STUDENT SENATE MINUTES
NOVEMBER 16, 2000
The second meeting of the Student Senate for 2000-01 was convened in 25 Law Building, Minneapolis campus, on Thursday, November 16, 2000, at 11:32 a.m. Coordinate campuses were linked by telephone. Checking or signing the roll as present were 37 voting student members. Mr. Percy Chaby presided.
The November 30, 2000, Student Senate meeting has been cancelled. The next Student Senate meeting will take place on Thursday, February 22, 2001.
NONE
3. STUDENT SENATE CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE CHAIR REPORT
Jason Reed, Student Senate Consultative Committee (SSCC) Chair, reported that SSCC recently discussed the six year capital plan, which is the University's request for buildings and building improvements in the even-numbered years. The items being proposed for 2002 include: Northrop Auditorium, an IT Technology and Teaching facility, AHC Translational Research Building, Bede Hall improvements at Crookston, Social Science Building renovations and sprinkler system at Morris, and a Lab Science Building at Duluth. This project list will be approved by the Regents in December.
At the University Senate meeting, an Equity, Access, and Diversity Committee is being proposed in place of the Equal Employment Opportunity for Women Committee. Student senators should be present when the vote is taken so that the Bylaws change is approved.
In regards to the due date for Fall Semester, there was a proposal by the Faculty Consultative Committee (FCC) to change this from the current 72 hours to the week before spring semester classes started. The issue was then brought to the Senate Consultative Committee (SCC) and it was decided to not make any changes to this policy.
SSCC has also looked at the budget figures for financial aid distribution in the state and the Student Legislative Coalition Legislative agenda.
Crookston - Chris Shulstad noted that CSA is filling a student representative to the Regents position as well as several student senate positions.
Duluth - Amber Benning reported that UMDSA is trying to work with the faculty union to provide student evaluations.
Morris - No report.
Graduate and Professional Student Association - Paul Enever noted that GAPSA had a few representatives attend the National Association of Graduate and Professional Students regional conference. As a result of this conference, GAPSA is looking at establishing a committee on diversity issues as they relate to graduate and professional students. Other issues for this year will be Coffman renovation and Boynton Health Services. Jeanette Lauger has also been named the new SLC representative.
Minnesota Student Association - Ryan Nagle said that MSA is focusing on the light rail transit central corridor plans and approving the Fees Committee slate.
Paul Enever, Chair of the Student Service Fees Task Force, said that there have been two meetings, one of which was system-wide, since the last Student Senate meeting. At the system-wide meeting, good information was gathered from the coordinate campuses to help formulate a best practice for the University. A web site for comments is now available at: www.umn.edu/ssftf.
Paul Enever then noted that the lawsuit against the University has been dropped. Following the Supreme Court's ruling on viewpoint neutrality, the plaintiffs asked to amend their lawsuit. This request was denied, the lawsuit was dropped, and the plaintiffs were discouraged from refiling.
In regards to the Twin Cities component, the task force has decided to focus on the composition of the fees committee, how members are chosen, what their roles are, as well as the scope, charge and responsibilities of the fees committee. Access to the fees process will also be discussed. Any interested students are welcome to attend a meeting or leave comments via the web.
Q: Is there any concern with a conflict of interest for students who are serving on the task force and on the fees committee?
A: No conflict of interest has been expressed by members of either group.
Percy Chaby, Student Senate Chair, noted that the Association of Big Ten Schools (ABTS) holds conferences three times per year at different Big Ten schools. At the last ABTS meeting, issues such as corporatization, lobby efforts, building relationships with administrators, transportation, and technology fees were discussed to share solutions across campuses. The ABTS is looking for stable office space and coordinating a lobbying effort at the federal level.
Q: How many students attended and how was it funded?
A: Two students attended this conference and the trip was funded by MSA and the Student Senate. The University will be hosting this conference in the Fall 2001, so central funding is being looked for.
Q: Does the ABTS focus on the entire university system or just the Twin Cities campus?
A: The focus is on the Twin Cities, but some issues relate to the coordinate campuses.
The Student Legislative Coalition (SLC) supports the University's budget request but does not support the raise of our tuition which will happen if the legislature does not fully support the proposed budget. SLC would like to align ourselves to be educated and fully aware of the University initiative while being responsive to the main issue of students, price.
As a two part plan, SLC supports the money to be spent by the University to provide a foundation and investment for the future while keeping the affordability for students a priority. This is in consideration with our mission which is to advocate for affordable, accessible, and quality education. This agenda supports all three of these issues.
PERCY CHABY, President
STUDENT LEGISLATIVE COALITION
DISCUSSION:
Percy Chaby, President of the Student Legislative Coalition (SLC), noted that SLC is the main student lobbying organization on campus. SLC is run by a board of governors, which is comprised of the student body presidents from each campus, legislative designees from each campus, and the Student Senate Chair. There are also employees and interns on each campus to research issues pertinent to each campus.
SLC has an office on the Twin Cities campus and employs an executive director, a grassroots coordinator, and a professional student lobbyist. This past summer, SLC became incorporated.
Each year, SLC brings its legislative request to the Student Senate for approval. This year's request will be focusing on tuition because it affects the most students. A survey will also be conducted during the year to learn about other issues that students might have.
With no further comments, a vote was taken and the motion was approved.
APPROVED
President Yudof said that funding for a stadium will not be put ahead of academic priorities. The University already has a six year plan which does not include any funding for a stadium. There are other possibilities, such as a joint-use facility. He believes that the state needs to provide financing if they want this project to proceed. He then asked for any questions that the students might have.
Q: There is a rumor that if George Bush is elected president you would be asked to serve as the Secretary of Education. Is there any truth to this rumor?
A: He is committed to finishing projects at the University and a cabinet position is not an attractive job offer, although it would be hard to say no to the President. He has accepted a position on the Educational Testing Services Board which relates to his history of studying educational policy and the law.
Q: In terms of the biennial budget, how much will tuition increase if state funding is not received?
A: Tuition is not the preferred choice for raising funds. It will depend on how short the funding is. If the University receives less than it needs to pay its health benefits and a three percent raise for staff and faculty, then a five to six percent raise is possible. If the University receives enough funding for basic operations, then it could stay at three percent. The University needs to fund its health benefits and cannot increase faculty and staff pay less than inflation. He does not believe that it is fundamentally fair for the state to reduce its contribution and force students, who are the least able, to pay the difference.
Q: Are there any plans to have the coordinate campuses participate in future economic development summits?
A: There are no plans for summits at the coordinate campuses, but he would support any of the chancellors if they decided to host a summit. Many people attended in the Twin Cities from across the state and various proposals from the summit were responsive to greater Minnesota. It is true, though, that the research and development areas are disproportionately oriented to the Twin Cities campus.
Q: What has been the legislature's response to the University's request?
A: There has not been any current response because of the election. Before the election, the University met with legislative leaders and there was a sympathetic response. Until the session starts, it will be hard to get a definite read. He is pleased that Peggy Leppik will continue as the Chair of the House Higher Education Committee, since she has been a strong supporter of the University. Senator Weiner will serve as the new Chair of the Senate Higher Education Committee.
The biggest issue is that higher education's request does not fit into the Governor's budget structure. The University's supplemental budget is only $70 million, considerably less than recent requests at Wisconsin or Michigan. The base budget also includes improvements in undergraduate education, such as more advisors, opportunities for undergraduate research and study abroad, and funding for 40 new professors.
Students have been very influential during the past sessions, and will need to continue to talk with the legislators. Parents should also be asked to write letters in support of this budget.
Q: Did the Executive Vice President and Provost bring anything back for you from Crookston?
A: He brought back a shirt. Thank you!
Q: What are your feelings about the Benefits Advisory Committee being proposed by the Health Plan Task Force?
A: It is needed because he does not feel comfortable making decisions without consultation with faculty and staff. He will also try to fulfill all the task force recommendations although some recommendations might be hard with the rising premiums costs.
Q: In terms of graduate assistants joining the University's health benefits pools, who do you envision making this decision?
A: The administration would consult with the graduate student organizations before any decision would be made.
With no further questions, the Student Senate thanked President Yudof for meeting with them.
Recommendation 2. The University administration should continue the recently-initiated negotiations with the State Department of Employee Relations (DOER) to acquire a management flexibility that has not been available through the state up to now. The flexibility should include:
Recommendation 3. The University should maintain a diverse and stable set of health and dental plans, as well as group policies for long-term care, to meet the needs of its diverse set of employees, retirees, and graduate assistants.
RICHARD McGEHEE, Chair
HEALTH PLAN TASK FORCE
DISCUSSION:
Jason Reed, Health Plan Task Force (HPTF) member, said that the Student Senate and Faculty Senate would each be voting separately on these recommendations since each group is a separate risk pool. He then read through the first recommendation and asked for any comments.
A student senator said that he has read through the task force report and, in general, is supportive of the Benefits Advisory Committee (BAC) but with strong reservations in terms of the graduate assistants participation. No one seems to be able to definitely say whether or not graduate assistants are considered an affected group and who will decide if graduate assistants join the main University health benefits pool since graduate assistants only have a non-voting position on the BAC. Additionally, if the graduate assistants do join the main University pool, they are only allowed to vote on issues that affect their benefits. Why does this voting stipulation not pertain to other employee groups on the BAC? Even with these questions, he still felt that the recommendation should be approved so that the process can move forward.
With no further questions, a vote was taken and the first recommendation was approved.
Jason Reed then read each of the next three recommendations. With no comments, separate votes were taken on each of the recommendations and all three were approved.
APPROVED
Policy on the Use of Class Notes for Commercial Purposes
...
Regulations
1. Students may not distribute, via the Internet or other means,
lecture class notes, handouts, or
other instructor-provided materials for compensation or
for commercial purposes, through the
Internet, or for any reason other than personal study among classmates enrolled
in the course, without the express written consent of the
instructor.
2. The provisions of this policy are enforceable as University rules under the University of Minnesota Statement of Standards of Student Conduct, and violations may result in warning, required compliance, confiscation, probation, suspension, or expulsion.
3. If the faculty of a department or collegiate unit, as a group, or
individual faculty in a particular course, have assented to or authorized
the distribution of lecture class notes or
instructor-provided materials, such a practices
does not violate this policy.
4. This policy is effective Spring Fall Semester
2001.
...
WILBERT AHERN, Chair
SENATE EDUCATIONAL POLICY COMMITTEE
DISCUSSION:
Jason Reed, Student Senate Consultative Committee (SSCC) Chair, noted that last February the Senate Committee on Educational Policy (SCEP) brought forth this policy to the University Senate. It was approved but with many questions from the students. This fall, the President discussed the policy with the SSCC and mediated a compromise between the students and faculty. The revised policy allows students to share notes with other students as long as they do not receive compensation.
Percy Chaby, Student Senate Chair, stated that this policy should also stop companies from coming on campus and recruiting students.
A student senator noted that this policy does not prohibit campus organizations from distributing notes for cost.
12. NEW BUSINESS
13. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 12:38 p.m.
Rebecca Hippert
Abstractor