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UTMB Faculty Senate
July 11, 2005
Caduceus Room 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
MINUTES
Senators Present: J. Alperin; S. Ayachi; C. Baker; M. Best; C. Boodley;
B. Budelmann (Chair); A. Cass; J. Gallagher; P. Gallagher; M. Kanz; R.
Lederman (Past Chair); H. Li; M. McGinnis; R. Moore (ex-officio); K.
Mossberg; C. Phillips; L. Primeau; R. Rahr; K. Rasmussen; P. Watson
(ex-officio); M. Winter (Chair Elect).
I. Approval of Agenda of 07/11/05
II. Approval of Minutes of 06/13/05
III. Chair’s Comments – Dr. Budelmann
• Dr. Stobo is in Washington and is unable to attend the Senate meeting.
His “Austin Update” (see minutes of June 11, 2005) is postponed to the
August 8 Senate meeting.
• John Dallas (SOM) will be leaving UTMB. Dr. Budelmann thanked him for his
service as senator. He will be replaced on the Senate during the upcoming
election of new senators in August.
IV. Chair-Elect Comments – Dr. Winter
• June 2 and 3 Faculty Advisory Council Meeting in Austin – a physician
was unjustly accused at UT – MD Anderson. Copyright – Rules and regulations
for basic science faculty. Office of General Counsel website
www.utsystem.edu/ogc
• Students/Faculty – UT System Dating Services is a series of databases. The
first database is a recruitment tool of juniors and seniors in the UT
System. The second database is completely voluntary and encourages the
possible collaboration of faculty. It also lists events and conferences. The
third database is UT Austin’s Eureka site that is still in the development
stage. Roll-out is expected in September.
• Graduation rates within the UT System are a major problem to the
legislators. The 4-year graduation rate is currently listed at 4.8% for UT
El Paso, which does not give an accurate indication as not all students take
a full load.
• State legislators are concerned about the value of an undergraduate
education. A study is currently underway to evaluate the value of an
undergraduate education. UT Austin was unable to recruit enough freshman
students to take a test designed to address this issue. Three campuses did
not have data in on time for the final analysis. It is hoped the data will
be available at the next FAC meeting.
• UT Dallas and the UT Health Science Center San Antonio now have policies
in place to retain tenure for part-time faculty.
V. Biosafety Level 4 Laboratory – Dr. Barrett
A PowerPoint presentation was given by Dr. Alan Barrett, explaining the
events of June 23, 2005 in the BSL 4 Laboratory. The BSL4 laboratory had
been “down” since May 19, 2005, and was undergoing routine decontamination
and maintenance. On June 23, 2005, the alarm went off at approximately 9:00
a.m. when the door from the fumigation room to the buffer corridor slightly
opened. The event happened as the direct result of activities of a
maintenance contractor working on the containment system controls during the
shutdown period. The magnet to two internal doors de-energized due to a loss
of power. The doors were closed immediately and staff vacated the facility
and contacted the Biosafety Officer. Given the period of time since the lab
was in use and since it had been decontaminated, there was no possibility
for infection. No staff members have reported related fevers or headaches.
The maintenance protocol has been modified, and the door control systems
have been appropriately reprogrammed. The Galveston Fire Marshall has
approved the change and other maintenance checks continue. The BSL 4 will
not go hot until University administration is satisfied it understands
exactly what occurred and how to prevent it in the future. Under the
University's policy of transparency in its containment operations, President
Stobo informed the community about this event.
VI. PeopleSoft Update – Rhonda Lewis
Rhonda Lewis advised the Faculty Senate that the PeopleSoft Upgrade went
live five business days ago. The majority of calls received has been
straight forward and could easily be resolved. The PeopleSoft Project Team
describes the implementation as successful and quiet. They are working on
lessons learned. Calling the Help Desk can increase resolution of any
problems. PeopleSoft weekly updates are being emailed. Users should clear
cache. If this is not done, it can slow response time. The PeopleSoft team
is tracking and identifying trends; however, this cannot be done if problems
are not reported. A dedicated team of four trainers are working on tools to
improve the training programs.
VII. Senate Business
• Election of Faculty Senate Chair-Elect. Since the last Senate meeting,
the Chair received nominations of Drs. Thomas Albrecht (GSBS) and Christine
Baker (SAHS) for the position of “Chair-elect”. He asked for additional
nominations from the floor; none were made. Since Dr. Albrecht could not
attend the Senate meeting today (because of a family emergency) and was
unable to provide a written statement to be read, only Dr. Baker gave her
statement. A motion to postpone the election until the next Senate meeting
was made, and a longer discussion followed. The motion did not pass. Written
voting took place with two faculty senate members tallying the votes. Dr.
Christine Baker was announced as the new Faculty Senate Chair-Elect.
• Senators and Faculty Concerns – Update
No new concerns were received.
• Committee Reports
Governance: No report.
Acad. & Adm. Affairs: No report.
Faculty Quality: Dr. Baker gave an update on the Faculty Club and advised
the Faculty Senate that she would have a PowerPoint presentation at the next
meeting. The unofficial opening of the club is August 8 with the Grand
Opening taking place on August 24. The Office of University Advancement will
be sending out official invitations to the opening. The Faculty Club will be
open Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. A continental light
breakfast and lunch will be available with snacks in the afternoon. The Club
can also be booked for after hour events after 7:00 p.m. Monthly dues will
not be collected until November. The dues will be in the ten to twenty-five
dollar range per month. Senators are encouraged to promote the Club.
Meeting adjourned at 6:03 p.m.
Committee Meetings followed.
Next Faculty Senate Meeting: August 8, 2005.
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