Resolutions and Action Items Tracking List
UNT Faculty Senate
(the first two digits correspond to the fiscal year in which the item was created)

     
  RESOLUTION TO DISBAND FACULTY SENATE COMMITTEE ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN AT UNT

WHEREAS the University of North Texas Faculty Senate is deeply committed to the concerns of women faculty,

WHEREAS, the University of North Texas Faculty Senate supports the administration and faculty promote and maintain an environment (professional climate) that emphasizes gender equity;

WHEREAS, the University of North Texas Faculty Senate supports each school to take steps to increase the hiring and promotion of women faculty;

WHEREAS there has been expressed concern that the UNT administration foster a climate of attention to issues of gender equity in hiring, promotion, and leadership at all levels of university decision making,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the University of North Texas Faculty Senate recommends that there be a motion to disband the Committee on the Status of Women.
 

Resolution to Create a UNT Faculty Ombudsman

WHEREAS within an University structure there may exist problems, concerns and or misunderstandings among constituent populations, and

WHEREAS there exists no existing impartial office nor expedient process at University of North Texas for assisting faculty with problems, concerns and/or misunderstandings regarding the administration of University policies, procedures and administrative decisions that impact constituent populations, and

WHEREAS there does exist a history of successful implementation and management of Faculty Ombudsman for facilitating dispute resolutions at other peer institutions;

RESOLUTION TO MAINTAIN FACULTY COMMITMENT FOR THE TEACHING, LEARNING, AND ASSESSMENT KNOWLEDGE BASE
OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS 

WHEREAS the University of North Texas Faculty Senate is deeply committed to faculty participation in teaching, learning, and assessment,

WHEREAS, the University of North Texas Faculty Senate supports the faculty to promote and maintain an environment that emphasizes excellence in education for students, which result in lifelong learners;

WHEREAS, the University of North Texas Faculty Senate supports faculty development for the enhancement of faculty expertise in the diverse teaching techniques that complement the different learning styles of students;

WHEREAS there has been expressed concern that the administration has discontinued financial support,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the University of North Texas Faculty Senate recommends that there be a resumption of administrative budgetary support for teaching, learning, and assessment via the University Forum on Teaching, Learning, and Assessment.



RESOLUTION TO CREATE AN AD HOC FACULTY COMMITTEE TO EXPLORE NEW FORMATS AND WAYS TO FULFILL THIS NEED

WHEREAS within an University structure there is a need to promote and facilitate excellence in teaching, and

WHEREAS there exists no body at the University of North Texas for assisting faculty with teaching, learning, and assessment, and

WHEREAS there does exist a history of successful programs and forums hosted by the now-defunct UFTLA;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Faculty Senate recommends the creation of an ad hoc committee to study the ways and means for implementing a university-level program for supporting faculty development in teaching, learning, and assessment.
 

Resolution to Reinforce Faculty Participation in Tenure-Track Faculty Hiring Processes

WHEREAS the University of North Texas Faculty Senate is deeply committed to the institution of faculty participation in governance, and   

WHEREAS the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) Redbook states “faculty status and related matters are primarily a faculty responsibility; this area includes appointments, reappointments, decisions not to reappoint, promotions, the granting of tenure, and dismissal” (1995, 183-84), and

WHEREAS there has been concern expressed by faculty that the administration at one or more levels within an academic unit has sought to bypass faculty committees in the recruitment, screening and hiring of tenure-track faculty, and

WHEREAS the University of North Texas Faculty Senate supports the AAUP statement related to faculty participation in the governance of tenure-track faculty appointments;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the University of North Texas Faculty Senate recommends that violations by administration at one or more levels within an academic unit who bypass faculty committees in the recruitment, screening and hiring of tenure-track faculty be censured by the Provost.

RESOLUTION SUPPORTING IMPLEMENTATION OF URC
RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING ADMINISTRATIVE AND
INSTRUCTIONAL SALARIES

(To read the complete committee report and original resolution, please click here.)

Whereas, the University Review Committee has, in the interest of fairness and faculty morale, identified the need to address the process for distribution of instructional and administrative salaries; and

Whereas, the URC, in accordance with its charter, has made recommendations to meet this need; and

Whereas, the recommendations were forwarded to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs in February; and

Whereas, the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs has given his tacit approval of these recommendations; now

Therefore, be it resolved, that the Faculty Senate of the University of North Texas endorses  the approval of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and charges and strongly supports the Committee on Faculty Participation in Governance in implementing these recommendations.
 

GRIEVANCE/APPEAL TIMEFRAME RECOMMENDATIONS BY THE
UNIVERSITY REVIEW COMMITTEE

Final Version Adopted April 23, 2002

 Units at the University of North Texas have charters and/or by-laws that contain grievance and appeals mechanisms.  In the interest of promoting clarity, uniformity, fairness, and the appropriate availability of external scrutiny of such mechanisms, the University Review Committee offers the following recommendations.

 All charters, by-laws, and other procedural documents describing grievance and/or appeals (hereinafter called “G/A”) mechanisms should contain (or be revised so as to contain) the following elements:

• A mandate that any administrator in receipt of a G/A must acknowledge its receipt in writing to the person filing the G/A.  The acknowledgement must state the date of receipt and the steps required of the appellant to assure timely processing of the case.
• Specific timeframes should be specifically defined for each the following actions in relation to the G/A:
  • between receipt and acknowledgement
  • between receipt and appointment of an appropriate hearing body
  • between the appointment of the committee and the conducting of a hearing
  • between the hearing and notification of outcome

The total elapsed time between the receipt of the grievance/appeal and transmission of notification of the outcome to the appellant should not be more than twenty (20) working days.

• Any deviation from a specified timeframe must be justified in writing at the time the deviation occurs or becomes apparent.  This documentation must be provided to the person filing the G/A by the administrator handling the G/A as soon as the deviation occurs or becomes apparent (unless patently impossible, this notification and justification should take place within the original timeframe).  The documented justification for timeframe deviation must also be kept on file by the administrator handling the G/A and passed along to all persons or bodies handling that and subsequent appeals.

Under this recommendation, a unit that chooses to establish a timeframe for “hearing a grievance or appeal normally within two weeks after its receipt” may still justifiably delay a hearing beyond the specified period.  However, the responsible administrator must document the reason for the deviation from “normality” in the course of the process (rather than post hoc) and must do so openly in communication with the person filing the grievance or appeal.  Thus, disputation of the justification of the delay will not rely on the memory of participants and can be directly contested (as being fictitious, arbitrary, insignificant, capricious, etc.) in subsequent grievances or appeals.  The responsibility lies with the administrator to provide a reasonable justification for the delay, rather than simply being able to claim that the particular circumstances were not “normal” in some unspecified or post hoc manner. 

Furthermore, any administrator receiving a grievance is responsible for transmitting it to the appropriate person or committee for action within the specified timeframe.  At no time should an administrator presume that she/he has received a grievance on a merely informative basis.  It is the administrator’s responsibility to advise the appellant/grievant of the appropriate procedure(s) and/or transmit the grievance/appeal to the appropriate person/committee in a timely manner if the administrator believes the grievance/appeal falls outside her/his jurisdiction.
 

RECOMMENDATIONS ON TIMELINES FOR GRIEVANCES AND APPEALS
(Second Resolution)

The University Review Committee (URC) has had several instances where cases have been forwarded for a hearing, but the committee has been unable to ascertain some of the facts because of incomplete records.  In addition, the process sometimes drags on into the summer when it is extremely difficult to assemble a quorum.

To address these issues and to expedite the grievance/appeal process, the committee drafted a list of recommendations.  Consistent with Article II section 3 of the charter of the URC ( http://www.unt.edu/planning/UNT_Policy/volume3/15_1_4.html ), the Committee forwarded these recommendations to the VPAA.  While the document was forwarded on April 25 of last year (and tacitly approved by the administration, as per URC charter), it has yet to be implemented.  This month the Senate E.C. received a copy of Dean’s comments from Dr. Kesterson.  We suggest that the recommendations from the URC be forwarded to the appropriate committee along with the Dean’s comments, with the express request that they expedite the appropriate action with the complete support of the Faculty Senate.

RESOLUTION SUPPORTING IMPLEMENTATION OF URC TIMELINE RECOMMENDATIONS
(Third Resolution)

Whereas, the University Review Committee has identified the need to expedite the grievance/appeals process; and

Whereas, the URC, in accordance with its charter, has made recommendations to meet this need; and

Whereas, the recommendations were forwarded to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs one year ago; and

Whereas, the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs has given his tacit approval of these recommendations; now

Texas Council of Faculty Senates Resolution

Whereas the primary mission of the state colleges and universities of Texas is education and instruction;

Whereas the core values and goals of the state colleges and universities of Texas reflect and support this mission;

Whereas the state colleges and universities of Texas must preserve and protect their basic ability to deliver quality instruction to a record number of students;

Whereas recent and pending budget restraints require state colleges and universities of Texas to do more with less (i.e., deliver more instruction to more students with smaller budgets);

Whereas all members of the Texas higher education community must bear the burden of ensuring that we weather the budget crisis without sacrificing quality;

Whereas the faculty in the state of Texas are willing to assist in devising ways to determine how to do more with less, and they are willing to make adjustments in their overall workload if necessary to accomplish this;

RESOLUTION SUPPORTING INCREASE IN LIBRARY USE FEE

Whereas, the current Library Use Fee of $8.50 per semester credit hour is now the sole source of funding for all print, electronic, and media materials for the UNT Libraries; and

Whereas, the cost of library materials increases annually due to ongoing consolidation within the publishing industry and inflation; and

Whereas, any loss of purchasing power will adversely affect the Libraries’ ability to support UNT academic programs and research projects; now

Therefore, be it resolved, that the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate of the University of North Texas strongly supports the proposed increase in the Library Use Fee to $10.00 per semester credit hour effective with the Fall 2003 registration.

Approved 31 January 2003

RESOLUTION SUPPORTING THE POSITION OF PROVOST/VPAA AS THE SECOND-IN-COMMAND
WITHIN THE UNT ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

WHEREAS academic endeavors lie at the heart of the university, and

WHEREAS consideration of these academic endeavors needs to be in guiding force behind the operation of the university, and

WHEREAS the growth in the student body that UNT is currently experiencing and expected to experience throughout the foreseeable future requires even greater attention to the educational experience that we can offer, and

WHEREAS the changing and difficult times in which we presently find ourselves necessitate particular attention to the distribution of financial resources, and

WHEREAS the anticipated addition of another vice president (for Research and Technology Transfer) to the University Budget Committee further dilutes the strength of the Provost’s office, and

WHEREAS the Provost and Vice-President of Academic Affairs has historically been considered the second-in-command at UNT, and

WHEREAS the normal university structure at quality universities through the United States is that the Provost and Vice-President for Academic Affairs be in the second-in-command,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Faculty Senate of the University of North Texas supports the organization of administration of the university such that the Provost and Vice-President of Academic Affairs position is second in authority only to the President.

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