President William Branch opened the Oct. 29 University Senate
meeting in Woodruff Library’s Jones Room by speaking about
his plans for the year. He proposed that the University could be
moving toward a “stakeholder” model in which decisions
are made through a consensus of Emory’s constituents.
President-elect John Snarey announced that the 2003 Distinguished
Faculty Lecture will be given by public health’s Claire Sterk
on March 27, 2003. He added that nominations are being solicited
for the 2003–04 lecturer.
Michelle Smith, director of corporate relations, addressed the Senate
about the 2003 EmoryGives campaign. This year’s focus is on
partnerships, Smith said, adding that Emory has partnered with the
American Heart Association and Parisian department stores (see
story).
In his remarks, interim Provost Woody Hunter said the working group
charged with managing Emory’s cost containment project has
submitted its raw data to Ways and Means and is refining its information
into a report (see
story). In other matters, Hunter reported on
the activity of the Emory College dean search committee (see
story), and he said the search for a new vice
provost for international affairs is nearing completion.
Paula Gomes addressed the Senate on the charge and focus of the
newly renamed Faculty-Staff Assistance Program (FSAP), which she
directs. One of her goals is to increase faculty use of the program,
she said, and she hoped Senate members would inform their constituents
of the program’s three areas of expertise: behavioral health,
organizational dynamics and health, and health promotion and wellness.
Gomes said FSAP’s services are available both to employees
and immediate family members, and she said a newly formed advisory
committee of 20 faculty and staff are helping the program expand
its visibility and activity across campus.
In his remarks, President Bill Chace repeated the wish he expressed
at the previous week’s Faculty Council meeting: for University
faculty to take the initiative in channeling the strong emotions
of students regarding the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and the possible
U.S. invasion of Iraq. Other campuses have watched as relatively
minor situations turned into “conflagrations,” Chace
said, and the best way for Emory to avoid this is by bringing the
issues out into the open for explication and dialogue. The University
has a head start, he said, as several panel discussions and guest
speakers have been brought to campus in the past year, and he hoped
the intellectual activity would continue and even increase.
Employee Council President Cheryl Bowie briefed the Senate on the
group’s 11th town hall meeting with Chace, which was held
Sept. 25. Questions at the meeting centered around the University’s
pre-employment drug screening policy, the question of whether Emory
pays a “living wage” to its lowest-earning employees,
the fringe benefits discussion of last spring and the development
of emergency evacuation plans for the campus.
In new business, Mark McLeod of the Counseling Center asked Senate
members for suggestions on how to get the best and widest faculty
sample for a survey on perceptions of student mental health issues.
Mike Rogers from Oxford raised a question about UnumProvident, which
is the provider for Emory’s new long-term care policy. Sidney
Stein, chair of the fringe benefits committee, said recent negative
media reports about the company’s handling of claims should
not apply to Emory clients. Stein also added that, while the company
is legally prohibited by Georgia law to extend long-term care benefits
to same-sex domestic partners, those individuals can apply directly
to UnumProvident (rather than go through their partners) for coverage
at a rate comparable to Emory’s group rate.
Finally, Tim Bryson announced that a new group is seeking to raise
awareness of the many streams that flow through the Emory campus
by leading a campaign to officially name the streams. More information
about this project will be published in an upcoming Emory Report.
The next University Senate meeting will be held Nov. 26 at 3:15
p.m. in the Jones Room.
If you have a question or concern for University Senate, e-mail
President William Branch at william_branch@emoryhealthcare.org.
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