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Staff Senate, Faculty Senate address
budget, Library concerns
The Staff Senate and the Faculty Senate faced similar issues at their recent meetings. On Dec. 2, The Faculty Senate conducted a first reading of a state-budget resolution, and voted unanimously on a resolution supporting the NCSU Libraries’ negotiations with online-journal publisher Reed Elsevier. On Dec. 3, the Staff Senate unanimously passed resolutions on a state budget proposal and a campus communication process, and also voted its endorsement of the Faculty Senate’s library resolution.
The Faculty Senate also heard Dr. Linda Brady, dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, discuss changes to multidisciplinary studies at the university (read Brady’s Bulletin column about the changes here), and learned details about the new AllCampus ID cards to be issued this month (read story here). The Faculty Senate’s state-budget resolution will get a second reading at the group’s Jan. 13, 2004, meeting.
Susan Nutter, vice provost and director of libraries, and David Goldsmith presented the libraries’ position in the ongoing negotiations with Elsevier, and requested the senate’s approval of the resolution. Nutter and her staff are unhappy with both the cost of Elsevier’s package and the publisher’s practice of “bundling” unwanted journals with desired journals. “Some 38 percent of the libraries’ serials budget goes to Elsevier,” said Goldsmith, “representing 11 percent of NC State’s journals.” The librarians want more flexibility, he said, “and a good return on our investment.”
The Staff Senate’s state budget resolution asks the N.C. General Assembly to consider other means of addressing the budget shortfall. The resolution suggests providing, at minimum, a cost-of-living increase in salaries; shoring up the state’s current spending obligations before it implements new ones; and fully funding the Comprehensive Compensation System (Senate Bill 688/House Bill 925 of 1994) that provides merit pay to outstanding employees.
The resolution was first brought forth during Staff Senate’s November meeting.
John Barnwell, Staff Senate chair, said that a key component to the resolution’s impact on the General Assembly depended upon its approval by other UNC System schools.
“I’ve gotten word from UNC System peer institutions’ senates or governance committees that they will either draft a resolution of endorsement or draft resolutions of their own that are like the one we formed,” Barnwell said. “We should have a lot of a lot of support to provide input when we speak with legislators.”
The campus communication process resolution asks university departments to be mindful of employees’ access to online communication formats; to identify a person in each department that will have responsibility for sharing information with the department; to allow employees adequate work time to review official campus communications; and that university departments strive to follow communication practices recommended by Staff Senate.
The resolution was first introduced by the 2002-03 senate.
“There are some communication problems within departments,” Barnwell said. “Once information gets to departments, it needs to be able to trickle down to get to the ‘rank and file’.”
The Staff Senate also heard the NCSU Libraries’ presentation about negotiations with Elsevier, and voted to endorse the Faculty Senate’s resolution supporting the libraries.
Posted December 8, 2003
All Rights Reserved
