Faculty Senate Minutes
Monday, October 24, 2016
Clinton Hall 126, 3:30PM-5:00PM
Senators Present: Anderson, Babich, Birzer, Bryant, Castro Chand, chopra, Close, Decker, Dehner, Ewing,
Koehn, Johnson, Lancaster, Mahapatro, Moore-Jansen, Mosack, Price, Pulaski, Rille,a,
Rokosz, Ross, Shaw, Solo,ey, Walker, Wehebe, Willis ,Kenna- Woods, Yildirim
Senators Absent:: Ahmed, Barut, Deibel, English, Hendry, Hull, Myose, Taher
Senators Excused: Asaduzzaman, Bolin, Brooks, Cramer, Kreinath, Rife, Shukawv
I. Call to Order 鈥� Meeting called to order at 3:30 PM by President Yildirim
II. Informal Statements and Proposals 鈥� None
III. Approval of Minutes
a. Minutes of the October 10, 2016 meeting were accepted as presented.
IV. President's Report 鈥�
a. Insurance 鈥� President Yildirim noted that insurance rates have increased for the upcoming year.
President Bardo is trying to work on a potential solution for low paid staff and faculty.
b. KBOR Meeting Governance Committee 鈥� Weapons Policy 鈥� President Yildirim attended the KBOR meeting last week. Emporia State, Fort Hays
State and Kansas State shared their proposed weapons policies. No decisions were made
as the board is waiting to hear from the three remaining institutions. President Yildirim
thought it would be at least a couple more months before the board has finalized a
policy. The three institutions who presented also raised the following policy questions:
i. Emporia State 鈥� Can weapons be carried but not loaded? 鈥� Regents had some reservations
related to this question. The question of whether stun guns/tasers should be allowed
was raised, but has not been resolved.
ii. Fort Hays State 鈥� Can faculty have a gun locker for their personal guns? This
seemed to be a reasonable request.
iii. Kansas State 鈥� Wanted clarification on restricted access areas, for example,
could guns be carried into the Child Development Center?
c. Council of Faculty Senate Presidents 鈥� AP/CLEP Scores 鈥� Scores are being set and the CSFP is collecting data regarding minimum scores.
The issue of minimum scores should be resolved in a couple of months.
d. PET Meeting 鈥� President Yildirim, along with presidents of the Unclassified Professional Senate,
the University Support Senate, and Student Government Association, met with the President's
Executive Team. President Yildirim discuss the Faculty Senate budget and faculty feedback
for decision-making.
e. Diversity Climate Survey 鈥� Faculty are encouraged to complete the Diversity Climate
Survey which was sent via e-mail last week.
V. Committee Reports
a. Update from the Rules Committee 鈥� Senator Shaw discussed an issue the Rules Committee
is currently addressing. There are 157 individuals who are classified as temporary
faculty (yearly contracts), contingent unclassified professionals, provisional unclassified
professionals, and regular unclassified professionals who teach 50% or more, but who
do not in practice have representation in the Faculty Senate. The Rules Committee
is in the process of reviewing and clarifying the Faculty Senate constitution regarding
representation and will bring a proposal to the senate at a later date.
VI. Old Business - None
VII. New Business
a. Parking Update 鈥� Andy Schlapp, Executive Director of Operations and Troy Bruun, VP Administration
& Finance 鈥� An update on the parking garage to be build south of the RSC was provided.
The contract will be let at the end of November and the structure should be completed
by the end of July. The parking garage will be primarily for visitors and will be
hourly; however, there will be an opportunity for reserved spaces. There will be approximately
450 spaces in the parking garage and the rate has not yet been set.
i. Faculty expressed several concerns:
1. Concern: Apparent reduction in the number of handicapped spaces
Response: Handicap spaces have not been eliminated, some have been moved. -
2. Concern: Cost for handicapped spaces
Response: There is no charge for handicapped spaces.
3. Concern: Individuals who park in handicapped spaces have different needs and are
not consulted.
Response: Will take the comment back to administration
4. Concern: Lack of transparency in the decision to build the parking garage and
lack of consultation with the faculty
5. 5. Concern: Elimination of reserved faculty spaces in the lot where the parking garage
will be built. (The lot has 228 slots in total, including faculty, visitors, handicapped
and red reserved spaces).
Response: Faculty will have to park elsewhere, at more distant lots or at the Metroplex.
Response: Fair comments and will take them back to administration
ii. Executive Director Schlapp commented that these are difficult decisions and there
does need to be better communication with the faculty senate.
b. Tony Vizzini, Provost and Senior Vice President 鈥� Academic Affairs Update:
i. Thanked everyone for involvement in the HLC visit
ii. Noted that a candidate for the Vice President of Student Affairs was on campus
for an interview and there will be two more candidates on campus with the coming weeks.
iii. The result of the market-based tuition was reported to KBOR. Total revenue was
fifty-five to sixty thousand dollars. The regents were supportive.
iv. Budget 鈥� currently looking at how to reduce the budget in fiscal 2018 and which
individuals would be hardest hit. Several faculty stated that they had not received pay increases in the past 5-6 years.
Provost Vizzini stated that he was unaware of any faculty who had been without a raise
for that long, and pointed out that there had been merit raises in that period. .
v. Working on a shared governance policy 鈥� with the senate presidents
vi. The WSU-WATC merger is still progressing.
vii. Provost Vizzini responded to questions from senators:
鈥� Q 鈥� How will WATC faculty be integrated?
鈥� R 鈥� There are 6-8 general education faculty at WATC who are full time. We don't
see a reduction in faculty.
鈥� Q 鈥� What will happen to the WATC and WSU South Campus facilities?
鈥� R 鈥� Both leases are coming up at about the same time so it is an opportunity to
look for other options.
鈥� Q - Why was tuition not raised to address the budget issue?
鈥� R 鈥� Administration decided to take the hit internally rather than raise tuition
for students.
viii. Faculty voiced concerns about the budget and lack of faculty and staff compensation.
Senator Price noted that during tight financial times, symbolic efforts mean a lot.
Provost Vizzini stated that funds for endowed faculty positions are part of the capital
campaign.
c. The Student Government Vice President Taben Azad came to the faculty senate to
ask faculty members to encourage students to fill out the WSU Culture and Climate Survey.
VIII. As May Arise 鈥�None
IX. Adjournment 鈥� at 4:53 PM