2006-2007
FACULTY SENATE
California State University, Sacramento

MINUTES
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Foothill Suite, University Union
3:30 p.m.

Voting Members Present (+ indicates alternate):

ACTION ITEMS

The Faculty Senate approves the following language for the ballot on the referendum of no confidence in President Alexander Gonzalez:

I APPROVE the Resolution of No Confidence in President Alexander Gonzalez

 

I DO NOT APPROVE of the Resolution of No Confidence in President Alexander Gonzalez

Carried unanimously.

Carried unanimously.

The Faculty Senate endorses the establishment of a University Budget Advisory Committee, with the following charge and composition:

Charge for University Budget Advisory Committee

The discussions and recommendations of the University Budget Advisory Committee shall be limited to issues outside the realm of exclusive collective bargaining representatives.

Working with the president and vice presidents, the University Budget Advisory Committee shall:

1. Facilitate development of a highly transparent, informative, and participatory campus general fund budgeting process.
    
2. Facilitate development of a budgeting process that integrates campus strategic goal setting, budget review and planning, allocations as ultimately set by the president, and accomplishment of goals by vice-presidential divisions.
    
3. Advise the president regarding the timing and content of annual budget calls.
    
4. Review, analyze, and advise the president regarding significant budget actions external to the campus such as the initial CSU budget proposal.
    
5. Review annually the relationship of enrollment targets to the proposed campus budget.
    
6. Provide annual recommendations to the president regarding budget allocations across the University’s several divisions in line with University strategic planning.
    
7. Advise the president regarding the format for reporting annual budget data to the campus community in a thorough and consistent manner such that annual changes in the budget are easily tracked and understood.
    
8. Advise the president during the fiscal year regarding significant or unanticipated events that have a significant effect upon campus budget allocations.

University Budget Advisory Committee Composition

The University Budget Committee will be composed of the following members:

University Staff and Administration: Three members appointed by the President (one-year terms)

Faculty: Five committee members that include (for three-year renewable terms, staggered initially):

• one faculty member nominated by and from SPC (Strategic Planning Council) and recommended by the (Senate);
   
• one Department Chair nominated by and from the chairs to the Provost and recommended by the Senate;
   
• three faculty members recommended by the Faculty Senate.

Students: two students recommended by the ASI President (one-year term).

Ex-Officio Members/Staff: University Budget Officer and Associate Vice President for Finance

Carried unanimously.

Background: In March 2007, the Budget Task Force report recommended the establishment of a University Budget Advisory Committee. The composition calls for administrators, staff, students and faculty representatives. One faculty representative shall be a representative chosen by and from the Strategic Planning Council; one faculty representative shall be a department chair, recommended by the department chairs; three faculty representatives shall be appointed by the Faculty Senate.

The Faculty Senate nominates candidates for three (3) faculty representatives to serve on the University Budget Advisory Committee.

The following faculty members were nominated:

Scott Farrand
Bob Buckley
James Sobredo

Carried unanimously.

Background: The 2005-06 Faculty Senate approved, on February 2, 2006, FS 05-69. The Senate's action was overturned by a faculty vote later in the Spring 2006 semester. The 2006-07 Faculty Senate, on September 28, 2006, affirmed the results of the referendum and initiative a series of discussions on the role of the Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Representatives on search committees. Based on those discussions, the Senate's Executive Committee submit the following:

The Faculty Senate recommends submitting the following to a faculty referendum, and charges the Executive Committee with making non-substantive editorial/style changes:

D.    Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Representatives

1.     ELECTION, STATUS, SERVICE: SEARCH COMMITTEE CHAIR, DEPARTMENT (OR EQUIVALENT UNIT) CHAIR AND AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/ EQUAL OPPORTUNITY REPRESENTATIVE 

A.   In order to assure itself that it is providing equality of treatment and equal employment opportunity to all applicants, each department (or equivalent unit) shall elect from among its tenured faculty and its probationary faculty if permitted by the department (or equivalent unit) to participate in a search, an affirmative action/equal opportunity representative to serve as a voting member of its search committees. A department (or equivalent unit) may elect the same member to several search committees or a different member to each of several search committees.
 

B.   Each affirmative action/equal opportunity representative shall normally be elected in the early spring or as circumstances require and shall serve a term of no less than one year.
 

C.   In addition to his or her duties as a voting member of a search committee, the affirmative action/equal opportunity representative, based on training and advice from Human Resources and the University Counsel, shall advise the department (or equivalent unit) about recruiting practices that conform to applicable laws and regulations governing affirmative action, nondiscrimination, and equal employment opportunity.
 

D.   An affirmative action/equal opportunity representative may serve as chair of a search committee provided the search committee elects him or her to serve in that capacity.
 

E.    A department (or equivalent unit) chair shall be ineligible by reason of office to serve as an affirmative action/equal opportunity representative.
 

F.    Nothing in this section shall be construed to absolve a department (or equivalent unit) chair whether serving on a search committee or not of his or her responsibilities in relation to issues of affirmative action, nondiscrimination, and equal employment opportunity.  

2.     AA/EOR ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 

A.    The AA/EOR serves in an advisory and educational capacity to the search committee, not as a compliance officer. The role of the AA/EOR is to help develop an effective and comprehensive recruitment process to assist with the development of an inclusive applicant pool and to ensure the implementation of campus affirmative action and equal employment opportunity policies. The duties and responsibilities carried out by the AA/EOR shall be based on the training and advice from Human Resources and the University Counsel.
 

B.    Is well informed and knowledgeable on the issues of affirmative action and equal opportunity from both a state and federal perspective.
 

C.    Based on training and advice from Human Resources and the University Counsel, reviews existing departmental (or unit) and university policies and is advisory to the search committee on issues of affirmative action and equal employment opportunity.
 

D.    At the time a search is authorized, the Department (or equivalent unit) Chair and the Chair of the Search Committee, in consultation with the AA/EOR, (if selected at that time): 

i.      Critically analyzes the vacancy announcement for inclusivity, vision, and commitment to diversity, e.g., statement that applicant demonstrates a sensitivity to and understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, disability and ethnic backgrounds of students.
 

ii.    Develops a comprehensive and broad-based recruitment plan (vacancy announcement, advertising plan and language, and hiring procedures).
 

iii.   Calls for departmental (or unit) hiring trend data, Affirmative Action plan, and national availability data to inform the development of the recruitment plan and for consideration of additional actions the department (or equivalent unit) may take to solicit a broad and diverse applicant pool. The data collection and analysis will not discriminate or grant preference to an individual or a group.
 

iv.   The availability data will be used to help assess the effectiveness of the recruitment plan and to provide feedback for continuous improvement of the process. 

E.    Prior to the commencement of a search (prior to sending recruitment plan to the Dean), the AA/EOR in consultation with the Search Committee Chair and the Department (or equivalent unit) chair reviews the recruitment plan for potential discrimination and ensures equal employment opportunities. If a bias in the process is identified, the AA/EOR shares information with the search committee, the Department (or equivalent unit) Chair, the Dean and Human Resources.
 

F.   If the AA/EOR, at any time, has reason to believe that inappropriate actions have been taken which may have the effect of discriminating against an applicant, the AA/EOR shall contact the committee chair and then the Human Resources office, as soon as possible.
 

G.  After committee deliberations have been completed and prior to recommendations being forwarded to the Dean, the AA/EOR shall affirm (by signature on the Applicant Process Summary) that no inappropriate actions have been taken which may have the effect of discriminating against an applicant. If the AA/EOR fails to sign the Applicant Process Summary, a written statement by the AA/EOR shall be included.
 

H.    Following the conclusion of a search, the AA/EOR requests data from the Applicant Flow Information Questionnaire from Human Resources. The AA/EOR compares this data to the availability data to determine if the search process was successful at developing a pool of candidates representative of the available candidates. Using this information, the AA/EOR makes recommendations to the Department (or equivalent unit) Chair regarding future searches. 

3.     TRAINING

A.   The appropriate administrator is responsible for developing training for faculty who participate in searches. The training is designed to prepare faculty for their roles in connection with the search. Training will be provided on at least an annual basis.
 

B.   Training is required at least every three (3) years for all Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity (AA/EO) representatives and department chairs to prepare them for their hiring responsibilities. No faculty member who is a department chair or an AA/EO representative who has not completed the prescribed training shall participate in a search. Training is not restricted to these individuals and shall be open to any faculty who wish to learn more about recruitment and screening in hiring new faculty. 
 

C.    It is the obligation of all members of the search committee to be familiar with department and University policies and procedures on hiring. Time shall be set aside for the department chair and/or AA/EO representative to provide information to department search committees on important recruitment or screening issues or changes in employment law.
 

D.   If any member of a search committee, at any time, has reason to believe that inappropriate actions have been taken which may have the effect of discriminating against an applicant, that member shall contact the committee chair and then the Office of Human Resources. 

A memorandum from William A. Dillon, Professor of Government, is included for your information as Faculty Senate Agenda Attachment A (March 15, 2007).

Carried unanimously.

Having reached the hour of adjournment, the following items will be considered at the April 12, 2007 Faculty Senate meeting:

FS 07-23/Flr., Resolution for Protecting Academic Programs at CSUS
FS 07-24/Flr., Resolution Requiring the President to Report on Budgets and MPP’s

INFORMATION

1. Faculty Senate's home page:  www.csus.edu/acse, or, from the CSUS home page, click on Faculty and Staff, then Faculty Senate.
2. For new Senators:  "TOP TEN THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW AS A FACULTY SENATOR".
3. Meeting procedures
4. Schedule of Faculty Senate meetings:

April 12, 2007- 1st organizational meeting of the 2007-08 Senate, 3:00-3:30; 2006-07 Senate meets, 3:30-5:00 April 19, 2007 - 2nd organizational meeting of the 2007-08 Senate, 3:00-3:30; 2006-07 Senate meets, 3:30-5:00 April 26, 2007 - tentative

May 1, 2007 (Tuesday) - Outstanding Teaching, University and Community Service, and Lifetime Achievement Award for Community Service reception May 3, 2007 - tentative May 10, 2007 - tentative

*    Requires Presidential approval.