REGULAR MEETING OF THE UNIVERSITY FACULTY SENATE
December 6, 1993
MINUTES
Senators not in attendance were: William Daniels, Larry Holmes, Vivian Klaff,
C. A. Thoroughgood
Senators excused were: Christine Delbeau, James Kirby, Robert Knecht, Roger
Kobak, Richard Murray, Jon Olson, Betty Paulanka,
James Pizzuto, David Roselle, Jack Smith, Janet Smith
I. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA
The agenda was adopted as submitted.
II. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES
The minutes for the November 1 meeting were approved as submitted.
III. REMARKS BY INTERIM PROVOST MURRAY AND/OR VICE PROVOST ANDERSEN
Vice Provost Andersen's remarks were withheld due to illness.
IV. ANNOUNCEMENTS
A. Daniel Rich, Chairperson, Provost Search Committee, reported on the
status of the Provost search, the depth of the candidate pool, and
the tempo for the remainder of the search. The search has used ads
in the Chronicle of Higher Education, Black Issues in Higher
Education, and Update. Letters requesting nominations were sent to
the 167 presidents in the National Association of State Universities
and Land-Grant Colleges, 59 presidents of the American Association
of Universities, and 229 deans of colleges of arts and science.
Special attention was paid to minority and women candidates and to
direct and indirect referrals from the University community.
These efforts have yielded 206 internal and external candidates who
are intellectually diverse, widely experienced, and who have
exceptional academic and scholarly achievements. While the Search
Committee will continue to receive applications until the position
is filled, the review of the candidates began on November 15.
The initial screening is to be completed by mid-January and the
first set of interviews by the Committee are to be completed by
February. The sub-group of finalists are to be brought on campus
through March, and the search process is to be completed by the
beginning of April.
The candidates are being supplied extensive material about the
institution. Suggestions about this material have come from the
Senate Executive Committee and the University community. In
response to a question, Prof. Rich stated that the Search Committee
intends to arrange for the final candidates to discuss issues with
the Senate.
B. Bonnie Kime Scott, President, announced the following:
1. The next meeting of the University Faculty Senate is on February
7, the day before classes resume for the Spring term.
2. The ad hoc Committee on Freedom of Expression in Public Events
has been formed. The members are: Robert Brown, Director of
University Honors, Chair; Joanne Browning, Associate Professor
of Theatre; Belena Chapp, Director of the University Gallery;
Vernese Edghill, Assistant Dean of Students; Thomas Harr,
undergraduate; Bernard Kaplan, Associate Professor of English;
Scott F. Mason, Assistant Director of the Student Center; Rika
Schmidt, graduate student; and W. Gary Smith, Assistant
Professor in Plant and Soil Sciences. The committee will give
an initial report at the April meeting.
3. Announcements for Challenge
a. Revision of the B.A.S. in Engineering Technology (See
Attachment 1 of agenda). Approved as submitted.
b. Approval of proposal to include concentration titles on
transcripts of the M.S. in Physical Education (See
Attachment 2 of agenda). Approved as submitted.
V. OLD BUSINESS
None.
VI. NEW BUSINESS
A. Recommendation from the Vice President of Employee Relations, Maxine
Colm, with the concurrence of the Committee on Faculty Welfare and
Privileges (H. Hall, Chairperson) and the Faculty Senate Executive
Committee, revising the Faculty Handbook to conform to the new
Federal Family and Medical Leave Act (as stated in Attachment 3 of
the agenda).
In a very brief discussion it was determined that the purpose of
this resolution is to bring the Faculty Handbook into compliance
with the Family and Medical Leave Act. The proactive policy of the
University is reinforced by these changes. The following resolution
was passed unanimously.
WHEREAS, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was enacted on
February 5, 1983 with an effective date of August 5,
1993, and
WHEREAS, the provisions of the Act apply to public agencies
including schools and colleges, as well as to private
sector employers, and
WHEREAS, the University of Delaware is obligated to assure that
its family and medical leave policies for employees
comport with the provisions of the Act, be it therefore
RESOLVED, that the changes contained in Attachment 3 be made to the
Faculty Handbook (Section III-36, 37) to bring the
Handbook in line with the provisions of the Family and
Medical Leave Act.
B. Recommendation from the Committee on Undergraduate Studies (M.
Keefe, Chairperson) with the concurrence of the Coordinating
Committee on Education (J. McLaughlin, Chairperson), for the
granting of permanent status of the Air Force ROTC Program.
Debate began with a brief report from Michael Keefe. The Committee
on Undergraduate Studies approved this resolution by a vote of 11-2.
Those opposed feel that ROTC does not belong on campus. Those in
favor believe that Air Force ROTC parallels the Army program, which
has permanent status, and that the issues of gays and lesbians in
the military is isolated from the academic courses in ROTC. Col.
Richard Martel added further background information. The AFROTC was
started in 1982 and provides the opportunity for students to earn a
commission in the AFROTC and to compete for scholarship aid. The
program is 16 hours of electives taken over four years. The program
at Delaware currently is budgeted at $490K, with a nominal student
body of 75 and an average of 13 commissions per year. The program
is well regarded in its group of 38 other institutions. From
questions it was established that there are seven active
scholarships for 60 students currently and that the eight-year delay
in review for the program was an oversight.
Hilton Brown spoke in opposition to the resolution on behalf of the
Committee on Diversity and Affirmative Action and the Lesbian Gay
Bisexual Concerns Caucus by introducing a letter sent with Co-chair
Cynthia Cummings to President Scott on November 22 (Attachment 1).
He asked directly if the ROTC discriminates against gays and
lesbians.
Col. Martel replied that neither the no-credit Leadership Laboratory
component of the program nor AFROTC scholarships currently are open
to individuals who state their homosexuality. Students can be
disenrolled from ROTC for professing homosexual status and may be
required to reimburse the scholarship funding. The specific actions
are decided on a case-by-case basis.
Dean Murray, Senator Idsardi and President Scott established through
questions that the laboratory portion of the Air Force ROTC courses
are not available to individuals not qualified to be cadets.
Similarly the Summer training programs are open to cadets only.
Senator Martuza objected to the program because of these exclusions,
and Senator Reedy observed that the Policies Catalog does not define
eligibility. Senator Taggart asked the extent to which a land-grant
institution is required to provide ROTC, and President-elect
McLaughlin replied by paraphrasing from the Morrill Act: "States
which take advantage of the act must support and maintain at least
one college [where the] leading object shall be, without excluding
other scientific and classical studies and including military
tactics, to teach such branches of learning as are related to
agriculture and the mechanic arts."
Senator Bonner spoke in favor of the resolution as a general way of
bringing freshness to the military. Dean Murray then urged the Air
Force to eliminate the course listing of a laboratory from which
students are excluded on the basis of sexual orientation. Senator
Boncelet suggested this could end could be accomplished by
eliminating the laboratory course section but not the laboratory
activities.
Senator Haslett asked Senator Cooper (Army ROTC) to identify ways in
which students are excluded. Senator Cooper identified age and
physical conditioning as the major reasons individuals will
notqualify for commissioning and emphasized that the Army ROTC
permits anyone to take the classes.
Senator Martuza argued against permanent status for the Air Force
ROTC program because of the total contradiction of University policy
against discrimination just prior to the vote.
The following resolution was passed by a tally of 34 ayes, 21 nays
and 4 abstentions.
WHEREAS, AFROTC represents a nationally recognized training
opportunity for interested and qualified students, and
WHEREAS, the University of Delaware's program has consistently
received high ratings among AFROTC programs regionally,
and has recently been recognized as the Northeast
Region's top program as measured by student training
awards and numbers of students contracted, and
WHEREAS, this opportunity provides a potential resource for
students to use to help fund their academic career, and
WHEREAS, AFROTC would join an already permanent Army ROTC program,
be it therefore
RESOLVED, that, effective immediately, permanent status be granted
to the AFROTC program.
C. Recommendation from the Faculty Senate Executive Committee for
clarification on eligibility of students for ROTC programs. The
resolution read as follows:
WHEREAS, the military may have policies inconsistent with
University of Delaware policies, and
WHEREAS, catalog listings for Army and Air Force ROTC programs
state that students at the University have the
opportunity to earn commissions in the military, be it
therefore
RESOLVED, that, beginning with the 1994-1995 edition, the listings
in the University of Delaware Undergraduate Catalog for
the Air Force ROTC program and the Army ROTC program
shall state clearly:
a. the accessibility of ROTC courses at the University
of Delaware to all students, and
b. any military restrictions based on sexual orientation
that prevent a student from participating in field
training and/or becoming a commissioned officer.
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED,
that this resolution shall continue until the conflict
between Federal and University of Delaware policies on
sexual orientation is resolved.
The resolution was replaced by the following substitute resolution
from Senator Cooper. Both resolutions read the same except that the
substitute replaces a), b), and the final sentence of the original
resolution as follows:
a. the distinction between those ROTC courses accessible
to all University of Delaware students and those
which are not, and
b. that not all students may qualify for ROTC
scholarships, and
c. that not all students may qualify for a commission in
the Armed Forces.
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED,
that this resolution shall continue as long as there are
differences between the policies of the U.S. Department of
Defense and the University of Delaware.
Senator Boncelet spoke on behalf of the substitute resolution
because it is more inclusive and Senator Flynn noted that the
substitute corrects a contradiction in a) of the original
resolution. Dean Murray faulted the resolutions for not being
helpful to the student denied permission to attend a course on a
basis illegal according to University policy. In response to a
question by Senator Grubb, Col. Martel answered that the regulations
for participation in ROTC are explained very early in the program.
President Scott informed the Senate that members of the Executive
Committee met with Maj. John Cooper, Col. David Harris of Army ROTC
and Col. Richard Martel, AFROTC, to discuss the resolution and to
suggest revisions to the Policies Catalog program descriptions.
These draft descriptions were read to the Senate and, after a brief
discussion, it recommitted (tabled) both resolutions to the
Executive Committee with the intent of revision for reconsideration
at the February meeting.
D. Introduction of New Business
Senator John Cooper introduced the following resolution under new
business.
WHEREAS, many departments of the various schools and colleges of
the University of Delaware may have policies inconsistent
with University of Delaware policies, and
WHEREAS, the Faculty Senate is concerned with equal treatment for
all, and
WHEREAS, the Faculty Senate Executive Committee has begun to
identify those departments, be it therefore
RESOLVED, that beginning with the 1994-1995 edition of the
University of Delaware Undergraduate Catalog each
department whose programs or policies are inconsistent
with the policies of the University of Delaware shall
clearly identify which courses, scholarships, activities,
and/or careers and employment opportunities for which
they are preparatory are restrictive.
Senator Magee asked how the proposal was connected to the resolution
which failed in the November meeting, and Senator Flynn noted that
the new resolution expands the inquiry on discrimination to include
other factors. After a brief interchange on this issue Senator
Lemay moved for adjournment.
Senate President Scott adjourned the meeting at 5:22 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Jon Olson
Secretary
University Faculty Senate
JO/wc
Attachments: 1. Letter (11/22/93) to B. Scott from H. Brown and C. Cummings