Faculty Senate gets special meeting

Responding to complaints from Faculty Senate members, CSU Chancellor Charles Reed will speak to faculty Tuesday at a senate meeting to discuss the faculty's concerns about stalled contract negotiations.

The chancellor will speak at noon in the Orchard Suite in the University Union, just prior to the convocation, President Donald Gerth's office said Tuesday.

The format of Reed's visit to CSUS, and whether time would allow for faculty to discuss contract status and the university's general direction, occupied the latter portions of Thursday's faculty senate meeting.

Stan Dundon, professor of philosophy, said he wanted to make Reed aware of the faculty's seriousness in moving toward a strike if progress is not made toward a new faculty contract.

"Time is moving fast on a very desperate situation," Dundon said. "It would be grossly negligent if we didn't let him know he is the first chancellor that is in danger of a faculty strike."

Some faculty senators, including Juanita Barrena, a professor of biological sciences, said the convocation format decided upon by Gerth was inappropriate. Barrena said she wanted clarification on whether the convocation format was going to suffice to allow faculty to address their concerns over the CSU's direction with Reed.

"I would like to see a structure," Barrena said.

Gerth said he selected the format for Reed's visit but said he would not dictate terms to Reed.

"I would be reluctant to tell him what he should talk about," Gerth said. "I would not be at all reluctant to tell the chancellor that there are going to issues raised by the faculty and what they are."

Senate members said ongoing contract negotiations and the future of tenure were two of the topics they hoped to pin Reed down on during his visit.

Henry Chambers, professor of history, wanted assurances from Gerth that Reed was not going to ignore faculty concerns and take up the entire two-hours allotted to the convocation. Gerth estimated earlier in the discussion that Reed would talk for about twenty minutes.

Chambers also said memorandums from Reed addressed "Dear colleague," were a bone of contention. Reed was not his colleague, Chambers said, but the chancellor and not part of the hired faculty.

"I'm senior faculty, my hair tells me that," he said.

Gerth said he chose the convocation format since he wanted Reed to get into conversation with various campus groups without shuttling the chancellor from appointment to appointment every hour, on the hour.

"I had hoped, frankly, he would have come back and spent the whole day," Gerth said. "My objective -- I should make very clear -- is to start conversation. A convocation with faculty and students was a good place for that."

Gerth also said Reed should be ready to meet faculty and students and discuss their concerns directly.

"He's not going to run away from a conversation," Gerth said.

Associated Students Inc. also wants to talk to Reed, said Kim Shaw, ASI's vice president for university affairs.

"I know Sean (South) definitely has some questions," Shaw said.

South is post-baccalaureate director on ASI's board of directors.

Shaw said she wanted to be sure that faculty did not forget students in meeting with Reed.

The senate also approved a measure defining standards for community service learning at Thursday's meeting. The policy defines the CSUS standard for community service learning. It states that a course with a grade based more than one-third on internships, or other projects off campus would be graded credit/no-credit.