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Minutes of Meeting of Tuesday, December 8, 1998

Minutes of Meeting of Tuesday, December 8, 1998, 2:00 p.m., Octavia II

PRESENT:

Michelle Andrews
Pat Bailey
Bill Cahill
Jay Calamia
Catherine Comiskey
Kathy Gros
Bob Gross
Charlotte Harris
Dave Huffman
Michele Ray
Jay Sonier
Robert Reed
Sarah Smith
Arthur Stern
Germayne Turner

ABSENT: Debbie LaMarca

PROXIES: Jim Phillips for Debbie LaMarca

I. Arthur Stern called the meeting to order at 2:04 p.m.

II. Approval and/or correction of minutes of the November 10, 1998 meeting Under II. A., Catherine Comiskey questioned the phrase, "retention is at a 10% level". This will be changed to, "... at a 10% loss level."

    MOTION was made and seconded to approve the minutes of the November 10, 1998 meeting as amended. MOTION passed.

III. OLD BUSINESS

    A. Ongoing Institutional Objective #5: Staff Responsibility Mr. Stern distributed handouts prepared by himself and Charlotte Harris. This response will be presented to Lydia Voigt, who asked for more concrete documentation than in previous years. They incorporated statistics from Human Resources files and included staff responses. Accurate statistics from Human Resources will be used from now on to begin a comparison. They went beyond the statement concerning service to students, and included ways to interact with faculty and other staff. The UPT steering committee meets December 9 and the next full meeting is on December 16.

    A. (cont.): Staff Responsibility - Discussion on this item resumed. The Administrative Senate still has no representation on the Finance and Endowment committees of the Board, or on the University Budget Committee. Mr. Stern will again ask for representation on these committees.

    B. President's White Paper: Intercollegiate Athletics Comments were made and questions answered on plans to construct a compact arena within the Rec Plex. It would entail conversion of the carpeted areas, currently tennis courts, to seat up to 900 people, for basketball and volleyball games. Robert Reed reported that, at the last Recreational Sports and Athletics committee meeting, it was announced that Loyola will remain in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference, playing local teams and staying near New Orleans for games. Fr. Knoth is bringing in a consultant on athletics in the spring. Thomas Smith is drafting a letter to point out the positive and negative feelings of the committee and to share their concerns. The letter will be delivered to Fr. Knoth before the consultant arrives. The University Senate has also discussed the paper and there were no objections from the faculty.

    C. Mr. Calamia thanked Pat Bailey for a letter reporting the number of citations given in the horseshoe parking lot in the past six weeks. There were a total of 126 violations on the day shift alone. There was general talk on changing regulations on boots, the amount of fines, the number of visitor spaces and the timing allowed. Mr. Reed noted that no response has been received from Dr. Eiseman on the parking committee's previous recommendations.

IV.

    A. GUEST SPEAKERS - John L. Eckholdt, Special Assistant for Financial Affairs, and Rhonda Cartwright, Vice President for Business and Finance Mr. Eckholdt spoke on the upcoming budget for 1999-2000. The budget is prepared in two parts. The timing of the first phase was moved up to be reviewed at the November 1998 meeting of the full Board; the final stage is to be refined in May. One of the reasons for the change was to assist the Admissions department in recruiting by having the exact tuition rates earlier in the year. A proposal went to the Board in November, after passing the UBC and Finance committees. It included recommendations for tuition and fees, salaries and fringe benefits, and the amount for financial aid. The Board approved the President's recommendation without change. Basics of the recommendation include a 5% tuition increase, and 4% for the Law School. Room rates will be raised 3.5%. The salary pool will be increased 2%, and the amount for Financial Aid will be $16.800,000. Loyola will bear the increase in the insurance plans, an additional 1 to 1.5%. The budget is based on an increase in undergraduate students of 3.5%.

    Mr. Eckholdt and Ms. Cartwright answered questions concerning last year's final budget, the Law School, graduate school tuition, new Library expenses, and the new residence hall.

    B. GUEST SPEAKER - Dr. Edward Kvet, Dean of College of Music Dr. Kvet announced that one of his personal initiatives is to involve the whole community in the arts, especially in music. The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra will perform on campus next year. The College of Music will give away 200 free tickets prior to the event. He is also implementing departmental sponsorships at evening concerts, i.e. SGA night, Student Affairs, Residential Life, etc. and encourage the sponsoring departments to bring their staff to the events. The Montage series will be enhanced with some outside talent. His second initiative is to develop marketing for the College of Music. His mission is to change the perception of Loyola's music program by promoting all that the College of Music has done, and continues to excel in. He will feature outstanding faculty, students, and alumni. Loyola's reputation outside of the city is greater than it is locally. He told of some of his plans for next year, including a tour package to New York, featuring a performance in a recital room at Carnegie Hall. The recent Christmas at Loyola was very well attended in Holy Name Church, and it was a superior performance. Dr. Kvet is asking a local television station to record the event annually. He stressed that the College of Music can offer cultural advantages to Loyola employees.

V. NEW BUSINESS

    A. Mr. Stern introduced Bob Gross, the new senator for Institutional Advancement, replacing Chris South.

    B. Committee Reports:

    1) Rec Sports & Athletics - previously discussed

    2) Parking - previously discussed

    3) Jesuit and Catholic Identity - Mr. Reed spoke on the presentation from City College Dean Marcel Dumestre on Loyola Institute for Ministry. More presentations will be given in future meetings from different offices. The next scheduled meeting will be held in the spring.

    4) Fringe Benefits - Ms. Harris reported that the health insurance renewals went smoothly. Loyola is picking up the increases in the insurance package payments. Vernon Gregson has resigned as Chair and he will ask the University Senate to appoint a replacement. The next meeting is scheduled for February.

    5) UPT - Mr. Stern reported that the committee met on November 18. Dr. Danahar spoke on Institutional Objective #4.

    C. January 12, 1999 meeting - The next meeting will begin in Octavia II, and after some business is conducted, we will adjourn to the new library for a tour led by Mary Lee Sweat. Bill Cahill and Bret Jacobs will also be on hand to discuss networking and the Information Technology components in the new building.

    D. Mr. Reed commented on the new residence hall construction project. He reported that it is progressing very well. The roof will soon be complete, so there will be no more weather problems. Carpeting, drywall, and windows are being installed. The large tower crane should be removed by January 1999. He urged everyone to check the web page for construction updates.

VI. OPEN FORUM

    A. Michele Ray asked about a web page for the Administrative Senate and whether all staff should have access. Mr. Stern will ask John Bolles, the web page programmer about options on sending out Senate information.

    B. Mr. Calamia then noted that this body represents all staff in matters of salary, benefits, and vacation concerns. He provided some history and made observations on the former staff council. Discussion followed concerning representation of university staff. Mr. Stern pointed out that the response to Objective #5 was written in answer to the staff responsibility question. Debate arose whether there are a number of staff who want to be included in this body and whether they should be included.

    C. Mr. Stern passed around copies of an e-mail he received on the subject of vehicle ticketing. Germayne Turner responded that tickets have been sent via mail for many years. Also, officers are not required to be present at an appeal hearing because they work in shifts, so they are either off duty (off campus) or on duty at work.

VII. The meeting was adjourned at 4:40 p.m.