Montclair State University
PCAA 2002-03

Minutes
May 13, 2003
The Advance

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Present:
Cindy Meneghin - - Professional Staff
Carinne Stachelski - - SGA
Tina Jacobowitz - - Faculty
Cindy Caceres - - LASO
Daniela Galvez - - LASO
James Harris - - Persons with Disabilities
Nadeem Firoz - - Asian and Pacific Islander Caucus
Reggie Halaby - - University Senate
Sylvia Sims - - Campus Police
Angel Gutierrez - - Latino/a Caucus
Dorothy Rogers - - At-large
Iris Barriera - - At-large
Margaree Coleman Carter - - At-large
Ida Caprio - - CWA
Marion Nieves-Rothstein - - Clerical Staff
Louise McInerey - - CWA
Luis Rodriguez - - At-large
Charles Matteis - - Management-Alternate
Denise DeBlasio - - At-large
Judith Hain - - Ex-Officio
Michael Brown - - African American Caucus
Lacey Gibson - - Maintenance
Joan Ficke - - At-large
Barbara Milton - - Ex-Officio
Esmelda Abreu - - Women's Group ­Alternate
Hiram Perez - - GLFSA
Norma Connolly - - Latino/a Caucus
President Susan Cole - - Guest

I. Welcome and Self-Introductions

II. April Minutes
The April 2003 minutes were adopted with the corrections "She suggested that the department post a paper copy of the daily events published by S. Lifer's Office for those that don't have email." AA Day and March on Washington should be in quotes. L. Rodriguez moved, and J. Harris provided the second. III. Presentations by the Caucuses

A. Gay and Lesbian Faculty/Staff Association (GLFSA) C. Meneghin and H. Perez The major concern of GLFSA is the denial of family health benefits for domestic partners and their families at MSU. C. Meneghin discussed at length the differences in state laws concerning domestic partnership, marriage, and financial and health codependence issues. Seven Gay/Lesbians couples filed a lawsuit in June 2002 seeking petition to marry in New Jersey. The State Attorney General has responded to the initial complaint. It is anticipated that I twill go to the appellate court and the NJ Supreme Court. If passed, gay couples will have the same marriage rights. GLFSA has been instrumental in moving the issue of marriage for gays.

C. Meneghin has been attending town meetings around the state. As it stands now, domestic partners cannot receive health benefits that are afforded to married couples. She commended President Cole for the support extended to her personally in her court battle for the right for gays and lesbians to marry in New Jersey.

H. Perez outlined three other GLFSA concerns. He indicated that confidentiality and anonymity of constituents when using electronic communication and lack of exposure during new faculty orientation, and hostility toward gays are problems.

Some gay and lesbian faculty and staff have a problem with revealing identities through e-mail and membership listings. Will confidential communications be confidential?

H. Perez suggested that GLFSA be given time to speak to new faculty during their orientation to be made aware of the organization and the support to be derived from membership.

C. Stachelski suggested that caucuses create brochures with contact information for both new hires and the MSU community to advertise. Another suggestion was to use Blackboard for Caucus communications.

Further, R. Halaby suggested faculty mentorship by the departments in that retention is a departmental issue. He commented that the Biology Department is quite proactive in this area. N. Connolly indicated that mentoring might work well with larger departments, but presents a problem with small departments.

H. Perez expressed GLFSA's growing concern about hate crimes and the open hostility against gays in the wider society and even on campus. He alluded to the word "fag" written on a piece of artwork in the Calcia Quad. D. Rogers recommended Safe Place training (that the PCAA supports) and expanding the Safe Place Program on campus.

In discussing these issues, there was agreement that MSU is committed to recruiting underrepresented minorities, but doesn't demonstrate the same level of commitment in retaining them once they are hired.

In order to have greater access to appropriate data, it was decided that the PCAA and the Caucuses will collaborate in investigating issues of concern. B. African American Caucus J. Harris, Vice Chairperson
The AAC represents all sectors of University employees of African ancestry and includes the interests of students of African ancestry. Issues are (1) faculty promotions, (2) staff reclassifications and promotions, (3) salary equity, (4) morale and campus climate, and (5) contract compliance (set aside and purchasing).

Two years ago the AAC and a group of AA faculty had several meetings with the Provost and the President regarding lagging promotions and tenure rates. Action was taken and the situation has improved. Likewise, the staff reclassification process has been revised. The Caucus received very few complaints about the process over the past year.

The contract and purchasing set-asides issue for minorities has been the most recent focus of the AAC in light of the new construction on campus. MSU has never met its minority purchasing goal of 7% mandated by NJ law. The Caucus now receives copies of the compliance reports. Results are improving now that purchasing has developed a tracking system for minority vendors. MSU hosted a minority vendor fair, and developed a minority vendor list that departments are encouraged to use.

Observations:

• The Caucus is disturbed by the decline in AA workers in maintenance as indicated the 2001-2002 Employee Profile.
• Feedback from some Caucus members indicates that the University doesn't seem to value employees with longevity in favor of recent employees.
• Feedback from some Caucus members indicates that some people are disgruntled because they are not afforded dignity. They feel disrespected by their supervisors.

• There should be an annual report card for affirmative action for each division/department that takes into account staff diversity; staff VP inherited; staff hired since VP arrival. Staff diversity should be a factor in managerial evaluations.
• Selected (interested) faculty and staff should be appointed to attend and recruit at professional conferences. They need to be trained and equipped with information packets about MSU and the departments for which they are recruiting
• Provost should send faculty openings electronically (instead of hard copy) to AA faculty and staff soliciting help in recruiting.
• Departments should actively recruit minority graduate assistants.
• Conduct a study of earnings for African Americans to see if there is parity with others in similar positions and longevity.
• PCAA should review the EEO/AA Annual Reports to get a more broad understanding of employment and retention trends.
• AAC should increase collaboration with Human Resources and the other caucuses. VP Hain responded that she would welcome an invitation from all caucuses to discuss concerns and answer questions.

• Retention - Only 50% of the Latino/a faculty was retained over the past few years compared to 24% - 30% overall.
• No Caucus presence at New Faculty Orientation.
• Bilingual Concentration in Psychology.

For new faculty orientation, the Latino/a Caucus can request the names of new faculty in advance to reach out to the new faculty members who identify themselves as Hispanic with the intent of establishing an informal mentoring relationship between veteran and new.

At the Advance the Caucus learned that the Psychology Department voted to maintain the Bilingual Concentration. Data concerning enrollment and graduation rates was inconsistent. N. Connolly indicated that the only official data comes from the Office of Institutional Research.

T. Jacobowitz asked if non-Hispanics were welcome to join the Latino/a Caucus. Chairperson Gutierrez responded affirmatively if that person supports the goals and promotes the interests of the Caucus.

D. Americans with Disabilities Act -- J. Harris
Dr. Elaine Fine is the Chairperson of the Senate Committee for Persons with Disabilities. MSU, as do all public institutions, must make reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities (faculty, staff, and students). Students must self-identify to Linda Smith, Coordinator of Services for Students with Disabilities. L. Smith sends a letter to faculty identifying the student who needs the accommodations and the accommodations needed without stating the disability. Some disabilities are not obvious (like learning disabilities), while others may be temporary (like a broken leg). Sometimes accommodating a student means the Registrar moves classes to accessible buildings and parking. He noted that Panzer Gym is the least accessible building on campus.

J. Harris gave us a reminder that persons with disabilities are no less intelligent than able-bodied persons.

Recommendation:
ADA needs to be included in building planning.

E. Asian & Pacific Islander Caucus N. Firoz
Asians are the fastest growing and highest paid minority in the USA. There are 25 Asian faculty members and represent 5% and 4% of the undergraduate and graduate student population respectively on campus.

There are several student organizations. APIC didn't receive reports of difficulties among its constituency following 9-11. Generally, the Caucus is satisfied.

The APIC is looking for new emerging leadership in carrying the organization forward. Drs.Yang and Firoz need help and new energy.

Also, there are some issues regarding the assimilation of Asian students into American society and MSU's readiness to receive international students when they arrive on campus.

During the discussion H. Perez noted that it is important to make the distinction between Asian internationals and Asian Americans.

Lunch

F. Women's Issues -- M. Coleman Carter
E. Abreu voices women student issues via the Women's Center. As the Chairperson for Status of Women, M. Coleman Carter highlighted the following Key issues for women on campus:

Performance Assessment Review (PAR) Human Resources conducted several workshops for staff on the developmental aspect of the evaluation instrument for support staff. Feedback from staff who were being evaluated the feedback indicated that supervisors and managers need PAR training with emphasis placed on setting goals and developmental plans to help support staff reaches goals. Raters must discuss and negotiate the plans with the ratee. There was only a 20% return rate for the initial round of PARs, but the rate improved to 75% by the interim report. The Division for Student Development and Campus Life had the highest return rate for the initial round. Currently, there is no administrative mandate that forces managers to complete PARs for employees in a timely manner.

Civil Service Procedures - Staff lacks knowledge about civil service rules and regulations, especially with regards to the recruitment and certification processes.

Varied Secretarial Titles ­ There is a concern that we have so many different titles for secretaries on campus.

Phyllis Wooster spearheaded a new initiative this year, the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP). The IAAP is a professional organization that supports professional development for administrative personnel.

The Status on Women encouraged women's participation in University activities i.e. University Day and strategic planning discussions.

Dignity for Women ­ One of the major issues is the perceived lack of respect for women in the support staff. Most of the work done by The Status of Women deals with support staff, because faculty and professionals seek other resources for their issues. Women students seek the resources of the Women's Center, that was instrumental in working with Muslim women who suffered persecution and harassment following 9-11 and the recent war with Iraq. Finally, the SGA chartered a new women's student organization, Women Achieving Victory, Equality And Solidarity (WAVES). The focus is on building self-esteem, equity, and finances.

Regarding new organizations, C. Meneghin announced that there is website account space available for student and professional organizations.

IV. Commission Charge by President Susan A. Cole
Dr. Cole began with a comment prompted by previous discussion on MSU student diversity. She stated that we value diversity on this campus and further commented that MSU enrollment is driven by providing educational opportunities to a diverse student population. Students are not admitted on the basis of race.

Before charging the PCAA, President Cole asked the Commission to identify the challenges and prevalent issues among the caucuses. They were listed as campus climate, effective communications, domestic partnership benefits, and the recruitment and retention of faculty of color. The Commission also explained its concern that the present committee structure may not be effective in meeting their current needs.

Charge The responsibility of the PCAA is to bring concerns to the President's attention and make recommendations for resolution. Affirmative action issues are often complex and emotionally charged. Issues demand analyses and discussion. The Commission is also charged with creating a kinder, warmer, and open campus.

Campus Climate and Morale
Dr. Cole stated that we must go beyond narrative and support issues and recommendations with data.

Diversity
Dr. Cole reported that new student enrollment (paid deposits) has increased for 2004. 33% of new faculty hires are faculty of color that includes 14 African Americans. The incentive program refocused attention to the need to hire faculty of color. Other key hires include an Assistant VP, who is African American that oversees the Physical Plant Department.

We engaged in discussion on how we may create a kinder, warmer, and open campus. H. Perez suggested that we listen more responsively and responsibly. That would improve our communications. Dr. Cole suggested that we confront and not tolerate bad behaviour. L. Rodriguez talked about the difficulties and gradual time required to change a culture. When there are race and gender differences among the disputing parties, those differences escalate the issue even though the dispute may be personality driven.

"We need a campaign for civility" was a comment from I. Barreira. M. Coleman Carter raised the question of how the Commission can share with the campus community that the University doesn't condone bad behavior and that there are negative consequences without divulging names. M. Brown said he felt empowered to learn that tenured faculty who have misbehaved are no longer at MSU as a result of their inappropriate actions. However, for faculty and staff, who feel that they have been injured or abused, there are avenues of recourse including the Office of EO/AA. D. Rogers suggested that the PCAA should find ways to promote civility by offering "safe place" and diversity training. I. Barriera suggested people still feel powerless and unwilling to step forward, because they think they will become targets and nothing will happen to the people from whom they seek redress. J. Harris thinks that the culture has improved in the way issues and concerned are addressed within the last 5-6 years because MSU has a new administration that operates differently. Some faculty and staff have not fully appreciated the differences yet.

V. Chairperson's Annual Report -- T. Jacobowitz
Due to the lateness of the hour, the Commission members were asked to review the draft and respond email to T. Jacobowitz with corrections and suggestions.

VI. Elections -- L. Rodriguez
L. Rodriguez presented the following nomination slate of officers:

T. Jacobowitz -- Chairperson
N. Connolly -- Vice Chairperson
M. Brown -- Recording Secretary
C. Meneghin -- Corresponding Secretary

With no nominations from the floor, the slate was elected by acclamation.

VII. Planning Session
C. Meneghin will email all members to request availability weekdays 12 ­ 2 PM. We will select a meeting time that accommodates most schedules, especially student schedules to maximize their participation.

Each Caucus should recommend a reading for next year.

VIII. Adjournment 4:15

Submitted,

Michael Brown - - Recording Secretary
Barbara Milton - - Ex Officio