Several of you have alerted me to a mistake in an earlier message: the
called meeting to create a UTC resolution is today, March 26th, from
2:00-5:00 in the Raccoon Mountain Room. If we need more time, there will be
a follow-up meeting at the same times on Tuesday, March 30th in Brock 201.
Sorry about this.

Also, since some have indicated they will be out of town or will not join us
until after their 2:00 class, I wish to indicate what I personally see as
the the results of our efforts. Both faculty and administration have asked
me this important question, and I offer a brief (for me) answer below which
shall also be my introduction to our meeting for those not there or not on
Raven.

First, now at least partially informed about the UTK situation, I organized
this meeting to be a forum for faculty who signed the petition last year
concerning the changes in tenure, and for the majority (1.4 to 1.0) who
voted down the implementation plan at the last faculty meeting.

Second, a resolution is not binding as is the Trustees mandate, but it will
serve as a public response of the UTC faculty, and should inform and guide
the next stage, revision of the implementation plan, which I understand is
already underway. This is what is happening at UTK; departments are using
the resolution first formulated in September after the summer break, and
passed on February 1. I quote from their Vice Chancellor for Academic
Affairs: "We need to take particular note of these as colleges and
departments revise their by-laws to fit the new policy." We should do no less.

Third, time is of the essence. That is why I have suggested starting with
their resolution, changing it only where necessary, and adding appropriate
additions to reflect our campus and mission.  I understand that the PRC has
been busy revising our current plan, which I applaud. Therefore, if we stay
on task and develop a resolution today that can be put to a vote at the next
faculty meeting, we will not be far behind other units of the system.

Fourth, I urge the PRC and handbook committees to incorporate faculty
concerns without second-guessing what the system or trustee response might
be.  If they don't like what we do, they will tell us. My guess is that such
an approach will win faculty support. My position is that we should be
pro-active, not reactive.

Finally, in the name of open and honest discussion, I wish to revise my
suggested agenda to allow generic comments about the role of a resolution.
I will allow 30 minutes of discussion and then ask all to stay who wish to
work constructively on the stated goal of this meeting, a faculty
resolution. I have prepared overheads to allow us to go through the UTK
document as rapidly as possible, pulling out items for further discussion
(as opposed to editorial changes). I think our additions will take the most
time. I will post the results on Raven, and we will have time to reflect
before the faculty meeting vote.

I respectfully suggest other forums for those who think this is not an
appropriate response to the Trustee mandate.

Computer note: Since I have rarely sought to use Raven, I belated discovered
that some of us have Eudora versions with the wrong address (cecasun) in the
send format (I don't know the appropriate computer jargon) so that messages
wait in some sort of holding pattern, which explain why my first message
took over two days, and there were delays again this week. Cecasun has
helped me sort this out, and you may have the same problem. Unlike a wrong
address sent to other Email addresses that come back an undelivered, there
is no notice that your message has been held up for confirmation, and indeed
usually this is of no concern. Now that I have the right configuration, I
get an immediate confirmation with the number of recipient. Asking around, I
discover that our department computer and others have the same problem.
Perhaps Roger Ling, always helpful, will wish to address this problem in a
generic way.

Some of us do not have a version of Eudora that will open attachments such
as the recent PRC amendments. I worked with CECA on this, but my version
will not work, so I urge that these important and timely documents be put on
Raven in a way we all can access them. Thanks, and I hope to see you this
afternoon.

Richard Rice
History