Minutes

UMES Senate Meeting

March 13, 2001

The Secretary, Dr. Brigid Noonan, was unable to attend and R. Jesien volunteered to keep minutes.

1. Minutes of the February Senate meeting were approved

2. Several announcements were made relative to campus organizations.

3. The Senate President called for nominations for President, Vice President and Secretary. Nominations can be emailed to the president, only Senators can nominate. Nominations will be discussed at the April meeting and voting will take place at the May meeting. Departmental Representatives should be elected during April and should be qualified by the April Senate Meeting

4. New Program Development

There is a new form for submitting new programs. If the form for submitting new programs does not have to be approved by MHEC then do not need to abide by ….how do you know if there needs to be MHEC approval (need to ask Wagonheim)??

5. The motion to modify the agenda was approved (13 for, 6 against, 1 ab) so that Ms. Marie Bille, Director of Human Resources, spoke earlier in the meeting to provide as much time as possible to discuss the COLA (Cost Of Living Allowance) distribution. Ms Bille was asked to address the Senate in light of discrepancies between the amount of salary indicated in the annual appoint letter and the actual amount received by an employee.

6. Presentation by Marie Bille, Director of Human Resources.

New Employee Concerns

New employees felt they were entitled to receivce the cola whciha was actualized on Nov 15. Therefore, their contract amount should have been increased as of that date.

Bille said they were not entitled to the cola, but they would receive their full contract amount.

Continuing Employees – The concern was that the continuing personnel did not receive the salary amount stated in their appointment letters for the 1998-1999, 1999 – 2000, and 2000 – 2001 academic years. Ms Bille stated that the letter was not to be considered a contract letter, but a letter of salary adjustment. It was made clear that first letter that an employee received was a contract letter and that subsequent yearly letters were salary adjustment letters. It is the administration’s contention that the salary letter makes it clear that the employee would not receive the amount stated in the salary adjustment letter. In response to a question Ms Bille stated that salary could be adjusted at any time (up or down), although they had no intention of doing so because “it would not be right”. Ms. Bille offered that if employees do have salary concerns to submit them in writing along with a copy of the W2 forms.

There was further discussion on the salary issue and the motion was approved to continue the discussion as the second agenda item at the April Senate meeting.

6. Committee Reports Academic Affairs

Dr. Mollett, chair, Proposed Changes

1. Proposal from Human Ecology to separate lecture and lab into 2 courses. Dr. Mollett asked for clarification, but received none, on the issue that usually letter designations are XXC for lecture classes and XXL for lab course, in this instance the HUEC101 is the lecture and HUEC 104 is the lab designation.

The Proposal was approved with modification so that lab and lecture courses follow the conventional numbering system.

2. Engineering Aviation Science

14 Courses were open for approval. The chairman indicated that changes were largely cosmetic and centered around renumbering and changing course descriptions, reassignment of numbers for lecture and laboratory.

The proposal were approved

3. Agriculture Science – MS in Food Science

The main issue of concern was the need for new lines and resources for the program. The chair indicated that the program could exist without new lines or new expenses and the proposal was approved.

4. Exercise Physiology

Discussion centered on the need for new funds. Action on the proposal was to amend to include the phrase “based on approval of Title III funds”.

5. MS in Mathematics

Discussion centered around the need for additional funds

Proposal was

Other Business was tabled because of the long extent of the meeting. It was approved that Student Concerns be tabled and will be the first agenda item at the April Senate Meeting.