Emory Report

October 2, 2000

Volume 53, No.6

Faculty council By Michael Terrazas Chair Claire Sterk convened the first Faculty Council meeting of 2000­01 on Sept. 19 in 400 Administration Building, and she immediately turned the floor over to Provost Rebecca Chopp. Chopp called the council's attention to the Year of Reconciliation now under way, and she announced that the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools will soon conduct its accreditation process at Emory. As part of the process, each institution was asked to come up with a theme around which to plan its strategy for coming years. Emory's theme is "The Future of Research at Emory," she said. The provost also said she hopes to foster campuswide discussion of tenure and promotion issues this year with the possible goal of formulating some Universitywide guidelines for such decisions. The council then debated the issue, and several members illustrated the difference in tenure considerations between the medical school-indeed, all of the schools in Health Sciences-and the rest of the University. Some members asked if tenure guidelines encompassing all of Emory is even a realistic goal. Sterk said the council's informal "kick-off" meeting, held Aug. 30 at the new Miller-Ward Alumni House, was a success, and she distributed summaries of the feedback gathered through the breakout sessions. A major topic was the question of how Faculty Council members can better inform their constituents of the council's activities, and how those constituents can then communicate their concerns. Arri Eisen of the University Teaching Fund said applications to the fund have steadily decreased over recent years, due partly to similar teaching-resource intiatives like the college's Center for Teaching and Curriculum, and he said UTF is considering a shift in its focus. Eisen proposed changing its name to the University Faculty Excellence in Education Fund and doing away with formal funding cycles, allowing faculty to apply for financial resources at any time. The council asked Eisen to prepare a brief written report of the fund's recent activity, as well as its proposals for the future, to be discussed at the October meeting. The council distributed some of its committee rosters for approval, and Sterk said the remaining committees would submit their rosters in October. The next Faculty Council meeting will be Oct. 17 at 3:15 p.m. in 400 Admin. If you have a question or concern for Faculty Council, send e-mail to Sterk at csterk@sph.emory.edu. LGBT Commission By Eric Rangus On Oct. 19, the first LGBT meeting of the new academic year opened with Saralyn Chesnut, director of the Office of LGBT Life, giving a brief overview of LGBT's accomplishments and introduced new members to the commission's past. The commission then revisited the new wording of the bylaws. Approved changes included: formally adding "transgender," since the commission began as "lesbian, gay, bisexual concerns"; adding a treasurer to the list of officers; changing the leadership structure from co-chairs to chair/chair-elect; and stating that ex-officio appointments were non-voting positions. The chair-elect position is open, and the members agreed to prepare for nominations at the October meeting. Until then, commission members will search for qualified and interested candidates. One student position remains open, and the commission will review the qualifications of the two remaining candidates and choose one in time for the October meeting. Commission members were updated on the status of Campus Diversity Climate Assessment (see related story, page 1), scheduled for distribution in October. Chesnut and Commission Chair Jennifer Gossett agreed the biggest challenge will be getting information out concerning the importance of completing the survey. Employee Council will be one of the most important groups for communication with staff. In new business, the commission agreed to change meeting times from 4­6 p.m. to 5­7 p.m. to better accommodate schedules. Subcommittee responsibilites (nominating and membership, equal opportunity, honorary degree, pride banquet, essay, website and archive) were outlined for new members, and all were invited to sign up for as many as they wanted. The commission also discussed the University's United Way campaign. The issue concerned the United Way's charitable contributions toward the Boy Scouts, which has policies some members of LGBT strongly disagree with. Hauk suggested a discussion with Michelle Smith, executive director of corporate relations, who heads up Emory's United Way donations. With National Coming Out Day scheduled for Oct. 11, members were invited to contribute messages to be printed in an LGBT ad for publication in the Emory Wheel. That effort is sponsored by the Office of LGBT Life and Emory Pride. The next LGBT meeting is scheduled for Oct. 10 at 5 p.m. in 400 Administration Building. -Eric Rangus If you have a question or concern for LGBT, send e-mail to Gossett at jgosset@emory.edu. Return to October 2, 2000 contents page