Issues in Progress:
President's Commission on Lesbian,
Gay and Bisexual Concerns
Commission co-chair Bill Thompson convened the meeting Jan. 26 in 405
Administration Building. He immediately called for committee reports.
The coffeehouses committee reported the next coffeehouse has been scheduled
for Feb. 12 in Harris Parlor from 5 to 6 p.m. Another coffeehouse has been
tentatively scheduled for March 19.
The long-range planning committee reported on the effort to add "transgendered"
to the name of the Office of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Life; the committee
said the best course of action was to draw up a formal proposal to submit
to Frances Lucas-Tauchar, dean of Campus Life. The committee also is continuing
work on a survey of campus attitudes, with a target date of late February
or early March.
The Pride Banquet committee reported the annual event is set for March
2 in Cox Ballroom from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. There will be no charge for attendance,
but reservations are required. Cindy Patton, professor of lesbian/gay studies,
will be the speaker, and Doria Roberts will provide entertainment. President
Bill Chace will present awards to the winners of the L/G/B writing contest.
The honorary degrees committee reported it has made its recommendation
for a 1999 recipient and will hear by the beginning of March if the nominee
has passed the first stage of the nomination process.
The web site committee reported coding form pages and a guestbook. The
archives committee has delivered a box of materials to Special Collections.
In new business, the commission issued a call for nominations for two
new staff representatives to take the places of Rick Kerns and Annemarie
Poyo, who are leaving Emory. Danielle Doughman volunteered and was approved
to take Poyo's place as financial officer for the commission.
Late-arriving members made up a quorum, and Thompson called for a vote
to approve minutes from the December meeting.
In other business, Dyshaun Muhammed presented a proposal from the film
festival committee of the Office of L/G/B Life requesting $1,000 from the
commission. The motion was made and approved to provide the funding.
Thompson presented a letter from a member of the Emory community requesting
$700 to bring photographer Mark Chester to Emory for L/G/B History Month.
The commission decided to postpone a vote until more information was available.
Thompson announced the next commission meeting is set for Feb. 16 in
400 Administration Building.
-Michael Terrazas
President's Commission
on the Status of Minorities
At the Jan. 26 meeting's beginning, Chair Bob Lee announced a meeting
with Interim Provost Rebecca Chopp, which he later left the PCSM gathering
to attend. His discussion with her focused on getting diversity/affirmative
action issues on the agenda of the deans and director's meeting held Feb.
8-10 at Sea Pines Isle, Ga.
Pat Marsteller talked with a number of speakers at the recent American
Association of Colleges and Universities (AACU) meeting, where affirmative
action is a hot topic. She said many would be happy to help Emory work through
this issue. She reported Goodrich C. White Professor of Biology George Jones'
suggestion of a town hall meeting on diversity this spring sponsored by
the PCSM.
Vera Rorie stressed the meeting's conveners should represent the audience
the commission wants to attract. Lee said he emphasized to Chopp and President
Bill Chace in a recent meeting that without their strong backing, any effort
by the commission is worth little.
Steven Thomas suggested public hearings on the topic of affirmative action,
with testimony from faculty, students and employees. He called it "the
unbiased voicing of frustrations and what works." Marsteller said public
hearings were held in the past, and she's unsure of their effectiveness.
They sometimes generated resistance, she noted. Thomas countered that he
wouldn't want to structure a hearing or a symposium in a way that "closes
out the voices of those who don't agree."
Rorie said students are working diligently in committee and elsewhere
on issues surrounding affirmative action. Shirley Rivadeneira announced
a LearnLink site on affirmative action in the Emory Discussions folder.
She said students are meeting with Equal Opportunity Programs Director Bob
Ethridge to learn what documents are needed to educate others regarding
the background of affirmative action, California's Proposition 209 and the
anti-affirmative action bills currently circulating in the Georgia Legislature.
Calvin Banks reported the professional development fund had nine applicants
for grants of $500 each. After review, the committee granted all nine applications
awards. Lee suggested using the remaining $500 for other projects. Marstellar
emphasized that recipients should give some report to the community, either
at a commission meeting or through Emory Report.
After Lee returned from his meeting with Chopp, he reported that she
asked the commission to abandon its plan to make a presentation at the deans
and directors meeting due to time constraints and to instead consider hosting
a March symposium. She asked Lee and other commission members to meet with
her and Chace during the week of Feb. 2 to look at format and guests for
the meeting. The executive committee met Jan. 29 to discuss ideas for the
symposium and the meeting with Chopp and Chace.
Because of scheduling conflicts among several members, the commission
will look into the possibility of changing meetings from Mondays to Wednesdays.
-Stacey Jones
University Senate
President Bill Cody convened the meeting on Jan. 27 in the Agnor Room
of Gambrell Hall. After approval of minutes, Cody introduced Emory College
Dean Steven Sanderson.
Sanderson spoke about a number of issues facing Emory, including the
rising cost of higher education, how the University's "internal mandate"
is changing, the tradition of teaching in the college and the University's
role in the 21st century. He said the future of federal higher education
funding looks less than promising, and in order to cope with the situation
Emory must increase its presence in Washington, must come to a better understanding
of the changing nature of philanthropic organizations and must raise more
money itself.
Internally, Sanderson said Emory must increase the number of faculty
and endowed chairs held by minorities and women. The University also must
continue its commitment to faculty-based governance. "We've got to
mobilize the intellectual and active participation of faculty in governance,"
Sanderson said.
He also spoke optimistically of the new college curriculum set to go
into effect during the 1999-2000 academic year, and he said completion of
the Science 2000 buildings, a Performing Arts Center, a social sciences
center and expansion of Candler Library are priorities. Sanderson then answered
a number of questions from Senate members.
The Senate approved with minor changes a resolution from the campus development
committee concerning accessibility on campus. Among other things, the resolution
stated future development should go through the Office for Equal Opportunity
Programs' Disability Services and Compliance division, along with the campus
disability access subcommittee, for input.
David Pacini reported on the ad hoc subcommittee formed by the Faculty
Council to address teaching issues concerning disabled students. He said
the subcommittee has identified three issues as key: information on how
faculty can identify students who might need evaluation for learning disabilities;
the creation of a resource person to coordinate physical and/or programmatic
needs of disabled students; and a program to inform faculty of the requirements
of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
President Bill Chace told Senate members about the Dalai Lama's visit
in May to speak at commencement, the hiring of Thomas Robertson as dean
of the Goizueta School and the $20 million gift to the school from the estate
of Roberto Goizueta.
Karen Salisbury announced the campus life committee is holding a forum
on faculty/student interaction Feb. 12 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in Winship Ballroom.
Cody said Senate members should bring new business for the academic year
to him by March and then adjourned the meeting.
-Michael Terrazas
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