Joint Assembly/Senate Minutes
April 24, 2007
UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-ST. LOUIS
UNIVERSITY ASSEMBLY AND FACULTY SENATE
APRIL 24, 2007
3 P.M. 222 J. C. PENNEY
UNIVERSITY ASSEMBLY
The final regularly-scheduled joint meeting of the 2006-07 University Assembly and Faculty Senate was called to order at 3:03 p.m. by Dr. Timothy Farmer, Assembly and Senate Chairperson.
Minutes from the previous joint meeting (held February 20, 2007) were accepted as submitted.
REPORT FROM THE CHAIRPERSON – Dr. Timothy Farmer
At the close of his report, the Chair was prompted by Dr. Paul Speck
to announce that
Drs. Farmer and Fred Willman have been re-elected Chairperson and Secretary,
respectively, for 2007-08.
REPORT FROM THE CHANCELLOR – Chancellor Thomas George
Commenting that shared governance is working well at UMSL, Chancellor George updated Assembly members on actions by the Legislature. He reported that this year there will be an increase of about 4.2 percent. The Chancellor credited former President Elson Floyd for championing the equity adjustment we have received. Regarding the Lewis and Clark Discovery initiative, the latest version is House Bill No.16, which includes the full amount we had requested for renovating Benton and Stadler and also provides another $1 million for the incubator we are starting. We are proceeding with planning meetings with the architects and the science faculty. Some items sought by UMC and UMKC have been eliminated from the bill and are unlikely to be restored.
At the close of his report, the Chancellor was asked by Dr. Thomas McPhail why our campus does not display signage prohibiting guns on campus. Chancellor George suggested that he wait to address this question until later in the meeting, when a general discussion of firearms policy is scheduled.
REPORT FROM THE STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION – Mr. Nicholas Koechig
(see attached)
REPORT FROM THE BUDGET AND PLANNING COMMITTEE – Dr. E. Terrence Jones
Both Drs. Joseph Martinich and Paul Speck expressed grave concern that unrealistic enrollment expectations of the past have led to inaccurate assumptions for future targets. Ms. Jennifer Taylor offered the information that recruitment will be the major focus of the Committee on Recruitment, Admissions, Retention, and Student Financial Aid in the coming year.
REPORT FROM THE STUDENT PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE – Ms. Paula Rother
Ms. Rother reported that the Current has enjoyed a great year, placing second in a national competition. Mr. Paul Hackbarth will serve as the newspaper’s Editor-in-Chief next year. A proposal to increase the Editor’s salary by $50.00 per week from the present salary of $250.00 (which has been in effect since 1997) will be voted on at a later time.
REPORT FROM THE COMMITTEE ON RECRUITMENT, ADMISSIONS, RETENTION, AND STUDENT FINANCIAL AID – Ms. Jennifer Taylor
(see report appended to agenda and attached scholarship restructuring supplement)
REPORT FROM THE STEERING COMMITTEE – Dr. Timothy Farmer
Dr. Farmer introduced Mr. Robert Roeseler, Chief of Campus Police, who was asked to speak to the full membership after he presented a summary report to the Steering Committee regarding a recommendation by the St. Louis County Tactical Unit that the campus invest in more powerful weaponry.
Chief Roeseler began by responding to the earlier question from Dr. Thomas McPhail as to the reason why we have no signage posted on our campus prohibiting guns. He explained that the decision was made by the Legal Office in Columbia and was binding on all four campuses.
The County is suggesting a .223 patrol rifle, accurate to about 100 yards,
with ammunition that disintegrates on impact. The total cost to the campus
would be under
$5,000. The guns would be kept in the trunk of the patrol cars out of
view, and they would not be taken out unless required by a situation.
All officers would be trained in the new weaponry by the St. Louis Academy.
Although this issue came to light before the Virginia Tech tragedy, Chief Roeseler noted that failure to provide a safe environment would increase our liability.
Discussion ensued. The Chief was asked by Dr. Richard Wright about certification
for the use of guns. He responded in the affirmative, saying there would
be tight controls.
A student member of the Assembly, Mr. David Dodd, suggested that the guns
be placed in a central location. The Chief expressed the view that there
may not be time to travel to a central location to get the guns when they
are needed. He explained that as soon as the first officers respond, they
form a diamond around the shooter, then attack and eliminate the threat.
Chief Roeseler was asked by Dr. Kathleen Brown about the qualifications of campus officers. He reported that they are the same for the Missouri Highway Patrol. Approximately half of our campus officers are retirees from other police departments. He mentioned that UM-St. Louis participates in a mutual aid pact with neighboring communities.
Dr. Paul Speck commented that there are relatively few incidents, and questioned that if, by increasing our weaponry, we could be encouraging the use of force over negotiations. The Chief reported that the primary goal is to protect everyone on the scene. Negotiation would still be the first effort; however, when there is an active shooting situation, there isn’t much time. The use of weapons, he conceded, would be the last resort.
Asked by Dr. Richard Wright about the weapon in question, Chief Roeseler identified it as a 3-round M.14 officer’s gun. Dr. Wright was familiar with the weapon and commented that training and re-training is the key issue. Dr. Lloyd Richardson confirmed his understanding that officers trained in using the gun would keep it unloaded and out of sight in their trunk, and that the ammunition would be kept in a locked box also in the trunk of their patrol cars.
The Chairperson clarified that this issue surfaced long before the Virginia Tech tragedy. This is a budgetary decision, he said, noting that because it has a large impact on our campus community, we are being afforded the opportunity to raise questions and concerns at this time.
Dr. Bernard Feldman was assured by the Police Chief that there is a protocol when shots are fired, and it includes awakening the Chancellor, he acknowledged with a smile. Dr. Matthew Keefer expressed the view that this appears to be a good investment for everyone. Dr. Kathleen Haywood inquired if consideration has been given to increasing the security surveillance on campus. The Chief reported that we have considered different tactics. Dr. Christine Garhart asked about the Virginia Tech incident. The Chief said the shooter had handguns available to him, and these weapons had the ability to pierce armor. Dr. Mark Pope noted that the campus should look at prevention as well as reaction, and Associate Provost Margaret Cohen offered the information that a program on planning, preparation, and early prevention is being developed.
Dr. Paul Speck verified that acquiring the weapons would result in safety on campus comparable to what you would find in St. Charles or the Galleria. Chief Roeseler advised Dr. Lloyd Richardson that all of our officers are required to wear a Kevlar vest, unless there is a very good reason not to wear it.
There being no further questions, Chief Roeseler exited the podium to applause for his presentation.
Ms. Mary Ann Coker encouraged everyone to attend the forthcoming undergraduate research symposium.
Completing the business at hand, the University Assembly portion of the meeting was adjourned by the Chairperson.
FACULTY SENATE
Following a short break, the Faculty Senate portion of the meeting was called to order at 4:25 p.m.
Minutes from the previous meeting (held March 20, 2007) were accepted as written.
There was no Chair’s Report, and the Chancellor was temporarily unavailable, so the meeting resumed with a…
REPORT FROM THE INTERCAMPUS FACULTY COUNCIL – Dr. Richard Wright
REPORT FROM THE COMMITTEE ON CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION
-- Dr. Mark Pope
Dr. Pope began by expressing thanks to the Committee and to the Faculty Senate for their hard work this year. He called attention to an update of the 2008-09 academic calendar and turned to program proposals, taking them in order from the agenda. A handout replaced the material previously submitted for changes in admission requirements to the Bachelor of Science in Accounting, Business Administration, and Information Systems. When he arrived at a change in degree requirements for the Bachelor of Liberal Studies, he noted that references in the proposal to the Department of Art History should be corrected to read, “Art and Art History.”
The proposal for a new degree program, the Ph.D. in History, brought forth a protest from Dr. Joseph Martinich that senators were being asked to approve the program with little documentation. In the past, it was explained, the Senate had at its disposal not only Bulletin copy, but also an executive summary, and the completed CBHE form. With confirmation from Dean Mark Burkholder, Dr. Pope noted that the proposal has been before the Senate on two previous occasions; however, the stars were not aligned in such a way as to ultimately approve the proposal at a higher level. Dr. Martinich noted our history of debating the need and resources for the program before approving it. Dr. Matthew Keefer objected to delaying approval at this time but suggested that additional information be provided in the future. Dr. Pope offered to provide the material to Dr. Martinich the next day. Dr. Paul Speck called the question. It passed. The proposed new Ph.D. program then was approved without dissent.
All proposals requiring the Senate’s action were approved, and attention was called to a plethora of course additions, eliminations, and changes that had been effected by the Committee. Dr. Pope resumed his seat to applause for his work this year.
ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW FORUM – Dr. Timothy Farmer
Senators were invited to e-mail the Chairperson with comments about the complexity of our bylaws, the number of committees, and time demands for service commitments.
Dr. Speck reminded the Chair that the Chancellor had been absent when
the agenda provided time to raise questions to him, but that the Chancellor
was present and available.
The Chair invited questions from the floor; there were none.
Completing the business at hand, the Faculty Senate portion of the meeting adjourned at 4:56 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Fred Willman
University Assembly and Faculty Senate Secretary
(minutes written by Ms. Joan M. Arban,
Executive Assistant to the
University Assembly and Faculty Senate Chair)