Minutes of
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I. The meeting was called
to order by Executive Officer, Byrd at II. The minutes of See page 1, II,
Motion 2: first sentence, The Faculty Senate hereby
endorses Recommendations for Implementation of See page 2, III, Jennifer Hightower’s correct title
is: ‘Executive Director for Campus Diversity.’ IV. Report of the Executive Officer – Mickey Byrd Senator Byrd, Executive Officer announced the reception
to be held on V. Reports of Senate Committees: Permanent Committees:
A. Committee on Committees: Steve Knouse, Chair. Senator Knouse
announced the ballot for vacancies on the Senate permanent committees. Carol
Venable asked that her name be withdrawn as a nominee for the Committee on
Committees. Ballots were distributed and votes counted. SENATORS
ELECTED TO FILL VACANCIES IN SENATE COMMITTEES* Committee College Vacancy Elected Committee
on Liberal Arts John Greene Committees
Library Charles Triche
Sciences Anita Hazelwood At Large (3 positions) Jack Ferstel (1 yr term
each) Pat Andrus
Arlene Billock
Academic
Planning and Engineering
George Thomas Development Committee
Nursing Evelyn
Wills Governmental Concerns
Applied Life Sciences Durga Poudel Committee
Education Donna
Wadsworth
Ways
and Means Arts
Karl Volkmar Committee
Education Bill Rieck Engineering Terry Chambers Faculty Senate -
At-Large (2 positions) Ellen
Cook University Council
(2 yr term)
Melinda Oberleitner Liaison Committee
*All positions have 3 year terms, unless specified.
(See Attachment B for complete report and complete membership of
committees). B. Ways and Means Committee: William Rieck, Chair. No report C. Academic Planning and Development Committee: George Thomas, Chair.
No report D. Governmental Concerns Committee: Christian Okoye, Chair. No report. E. Faculty Senate-Faculty Advisory Council Committee: Harry Bruder,
Chair. Senator Bruder requested that
Executive Officer attend a Board meeting on October 27. VI. Reports of Special Senate Committees A. Ad Hoc Committee on Adjunct Faculty: No report B. Ad Hoc Web Site Committee: Jack Ferstel, Chair. No Report. D. Ad Hoc Committee on Dismissal for Cause Procedures: John Greene,
Chair. No Report E. Ad Hoc Committee on the Faculty Club:
Chair: Joe Riehl F. Ad Hoc Committee on Graduate Student Housing Concerns: No report. G. Ad Hoc Committee on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. Keith
Dorwick, Chair No report. H. Ad Hoc Committee on Sexual Harassment No report. I. Ad Hoc Committee on Status of Women No report. VII. Reports of University Committees A. Curriculum Committee: Paula Broussard, Chair. No report from chair. Carolyn Bruder reminded Senate members that changes should
be submitted to the committee early in the year to be ready for the new undergraduate
catalog. B. Faculty Grievance Committee: Jim Underwood, Chair No Report C. Faculty Benefits and Welfare Committee: No report. D. Library Committee: Allan Jones, Chair. No report E. Committee on Academic Affairs and Standards: Lewis Deaton, Chair
The committee met on September
12. F. Parking and Planning Committee: Joey Dudley, Chair. No report (See previous notes). G. Student Evaluation of Instruction: James Flaitz, Chair. No report. H. Academic Technology Committee Keith Dorwick, Chairman No report VIII. Unfinished Business
IX. New Business X. Other ATTACHMENT B Mr.
Griff Blakewood
(Renewable Resources), requested to speak to the issue of the land swap (Horse
farm and Resolution
on Future Use of the former UL Horse Farm property
Given the recent outpouring of concern over the possible development
of the former UL Horse Farm property on
Because the future uses of the former UL Horse Farm property
will have significant, long-term impacts on the entire Several senators responded to questions by reiterating comments
of the President in the rap session: President Authement had said he wanted to clarify inaccurate
and incomplete information presented by the press. He
wants to capitalize on the 4.13 acres of land which is the only remaining
land close to the campus and that land is desperately needed for a new home
for the president, for Nursing, and other academic needs.
The swap was described as 35 acres of the horse farm for the
4.13 acres of the Davidson property, includingtwo
houses and a warehouse. Additionally, the buyers would give back 6.5 of the
35 acres to The University would receive as a gift 6.5 acres of the original
35 acres. and agree to build a three lane bridge
over the adjacent coolie and a “boulevard” at the back of the property, which
will eventually permit access for future development. The resolution was
passed by a majority voice vote. When questioned, Executive Officer, Byrd reported that the proposed
UL Faculty Club is at a standstill because the required Petroleum Club minimum
membership of 50 UL faculty and staff has not been met. Byrd said that although
the actual number of UL personnel joining was “not even close” to the 50 required,
the Petroleum Club will continue to accept UL members at their “Ambassador’s
Membership” level which is higher than the proposed UL Faculty Club membership,
but not as high as regular membership. If the required
number is met in the future, the original lower rates will be charged. If in the future the 50 required UL faculty and staff do join their
membership will revert back to the previously-advertised lower rate. XI. Adjournment: Senator Byrd, Executive Officer,
adjourned the meeting at Mary B. Neiheisel, Secretary Faculty Senate ATTACHMENT A REPORT OF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Since last we gathered I have been engaged in two sorts of activity. I have spent some time wandering from one person to another in the perhaps foolish hope that misunderstandings could be unraveled and that dark thoughts could become lighter. I note this because I believe that you as a body should know that such an activity does take place. That is my microcosm and I will not reveal now or later any more of that world than I have just done. On a macrocosmic level I have been less busy and I fear much less productive. One of John Keats best poems begins with the line, “When I have fears that I may cease to be.” It is a chilling line and one that sticks in the memory. While I have no such immediate fears on a personal level, I do have real concerns on an institutional level. I have no real fears that this institution will cease to be, I do have a notion that substantive change is afoot and that change will arrive sooner and more violently than most people think. I do not know how much change can occur before the institution that I know will cease to exist. I suspect that within the foreseeable future this deliberative body and the faculty that we represent will do one of two things. We will address the coming seismic alterations in our world as a cohesive body, or we will not. It may well be that neither stance will be an availing one, but the latter will certainly not be. We have worked ourselves into an unenviable state as a faculty. We have a few folk who do not make as much money as they might if they were to attempt to find more lucrative employment. On the other hand they make more money than the institution can rationally afford. But that is the least of their recompense. It has taken an incredible amount of sweat, and frustration and not always sublimated anger on the part of many little laborers working for much smaller sums to build the pyramids in which the fold reside. We have paid them not only with dollars which do not amount to much in the final analysis; we have paid them with time. Every time one of the peasants laboring down in the introductory course levels has taken on a few more students per class. Every time someone with hordes of advisees has taken on a student who just had to have a directed individual study we have bought that much more precious commodity than money we bought time for our “stars.” We can always get more money. We can take another job at night. We can sell drugs. We can simply steal it if need be. But the time, the precious time, once spent is gone and too many of us are getting a little long in the tooth to be promising young folk. What it has amounted to is a great deal of sacrifice willingly given but I am not altogether sure how appreciatively received. That appreciation does not, of course, have to be anything egregious or servile; the Ranki prize, the Don Price Award, the Erasmus prize, the Field Medal, the Stefan Bergman Prize, the Leroy Doggett prize or any of a hundred others would be nice. If those are too diaphanous, too ethereal, Teflon, WD-40, or Pepcid would suffice. For from appreciative, I have not received the impression that these folk consider themselves part of our grubby little school. I never hear about or from them unless they are complaining about something or threatening to go play somewhere else. But that is a small group. We do not have enough money to purchase many of the folk in any event. We have a larger,
silent group that concerns me more. These are the
folk who spent Friday nights as undergraduates in a dorm room. These idiots actually studied when they could have been
getting drunk, stoned, or laid. They lived like this
for four or more years, expecting neither reward nor pleasure in any immediate
sense. They took the GRE and moved away to places and
people who absolutely terrified them. They lived in
places that transients would not deign to sleep in. They learned to kite
checks and borrow against one account to make a minimum payment on another
and all that was for the Master’s degree. For the
Ph.D. they became out and out whores and became utter aficionados of ass
kissing. Compared to their cohorts
the marines at We need both groups of people if we are to weather the coming storms. I do not know whether they are irretrievably lost or if they are not how to retrieve them. I am easy to find and open to any and all ideas. Thank you. Mickey Byrd ATTACHMENT B SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMITTEES Date: From: Stephen Knouse, Chair, Committee on Committees To: Mickey Byrd, Executive Officer of the Senate Cc: Mary Neiheisel, Secretary of the Senate Subj: Results of Senate Committee Vacancies Election Attached are two documents. The first lists those Senators who were elected at the October 19 meeting to fill Senate Committee Vacancies. The second document is a current roster of Senate
Committee members for 2005-2006, including those elected at the October 19
meeting. Their respective terms are in the right hand
column. SENATORS ELECTED
TO FILL VACANCIES IN SENATE COMMITTEES*
Committee College Vacancy Elected Committee on Liberal Arts John Greene Committees Library Charles Triche
Sciences Anita Hazelwood At Large (3 positions) Jack Ferstel (1 yr term each) Pat Andrus Arlene Billock
Academic Planning and Engineering George Thomas Development Committee Nursing Evelyn Wills Governmental Concerns Applied Life Sciences Durga Poudel Committee Education Donna Wadsworth
Ways and Means Arts Karl Volkmar Committee Education Bill Rieck Engineering Terry Chambers Faculty Senate - At-Large (2 positions) Ellen Cook University Council (2 yr term) Melinda Oberleitner Liaison Committee *All positions have 3 year terms, unless specified. COMMITTEES 2005-2006 Committee on Committees Terry Clement
Applied Life Sciences
04-07 Tom Sammons Arts
04-07 Steve Knouse, Chair
Business Administration
03-06 James Flaitz Education
03-06 Al Ghalambor Engineering
04-07 John Greene
Liberal Arts
05-08 Charles Triche
Library
05-08 Melinda Oberleitner
Nursing
03-06 Anita Hazelwood
Sciences
05-08 Jack Ferstel At-Large
05-06 Pat Andrus
At-Large
05-06 Arlene Billock At-Large
05-06 Academic Planning and Development
Committee Nancy Coghill Applied Life Sciences 04-07 Chyrl Suzanne Ward
Business Administration
04-07 William Rieck
Education
04-07 George Thomas, Chair Engineering 05-08 Harry Bruder
Liberal Arts
04-07 Denise Goetting Library
03-06 Evelyn Wills
Nursing
05-08 Kathleen Knierim Sciences
04-07 Governmental Concerns Committee Durga Poudel Applied Life Sciences 05-08 Steve Breaux
Arts
04-07 Anne Keaty Business Administration 04-07 Donna Wadsworth
Education
05-08 Christian Okoye, Chair Engineering
04-07 Julia Frederick
Liberal Arts
04-07 Betsy Miguez Library
04-07 Anne Broussard
Nursing
03-06 Barbara Gonzalez
Sciences
03-06 Ways and Means Committee Jackie Robeck Applied Life Sciences 03-06 Karl Volkmar Arts
05-08 Gwen Fontenot Business
Administration 04-07 William Rieck, Chair
Education
05-08 Terry Chambers
Engineering
05-08 Judith Gentry
Liberal Arts
03-06 Denise Goetting Library
04-07 Anne Broussard
Nursing
04-07 Carol Venable
Sciences
04-07 Faculty Senate – University
Council Committee [i.e. Liaison Committee] Executive Officer
Mickey Byrd Liberal Arts 05-07 Secretary
Mary Neiheisel Nursing
05-07 FAC Representative
Harry Bruder Liberal Arts 03-06 FAC Alternate
Bruce Turner Library 03-06 Elected
Ellen Cook
Business Admin 05-07 Elected
Melinda Oberleitner Nursing 05-07 Editor, Faculty Forum
John Greene Liberal Arts 04-07 Faculty Senate – Faculty
Advisory Council Committee FAC Representative
Harry Bruder Liberal Arts 03-06 FAC Alternate
Bruce Turner Library 03-06 ATTACHMENT C For Your Information Used with permission: John
Greene (Faculty-Staff Forum, October 2005) The second topic
that President Authement addressed was the impending
swap of a portion of the former UL horse farm located on He stressed that this construction
is “not going to happen tomorrow or in ten or fifteen years, but we must
have a place to go.” Authement said he would
not speculate other uses that the land might be put to, but observed that
the Three years ago, Authement said, he began considering acquiring the
land from its owners, and he made requests to the Board of Regents for money
from its property acquisition fund. This was unsuccessful, but two years
ago, after he had visited the property with Bill Christ, Director of Physical
Facilities and Physical Plant, he decided to buy the land.
During this period Authement received
several offers to buy portions of the “very desirable” land in the horse
farm. One group proposed using some of it as a drainage/water retention pond,
but this proposal was turned down, because of the mosquitoes that it would
attract among other reasons. The last offer came from a group proposing to
build an assisted living facility for seniors on the land. The University finally made a deal
with a company called BRE-ARD LLC, formed on July 29 by Scott businessman
Daniel Menard and Jerry Brents of Authement agreed to a land swap: 35 acres of the horse farm
for the 4.13 acres of the Davidson property, to include the two houses and
the warehouse that sit on it. Additionally, the buyers would give back 6.5
of the 35 acres to the University as a gift and agree to build a three lane
bridge over the adjacent coolie and a “boulevard” at the back of the property,
which will eventually permit access for future development. These, Authement said, would make the remaining 70 acres
“three or four times more valuable,” and the University will need that money.
Authement stated that the article on the
swap that appeared in the most recent issue of the Independent was “incomplete.”
He said that he “would not have done it [made the deal] if it wasn’t a good
deal.” The swap is opposed by a number of
groups, and they held a organizational meeting
on Specifically, UL’s claim that the
swap is an even trade, with both pieces of property worth $3.25 million,
is Lafayette Realtor Nancy Marcotte, “puzzling.”
Marcotte said she couldn't put a dollar
value on the Harold Schoeffler,
described in news reports as a Another opponent, Danica Adams, stated that "Ray Authement went behind everyone's backs and tried to
keep it low-key in order to remove any opposition.” Responding to such criticisms,
Authement stated that the process had been
public from the outset. The matter was discussed several times in the University
Council, the minutes of which are furnished to the Faculty Senate and distributed
at each Senate meeting and attached to the minutes of the Senate meeting.
When the University made its final proposal to the (public) meeting of the
Board of Supervisors of the Authement concluded by stating that “When I feel I’m right,
I’ll take it all the way.” |