MINUTES
May 14, 1998 Regular Meeting
Time: 12:45 p.m.
Place: Room 321 Dorman Hall

Senate Membership
Bateman, Belli, Boyd, Broome, Chen, Coats, Deeds, Eblehar, Ezell, Hood, Hovermale, Ingram, Jack, Kizer, Linford, Malone, Marshall, Minnis, Murphey, Nebeker, Rice, Robinson, Salin, Schneider, Snipes, Starks, Thompson, Varco, Waldhalm, Walker, and Zuercher.

Excused
Hood, Minnis, Murphey, Rice, Snipes, and Zuercher

Absent unexcused
Starks, Varco, Zuercher

Division Administrators
Vice President Foil, Director Brown, Dean Fox, Dean Gunter, Dean Mercer, Director Watson

Present
Foil

Approval minutes previous meeting
Minutes April 9, 1998 Meeting approved on motion by Bateman seconded by Thompson by voice vote.

Guest comments
Dr. Foil discussed and answered questions pertaining to the budget for next year.

Indicated that he was happy to see the Senate having been requested to address the tenure issue for DAFVM faculty referencing the letter by Thomas.

Chair report
Welcome new members: Cox, Ezell, Snipes (excused absent), Varco (unexcused abscent).

David Shaw new Chair DAFVM Reps of RHFS.

DAFVM leadership roles RHFS 1998-1999: Euel Coats, Chair; Beverly Howell, Secretary; David Shaw, Chair Charter and Bylaws Committee; and Robert Cooper, Chair Faculty Affairs Committee.

DAFVM Charter approved by Dr. Foil, See Supplemental Information.

Current Standing Committee assignments (see list attached). Salin named Interim Chair to replace Steve Bullard.

Vice Chair Report
No report.

Robert Holland Faculty Senate Report
See Chair Report.

Consideration of New recommendations
Thomas letter re: non-tenure track. Motion by Marshall seconded by Waldhalm passed by voice vote to be sent to an ad hoc committee to be named by Chair.

Coats letter re: Ad Hoc Committee Report - classroom requirements. Sent to Academic Affairs on motion by Hovermale seconded by Ezell. Whaldhalm was appointed as ad hoc member for this study.

Standing Committee Reports

Academic Affairs
No report

Ancillary Affairs
Foil letter re: awards nominations. After discussion, motion by Bateman seconded by Waldhalm to send back to committee passed 19-2-0. Most of the discussion centered around the intent of the request. It was suggested that the committee request a meeting with Dr. Foil to clarify the intent of the request.

Charter and Bylaws
Coats letter re: discrepancy charter and bylaws (See attached report). Committee report was adopted on motion by Bateman seconded by Thompson by a vote of 23-0-0. Action was preceded by a motion to suspend rules to allow consideration of the issue first on the agenda. Motion by Waldhalm seconded by Deeds passed 23-0-0.

REPORT TO THE
DAFVM FACULTY SENATE
BY The Charter and Bylaws Committee

BACKGROUND:

On April 14, 1998, Chairman Euel Coats of the DAFVM Faculty Senate requested that the Charter and Bylaws committee develop a recommendation for solving discrepancies in the language concerning the term of office for members between the Charter and the Bylaws for DAFVM.

DISCUSSION:

In section 1.1 of the Charter, the third paragraph, first sentence reads; " Each member of the Senate shall serve a period of three years, with elections between February 1 and April 1 for membership to be assumed in May".

In the Bylaws, section 2.3 parts a and b read;

The term of office of the Senate's officers shall begin July 1 and end on June 30 of the following year.

The term of elected members of the Senate shall begin on the first day of July following their election and shall end on June 30 of the last year of their term, except that the term of any of the Senate's officers will be extended until his/her successor is chosen.

Thus, the Charter would have members assuming membership in May following their election, and the Bylaws would have membership beginning in on July 1. The committee found no compelling reason to select one date over the other. However, a change in the Charter requires a vote of the division faculty, while the Bylaws may be amended by the Senate. The committee chose what we believed to be the simplest route.

RECOMMENDATION:

We recommend that the Bylaws be amended to conform to the language in the Charter. The following is as the Bylaws would appear with our changes. Changes are in italics. The phrase at the end of our recommended part a was moved from part b. In part b, July was changed to May, and June was changed to April.

2.3 Terms

a) The term of office of the Senate's officers shall begin July 1 and end on June 30 of the following year except that the term of any of the Senate's officers will be extended until his/her successor is chosen.

b) The term of elected members of the Senate shall begin on the first day of May following their election and shall end on April 30 of the last year of their term.

Lanny Bateman, Chair; Keith Belli; Joey Murphy; Evan Nebeker; John Schneider; and Nelda Starks

Faculty Affairs
No report.

Resource Affairs
No report.

Ad Hoc Committee Staff Recognition
Watson letter re: staff recognition (See attached report). On motion by Boyd seconded by Eblehar, committee report was adopted by a vote of 21-0-0.

REPORT TO THE
DAFVM FACULTY SENATE
BY THE AD HOC COMMITTEE

BACKGROUND:

On October 26, 1997, Dr. Vance Watson wrote requesting that the DAFVM Faculty Senate make suggestions as to how MAFES could appropriately recognize the Research (I, II and Senior) category for things they do for MAFES.

DISCUSSION:

The ad hoc committee met three times, once in committee and twice by email. We had concerns over how recipients are nominated and if there were sufficient numbers of full time employees that were at least 50% MAFES within each of the above categories to warrant an award in each. A check with the directors office showed that there were 50 Research Assistant I, 23 Research Assistant II and 12 Senior Research Assistants, enough for an award in each category. The primary concern about how a recipient is nominated and selected is based on how we generally nominate for such awards. If one is to nominate a coworker for an award then the nominator must take the time to fill out the necessary paper work and background information. This often deters many from nominating qualified and deserving employees or coworkers. The committee also recognized that the writing ability of the nominator often made the difference between award recipients. It was of utmost concern to the committee that this award not be a "pass around" award and the deserving person win, even if that means repeat recipients.

RECOMMENDATION:

First we recommend an award within each of the above categories on an annual basis for full time employees that are at least 50% MAFES. The award, preferably a plaque and cash award, should be given at the annual MAFES meeting. The recipients for the award should be selected based on the following system. Nominations should contain minimal supplemental information and will be returned to the director's office. A selection committee (composition below) will then select nominees. Nominations will be returned to the nominee's department head or supervisor for necessary background and supplemental information. This should be a top down approach for the information gathering part of the award system. We recommend that the director attach a letter to each of the selected nominee's files requesting the supplemental information from the department head or supervisor. This hopefully will level the differences in the writing ability of the nominators. The committee making the selections should be composed of 2 scientists from the following regions/research centers; Delta, North Mississippi, Central Mississippi, and the Coast plus 3 scientists from campus. This committee should review and screen for the pre-nominee's and the final selections. It was this committee's thought that much of this process could easily be handled by email.

It was also the committee's opinion, although not our charge, that the above process be applied to the categories of Technician, Clerical, Service and Skill Crafts.

Committee members: Mitchell Roberts, Wayne Philley, Maria Peterson, Susan Harkness, and M. E. Boyd, Chair

Old Business

New Business
Election of Chair for 1998-1999 Year: Nominated were Jacquelyn Deeds and John Robinson. By secret ballot Robinson was elected Chair. Robinson received 11 votes while Deeds received 10 votes.

Jacquelyn Deeds was the only nominee for Vice Chair. She was elected by a vote of 21-0-0.

Adjourn

Motion by Broome seconded by Waldhalm passed by voice vote.

Approved day of 1998 on motion by seconded by by voice vote.

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