Minutes of the University Senate November 9, 2005

 

 

Present: S. Brownmiller, E. Chan, C. Cherry, S. Cohen, M. Dennis, A. Djiffack, A. Emami, L. Feldman, L. Freinkel, S. Gary, S. Holmberg, A. Hornof, H. Lin, J. Hurwit, R. Irvin, J. Jablonski, P. Keyes, L. LaTour, P. Lu, W. A. Marcus, A. Mathas, C. McNelly, K. McPherson, C. Minson, L. Moses, L. Nelson, J. Newton, V. Ostrik, M. Pangburn, G. Psaki, S. Simmons, E. Singer, J. Sneirson, J. Stolet, P. Swangard, N. Tublitz, J. Wagenknecht,

 

Excused: C. Ellis, N. Fujii, G. Sayre

 

Absent: A. DuFour, D. Eisert, M. Filippelli, M. Irvin, L. Karim, T. Love, S. Maier, K. McKenzie, L. Richardson, P. Rounds, E. Scott, K. Sheehan, K. Wagle

 

 

CALL TO ORDER

 

The regular meeting of the university Senate was called to order at 3:10 p.m. in the Fir room of the EMU.

 

 

APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES

 

Approval of the minutes from the October 12, 2005 meeting was delayed until the next senate meeting (November 30, 2005).

 

 

DISCUSSION OF PROPOSED SALE OF THE WESTMORELAND STUDENT HOUSING COMPLEX

 

Vice President for Finance and Administration Frances Dyke opened the discussion on the proposed Westmoreland Housing property sale by providing some basic statistics about the property and its current occupants. There are 404 one and two bedroom housing units (327 and 506 square feet, respectively), which account for roughly 48% of the university’s off campus housing units. Originally designed for student family housing, approximately 12% of leaseholders have children, half the rate of five years ago. Occupancy rate is 87% -- 353 leaseholders, 340 of who are actively enrolled at the UO. (By comparison, Spencer View housing with 272 units has a 91% occupancy rate.)

 

Using a series of pie charts, Ms. Dyke revealed demographics of the Westmoreland student leaseholders: 74% are US citizens, 26% are international students; 38% are doctoral students, 34% masters/professional students, and 28% are undergraduates. Of the US citizens, 7% have children; for international students, 4% have children. Nearly three quarters (74%) of the leaseholders are between the ages of 21 to 30 years old. In addition, Westmoreland has a childcare facility which currently has 44 children (28 FTE) enrolled; 10 are children of community members, 3 are faculty/staff children, and the others are children of undergraduate and graduate students.

 

Vice President Dyke explained that through the proposed sale of the Westmoreland property the university would be better able to achieve several campus initiatives such as generating funding for new and renovated housing projects, securing additional properties to meet the university’s needs, such as the large Romania property, and possibly expanding academic programs and facilities in Portland. She further indicated that the needs of the current student residents of Westmoreland have not been forgotten, and noted the following commitments made to these students:

• Exiting leases are guaranteed through June 30, 2006;
• Students with children have first right to other family housing and access to alternative day care on campus;
• Moves of current residents into currently vacant units in other university housing will be facilitated; and
• Advisors in financial aid and housing will work with each individual student lease holder to devise a transition plan to meets his/her needs.

 

Ms. Dyke continued by providing a chronology of steps taken to inform the residents of the request to the state board to sell the property. Interim Student Affairs Vice President and Director of Housing Mike Eyster and Vice President Dyke met with Westmoreland students for a preliminary discussion of the transition support that would be necessary for students. More such meetings are planned in a variety of formats throughout the year. Mr. Eyster will meet with the Family Housing Board at its November and subsequent meetings to discuss the transition issues. In addition, two transition support teams have been formed to assist with child care transition issues, and housing and graduate student transition issues. The first team is led by Work and Family Services Administrator Karen Logvin; Housing Director Eyster and Associate Dean of the Graduate School Marian Friestad will lead the other transition team. Student parents at Westmoreland, GTFs, student parents at Moss Street Children Center, non-traditional student ASUO representative, financial aid administrators, and international programs administrators will comprise the team members. Included in the tasks of these transition teams is performing needs assessment, meeting with parents, coordinating financial aid and services used and needed by international students, and identifying solutions for meeting assessed needs.

 

Vice President Dyke said that the university does not have an offer for the property currently, but two developers have expressed an interest in developing the property for affordable housing and there is speculation that there may be other developers similarly interested. In addition to receiving fair market value for the property, the state board may consider other factors before approving the sale. She then opened the floor for questions and discussion.

 

Questions from the senators raised a number of issues: how many graduate students and international students would be affected by the sale, and what might be the impact on recruiting graduate and international students if affordable housing is not available; what is the urgency for the sale at this time if not for pressing infrastructure and maintenance issues; what are the plans for using the proceeds of the sale; how long has the sale been contemplated, and why was there no consultation with faculty and students; how could the administration expect faculty and student support for the sale with no role in the decision-making process; what will be the consultation process for spending the money raised from sale of the property; and how does the property sale fit into overall campus planning.

 

In response, Vice President Dyke commented that the administration was aware of the disruption such a sale creates for current residents, but they were working through the transition teams to minimize the displacement concerns. The fact that there has been an expressed interest from several developers to create more affordable housing at the Westmoreland site may result in a minimal amount of disruption for current leaseholders and better, affordable housing available in the future. Ms. Dyke indicated that the administration is charged with stewardship of the university’s resources, and the proposed property sale is part of that stewardship. Mr. Eyster added that the administration is constantly thinking about future plans for the university through ongoing evaluation of its resources. He said that the possible sale of the property had been contemplated perhaps last fall. Regarding the urgency of the sale issue, the sale makes good business sense at this time because of declining occupancy rates, need for housing closer to campus, maintenance and infrastructure needs, and, money from the sale could be spent on other property and housing needs of the UO.

 

Another senator expressed concern for the lack of consultation about the sale and the negative impact the sale would have on recruiting and retaining graduate students if the amount of affordable housing is reduced due to the sale. Low graduate student salaries make it extremely difficult to find affordable housing. Ms. Bing Li, chair of the Westmoreland Council, was recognized by President Keyes to make a statement in opposition to the proposed property sale. She made a long, impassioned plea not to sell the property by providing data emphasizing the low incomes of students (GTFs), the lack of other affordable housing in Eugene, and the proximity of childcare available for those students with children. She discounted university claims that infrastructure and building maintenance was a legitimate reason for selling the property, suggesting that the recent $75 rent increase could be used for any physical maintenance problems, thus she questioned the real reason for selling the property. Ms. Li said the loss of affordable housing, which particularly affects graduate, international and minority students, is too detrimental for too large a number of students to go forward with the proposed sale, and also noted that a meaningful plan to relocate Westmoreland students had not been formulated. She stated that the university should do more to serve and support the students and children in Westmoreland, and not force them to make difficult housing and childcare decisions when they can least afford it. Saying that she just wanted a home, Ms. Li wanted a guarantee that the university would provide affordable housing for the current tenants. A number of students and leaseholders from Westmoreland were present at the meeting showing support for Ms. Li’s position.

 

As the discussion continued, a number of senators reiterated their concern over the affect on graduate student recruiting, the lack of faculty consultation on the issue prior to the decision to sell the property, and how the money from the sale would be spent. To address some of these concerns, Provost John Moseley spoke to the senators saying that there was a high likelihood that the property would continue to be used for housing and low rent housing, but run through private developers rather than by the university. He stated that whatever money is made from the sale of Westmoreland, that amount would go into university student housing. He clarified that in the short term the university will use some of the money for the purchase of the Romania site from the UO Foundation (which does not have the funds to purchase the site outright) and for another site near the university which may be used for housing or other uses. Some of the money would be used to transition the current Westmoreland students into other housing options. However, the provost again emphasized that in the end, the same amount of money gained from the sale of Westmoreland would be put back into improving student housing. The provost noted the university expects to build more student housing, but if it does not proceed with the sale of the Westmoreland property, the university will have no opportunity to do such building.

 

To a question about how the sale would affect classified staff who work at the Westmoreland facilities, Mr. Eyster responded that no layoffs were likely. As the discussion drew to a close, some senators again expressed their continued dismay with not having been involved, through the Campus Planning Committee or through the senate, in the decision-making process, alluding to the lack of consultation last year surrounding the Howe Field site for a possible proposed basketball arena.

 

 

STATE OF THE UNIVERSITY

 

University President Dave Frohnmayer opened his remarks on the state of the university with data that revealed a modest increase in fall enrollment to approximately 20,500 students. He report that there is greater variety in student origins and that the incoming student GPA average is 3.49. He also noted that the planned 7% tuition increase was “bought down” by the legislature to a 3% tuition increase level. The president then touted the successful combining of Freshman Convocation with the traditional campus Fall Convocation. Over 4,000 people attended the new joint convocation at the start of the academic year where new faculty were introduced and nationally acclaimed University of Maryland Professor of Physics Dr. Jim Gates communicated ideas at the frontiers of particle physics to the assembled students, faculty, parents and community members. The success of the new combined convocation format warrants its continuation next fall.

 

The president then touched briefly on several campus topics of interest.

 

Diversity report. The draft diversity report released last spring was worked on by an executive working group as well as a number of faculty members over the summer months. The updated working draft of the 5 year diversity plan is nearing completion and will be vetted internally this fall. He indicated, too, that the journalism and communication school already has their diversity plan developed.

 

Westmoreland property sale. The president reaffirmed his awareness of the humanitarian consequences of the Westmoreland property sale. He stated that the university will continue to make the UO attractive to international students and a diverse student body. Although he did not know at this time either the identity of buyer or the timing of the sale, he indicated that if the price was not right, there would be no sale. The president recognized the sale would be a disruption in students’ lives, but, on balance, he felt the opportunities the sale would provide – new student housing and others -- merited proceeding with the sale.

 

Provost search. There has been a high level of engagement with the candidates for provost. He commented about the importance of the provost position and commended the search committee for their work on such a daunting task. The campus visits will be concluded by the end of November.

 

Basketball arena. The president said there is no arena – there is an arena site (the Williams Bakery site). He indicated that the university has raised funds for a design phase, but the project needs a heroic effort and gift for the arena to become a reality.

 

Budget and comprehensive campaign. He reiterated that he expects the university to have a balanced budget for the biennium and that faculty salaries are the highest priority. The comprehensive campaign is at $371 million as of September 30, 2005. Grants and contracts have increased by approximately 50% this past year.

 

Building improvements. The president listed the campus building projects over the past 24 months: Lillis, the Art museum, Living Learning Center, Hayward Field entrance, Student Recreational facilities, Many Nations Longhouse, Student Health Center improvements, ground-breaking for the Education College expected in August 2006, and improvements are planned for Robinson Theatre.

 

Academic Initiatives. The president noted that a Humanities Roundtable was held recently dealing with topics exploring how the humanities might be taught differently and how to make the humanities more visible. The East Asia initiative has resulted in 70 faculty who have significant scholarly engagement with Pacific Rim people and places.

 

During a question and answer period, a senator asked the president what price the UO would accept for the Westmoreland property and what type of buyer was sought in relation to student needs. President Frohnmayer replied that he had no income test, but that he does have concerns about childcare and rent costs in considering the overall offering price. He is looking at remediation effect for students.

 

 

NEW BUSINESS

 

Several notices of motion were given. Senator Matt Dennis, history, gave notice of a motion to amend US03/04 to enable the University Senate to convene with full legislative power. Faculty member Louise Westling, English, gave notice of a motion for the University Senate to sponsor public hearings on the implication of the UO’s relationship with the Department of Defense and campus research activities. And President Keyes reported that he received a motion from faculty member Paul Engelking, chemistry, to limit wireless computer internet access for students during class time. (See http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~uosenate/ senate.html for full text of these motions.)

 

Emeritus Professor Frank Stahl provided some clarifying information regarding the motion to convene the assembly with legislative authority. He explained that it was difficult to convene the assembly and meet the required quorum, as was experienced several years ago. Consequently, the proposed motion would require closing the university from 3:00 to 6:00 on the day of the assembly to encourage attendance to meet the quorum necessary to act as a legislative body.

 

 

ADJOURNMENT

 

With no other business at hand, the meeting was adjourned at 4:50 p.m.

 

 

Gwen Steigelman

Secretary of the Faculty