Minutes
University Assembly Meeting
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
4:30 � 6:00 p.m.
316 Day Hall

I. Call to Order

C. Walcott called the meeting to order at 4:35 p.m.

Roll was taken via sign-in sheet.
Voting Members Present: R. Ataya, W. Candell, C. Cunha, J. Feldman, G. Yorgakaros, E. Cortens, E. Strong, M. Walsh, K. Baier, J. Blair, N. LaCelle, L. Lawrence, W. Ghiorse, H. Howland, E. Loew, C. Walcott, R. Wayne
Voting Members Absent: A. Brokman, M. Hatch
Non-voting Members Present: B. McKinney
Non-voting Members Absent: A. Craig, N. Evensen

Also In Attendance: A. Epstein, A. O’Donnell, Y. Zhang

II. Approval of the Minutes from October 13, 2010

R. Wayne moved the minutes, W. Ghiorse seconded. The UA unanimously approved the minutes.

III. Cornell Childcare Center: Discussion and Resolution

H. Howland explained how members of the UA committee discussed the issue over e-mail to develop the motion being presented. Many members were surprised by the parents’ petition that showed overwhelming support for the center. R. Wayne said parents might be worried about the center closing if the contract with Bright Horizons was terminated. He said we received two sets of data, and we should commend both. He said he didn’t know if the management at BH is good or not. He then suggested instead of keeping BH for at least the duration of the contract, we should observe for a year and decide in the meantime. He moved to make this an amendment. H. Howland seconded.

J. Feldman said BH may not be bad enough for immediate termination, but they are also not doing enough for us to maintain the current situation. Princeton recently turned down BH and turned to a non-profit organization, which could help save money and provide lower ratios. He then suggested Cornell explore the market for other potential contractors.

J. Blair said there is a normal contract cycle where the contract is up for new competition every few years. If the UA believes BH has fallen below an acceptable threshold of performance that justifies early termination, they should vote to support the resolution. If not, they should reject it. Judging from the parent input, J. Blair said he does not believe BH has fallen below an acceptable threshold that requires early termination. He said the UA needs to make a decision and move on without creating further turmoil. L. Lawrence agreed and said if the center was below the threshold, the state would have closed them down already. J. Feldman said he agrees but he wants to be prepared. Should we monitor the center further or explore other options to be proactive? J. Blair said we could go by the normal schedule and get bids when the contract naturally expires. L. Lawrence said November 1 is almost here and he believed we have enough information to make a recommendation to the President, who has staff to look for information for new contractors if necessary.

H. Howland clarified the amendment. There was a call to question. By a vote of 5–11–0, the amendment failed.

The second amendment was to move the first “be it resolved that the UA commends�” clause to be a “whereas” clause. The amendment was adopted by a vote of 15–1−0.

C. Cunha asked about the third amendment. E. Cortens explained it and said he wanted to be sensitive to the concerns and not discount any opinions and therefore he was uncomfortable with this amendment. R. Wayne agreed and withdrew it from the table.

C. Walcott led the discussion back to the main motion. E. Strong said the FS recommended a 7-member advisory board consisting of faculty. He suggested it include all constituencies. He made an amendment that any advisory committee/board formed would consist of all constituencies. The sponsors of the motion were in agreement with this amendment. By a vote of 16–0−0, the amendment was approved under the “Be it resolved” clause.

The UA members discussed and agreed on some minor word changes. E. Cortens said the number of parent signatures on the petition to support the center has increased to about 130 and the motion should be updated before it is sent off.

By a vote of 14–2−1, this motion was passed, which means the alternative motion was automatically rejected.

IV. Discuss Charter Revision Progress and Plan Forward

E. Strong said we are working on a model committee structure. He explained that one theory was the committees could be made up entirely of UA members.

J. Feldman said this would give us a firmer grasp for the different aspects of the campus that the committees cover. We need the committee members to have functional roles rather than being expert witnesses. We are not looking to reduce transparency of the committees; but rather to maintain vitality of the committees.

E. Cortens said this would be similar to the US Senate, where members are on several committees themselves.

E. Strong said the CJC and the Safety Committee were two notable exceptions.

M. Walsh said it would be hard to staff all the current committees with just UA members. It is important to include the constituent assemblies and allow them to appoint people to these committees. If we form super committees, there could be fewer committees staffed with just UA members. There are pros and cons to this structure, and some committees may wish to function on their own. R. Ataya agreed with M. Walsh but said we still need to include people from outside the UA in the discussions and give them a voice.

W. Candell said we are elected to the UA to represent those people here. Too many people from the outside could create a lack of cohesiveness.

C. Walcott said there is a lack of communication currently because the committees are autonomous.

L. Lawrence suggested facebook, twitter or other electronic ways to advertise so people get to know us.

A. Epstein said a breakdown of the structure of fewer committees with larger interests can be found on the UA website.

C. Walcott said it made sense to look at the new model more closely. He then said he was proud of the group for how the motions were handled.

R. Wayne asked if “academic matters” was put back into the charter draft. E. Strong said as of now it had not been put back in.

R. Ataya said he agreed with L. Lawrence and wanted to make a website to help the campus get to know the UA. A. Epstein offered to talk with him about the details.

R. Wayne noted the president had not yet responded regarding the biology curriculum changes in Qatar.

V. Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 5:57 p.m.