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), Marie Vitulli (UO), Greg Monahan (EOU), Chuck Johnson (PSU), and Steve Gibbons (WOU).  Also present:  Mark Nelson, Bill Linden, and Danelle Romain. 

Rick Troxel called the meeting to order at 9:05.  The September minutes were approved as amended.

Campus reports:

UO:

Search for Provost underway

Hope to establish AOF connections with University Senate

OSU:

State of Campus address by President Ed Ray on web site

Grants up from $170 to $209 million

New administrators in marketing and new assessment director

Salaries:  Proposal for 4% + 2% (latter effective January 1, 2006).  OSU will cover latter by savings; this will take an 8% reallocation.  Administration says they will “can out departments and reduce the menu.”

6 initiatives for new programs---putting up $6 million

OSU hopes to match UO capital campaign

WOU:

New Interim President, John Minahan (formerly Dean and Provost at WOU)

Budget problems; freeze on tuition (former WOU President Conn had $9 million (15%) fund balance so Board froze tuition)

Collective Bargaining: canceled 2 bargaining meetings; 32 steps with 2% increase between steps; WOU wants to increase step 1 to 39 K whereas union wants to increase step 1 to 42 K (step 1 now at $38,124). Have new bargaining session in 2 weeks.  Steps still aren’t recognized as automatic (they have to be bargained with each new contract). Trying to bargain 2-year step system with steps credited annually.

WOU has highest % of adjuncts in OUS. Want to cut low enrollment courses to fund faculty raises. Hired assessment director and Dean of Enrollment Management; Search for new Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences; Suspended faculty searches

EOU:

Collective bargaining:  bargaining with Joe Sicotte; agreed to give counters 48 hours in advance; steps are now 1% (trying to increase); might be owed another step from last contract. Still putting people in steps.  Started July 1, 2005 for this biennium.  Want to get parity in one biennium. Asking 11.1% first year and 6% second year of biennium. Asking for same raise in development money and increase in travel money.  Opposition to union declining.

Administration: many new hires including Vice Provost for Bargaining and assistant, VP of Undergraduate Affairs…. 8 positions in all?...48 new administrative faculty (some replacements) and 22 new teaching faculty.

Enrollment up

PSU:

Collective bargaining: AAUP bargaining since May (Martha Hickey is chief negotiator); want step system and to at least keep up with inflation; steps based on merit with annual review.  Dollar amounts offered by PSU so small that step system almost abandoned.  Offered 3% this year, 2.25% following year, and tiny step increases; offer rejected.  AAUP wants to match the SEIU contract.  Talk of authorizing a strike. Might be wildcat walkout during accreditation meetings next week.  Will hire Brian Guard to advise them if they have strike---media spin, etc.  Administration won’t let AOF talk about faculty salaries when they visit PSU.

OIT:

Comprehensive Salary Plan: highest increase of 14 K and lowest increase of $122.  Average increase of 2% last biennium less OPE.  This biennium average raise of 6.5% overshot budgeted amount by 700K. Will use money from unfilled positions to fund salary increases.

Enrollment either flat or down 5%.

Stipend for department chairs increased from $1500 to $5000; chairs will get half teaching release each term instead of quarter release.

Center for Health Technologies Initiative.

SOU:

Bargaining: Trying to get “floor” system; different steps by rank; 2% bumps with 5 ranks; adjunct faculty not in bargaining unit (they are included at EOU); pegged lowest floor at 2% more than middle of next rank; want floors to grow faster than COLAs.  Sherry Ettlich is chief negotiator.

Mark Nelson’s visit to the faculty union, APSOU, and the Faculty Senate were eye opening for the faculty and much-appreciated.

Enrollment still down, but not quite as bad as originally feared.

Faculty Senate has established a faculty “Roles, Responsibilities, and Rewards Task Force” in order to better define faculty and adjunct roles and rewards.

Legislative Update (Mark Nelson):

Mark requested we help AOF get estimates of campus cost and salary package plans for 2005-06.  Danelle will e-mail faculty reps the spreadsheets.  Mark expressed his interest in coming to individual campuses.

Since classified employees will receive 8.75 – 18.25% increases over the biennium, AOF is working hard to convince OUS that faculty need to too. A high priority also needs to be to implement some kind of step system; this will help with funding and roll-up at the start of each biennium.

Mark shared with us that each campus had higher-than-expected fund balances.

Neil Bryant will continue as the Legislative liaison for OUS at least through interim and very possibly through the next Legislative session.

PERS Litigation Update:

PERS Board won’t start “recovering” “over-credited amounts” [based on Lipscomb decision] from retirees until August, 2006.  They’ll also do it actuarially and without interest.  Interesting question:  how will they recover lump sum payments?

Coalition is examining when and how to take next legal action.

PERS cases are now being heard by Judge Kantar in Multnomah County.

Meanwhile, Bill Gary (employers’ lead counsel) and Greg Hartman (Coalition lead counsel) are discussing an overall settlement.

We still need to offer ORP litigation fund donors their money.

Membership:

A new membership letter is being crafted for AOF; it highlights ORP litigation, Tuition reduction, and faculty salary increases. A list of each campus’ AOF membership list was distributed.  Please research your campus list and get updates back to the office.

The Tuition Reduction Program changes are now in the hands of the Provost Council.

AOF has requested that faculty be allowed to donate accrued sick leave to a colleague.

Web site is being updated.  Please examine and suggest changes/corrections.

The issue of our low mileage reimbursement was raised.  It was moved and seconded to increase the rate from 0.19 $/mile to 0.25 $/mile, effective immediately.  Motion carried unanimously

Next meeting:    November 12

The Board adjourned at 11:25 AM.