At the January meeting, Emory Clinic direc- tor Doug Morris presented an overview of options available to Emory faculty for improved access to Emory Healthcare. He first described Emory Employee Health and Wellness and Occupational Medicine, located in the basement of Emory Hospital, room HB53. It is chiefly responsible for occupa- tional injury management but also serves as an employee clinic for minor ailments. Hours are Mon through Fri, by appointment only, but a nurse practitioner is on call 24 hours for work-related injuries at 686-8587. Morris also discussed the Emory Employee Line (8-EVIP), which provides appointment access within 14 days, and the new Patient- Centered Primary Care program, a pilot for a new model of coordinated care between providers, specialists, and other settings such as the ER. Morris urged faculty to enroll in this new program by contacting 8-2050 or visiting emoryhealthcare.org/pilot.
Around Campus: Law School & Emeritus College
The inherent tensions between the changing economic environment of the practice of law and the aims of a legal education were discussed at length during the January meeting, in keeping with the new practice of asking one or two council members per meeting to report on discussion topics from his or her school. Law professor Barbara Woodhouse spoke about that issue, as well as desires to increase diversity among law school faculty and students, expand university support for cross-departmental collaborations, and iden- tify the school’s areas of strength and distinction. Emerita professor Yung-Fong Sung also presented an overview of Emeritus College concerns, emphasizing its goals of doubling membership by next year, developing a research fellowship, expanding its mentoring programs, creating guided excursions and tours of other institutions’ emeritus colleges, and hosting an annual meeting of such organizations in the near future.
Focus on Class and Labor
At its November 15 meeting, the Faculty Council heard a report from the ongoing Com- mittee on Class and Labor. Committee chair Nadine Kaslow (psychiatry) offered an overview of the group’s work. “There are going to be multiple versions of this commit- tee,” Kaslow explained, referring to this first of a three- or four-phase conversation, later phases of which will examine academic labor. She then outlined the five main points of the committee’s charge in this phase: 1) examine whether class and the status it affords is a significant factor that influences relationships at Emory; 2) knowing the basic contours of the non-academic labor force and the attendant labor market; 3) gather data on promo- tion, advancement, and self-improvement within the non-academic labor force; 4) factually identify structural impediments to employment and career advancement; and 5) under- stand the role of contracting on campus. The Council then divided into smaller groups for a “focus group” discussion with committee members as part of their data gathering work.
Provost: Libraries Undergoing Five-Year Review
At the November meeting, University Provost Earl Lewis outlined the external review process taking place in the university libraries in 2011-12. Noting that all schools and units undergo such reviews periodically, Lewis said that this review will focus on the main Woodruff Library and the Health Sciences library.
The review process will include both an internal self-study and a visit from a team of external reviewers, which will involve librar- ians from other institutions. The process also provides an opportunity for confidential letters to be submitted to him that will be read only by himself and by President James Wagner as part of the review.
A final report will be written by the team of external reviewers. The unit head will then be given an opportunity to respond to that report.
Questions raised about retirement fund rules
During the November meeting, the Faculty Council heard from Sidney Stein, chair of the University Senate’s Fringe Benefits Committee, and Ken Walker, both of the School of Medicine, about concerns over rules governing the rates at which an employee may withdraw mandatory contributions and University-contributed funds early from a retire- ment account. (Current rules state that a “pre-retirement cash withdrawal” is available to employees who have reached 59 1⁄2 years of age. This is available on employee contribu- tions only.) Stein and Walker argued that more funds, especially for faculty (for whom retirement is not mandatory) who are well beyond the age of 59 1⁄2 , should be accessible for pre-retirement withdrawal. “We have, I think, a university interest in people having money kept available to them for retirement, versus the interest of an individual who is interested in having access to that money,” Stein said. At a meeting later in the year, the Faculty Council will hear from a Human Resources representative, who will clarify the university’s position as the Council considers the request and the issue.
The Future of the Liberal Arts
At its October 18 meeting, Provost Earl Lewis introduced the Council to a new university-wide structured inquiry about to launch: “Are we willing to spend some time looking ahead 25 years from now and asking what a liberal arts education at Emory should look like? What should be the interplay between the liberal arts curriculum at the undergradu- ate level and the professional and graduate schools? What should a liberal arts education contain? What changes do we want to begin to make?” Lewis said a committee would be formed in the coming weeks to spend a year in a systematic and far-reaching examination of these questions, toward “a framework for Emory University going forward, as we imag- ine the liberal arts.” To help begin to shape the discussion, the Council then spent some time in discussion of questions such as, “How large do you envision our student body becoming over the next quarter century?” and, “Are we structured properly to insure the quality we imagine for a first-rate liberal learning experience?”
Around Campus: Report from Theology School
At the October meeting, Chair Erica Brownfield introduced a new practice of asking one council member per meeting to report on discussion topics from his or her school. This month, Timothy Jackson from the Candler School of Theology reported on three con- cerns raised by his colleagues:
- The declining condition and overcrowding of campus shuttles;
- The paucity of prompt, available appointments in the Emory Healthcare system for Emory employees; and
- Concerns that the Blackboard course content management system is outdated and too expensive.
These concerns prompted the following announcements:
- The entire campus shuttle fleet will be replaced in 2012.
- •Blackboard, which is reviewed in comparison to other content management systems regularly, will undergo a massive upgrade very soon.
- Brownfield offered to invite Doug Morris, director of the Emory Clinic, to speak to the Faculty Council.
Standing Committees Report on 11-12 Plans
During the October meeting, the Faculty Council heard from each of its standing commit- tees on plans for the 2011-12 year. Gray Crouse announced that the 2012 Distinguished Faculty Lecture would take place on February 6, and an announcement of the presenter is forthcoming. Speaking as chair of the Faculty Counselors to the Board of Trustees, Steve Everett introduced this year’s roster (found at this link). Pat Marsteller, co-chairing the Faculty Life Course Committee with Michael Kutner of public health, described plans to examine various faculty mentoring initiatives around campus. Ken Anderson of the Oxford faculty, chairing the Learning Outcomes Assessment Committee, described efforts to review school-based assessment plans and develop best practices that shape the culture of assessment at Emory, in particular examining the university’s strategic plan with a view to learning outcomes. Doug Bowman, chair of the University Research Committee, discussed its small, short-term research grants to Emory faculty, with attention to reaching out to junior faculty, tracking results, and external publicity for funded projects.
Joint Session with Senate on Student Arrests
On September 20, the Faculty Council and the University Senate held their first meeting of the 2011-12 academic year as a single joint session devoted entirely to the allegations of Students and Workers in Solidarity (SWS) about subcontracted worker mistreatment against the Sodexo food service provider at Emory and the arrest of several students protesting on the Quad on April 25, 2011. Representatives from Sodexo, SWS, and the Emory administra- tion each spoke, followed by a question-and-answer period with the Senate. Two representa- tives from Sodexo, Tom Mackall, Vice President for Employee and Corporate Relations, and Joe Mitchell, the district manager who oversees the Emory contract, spoke in defense of the corporation’s international human rights record and its employee relations on this campus. “We are recognized as an industry leader in creating a great place to work . . . ,” Mackall said. “Our employee retention rates are far above industry norms.”
Next to speak was Eric Bymaster, assistant vice president of finance and operations in Emory’s Campus Life division, detailing a response to SWS’s allegations and demands relating to Sodexo, including clarifications of contract employee hearing mechanisms, transportation access, and due diligence in reviewing contracted vendors’ human rights records. “We are sat- isfied with the overall comprehensive package of benefits that Sodexo provides its employees,” he added. “It’s not only competitive in the market but it’s affordable for their employees.”
Several members of SWS then presented statements. Meghan Jordan, an Emory College student, read from testimonials said to be provided by Sodexo workers on campus. She read from a testimonial she said was from Ms. Clara Greene: “ ‘I earn $10.50 an hour and have worked at Emory for four years. I have nothing to save after bills and health insurance. I don’t know how I’m going to pay for car insurance and get a tag and groceries.’ ” Jordan added, “The crux of this issue is the administration’s tendency to dehumanize the issue and instead present it as an issue of retention rates and other quantitative data.”
University President James Wagner followed with an update on the student arrests, explaining that Emory had offered to seek dismissal of the charges if the charged students would agree to honor university policy on use of facilities and grounds and not to initiate civil proceedings against the university. That offer, he said, still stands.
Following the Q&A, Faculty Council/University Senate Chair Brownfield announced the formation of an ad hoc committee to further examine and make recommendations to the Senate on whether the University should continue its contract with Sodexo.
Welcome from the Chair
Welcome to the 2011-2012 academic year! I am excited to serve as chair of the Faculty Council and welcome your thoughts and suggestions as we continue to refine the Council’s role and effectiveness as the main governance body for issues around academic affairs and faculty concerns. The Council’s Executive Committee has been busy over the summer meeting with various faculty mem- bers and leaders across campus and generat- ing ideas and enthusiasm for this year. We look forward to updates from last year’s rec-
ommendations such as Open Access, faculty grievance policies and procedures, and class and labor at Emory. We also look forward to new discussion topics such as the life cycle of a faculty member, the future of liberal arts and research universities, and topics that will give the Council an opportunity to further engage academic deans across campus. I look forward to serving you this year!
– Erica Brownfield, Chair, Faculty Council, Associate Professor of Medicine