COMMITTEE: Faculty Welfare
MEETING DATE: September 13, 2007
PERSON PRESIDING: B. Southard
REGULAR MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE: D. Clark, A. Dralle, A. Hegde, S. McGhee, M. Nasea, J. Salstrom
EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE: B. Henze, L. Ingalls, S. Simpson
OTHERS IN ATTENDANCE: K. Bonatz
ACTIONS OF THE MEETING:
Agenda Item: Approval of minutes
Action Taken: Minutes of the August 30, 2007 meeting were approved with one spelling correction.
Agenda Item: Faculty Applicant Verification Guidelines
Discussion: K. Bonatz explained that this item was a result of the Board of Trustees requesting ECU to conduct criminal background checks on all new faculty employees. Presently the faculty is the only group on campus not undergoing background screening. Faculty Welfare agreed that: 1) faculty should not be exempt from background checks, 2) a screening process should be established that would trigger an in-depth criminal background check when warranted; and 3) very careful and clear wording on screening questions is required. Further discussion is required concerning:
· What will trigger an in-depth criminal background check? How and by whom is the level of investigation established?
· All incidents that were officially investigated should be reported by the potential faculty member. Are incidents investigated but determined to be unfounded also reported? Are all complaints to be reported by the faculty? (For example, a student reports being offended by a faculty comment in class but later understands the comment as true and appropriate within the context of the course.)
· What is the appropriate level/person to review ‘problematic’ reports (Provost, dean, chair personnel committee)?
In reviewing the draft of the ‘Faculty Applicant Verification of Continued Interest and Fitness Form’, specific clarification is needed on item #5 ‘neglect of professional obligations’ and item #7 ‘inappropriate conduct in your relationships’. Wording such as ‘Have you ever been disciplined by an employer or received official reprimand…’ might be helpful in determining which incidences are to be reported.
Additional Assigned Duties: B. Southard will seek clarification from the Provost on the task assigned to Faculty Welfare to determine if commentary on the draft verification form or writing a policy is being requested. K. Bonatz will provide copies of the existing student background check policy and procedures. L. Ingalls will provide copies of the existing SPA, EPA Non-Teaching, and clinical faculty screening policy and procedures. L. Ingalls will request J. Toller to provide copies of the Human Resources study of the UNC System policies related to background checks.
Agenda Item: Partner Hire Policy
Discussion: B.
Southard provided copies of UNC Policy Manual 300.4.2. and spouse/partner
hiring policies from UNC Asheville, UNC Chapel Hill,
Additional Assigned Duties: Committee members are to review the copies
provided in preparation for the October meeting. K. Bonatz will research the
existing policies and report to Welfare as to the legal possibilities of ECU
pursuing such a policy.
Agenda Item: Emeritus Status
Discussion: Reporting on his discussion with Wendy Creasey (Academic Computing), B. Southard stated that some software venders, such as Symantec prohibit the university from making software available to retired faculty since they are neither students nor employees. W. Creasey is continuing to check with other ECU software venders.
Discrepancy between ‘emeritus status’ in the ECU Faculty Manual Appendix C, Section I.D.4 and Part VI, Section I. I. 1(Retirement, Insurance) was resolved by deleting from Part VI reference to tenure and ten years of service as qualifications for emeritus status. The committee agreed that the qualifications for and procedures to award emeritus status were not part of the retiree benefits section. L. Ingalls noted that faculty would qualify for retirement benefits only after 5 years of service to the university regardless of emeritus status. Faculty Governance Committee may wish to consider clarification of “long and distinguished record” in the Appendix C.
Action Taken: Nasea/Henze motioned deletion of the first two
sentences of Part VI, Section I.1 as follows:
Upon receiving
written confirmation of intent to retire by a tenured faculty member with ten
or more years of full-time service to East Carolina University, the unit head
shall notify the unit personnel committee which, in turn, may recommend
granting the retiree emeritus status. Its
decision shall then be forwarded to the unit head and other appropriate
administrative officers in the same manner as other personnel recommendations
for their concurrence or nonconcurrence.
All full-time employees of
the university with a permanent appointment must participate in …
Motion was
approved with 2 negative votes.
A motion (Nasea/Henze) was approved to insert a cross reference to the Appendix C emeritus section under Privileges of Retired Faculty in Part VI, Section I.I.2.b as follows:
Upon the recommendation of the unit personnel committee, unit head, and appropriate dean, the appropriate vice chancellor may grant the faculty retiree emeritus status (as defined in Appendix C) which includes the items listed above under Section I.I.2.a. and, in addition, the following privileges…
Additional Assigned Duties: B. Southard will submit the revisions to the Agenda Committee for inclusion in the next Senate meeting and will communicate with Faculty Governance concerning removal of the qualifications for and procedures to award emeritus status from Part VI.
Agenda Item: Other Committee Business
Additional Assigned Duties: Committee members were requested to bring potential meeting dates for January and March 2008 to the next meeting.
The meeting adjourned at 4:50 pm.
Next meeting: October 11, 2007
Items to be discussed:
Faculty Applicant Verification Guidelines
Partner Hire Policy
Emeritus Faculty Software
Healthcare Plan Satisfaction Survey
Determination of January and March meeting dates
Respectfully submitted,
Susan A. McGhee