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Vol. XXVII No. 12March 26, 1997
http://www.umn.edu/urelate/brief/1997-03-26.html
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Editor: Maureen Smith (612) 624-2801

Gopher men's basketball team is headed for the Final Four for the first time ever after a 2-overtime victory over Clemson March 20 and a come-from-behind victory over UCLA March 22. Team was welcomed back with an emotional rally at Williams Arena Saturday night. Gophers play Kentucky March 29 in Indianapolis.

Bill before the legislature would open up the data privacy act so that student evaluations of faculty would become public information. Bill would apply to the U only and would go into effect Feb. 1, 1998. Some students spoke in favor of the bill. VP Marshak and Laura Koch, chair of the Senate Committee on Educational Policy, testified to voice concerns about the bill. Koch has appointed a subcommittee chaired by research associate Darwin Hendel, with 3 students and 3 faculty, to look at what it would mean to open up the records.

Close vote on unionizing sent a message that many faculty do not have confidence in the governance system, Dan Feeney said at Faculty Consultative Committee (FCC) meeting March 20, and the Senate Committee on Faculty Affairs (SCFA) is taking that message seriously. Andy Collins suggested a joint meeting of FCC and SCFA to talk about the issues that are of most concern to faculty. Vic Bloomfield said the governance system is dealing with the same problem identified in the accreditation report: "We have too many things on our plate." Committees have to respond to administrative proposals and also to concerns raised by faculty, he said. "I am committed to a grass roots approach. There is a question of how we prioritize our efforts."

Crisis reflected in the vote was about shared governance, Bloomfield said, and this must be addressed with the new president and the partly new Board of Regents. President-designate Yudof has asked why the U has so many committees, and the structure may be cumbersome for "an activist president," he said. "We don't want faculty to be ignored. We want faculty governance to be structured effectively. That's going to be a tricky issue."

Relationship between FCC or Senate Consultative Committee (SCC) and other committees must be addressed, Feeney said. Perception sometimes is that "things get shot down or derailed" in the FCC, he said. In past years the SCC did play the role of screening committee for the U Senate, but this year by informal agreement the committee decided not to stand in the way of any other committee in bringing items to the Senate. If people still have the perception that the SCC blocks the work of other committees, that is a problem, Bloomfield said.

One concern in the SCFA is the growing number of temporary faculty, Feeney said, especially in the Academic Health Center, which has a freeze on hiring tenure-track faculty.

Salary adjustments for faculty not covered by collective bargaining are discussed in a March 13 memo from VPs Marshak and Jackson. Salary information for all other employee groups "will be distributed as it is finalized," the memo says. Compensation plans for faculty at Duluth and for unionized staff will be determined through collective bargaining negotiations. Plan for civil service staff is subject to consultation with the Civil Service Committee and observance of the maintenance of status quo order for civil service professional employees.

Senior administrators who are also tenured faculty are covered under the faculty policy, the memo says. They will receive increases from the 2.5% pool only. By policy, they will receive a 1997-98 increase to their faculty salaries as well, but "these increases will not be realized until the administrator returns to the faculty."

VP Marshak reported to Senate Committee on Finance and Planning (SCFP) March 4 on distribution of faculty salary increase money to campuses and provostal units. Total increase for TC faculty, on average, will be 8.5%. Average at Morris will be 9%, at Crookston 4.5%. Duluth salaries will be set through bargaining. Marshak said the administration expects provosts to differentiate among colleges, colleges to differentiate among departments, and departments to differentiate among individuals. All individual increases will be based on merit.

Long-distance telephone rates are limited to 14¢ a minute in the budget instructions, associate VP Richard Pfutzenreuter told the SCFP; committee members said this is a welcome change. Faculty members had complained that calls were being charged at a rate out of line with what anyone can get anywhere.

CROOKSTON--"Spain and the Basque Country: A Rich Heritage" will be presented March 31 by Asier Larrea, UMC student from the Basque Country. Evening begins at 6 p.m. with an ethnic dinner for $7, followed by a 7 p.m. program in Brown Dining Room of the UMC Conference Center. To reserve a place at the dinner, call (218) 281-8586.

Connecting Rural Schools and Communities to the Information Superhighway is the topic for a PBS teleconference at the UMC Conference Center, March 25, 1-2:30 p.m. Program will include case studies of successful technology models for improving rural schools. There will be no cost to participants. Call (218) 281-8681 if you plan to attend.

Former major league baseball player Bill Tuttle will talk on oral cancer April 1, 7 p.m. in Bede Ballroom. Free.

DULUTH--Chancellor Martin at a news conference March 14 announced UMD's plans to achieve gender equity in athletics. She outlined progress to date on recommendations of a UMD internal audit, results of an NCAA review, and the report of UMD's Task Force on Women's Intercollegiate Athletics. "We will reach complete proportionality by 1999," Chancellor Martin said. "This is good news for our women athletes and for the University. We are breaking new ground in achieving this turnaround in record time. The plan does not call for discontinuing men's athletics programs to achieve gender equity."

The UMD women's soccer team, which completed its 3rd season of intercollegiate competition this fall, received 2 awards from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. UMD was one of just 24 schools at any NCAA level to receive the Team Academic Award for posting a cumulative GPA of 3.2 for the past academic year. They also received the Team Ethics of Merit Silver Award for being assessed 3 or fewer cautions or ejections in 1996.

MORRIS--U Cards will be issued April 1-3, 8 a.m.-4 p.m., and April 4, 8 a.m.-noon, in the Mocassin Flower Room of the Student Center. Driver's license or passport is required, and photos will be taken. Visit the U Card Web page at http://www.umn.edu/ucard/ (link to UMM's U Card) for U Card details.

Seventy-five tickets remain for the Thursday performance during the 3-day 19th Annual UMM Jazz Fest. Jazz greats John Patitucci and Bill Prince will take the stage with UMM jazz ensembles. Performances are 7:30 p.m. April 10, 11, and 12 in Edson Auditorium. Friday and Saturday concerts are sold out.

Five members of the men's wrestling team were named to the NCAA II Academic All-American Wrestling Team. For the 2nd straight year UMM led the nation with the most selections from any one school: 9 in the last 2 years. Named to the team were Patrick Bergin, B.J. Friedrichs, Jeff Himelspach, Kip Lynk (a 2-time selection), and Greg Pauling. The team ranked 12th in the NCAA II Academic National Championship with a team GPA of 2.935.

TWIN CITIES--Route 52 bus service was the topic when assistant VP Paul Tschida and Parking and Transportation Services director Bob Baker met with the Senate Committee on Finance and Planning (SCFP) March 4. Problem is insufficient funding, Tschida said, and the priority is to improve the on-campus transit system. Baker said the subsidy per passenger per year on Route 52 is almost $1,100. On-campus subsidy cost is $75 per passenger per year. Route 52 bus system is a good one, well run by Medicine Lake Lines, and people like it, Tschida said, but it serves 1,000 people, and the on-campus system is used by about 20,000 people a day. More in SCFP minutes.

Academic Health Center (AHC) has signed a $1 million contract with the pharmaceutical company G.D. Searle to conduct clinical trials of drugs and medical devices. Contract is first for the AHC's new research support services office, which was established to provide companies with easier access to U research expertise for clinical trials.

Events: New York's Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater comes to Northrop Auditorium stage April 1 at 7:30 p.m. with a program including "Fathers and Sons" by U dance faculty members Danial Shapiro and Joanie Smith. Tickets: (612) 624-2345, faculty/staff discounts."Educational Reform and Globalization in the Republic of China" by Wu Jin, minister of education, April 4, 2 p.m., Cowles Auditorium, Humphrey Center.

Announcements: Minnesota English Center is currently matching American and international students for a language and culture exchange spring quarter. Center is looking for Americans interested in less commonly studied countries (Arab countries, Indonesia, Pakistan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam) in particular. Application deadline is April 10. For information, contact Natasha Fleischman at (612) 626-9581 or e-mail fleis002@gold.tc.umn.edu.Inventory Warehouse closed Feb. 21. U departments can now get office furniture and equipment through the Reuse Program at the Como Recycling Facility, 3009 Como Ave. S.E. Facility is open 7:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. If you have surplus items to remove from your department, you must still contact Scott Eggert at Inventory Services, 624-2541, to perform the necessary inventory accounting and screening process. For more information about the Reuse Program, call 625-7361.Clinical research coordinators will meet April 1, 7:30-9 a.m., 2-110 and 2-140 Weaver-Densford Hall. Leo Furcht, vice provost of the Academic Health Center (AHC), will speak on the AHC research services office.Lab Fest '97, the annual scientific product show, will be at the Radisson Hotel Metrodome April 16 and the St. Paul Student Center North Star Ballroom April 17, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Call 624-8024 for more information.