese, Davidson, DeLisi, DeMoya, Diamond, Dutta, Edwards, Fagley, Finegold, Fishbein, Furmanski, Gale, Gao, Gaunt, Gillett, Gimenez, Gonzalez-Palmer, Roe Goodman, Gould, Grant, Greaux, Greenberg, Greenhut, Guo, Gursoy, M. Hall, S. Hall, Holcomb, Husein, Hyndman, Jaluria, Janes, Joel, Kalelkar, Kanj, Kaplan, Katz, Kind, Kociol, Kowler, Koza, Leath, Lemieux, Leonard, Levine, Li, Lintakoon, Loh, Lynch, Markert, McArdle, McCormick, Messer, J. Meyer, Minsky, Mistry, Molloy, Muse, Nolfi, Norville, Nycz, Oliver, Panayotatos, Papathomas, Pavlik, Perrone, Picarelli, Pignatiello, Pinchuk, Pottick, Rabinowitz, Rankin, Rhee, Rockland, Roth, Rudrapatna, Schaffner, Schnetzer, Schramke, Sharp, Sheflin, P. Simmons, Spiegel, J. Stein, Stewart, Sukul, Szatrowski, K. Thompson, Tittler, Tomassone, Toney-Boss, Traxler, Vitello, Vodak, Wagner, Walters, H. Wang, Y. Wang, Weigand, Weinstock-Gallagher, West, Wild, Winterbauer, Wozunk, Wyhopen, Yakal-Kremski, Yannakogeorgos, Yares

EXCUSED: Allender, Barrett, Benovitz, Boylan, Brooks, Burrell, Caprio, Carr, Cooper, Cowen, Ellis, Foley, Robert Goodman, Hanebrink, Heckscher, Hicks, Kemeny, Kukor, Lomiguen, LoSasso, Ludescher, Mariscal, Markowitz, McKeever, Miller, Prekopa, Rodgers, Rudman, Schantz, R. Simmons, G. Stein, Stone, F. Thompson, Williams, Yeagle

PRESIDING OFFICER: Samuel Rabinowitz, Chairperson

CALL TO ORDER, DETERMINATION OF A QUORUM, AND CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT - Samuel Rabinowitz, Chairperson

Chairperson Rabinowitz called the meeting to order at 1:21 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room of the Rutgers Campus Center, College Avenue Campus, New Brunswick. He noted that this was the last meeting of the fall semester, acknowledged those students who would be graduating, and wished all students good luck on final exams.

SECRETARY'S REPORT - Kenneth Swalagin, Executive Secretary

Agenda: The meeting's agenda, amended on Senator Yares's motion to limit each individual discussion to 30 minutes maximum, was approved.
Minutes: The Minutes of October 24, 2008 Senate Meeting were approved as distributed by the executive secretary.

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT - President Richard L. McCormick

President McCormick presented an administrative report, which included comments on topics including:

recent faculty awards and accomplishments, including Clement Price being named chair of President-elect Obama's transition team for the National Endowment for the Humanities, national book awards to Annette Gordon-Reed and Mark Doty, and Fred Grassle's two decades as director of the Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences;
initiation of the Rutgers Against Hunger program;
updates on the Rutgers Future Scholars Program; and
activities of the Athletics Review Committee, which he appointed in the summer, including the committee's report, and President McCormick's response.

McCormick then called upon Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Philip Furmanski to comment on the national economic downturn and its effects on Rutgers' budget, which Furmanski did, projecting that "It is going to be a painful and difficult year going forward."

There were no questions from the Senate for either President McCormick or Executive Vice President Furmanski.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Chairperson Rabinowitz stated the Senate's procedures for the committee-report items:

There would be a 30-minute time limit for discussion of each item. Senators may propose time extensions to be voted on by the Senate.
Individuals wishing to address the Senate should come to microphones, and identify themselves when speaking. First privilege of the floor would go to Senators, in accordance with parliamentary procedure. If time remains, the floor would be opened to comments from non-Senators.
All speakers were asked to limit their comments to about one-and-a-half minutes, and to listen to the prior speakers to determine if their point had already been expressed.

University Structure and Governance Committee Response to Charge S-0704, Senate Committee Structure - Tricia Nolfi and Jonathan Tittler, Co-chairs

[Note: The recommendations in this report included a change to Senate Bylaws/University Regulations. In accordance with established parliamentary procedure, introduction of the proposed amendment to Senate Bylaws occurred at the October 2008 meeting, which constituted notice that the Senate would be asked to adopt the change at this Senate meeting.]

University Structure and Governance Committee (USGC) Co-chairs Jonathan Tittler and Tricia Nolfi summarized the committee report, which included a recommendation that the Senate establish a new, Research and Graduate and Professional Education Committee, and change the name of the current Faculty Affairs and Personnel Committee to "Faculty and Personnel Affairs Committee" to reflect the addition of staff issues to that committees standing charge. The USGC had been charged in 2001 as follows:

Charge S-0704, Senate Standing Committee Structure Review: Consider and make recommendations for modifying the Senate's standing committee structure and/or charges. Consider the proposals submitted by the Staff Caucus, by Senator Gayle Stein, and by Senator Martha Cotter when deliberating on this matter. Consider other committee structure modifications that may be needed or proposed. Solicit input from the Faculty Affairs and Personnel Committee, Equal Opportunity Committee, or other committees identified in the proposals or which may be affected by changes considered or suggested under this charge. Respond to Senate Executive Committee by February 1, 2008. ADDENDUM October 2007: Include in discussions on Charge S-0407 the "Resolution from the Graduate School-New Brunswick" regarding instituting a Senate Committee on Graduate and Professional Education.

Without further discussion, on card vote, the Senate adopted the report and its recommendations.

University Structure and Governance Committee Report on Charge S-0107, Referendum Guidelines Review and Recommended Revised Referendum Guidelines [Links go to report and guidelines as amended and adopted by the Senate] - Tricia Nolfi and Jonathan Tittler, Co-chairs [Follow this link to view the previously applicable Guidelines Regarding Special Student Organizations.]

University Structure and Governance Committee Co-chair Tricia Nolfi summarized the committee report and the process through which it was developed. She read the report, which included three recommendations. The USGC had been charged as follows:

Charge S-0107, Referendum Guidelines Review: Review the “University Senate Guidelines Regarding Special Student Organizations” and recommend revisions where needed. Include recommendations for clarifying any ambiguities, particularly as may arise when a referendum fails on one or more campuses. Recommend revised language wherever possible. [Partial report to Senate Executive Committee June 2003. Guidelines review deadline extended to indefinite time in Academic Year 2003-04. Later extended to September 2008.]

Senator Leath praised the committee's work on Charge S-0107, then moved to separate Section XV, "Collection of Fees," from the referendum guidelines referred to in Recommendation 1 of the report. The Senate approved that separation. Discussion then began on the report and the attached "Procedures Regarding Special Student Organizations" (the "Referendum Guidelines").

Senator Lea Stewart moved to amend Section X, "Determination of Turnout Requirements," to add "as defined by the vice president of student affairs in consultation with the office of the registrar" in the section referring to the definition of "graduating seniors. The USGC accepted the amendment as friendly. Stewart then moved to amend Section XII, "Voting Procedures," subpart 1.B, "Voting," to add "and/or Net ID" after "The student must provide his or her name and Rutgers ID number." Nolfi said the USGC could not accept that amendment as friendly. The amendment failed on card vote.

Stewart then moved to amend Section XII.B.3.b., deleting "by poll location and" from the requirements for separating all completed ballots. Nolfi said the USGC accepted the amendment as friendly. Senator Kevin Wild moved to restore the deleted text. The motion was seconded, and discussed. Senators and Julia Driscoll of NJPIRG commented on the motion. Senator Yares called the question. On card vote, the question was called. Senator Wild's motion to restore "by poll location and" to Section XII.B.3.b. carried on card vote.

At 2:12 p.m., Chairperson Rabinowitz told the Senate that 15 of the 30 allocated minutes remained for discussion of this committee report.

Senators Wild and Benjamin West proposed a substitute first paragraph for Section XV, Collection of Fees, as follows:

If the required affirmative vote is achieved at one or more divisions, the organization's fee shall be listed as a line-item on the university term bill of students attending those divisions. In addition, a hyperlink to a statement, not to exceed one-hundred (100) words, shall be provided by the organization, and reviewed and approved by the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, discussing the organization's mission, the organization's plans to utilize the fee, as well as a hyperlink to the organization's website, if available. Provided a student does not indicate otherwise, the fee shall be included with the term bill payment. The statement on the university term bill shall read as follows: "Optional [student organization name here] Fee. (Click here to read a statement by [student organization name here] regarding this fee." NOTE: The second line shall provide a link to the organization's one-hundred word statement.

Nolfi said the USGC accepted the amendment as friendly. Responding to Senator Panayotatos's point of order, Nolfi said that all USGC members present accepted the amendment.

At 2:25 p.m., when discussion time on this item had expired, the Senate approved a motion to extend discussion time to 2:40 p.m. Discussion continued, with Senators as well as Dan Bracaglia, editor in chief of Targum, commenting. At 2:40, Chairperson Rabinowitz went to the floor to count votes on a motion to extend discussion time for an additional 15 minutes. The affirmative votes did not reach the required two-thirds threshold to extend the time limit. Discussion ended.

Nolfi read the amended Section XV, on Collection of Fees. A roll-call vote was requested and conducted on adoption of the USGC report Recommendation 1 and attached referendum guidelines, resulting in 55 in favor, 43 opposed, and 9 abstaining. [Follow this link to the roll-call voting results.] Recommendation 1 and the attached, amended referendum guidelines were adopted by the Senate.

Several non-Senator students remained at the microphones after the time expired. Chairperson Rabinowitz eventually said that they could be heard under "Old Business," but that the negative vote by the Senate had ended the discussion on this agenda item.

Discussion then moved to Recommendation 2 of the report. Senator Peter Simmons moved to delete the second sentence text "This office will be responsible for making any future changes to the procedures" to keep the referendum guidelines revision process in the Senate. Following some discussion, Senator Gillett called the question on the amendment. Senator Simmons' amendment carried.

Senator Gillett then called the question on Recommendation 2 of the report, as amended. Recommendation 2, as amended, was adopted by the Senate. Recommendation 3 was similarly adopted.

Faculty Affairs and Personnel Committee Response to Charge S-0710, Tuition Remission for Part-Time Lecturer Faculty and Appendix I (Table of Benefits at Other AAUs) - Ann Gould and Paul Panayotatos, Co-chairs

Faculty Affairs and Personnel Committee (now Faculty and Personnel Affairs Committee) Co-chairs Ann Gould and Paul Panayotatos summarized their committee's report and recommendations on Charge S-0710, Tuition Remission for Part-Time Lecturer Faculty. The committee had been charged as follows:

Charge S-0710, Proposal on Tuition Remission for Part-Time Lecturer Faculty: Consider and make recommendations regarding the feasibility of implementing the "Proposal to Make Tuition-Remission Benefits Available to Part-Time Lecturer Faculty" received from Senator Karen Thompson. Respond to Senate Executive Committee by November 2008.

Following brief discussion, the report and its recommendations were adopted by the Senate.

Motion to Adjourn: At 3:30 p.m., Senator Yares moved to adjourn. The motion to adjourn failed.

OLD BUSINESS: Discussion of the referendum guidelines, Targum, and Senate procedures continued under Old Business.

Motions to Adjourn/Extend: At 3:45 p.m., Senator Wild moved to adjourn. The motion to adjourn failed. Senator Gillett's motion to extend the meeting time to 4:00 carried, and the Old Business discussion noted above continued.

NEW BUSINESS: Senator Fishbein suggested that Targum should have special status under the referendum guidelines. No motion was made, but the idea was discussed, and additional Targum-related comments were voiced.

ADJOURNMENT: On motion, the meeting adjourned at 4:00 p.m.

Kenneth Swalagin
Executive Secretary of the University Senate