Harper College Faculty Senate

Professional … pragmatic … principled … progressive

 

Harper College Faculty Senate

Summary Minutes for December 2, 2004

 

Executive Board:  Michael Harkins, President; Paul Guymon, Vice President; Jim Edstrom, Secretary; Dan Loprieno, Treasurer; Sue Overland, Grievance Officer; Julie Fleenor, Past President

 

Actions Taken

  • The Senate accepted the administration’s proposed changes to the CE tuition waiver.
  • The Senate voted unanimously to send a message of support and a donation of $250 to the striking faculty for their strike fund.

 

I.                   Call to Order at 12:21 P.M.

 

II.  President’s Report

Michael Harkins and the officers yielded their time on the agenda to go immediately to “Informational.”

 

III. Informational

  • Chris Poziemski provided information about the faculty retreat in the spring.  It is tentatively scheduled for February 25th, and she asked that any suggestions for programs be forwarded to her.
  • Maria Coons discussed changes being made to the new faculty course.  New faculty will be given two hours of reassigned time instead of a stipend.
  • The holiday party will take place on Thursday, December 9th from 4:00 to 7:00 PM at the Prairie Rock Brewery.
  • Kris Piepenburg discussed the World Cultures and Diversity requirement.  He handed out a list of courses that have been approved thus far and he reviewed the application process, emphasizing the cultural aspect of approved classes.  For example, a foreign language course in and of itself would not necessarily qualify; there has to be a cultural component.  The question of how the Academic Standards Committee defines “culture” and “diversity” was discussed.

 

IV. Old Business

  • The administration’s proposed changes to the CE tuition waiver were discussed.  These will allow staff to register three calendar days prior to the start of a class; for the summer INZONE program, employees can use the tuition waiver ten weeks prior to the start of the program.  Staff will be able to pre-register (accompanied by a signed tuition waiver) one month prior to the class start date.  The waiver forms will be stamped and filed.  Employees and/or their dependents will be registered for class on a first come, first serve basis, space permitting the three calendar days before the start of a class.  The Senate voted to accept the changes.
  • The dean evaluations were discussed.  They are currently being processed.  Any information collected will be confidential and will be the property of the Senate.  It is hoped that the processing will be completed by December 15th.  The information will not be released to anyone else, and the numbers of completed evaluations will not be released.
  • The adjunct union negotiations were discussed.
  • The schedule grid was discussed.  Some concerns were expressed over the amount of time between classes.  We will send Diana Sharp these questions and aske her to come to the next Senate meeting.  Dave Braunschweig will be the contact.
  • The Higher Learning Commission was discussed.  All of the subcommittees have been formed.  There will be an HLC newsletter coming out in the spring, and there will be a website for it as well.  It was noted that faculty should not turn in any outcomes until Dr. Breuder signs a “hold harmless” letter preventing any of the information from affecting any programs.

 

V.  New Business

  • Michael noted that there will be a luncheon for Senators on January 13th, 2005.  Afterwards the Exec will meet with contract chairs.
  • The current strike of Northeastern University faculty was discussed.  It was noted that they are an AFT/IFT chapter.  The Senate voted unanimously to send a message of support and a donation of $250 to the striking faculty for their strike fund.
  • The academic calendar for 2007-2008 was discussed.  The administration wants to again jointly put the calendar together, and the draft will come back to the Senate to be shared with faculty.  We will keep one faculty representative from last year’s committee on this year’s committee for continuity.
  • Michael noted that Renate von Keudell is Harper’s representative on the IBHE Faculty Advisory Council.  This council is sending out a press release expressing its concern that the state is not providing sufficient support for education.
  • The spring Board elections were discussed.  Dan Loprieno will coordinate the process.  Three seats will be up, and volunteers will be needed.  Anyone who knows of potential candidates should forward their names to Dan.
  • Current efforts in the General Assembly to eliminate buyback opportunities related to retirement were discussed.
  • Questions were asked regarding whether there has been any feedback on academic reorganization.  The issue will be put on the agenda for the first Senate meeting in the spring.

 

VII.           Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 1:30 PM.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Jim Edstrom