University of
Virginia General Faculty Council (GFC)
Minutes: May 21, 2002 12:00-1:30 PM, Room 389
Newcomb Hall
Members
Present: Jann Balmer, Jennifer Bauerle, John Blanco,
Frank Butros, Donal Day, Rosie Dunn, James Freeman, Phil Gates, Bill Keene,
Lotta Lofgren, Barbara Millar, Chris Milner, Lynda White, Ellie Wilson
Members
Absent: Mary Abouzeid, Robbie Greenlee, and Carol Hunter
Also Present: Karen Holt
(Guest) and the following General Faculty Council members whose terms expired
in April 2002: Chuck Callaghan, Joe Gieck, Aaron Laushway and Jan Redick.
The meeting
was chaired by Frank Butros
1.
Minutes of the April 8, 2002 meeting were approved as
corrected.
2.
Introductions:
Introductions of all council members in attendance were made to help acquaint the new and remaining members. The new council members in attendance included: Jennifer Bauerle (Student Affairs); John Blanco (Medicine); Phil Gates (Athletics); and Chris Milner (Engineering).
3. Election of Officers:
The following officers were elected for the April 2002-03 term:
Chair: Lynda White
Chair-Elect: Lotta Lofgren
Secretary: Rosie Dunn
4. Special Report:
Karen Holt presented an informative
overview of the mission and activities of the Office of Equal Opportunity
Programs.
She initially pointed out the three
primary areas of OEOP focus:
facilitation (all the activities related to bringing students to UVA);
environment (creating a supportive, appropriate climate for the students); and
education/outreach.
Following this, Ms. Holt described
specific activities sponsored by the OEOP, and indicated areas where the
General Faculty Council might play an important role in fostering/supporting
some of these activities. These are
summarized below:
Faculty
Recruitment. The OEOP plays a direct role in faculty recruitment policies
(and an advisory role in classified staff recruitment policies).
Diversity
Issues. Karen Holt described the OEOP as the organization which is
fostering increased awareness of diversity issues. In February 2000 a “Diversity Symposium” was held at the
University which was well attended and featured prominent speakers. This symposium, reports from which can be
viewed on the OEOP website, represented an effort to start a grassroots
movement on diversity at the University.
Annual
Equal Opportunity Plan. Each year
the OEOP requests information from all University departments and divisions
regarding their equal opportunity policies.
This information, along with statistics on all aspects of diversity at
the University, is published in a large booklet which represents a very good
resource document. This information is
also available online.
Discriminatory
Harassment Training. The OEOP has
created a two-hour program on discriminatory harassment issues which has been
mandated by the President’s cabinet for all supervisors (all full-time faculty
and anyone who completes or reviews evaluations) at the University. Melvin Mallory is the person in the OEOP who
schedules this program for departments or groups. This is one area where Karen Holt indicated that the General
Faculty Council could be helpful:
council members can make sure that this training is done in the schools
which they represent.
Climate
Study. The idea of conducting a
climate study at the University was approved by the President’s Office some
time ago, and two competent consulting firms with national recognition
submitted bids for the study. Despite
the prior approval, funds were not made available, and the project is at a
standstill. This is another area where
General Faculty Council pressure might get the ball rolling and make this
climate study a reality.
4. Committee Reports:
CCUG. Barbara Millar reported on a recent CCUG
meeting, and said that this group is willing to help the council see the policy
process through to completion. She
announced that Gweneth West is the Chair and Tony Townsend the Chair-elect of
CCUG. CCUG is advisory in nature and
was established by Leonard Sandridge, to whom the CCUG reports.
Policy
Committee: The policy committee still has received no
final word from Alex Johnson on the draft policy. Concern was expressed by policy committee members that, since
Alex Johnson is leaving UVA soon, he (and the Office of the Provost) may
consider the job done and the policy document in its final form. If this occurs, we may be presented with a
signed, sealed, and delivered product with items/language that the Council is
not happy with. The committee, and others on the council, expressed further
concern that, being essentially under a “gag order” from the Provost’s Office,
the Council’s hands are tied with regard to moving the process along. However, following discussion, there was
general consensus that the imminent departure of Alex Johnson opens the doors
for the Council to contact anyone that can be helpful, and some action should
be taken immediately. Suggestions were
made about whom the policy committee should contact, and it was decided that
the committee would simultaneously contact Laura Hawthorne (Executive Assistant
to the Provost), Gene Block (Provost) and Richard Kast in the General Counsel’s Office.
The meeting
was adjourned at 1:15.
NEXT
MEETING: June 11, 2002 12:00 noon, Room 389, Newcomb Hall