| Emory Report | November 3, 1997 |
Volume 50, No. 11 |
Issues in ProgressFaculty CouncilUniversity Senate President Bill Cody convened the meeting at 3:15 p.m. on Oct. 21 in the Administration Building. He first announced two upcoming events: the Nov. 11 Faculty Town Hall in Cox Hall regarding the report of the Commission on Teaching; and The Carter Center Town Hall to be held Nov. 14 at The Carter Center Chapel. Cody then introduced Emory chaplains Susan Henry-Crowe and Sammy Clark, who updated the council on the progress of their upcoming report to the Board of Trustees regarding chapel use. They said that, while their report is far from finished, there are three areas of consensus:
Several questions were raised by council members for the chaplains, including that of University security in the wake of the board's decision and whether chapel use can be considered an issue of academic freedom. Interim Provost Rebecca Chopp then addressed the council about the report of the Commission on Teaching. She encouraged discussion of the report and said her office is looking for feedback. Chopp said the presidential advisory committee has adopted the idea of a "teaching portfolio" in the tenure process for recommendation to President Chace, though the contents of such a portfolio would be left up to individual schools. The council then approved minutes for both its April and September meetings and approved the rosters of three committees: University research, University teaching fund and the faculty relationship committees. University SenateSenate President Bill Cody called the meeting to order Oct. 28 at 3:15 p.m. in the law school's Agnor Room. The senate then approved minutes from its September meeting. Earle Whittington, senior project manager in the department of planning and construction, gave an hour-long presentation on the status of the campus master plan, detailing how the project has moved into its precinct study phase. Among other facets of the plan, Whittington said discussions with DeKalb County officials and representatives of the Druid Hills Civic Association have been very positive regarding the makeover of Clifton Road with trees lining each side and the possibility of raised pedestrian crosswalks that would double as speedbumps. A question was raised, however, about the need for ambulances to be able to move quickly along Clifton to and from the hospital, and Whittington said that would have to be taken into consideration. The senate then opened discussion on a proposed resolution from the President's Commission on Lesbian/Gay/ Bisexual Concerns that reaffirms the senate's support of Emory's equal opportunity policy. Cody said the resolution was adopted on a "fast-track" approval process so the senate could take action before the Nov. 13 Board of Trustees meeting. Commission co-chair Anne Rector and University Secretary Gary Hauk briefly explained the actions that prompted the resolution to be drafted and what it was intended to accomplish. Questions raised after a brief discussion included whether language should be inserted in the resolution that addresses the current situation (the resolution merely reaffirms support of the EOP without mention of any relevance to actual events) and whether the commissions on the status of women and minorities should be mentioned. The senate passed the resolution by a large majority. The senate then approved the rosters of four committees: athletics and recreational policy, fringe benefits, honorary degrees and campus development. A representative of the Employee Council invited all senate members to attend The Carter Center Town Hall on Nov. 14 at The Carter Center. The meeting will be broadcast over the World Wide Web, and there will be an on-campus site to watch the event. Jonathan Freimann, president of the Student Government Association, informed the senate that the SGA passed in a meeting Oct. 27 a resolution very similar to that which the senate had just considered, reaffirming the SGA's support for Emory's equal opportunity policy. -Michael Terrazas |