Faculty Senate

January 11, 2000

SC117

3:00-4:30 p.m.

Call to Order

Grant Richards called the meeting to order at 3:02 p.m.

Approval of the Minutes

Grant Richards explained the purpose of minutes to the senators. They are a short summary of what occurred at the meeting, with special emphasis on the motions which took place. They are not designed to be a word-for-word documentation.

The minutes from November 23, 1999 were modified and approved. A change of verb tense and two word changes were requested by senators. George Hickman said he did not remember Ron Hammond making statements about the Ethics and Values courses as recorded in the minutes. He moved to strike those portions. Janet Bennion clarified that Ron indeed made comments. George then chose to withdraw his motion and motioned to table them until he is able to listen to the recorded tapes. Chris Jones seconded the move. Motion carried, with three abstentions.

The minutes from December 14, 1999 were also modified and approved. Word changes and spelling errors were pointed out for correction. In addition, the statement, "signed by faculty whose signatures were validated by the Faculty Senate Executive Committee," was added to the petition for Ron Hammond's impeachment. KD Taylor moved to accept the minutes as amended, and John Balden seconded it. Motion carried.

Action Items

The impeachment proceedings were the first action item. Grant Richards explained impeachment as a decision to put an individual on trial. Removal from office would take place only after careful review and a two-thirds majority vote. Derek Hall insured senators that Ron Hammond would not lose his job or be fired over this matter.

Grant indicated that the Faculty Senate Constitution on impeachment procedures was a bit vague. It was decided that opposing sides should have five minutes each to present their side, with a three minute follow up for concluding statements/rebuttals. Senators would then be allowed to make comments. Paul Bean contested the procedure, stating it was necessary to have a motion on the floor in order to proceed. Brian Birch moved to impeach President Elect Ron Hammond. Kathie Debenham seconded.

Brian Birch was given the first five minutes to speak. He said "it is my contention, along with most members of the Humanities and Philosophy Department, that Ron Hammond has violated stated academic policies and unstated rules of professional conduct in a way that seriously calls into question his ability to lead this faculty. As you know, grounds for impeachment include 'malfeasance, neglect of official duties, and the failure to lead.' ...his conduct clearly represents a failure to lead as stated in the constitution."

He reminded the senate of the "survey" Ron Hammond conducted with his students, and how he published his results faculty-wide. Brian argued that the behavior was a clear violation of the Board of Regents policy regarding academic freedom which states "faculty members may possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects." Brian stated that they may present any controversial material relevant to their courses of instruction, but they shall be careful not to introduce into their teaching controversial matter which has no relation to the subject being taught.

Brian also read statements from the Faculty Senate Constitution Bylaws concerning Responsibility to Colleagues, and Loyalty to Colleagues, to further support their case and prove Ron Hammond's inability to lead as Faculty Senate President.

Ron Hammond was given five minutes to present his case, but he opted to not comment.

William Cobb was allotted three minutes for a final statement. He noted Ron Hammond's concern over the curriculum at UVSC, and his handling of this concern. He said that just about everything which has come out of this incident has been negative. It has polarized faculty, attacked individuals, programs, and departments from both sides of the issue. It has been the wrong kind of press for UVSC. He said it all seems negative, except for one thing, that "this impeachment goes to the heart of academic freedom and liberal learning because it is a concerted effort to preserve academic freedom in the face of an attempt to spin the issue in a different direction....by voting down impeachment you will simply sweep, by all accounts, an important issue under the rug, not get rid of it." He closed by having senators ask themselves if they would think it was fair or appropriate to use Professor Hammond's actions to investigate their class or program.

The floor was then opened to all senators for comments. Dennis Lisonbee, of Multimedia, explained how academic freedom was essential to his field. He then explained Ron Hammond's field requires him to research, study, and look at what happens to social groups; if this is taken away, then academic freedom is taken away. "If we impeach Ron Hammond, we are sending a message that we do not agree with academic freedom. The best thing for the college to do now is to let the matter go and support academic freedom."

Janet Bennion said research is appropriate if it is done in the proper way, but when you fail to include all the proper elements of research, then it is not. She said that Ron failed to include anonymity and confidentiality, failed to gather a represenative sample, and did not obtain approval from the institutional research board for his survey. Paul Bean made a point of personal privilege, stating that Janet Bennion was out of order and that her comments were not directed toward the subject on the floor. She then redirected her comments by saying that Ron Hammond's actions were a violation of sociological ethics.

Chris Jones discussed the criteria for malfeasance and the responsibilities of the Faculty Senate President-Elect according to the Faculty Senate Constitution. If the constitution is taken literally,Ron Hammond has not failed to serve as President-Elect.

Forrest Williams stressed the importance of expressing academic freedom in an ethical manner. He said Ron Hammond, as Faculty Senate President-Elect, is in a position where he must exemplify sound judgement, a sense if impartiality, and fairness. Forrest said that he, as well as many others, now question Ron's judgement and ability to lead. He asked the senators to vote for the impeachment of Ron Hammond as Faculty Senate President-Elect.

Paul Bean called the senate's attention to the parliamentary procedures, Robert's Rules of Order, and faculty relations. He said this current trouble would have been avoided if we had followed the rules.

Laurie Wood said the only real way to resolve this issue is to consider the evidence and investigate Ron Hammond, otherwise his abilities will always be in question. The investigation will determine his capacity to lead. After other comments, she encouraged the senate to vote. Jill Jasperson confirmed that a quorum was present, ready to vote.

Grant Richards called for a vote to call the question of impeachment. A two-thirds vote is required to proceed. Thirty (30) voted in favor. Four (4) were opposed.

John Balden moved to vote by secret ballot. It was seconded by Chris Jones and George Hickman. A majority vote is required. Motion passed. Ballots were passed out to senators. A "yes" vote would indicate favor of impeaching Ron Hammond. A "no" vote would show opposition to impeachment. Janet Bennion, Laurie Wood and Tom Perkins gathered and counted the votes. There were sixteen (16) votes in favor of impeachment, and twenty (20) senators voted in opposition. Four (4) abstentions. Motion to impeach failed.

Accountability Report

President Romesburg gave senators an update on accountability. Board of Regents have been collecting the number of criteria for accountability. They will not be distributing them to the legislature as of yet. They will focus on everything from student performance on exams to the average number of contact and credit hours taught by instructors. He will get copies of these results and criteria as soon as they are made available to him.

Faculty Senate Secretary Election

Lori Richards named Karen Mizell and Sandy Vogel as the two candidates running for Faculty Senate Secretary-Elect. Ballots were passed around the room for senators and their departments. Votes need to be sent to Lori Richards by January 21^st in the provided envelopes. The voting results will be announced in the upcoming meeting. Denza Bruss requested to have a short written biography on each of the candidates. Michaela Brinkerhoff will be responsible for getting this information to the senators.

Teacher of the Year

Deb Marrott said the Teacher of the Year process has been sped up this year. The deadline is January 21^st. Winners will be recognized at graduation. She asked that anyone who was interested in serving on this committee contact the winner of their school from last year.

Student Government Report

Nate Oldham reminded the senators about the UVSC All Night event to be held January 14^th in the McKay Events Center. He also reminded them to attend the Steven Covey award presentation on January 19^th in the ballroom.

Wetlands Project

Renee van Buren said there was approval for the project. She will give us further updates in the future.

Higher Ed Day at the State Capitol

Grant Richards said he is till planning on having the Higher Ed Day at the State Capitol on February 16^th. Post cards for Governor Leavitt need to be given to Ernie Carey.

Eldon Greenhalgh moved to adjourn the meeting. Paul Bean seconded. The meeting adjourned at 4:35 p.m.