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11/7/24 Policy Committee Minutes

    Present: Robin Kar, Richard Laugesen, David O’Brien, Robert Parker, Daniel Steward, Leslie Struble, Carol Tilley, H. F. Williamson; guest: Shawn Gilmore

    The meeting began at about 11:30 a.m. with Kar presiding.

    1. Introductions. Kar welcomed Gilmore to the meeting and had the attendees introduce themselves starting with Gilmore who was attending as past Chair and current member of the Senate Committee on University Senate Statutes and Senate Procedures (SP).
    2. Review of the Minutes for October 10, 2024 Meeting of Policy Committee. Since there were no responses to his request for substantive comments on the minutes, Kar announced that they were approved by unanimous consent.
    3. President’s Report. Kar indicated we will need to concentrate on our review of USC ST-83 since it is such a time-sensitive document. He noted that a topic for future meetings to start discussing what the changes in the Federal administration will affect issues such as academic freedom and how the Policy Committee will act on them. We also need to review (a) the topics we will consider for our meeting with members of the Board of Trustees in the spring; (b) our comments on the continuing campus issues such as the policies on IDs and signage and the FAQ item on academic freedom; and (c) the invitation from local 6471 to be part of a dues sharing program in AY 2025-26 for advocacy chapters.
    4. Scheduling Spring Policy Committee Meetings.
      1. Regular Policy Committee Meetings. Kar noted we have begun working on the spring schedule for our regular Policy Committee meetings so further information on this will be part of the agenda for our final fall meeting at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, December 5.
      2. Meeting with Members of the Board of Trustees. Kar is working with Nick Jones to arrange a meeting presumably in the spring semester. He will indicate that we like to consider such issues as the possible effects of the change in administration nationally on higher education and academic freedom. Parker noted that we also can ask them how we can help with their work.
    5. Review of USC ST-83: Revision of Statutes.
      1. Background: Kar began the discussion by noting that ST-83 is a comprehensive set of proposed changes to the University Statutes that has been in development for a long time. The proposed change of particular interest was that the protection of academic freedom for faculty which currently covers the individual’s area of scholarly interest would instead only cover the individual area of scholarly expertise (emphasis added).
      2. Current Situation: Gilmore noted there are several things going on at the same time on this issue. The original package was presented in 2021 and rejected in part or total by two Senates and only commented upon by the third (UIC). At that point, USC responded to all three campuses about their concerns and simultaneously prepared a revised version to the President to send to the Board of Trustees, an action Gilmore noted was outside their statutory authority. Gilmore then outlined the various issues that will be addressed by the Senate on this proposal and noted that an analysis of the situation by the Senate Committee on Academic Freedom and Tenure (CAFT) is also now available. There was a wide-ranging discussion of both the possible procedures underlying the USC document and the proposed change itself. Gilmore noted that a related topic is the question of who will receive academic freedom protection under this version as well as the more general problem of defining academic staff positions on campus. O’Brien asked about the process by which such changes are submitted to the Board of Trustees. Gilmore responded that the President has the power to send amendments to the Statutes under almost any conditions. He also discussed what might occur at the Senate meeting regarding this issue. Both he and Kar noted that we should be aware that the outcome is uncertain at this point but could even include a recommendation to send it to the Board of Trustees.
      3. Chapter Actions. Kar led a discussion of what response we might prepare on behalf of the AAUP in general and the Chapter in particular. Laugesen asked whether this might include having an AAUP representative at the Senate prepared to provide the AAUP position. Gilmore noted the individual could present a public comment and/or ask for floor privileges. Kar announced that he would pursue that option. He will prepare a comment to present at the Senate meeting and as a document to the President.
    6. Organize Every Campus Campaign. Kar noted there is a new program in which participating advocacy Chapters will receive back a significant share of their dues in AY 20225-26 that requires that at least two members attend a Zoom workshop on November 16-17. Anyone interested was asked to contact him.
    7. Adjournment. Kar adjourned the meeting at about 12:40 p.m. As noted above, the next meeting of the Committee will be on Thursday, December 5, 2024, at the new starting time of 11:30 a.m.