Senate begins "consequential year" (10/25/02)

There was an "I Winn you lose" tone to the year’s first Faculty Senate meeting. It began with Senate Chair Sandra Silberstein saying that the year promises to be uniquely "consequential" and ended with the Senate voting to investigate the deal that awards former chair of Neurosurgery (and now convicted felon) H. Richard Winn up to $5 million dollars in going away salary.

It was a somber meeting, much of it focused on the upcoming budget nightmare. Provost Lee Huntsman said that we face "seven or eight excruciating months" of Olympia negotiations. With an expected state budget shortfall of at least $2 billion, it was hard to be optimistic, but Huntsman said that the university’s current public information campaign seemed to be getting some "traction" in the media and with business leaders.

Our team in Olympia this year will consist of Jan Sjavik, faculty legislative rep, and Gail Stygall, deputy rep. Sjavik glossed the choices facing the legislature. 70% of the state budget is locked up in mandates. Higher Ed budgets are of course in the "discretionary" category. Indeed Higher Ed spending claims 39.3% of the "discretionary" budget. Guess where the legislature is going to look for its missing $2 billion. But, said Sjavik, all is not lost if we get busy. He finished his presentation with a challenge. Faculty members must get actve. We need to take "every opportunity" to contact our Olympia representatives. They need to hear from us, early and often.

This year will be a test of shared governance, Sandy Silberstein said in her opening remarks. The Senate has two task forces looking into governance related issues. One is considering a far-reaching proposal to revamp Faculty Councils and merge them with administration committees. Some think this will increase efficiency and encourage the administration to listen to faculty. Others fear that merged committees will undercut the integrity of faculty governance.

A second committee is looking into the implications of the recently passed collective bargaining legislation. It is charged with fact-finding—discovering what works and doesn’t work at other research universities—but will not be making recommendations.

Two class C resolutions passed: the first about what we are losing; the second about how to Winn. The Senate resolved to support the SEIU Local 925 Open Letter on health care costs that asks the University to defray some of the insurance premium increases next year and to join in the legislative campaign to control prescription drug costs.

The second resolution, introduced by Warren Guntheroth, brought out the only passion of the afternoon. It asked the Faculty Council on Faculty Affairs to investigate the decision to pay up to $5 million to Dr. Winn. Senators from the Medical School called the deal shocking and there was a good deal of floor debate about whether Winn’s going away salary would have covered the entire 2% salary increase that faculty and staff were denied this year. Silberstein settled the matter, explaining that the $5 million would have covered the faculty 2%, but staff and RA raises would have required $7 million.

James Gregory

Chapter President UW-AAUP