Official Minutes of the

Executive Board/Central Committee

October 5, 2007

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United Faculty Executive Board/Central Committee Meeting
DATE:  3:30 p.m. by Isakson
LOCATION:  CBB 319
TIME:  3:30 – 5:05 p.m.

1. Call to order

I.          Call to Order (Isakson)
            3:30 p.m. by Isakson

II.        Approval of Agenda (Isakson)

III.       Report from the President (Isakson)
            A.        Announcements went out about Smoothing the Tenure Track to be held on October 18 at 3:30 in the President’s Room of the Union.
            B.         Will meet with the Provost regarding tuition increases and ask for a tentative 3.2% increase in tuition.
            C.        1.         Enrollment exceeded expectations by 500 students which yielded                                  an extra $2 million.  The administration does not know how the money from this increased enrollment will be spent.
                        2.         Pressure is being placed on accrediting groups to raise the standards at institutions of higher education.  President Bush supports the Spelling report.  Consideration is being made to include universities in the NCLB.
                        3.         Emphasis is being placed on outcomes assessment using  standardized tests and value added measures.  Land grant and state  funded institutions have put together a joint committee to deal with              the Spellings Report.    
            D.        University Council Meeting
                        1.         UNI will host the Republican debate on November 6.
                        2.         The Provost position search is continuing as is the development of the job description.
                        3.         Baker Hall’s situation with the mold and mildew condition is being monitored by the administration.
            Out of order New Business:
                        A revised policy regarding split appointments will be discussed at Monday’s Faculty Senate meeting.  There are potential concerns for United Faculty because Academic Affairs changed the language.  Some of the concerns discussed included the length to meet tenure standards, benefits, implication of 100% research, and the viability of 5/8 position for recruitment and retention purposes.

                        The following motion was made by Kurt Meredith, seconded by Laura Terlip, and passed with two objections:

                        United Faculty rejects the change made to the language on page tworegarding research expectations in the proposed UNI Policy on Split Appointments as edited by the AAC on September 2007 because it violates the principle of equal pay for equal work.

                        The following motion was made by Frank Thompson, seconded by Laura Terlip, and passed:

                        Direct the President of United Faculty to prepare a summary of the rationale and possible alternatives for the rejection of the research language on page two in the proposed UNI Policy on Split Appointments as edited by the AAC on September 2007, attach it to the motion of rejection, and forward it to the Faculty Senate and the Provost.

IV.       Membership Update (Quirk)
            One new member.

V.        Presentation and Approval of Minutes (Adkins)
            Approved with the correction of a new member’s last name.
 
VI.       Treasurer’s Report (Thompson)
            Treasurer’s Report was accepted.  Form 990EZ has to be filed with the IRS.

VII.     Grievance Report (Funderburk)
            In Jeff Funderburk’s absence, Hans Isakson indicated there were no new grievances.

VIII.    Old Business (Isakson)
            A.        Provost search—Discussed earlier in the meeting.
            B.         Teaching Assessment Instrument—Discussed earlier in the meeting.
            C.        Attendance at the picnic was low; however, the people who attended had          a good time.
            D.        The administration is aware of the mold problem in Baker Hall.  Any      problems arising from this condition should be communicated to Wendel      Reece.  People who have problems can request to be moved, and they will             be relocated to a comparable location.
            E.         At the time of the meeting, no complaints regarding denied coverage      resulting from the new drug and chiropractic care procedures had been received.  At the meeting, however, Laura Terlip indicated she has to             make a retroactive payment to the insurance company.  Hans Isakson    asked that he be kept informed of her situation.

IX.       New Business
            A.        Kurt Meredith, Michelle Yehieli, and Ann Myles are the United Faculty members on the Clinical Faculty Task Force.
            B.         Diane Depkin, Frank Thompson, and Hans Isakson are the United Faculty members on the Health Insurance Task Force.
            C.        Request for ‘meet and confer’
                        1.         Update on Compliance and Equity Management Committee
                        2.         Procedures for the two task forces
                        3.         Section 8.14 pay raises charged to Section 8.0 and 8.1
            D.        Split faculty appointments—Discussed earlier in the meeting.
            E.         Political posters, signs, etc., cannot be displayed by faculty members. Iowa code prohibits employees from placing political information on state property.

X.        Adjournment
Meeting adjourned at 5:05 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Linda Adkins, Secretary