Montclair State University
PCAA 2001-02

Minutes
May 16, 2002

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Attendance:
M. Brown, African American Caucus
B. Milton, EO/AA Officer
T. Jacobowitz, Faculty
C. Meneghin, Professional Staff
K. Bledsoe, Physical Plant
K. Dennis, GLFSA
H. Perez, GLFSA
E. Oberfhefer, , Management
R. Halaby, University Senate
D. Rogers, CHSS
L. Smith, Persons w/Disabilities
E. Abreu, Women's Groups
M. Coleman-Carter, At-Large
P. Kirby, CWA
L. McInerney, Clerical Staff
E. Isaacs, Women's Groups
J Ficke , At-Large
D. DeBlasio, At-Large
B. Terry, Management
L. Lemley, IFPT
C. Ortiz, At-Large
R. Sharps, At-Large
I. Barriera, At-Large
J. Harris, Persons w/ Disabilities
L. Rodriguez, At-Large
Q. Dent, Physical Plant
D. Mengara, At-Large
J. Baldwin-LeClair, University Senate
N. Connolly, Latino/American Caucus
N. Firoz, Asian and Pacific Islanders Caucus
R. Aldridge, Faculty

Call to Order
Tina Jacobowitz called the meeting to order at 9:15 AM. She welcomed new and returning members and had the group make self- introductions.

President's Charge
President Cole welcomed the Commission. The purpose of the Advance is to bring together last year committee with new members so that there can be some sharing of thoughts and ideas of accomplishments for last year and future years. President Cole expressed her expectations for the Commission. From her perspective, she looks at a campus that is better than most in U.S. in being an open and diverse community that is welcoming to all of its members. MSU community has been working at issues of cultural diversity for decades. The accomplishments are the results of decades of attention by many people. The Commission is not starting from ground level, in fact we are quite advanced. If the Commission were a course it would be Affirmative Action 501 vs. Affirmative Action 101. This makes a big difference. We need to think even more creatively and innovatively on what can take us to the next level in the University community. This is a harder task. A more advanced effort requires a more innovative approach. What sets this Commission apart from other groups and organizations is that this Commission does not function on personal opinion, perception, and unfounded rumor. This Commission studies, delves into the facts, understands the base line of reality. It proposes well thought out plans of action to solve problems and seize positive opportunities. This is what makes a difference and is a great responsibility.

Further, President Cole stated that the study and deliberations, consideration and review of the facts are good for a first step. The second step, if we see an opportunity or problem, she looks to the Commission to make recommendations to her. This is an exciting charge. President Cole asked Judith Hain to represent her on the Commission and to be a resource. Barbara Milton, the Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Officer will also be a resource to the Commission.

President Cole asked the Commission members from last year to identify what they considered the Commission's most important accomplishments and what we want it to achieve this year. Some accomplishments mentioned were:

• Support staff involved in University Day
• Involvement in the interviewing process for the Director Of Organizational Development/Training
• Response to Sept. 11 in helping student services and uniting with other organizations to educate and calm tensions
• Addressing the Physical Plant staff concerns
• Investigation of faculty recruitment, retention and mentoring
• Study of affirmative action and current events
President Cole applauded PCAA efforts in response to September 11 and suggested more programming that promotes diversity through reasoned discourse and respectful debate of opinions by race, religion, social class, etc. With regard to physical plant staff concerns, Tina Jacobowitz indicated that the PCAA still did not have access to the consultants' report. Regardless of the efforts of Physical Plant Initiative and facts not always supporting perceptions, there are still employee claims that the work environment has not improved.

President Cole stated that it is the University's responsibility to present facts and take appropriate action. Many times there is a lag between reality and perception.

President. Cole stated that the PCAA must have concrete facts and not anecdotes, and must attend to issues that impact on groups. The PCAA should have more forums and other means of communication to solicit information from the campus community. Let the campus community and our constituencies know that the Commission welcomes comments, thoughts, ideas and suggestions, by emailing or writing letters, etc. Since the bulk of the PCAA issues have been employee focused, students on the PCAA, do not contribute greatly to its work. The PCAA is designed to be employee focused, because student issues are dealt with well by the Division of Student Development and Campus Life. There are many avenues for students to address concerns and issues. We should clarify our charge with regard to students. Perhaps the Commission could partner with faculty and offer workshops regarding disparate treatment in the classroom. Overall, the PCAA must present a positive case for equal employment opportunities, affirmative action, and diversity on campus.

Agenda
Tina Jacobowitz reviewed the Advance agenda for the day.

Minutes
The minutes of April 18, 2002 were approved ­ Karen Dennis and Luis Rodriguez made the motion to accept minutes. Motion carried.

Nominating Committee Report
Luis Rodriguez reported that a notice was sent out soliciting officer nominations. He presented a slate of the current officers, and then opened the floor for nominations. Receiving no new nominations, the PCAA voted to accept the entire slate.

Chair: Tina Jacobowitz
Vice Chair: Norma Connolly
Recording Secretary: Michael Brown
Corresponding Secretary Cindy Meneghin
Faculty Mentoring Report
Ron Sharps reported the following:

A year ago, the Recruitment and Retention Committee determined that it would focus on faculty. The committee conducted a survey of the deans and did a web search on mentoring programs at other campuses. The report with recommendations was drafted and sent to President Cole. Joan Ficke prepared a response to this report. The committee re-convened April 29 to study Joan Ficke's response in which she identified current efforts at MSU regarding faculty mentoring. They are:

• new faculty orientation
• mentors are assigned outside of the departments
• department chairs
• special hiring initiative (2 for 1 program)
• MAC re-payment program
• quiet mentoring with old and new faculty
The committee recommends that minority caucuses support new faculty with mentoring and that MSU's present programs be better communicated on campus. New faculty are not aware that these efforts exist beyond new faculty orientation. The committee recommends that focus groups dealing with faculty issues should be conducted and the Commission should receive a copy of the focus group reports.

From the Commission membership represented, we drew two conclusions:

1) New faculty doesn't want a second year for new faculty orientation.

2) Caucuses are not in a position to give consistent mentoring that is needed.

There was some discussion about focusing the initiatives on recruitment, but not retention. We must find a way to encourage faculty to participate in the mentoring program ­ both mentors and mentees. When faculty leave, Joan Ficke gets information about why they are leaving e.g. better offer; not progressing/productive; racial and gender discrimination in academic departments.

The issue of minority faculty recruitment and retention was also discussed, some comments were: Junior faculty of color and female faculty are asked disproportionately to serve on committees and provide other services to the University community. Deans, department chairs, and administrators should be sensitive to this issue. Is MSU a supporting environment? Is there mentoring? Is there isolation? To what extent are you coerced into serving on committees? What do you need to be successful on this campus? What needs to be done to recruit and retain faculty of color? It was suggested that a survey be conducted to study faculty perceptions of racism, isolation and expectations of on the campus.

Physical Plant Report
The consultants have drafted a report that will be reviewed by the Employee Leadership Group and Management Leadership Group before it is shared with the Commission. We would like to request receipt of this report as soon as possible, so that we can address this issue in the fall.

Iris Barriera stated that as a Physical plant Initiative Internal Trainer, some progress has been made. Some of the internal training aspects have not continued. One of the largest concerns was about the treatment employees received from supervisors, and many expressed the need for a training program for supervisors. As a result, a supervisory development committee has been developed. Training for supervisors will be offered in June. After such time, the internal training will continue.

Another concern has been access to communication on campus. Some members of the Physical Plant staff do not have access to telephones and computers. It is the PCAA's position that everyone should have access to computers and telephone privacy. The PCAA would like a space allocated for Physical Plant employees to use computers or telephones. The PCAA has addressed this issue for years. Tina Jacobowitz asked Kiki Williams where there is space for computers and telephones. Ed Oberhofer stated that Kiki Williams and Doug Cooper are going to all campus buildings to carve out spaces that could be used. Future building plans should also include plans for physical plant employee space for computer/telephone access.

The Physical Plant has a website for computerized on-line work orders, but for no more than that. This website will be developed in the future to meet other needs.

PCAA Meeting Attendance
At the last Advance, the PCAA spoke about developing an attendance policy. There were seven meetings held this academic year. Michael Brown was charged with tracking the number of times that a constituency was represented by either a voting member or alternate. He recorded attendance of each constituency (member and alternate) for the year. There were two meetings when the PCAA did not have a quorum. The important matter is that each constituency is represented at every meeting. When a constituency's representation is problematic, the Commission must let President Cole know that group's representative is not attending the PCAA meetings.

PCAA Chair Report
Recommended changes include adding the names of panelists that participated in the AA Day Program; identify the speaker at “Understanding Islam;” correct Kiki Williams's name; include Recruitment and Retention Committee's response to the dean's survey. Goals for the Status of Minorities committee will be to review the data that was provided regarding the ethnic make-up of academic and non-academic departments. There was an issue regarding blanket employees and whether AA considerations are given to these hires. There was also a comment regarding the posting of jobs and that some people aren't aware of job vacancies. It was said that Physical Plant might not always receive job postings. The Hiring and Promotions Committee of the Physical Plant Department recommended that all positions, including blanket positions, be posted, and blanket (temporary) position will be noted.

There was discussion of the length of terms of PCAA members. It was suggested that membership should be staggered to avoid a large turnover of members. This would require a PCAA constitutional change. Persons serving until 2004 could serve until 2005 to stagger the membership. There is a Common Hour on Wednesday, 2:15 to 5:30 p.m. (4th Wednesday), or should we stay with 12 to 2 p.m. The majority of members prefer a Thursday meeting between 12 and 2 p.m. The Executive Committee will make a determination on the best day to meet.

The PCAA continues to be concerned with issues of mentoring and retention of faculty of color, as well as the reported low morale of Physical Plant employees and faculty of color.

New Business

Budget
Treasurer N. Connolly stated that the PCAA had a $5,000 allocation. Our major expenses were AA Day, materials/supplies; and the Diversity Conference. We have a $40 balance. Tina suggested converting the $40 to Red Hawk Dollars.

We are requesting another $5,000 allocation for 2003. We are not going to buy books in the new academic year. We will continue to read the books we have.

Student PCAA Participation
Since President Cole suggested focusing our objectives on employees and not students, Chairperson Jacobowitz asked for the PCAA's input about getting the student membership more active. Margaree Coleman-Carter stated that because student representation turns over on a yearly basis, there is a constant change in new leadership every year. It was suggested that the students be given an orientation during their summer leadership workshop. Michael Brown suggested keeping the students on the PCAA and linking caucuses with similar student groups to encourage student attendance. It was suggested that we should have a student sub-committee. We will ask students to identify their role in the PCAA. It was suggested that we meet with the students proposing that there be a standing committee for students. They would be put on the agenda for a report each month.

Standing Committees

Shared Readings and Communication: A description of each standing committee was given. Michael Brown explained Recruitment and Retention; Margaree Coleman-Carter for the Status of Women; Barbara Milton ­ Status of Minorities. Each committee was asked to identify committee objectives for 2002-2003.

Every member was asked to sign a sheet for committee membership, meet in committees and, select a committee chair.

It was suggested that we find ways to include more voices in our shared readings and correlate the readings with committee/University issues.

Then is was also suggested that we provide a communication method for the University at large to the PCAA. i.e., a forum on the webpage to voice their concerns.

Committee Reports

Status of Women Goals: Members ­ Rogers, Dent, McInerney, Isaacs Coleman-Carter, (chair)

• Continue professional development for clerical staff
• Educate and inform staff about the PAR
• Keep constituency informed about retirement package and women's issues on campus
• Mentoring female clerical staff
• Recommend assessment of job opportunities in Physical Plant for women in skilled craft positions
  
  
Status of Minorities Goals: Bledsoe (chair); Lemley; Halaby; Oberhofer, Smith
• Recommend an analysis of race, ethnicity, and gender composition of all categories of employees
• Include persons with disabilities as minorities in the affirmative action process
• Identify areas that lack diversity and develop strategies to increase minority employment
• Recommend increased management opportunities in areas with little or no minority representation
  
  
Recruitment and Retention Goals: Rodriguez ­(chair), Dennis, Ortiz, DeBlasio, Barriera, Perez
• Aggregate Joan Ficke's data.
• Request 3-5 year's of data of hires (all categories) and turnovers from HR for analysis
• Recommend interviewing faculty of color and women to assess their work environments/situations
  
  
Executive Committee Goals: T. Jacobowitz, N. Connolly, M. Brown, C. Meneghin
• To find more ways to bring more voices into the discussions on the readings and apply the readings to standing committee goals
• To provide an avenue of communication between the University community and the PCAA to voice concerns and suggestions
• To begin planning Affirmative Action Day early in the year.
• To better educate the campus community about current events related to affirmative action
  
  
Other suggestions for PCAA were:

Karen Dennis made an appeal on behalf of GLFSA to support “safe places” and domestic partners benefits.

James Harris suggested focusing more on problem areas in hiring and retention.

Carlos Ortiz suggested that the Commission address problem areas on AA Day, which might attract members of the campus community who normally don't attend.

Farewell
Chariperson Jacobowitz thanked commission members for their work and cooperation over the past year. She acknowledged the members whose terms have expired. She extended special kudos to Ron Sharps as the outgoing chairperson for the Recruitment and Retention Committee who has worked so diligently this year.

Meeting adjourned at 3:45 PM.

Submitted,

Michael Brown, Recording Secretary
Barbara Milton, EE/AA Officer