From the Senate Office


The following statement is published in accordance with the Senate Rules. Among other purposes, the publication of SEC actions is intended to stimulate discussion among the constituencies and their representatives. Please communicate your comments to Senate Chair Peter Kuriloff or Executive Assistant Carolyn Burdon, Box 12 College Hall/6303, 898-6943 or burdon@pobox.upenn.edu.

Actions Taken by the Senate Executive Committee

Wednesday, October 2, 1996

  1. Informal discussion with the president and provost. Regarding safety and security, President Rodin commented broadly on steps the University has taken and plans to take. She emphasized that all members of the community are responsible for taking steps to improve the situation. Provost Chodorow discussed the recent decision by the University of Minnesota Board of Regents to radically change tenure, steps which would render inoperative the lifetime appointment of tenured faculty. Robert Gorman and Morris Mendelson, Penn faculty active in the National AAUP, also discussed the Minnesota tenure situation and presented a draft motion opposing the Minnesota Board of Regents' action for SEC's consideration. It was moved and seconded that "the Senate Executive Committee opposes the proposed tenure revisions made by the University of Minnesota Board of Regents and instructs the Faculty Senate Chair to draft a letter to the regents indicating those concerns." The motion was adopted unanimously.

  2. Update on just cause revision. Charles Mooney reported on behalf of the subcommittee appointed at the last meeting. A question had been raised by SEC as to whether there was any material adverse change in separating the Policy on Misconduct in Research from the Proposed Just Cause Procedure. (The two documents had been combined by the Faculty Senate to simplify the procedure and combine overlapping rules. They are now being separated once again in collaboration with the administration and trustees. See SEC Actions September 4, 1996.) Discussion centered on the definition of faculty and whether all faculty-like categories that were included in the combined documents should be retained in the separated just cause procedure and whether that question should be sent to the faculty for a vote. Discussion of the points raised by the SEC subcommittee were carried over to the next SEC meeting.

  3. Senate Nominating Committee. The chair stated that he had extended the deadline for nominees to serve on the committee until October 9.


Almanac

Volume 43 Number 7
October 8, 1996


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