Meeting called to order at 9:05 AM. 

Present were President Rick Troxel (UO), Vice-President Bob Becker (OSU), Secretary-Treasurer Kemble Yates (SOU), Jim Etchison (OIT), Greg Monahan (EOU), Chuck Johnson (PSU), Marie Vitulli (UO), and Steve Gibbons (WOU).  Also present:  Mark Nelson, Bill Linden, and Danelle Romain.   

Rick Troxel called the meeting to order at 9:00.  Minutes from the January meeting were approved. 

Campus reports—

UO (RT & MV)

• Capital campaign not received well by faculty.
• Salaries: 4% this year, maybe 8% next year.
• Student housing sale controversial.  Faculty Senate, community against.

OSU (BB)

• Mina Carson from OSU is new Faculty Senate President.
• Vet-Med Dean fired over budget dispute.
• Forestry flap:  some faculty oppose research findings of graduate student.
• Salary increases will be done “out of hide” (i.e. internally), and reorganizations likely.

EOU (GM)

• Little movement in collective bargaining.  New session in 2 weeks
• OUS budget people have been on campus; budget trouble is real.
• 17 faculty grievances active.
• Football coach fired.

 WOU (SG)

• Union and administration/OUS have gone through 3 mediation sessions.
• Steps are now agreed upon.
• Mgmt. claims they’ve put an aggregate of 10% on the table.
• Stipends would go to faculty still under $40,000.
• Impasses imminent.

SOU (KY)

• Bargaining: APSOU has settled.  Faculty generally happy with settlement.
• The average salary increase for APSOU members from the beginning of the biennium to the end is 9.6%; if the disciplinary adjustments kick, it will rise to 10.5%.
• The SOU Presidential search is slow getting started.
• Several faculty searches are failing, including Math’s (Kemble’s dept.)
• Faculty Senate passed revisions toughening Sexual Harassment and Consensual Relations policies.

PSU (CJ)

• Union negotiations settled:  about 9.5% aggregate increase over the biennium.
• Internal funding (about 6%) will be required to implement it.
• No steps.  Health covered fully first year, fully up to 14% premium increase in 2007.

OIT (JE)

• Departments got back their 400/faculty free copies from contracted out Copy Center.
• S & S budgets have been cut.
• Enrollment has dropped, partly due to removal of tuition plateau.
• Salaries will rise an average of 8.9% aggregated over biennium.

Executive Director Report (Mark Nelson) --

 Mark requested once again that we help AOF get estimates of campus cost and salary package plans for 2005-06.  AOF also needs campus base expenditures amount for this fiscal year.  We will proceed with a Public Records Request, or possibly go through Legislative Fiscal Office.

DHS deficit of $175 M still talk of Salem.  So far, no push for special session.  There might be one in latter part of this calendar year.

Next revenue forecast will be in March, and it’s likely to be up from the last one.  Both kickers will likely “kick”.  Our focus should actually be more on the 2007-09 projections at this point.

Political polling suggests…  Kulongoski easily leading Hill; Mannix leading Sexton, but latter moving up.  In a statewide match-up, Sexton can give Kulongoski a close race.  Senate:  MN predicts 17-13 (or 18-12) for Dems.  House:  MN predicts somewhere from 32-28 to 35-25 for Reps.  Interesting initiatives which have been filed: 1) “Wal-Mart” – large employers would have to put at least 8% of payroll toward healthcare.  2) “Renewable resources” filed by ‘Apollo Alliance’.  3) TaBOR (Colorado-like) strong spending limit.  4) 65% (or more) of all K-12 monies must be spent in classroom.

Faculty Member on Board:  Rick Troxel talked to UO’s IFS rep (after unsuccessful in contacting 2005 IFS President, Bob Turner).  Not a lot of cooperation shown.  BL:  Governor’s office wants IFS and AOF to give them a short list of mutually agreeable nominees very soon.  CJ will talk to Scott Burns, new IFS President, to check in.  Mark Henkles of WOU a potential nominee.  Two PSU faculty have already self-nominated.  Kemble (from SOU) said he’d let his name go forward.  Neither UO nor OSU are eligible this time.

Bill Linden discussed the survey in our packets which makes clear that Unclassified employees in OUS ARE  lower risk for health.  OUS really wants to move (at least Unclassified) out of PEBB.  This is a big risk, big reward strategy.  Peter Calero (WOU Chief Negotiator) does not trust OUS to pass on savings in any meaningful way to faculty, and worries that long-term the strategy would backfire anyway.

OUS has already begun budget strategizing for 2007-09 biennium.  In addition to leaving PEBB, they want a “4th tier” for PERS and once again want to de-link ORP contribution rate from PERS’.  A PowerPoint presentation of their plans is available on the OUS website.

PERS

PERS Board appears to be to reallocating much of their HUGE reserves.

Strunk attorney fee issue still not resolved.

White still pending in Multnomah County, still likely to go to trial 

Kemble asked about the long delay and murkiness of the IAP crediting.  BL said this issue will likely need to be litigated, eventually.

Other

We got $500 in the most recent litigation fund appeal.

Pernsteiner appears to have cooled to us on sick leave donation, tuition reduction changes.  AOF will file rule change.

Danelle reminded us that AOF has a table for (up to) 8 folks at the OSA banquet on March 10 – encouraged AOF Reps to come.

Meeting adjourned at 12:00 PM