UB Faculty Senate

FACULTY SENATE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Minutes of February 16, 2005
(unapproved)

The Faculty Senate Executive Committee (FSEC) met at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 16, 2005, in 567 Capen Hall to consider the following agenda:

Report of the Chair
Report of the President/Provost
Parking reallocation proposal – J. Grela, M. Wallace, C. Austin
FSA update – M. Green
Old/New business
Executive session (if needed)
Adjournment

Item 1: Report of the Chair

Chair Nickerson reported that the finalists for vice president for research have been identified and interviews have been scheduled. The FSEC as a group will not get to meet with the candidates, although FSEC members are welcome to attend any of the public sessions.

Professor Hepfer announced that the Elections Committee had counted ballots yesterday, and Dr. Henry Durand has been elected to serve as SUNY Senator for 2005/08.

Item 2: Report of the President/Provost

None

Item 3: Parking reallocation proposal – John Grela, Maria Wallace, Chris Austin

Director of Public Safety John Grela, Director of Campus Parking & Transportation Maria Wallace, and Transportation Coordinator Chris Austin discussed the findings of Chance Management Advisors (CMA), a consulting firm. CMA conducted a survey, made site visits, and held forums before submitting their final report, which included 91 recommendations.

Although they concluded that there are a sufficient number of parking spaces on North and South campuses, problems persist because too many students prefer to park close to their classrooms. They would rather spend more time waiting for a closer spot than walking further or riding the shuttle from a remote lot.

The main recommendation, proposed to become effective in Fall 2005, is that resident freshmen will be restricted to parking in residence hall lots Monday through Friday, from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. In Fall 2006, freshmen commuters also will be restricted to Park & Ride lots during the same hours. This plan will reduce the number of vehicles competing for prime parking spaces by over 2,000.

The intent of the new parking policy is to change the culture of students who use individual vehicles and wait for others to vacate spaces so they can park closer. Through education and customer service, students are expected to discover the benefits of UB’s transit system. Also, pollution will be reduced, and there will be less frustration for all people driving to and residing on campus.

Questions & comments:

The proposal discriminates against freshmen (who pay the same parking fees as upperclassmen), rather than addressing the behavioral problem of so many people preferring the comfort and convenience of driving and parking close. (Danford)
Perhaps an economic alternative should be offered, so students would have to pay more to park in the prime lots. (Pegals)
Posting distances from the outer lots to the campus spine might persuade some people to park farther away and walk as part of their exercise regimen. (Coles)

Item 4: FSA update – Mitchell Green

FSA Director Mitch Green said that facilities have been improved in several areas over the past year, e.g., furniture has been replaced in the Baldy Walkway, 2nd floor of Capen, and Putnam’s dining area in the Student Union. The Capen lobby café’s hours have been extended, and its menu was expanded.

Other improvements include:

Pistachio’s in the Student Union switched from Greek fare to a more popular Italian concept menu.
There’s a new bagel supplier.
Healthier items have been added to vending machines; they’re identified by a checkmark.
There will be an eatery in the Alfiero Center addition to Jacobs Hall when it opens this spring; the Park Hall café will then be shut down.
The Goodyear dining room will be upgraded on South Campus.
UB will be upgrading refrigerated vending machines with more energy-efficient models.

Item 5: Old/New business

Chair Nickerson solicited possible topics for future agenda items. Suggestions included UB’s athletic programs, the UB Foundation, the Budget Priorities Committee, a research repository, and the capital budget.

Item 6: Executive session (if needed)

None

Item 7: Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 3:40 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Will Hepfer
Secretary of the Faculty Senate

Attendance (P = present; E = excused; A = absent)

Chair: P. Nickerson (P)
Secretary: W. Hepfer (P)
Architecture & Planning: GS. Danford (P)
Arts & Sciences: S. Bruckenstein (P), M. Churchill (P), J. Faran (P), S. Schack (A), K. Takeuchi (P)
Dental Medicine: M. Donley (P)
Education: X. Liu (A)
Engineering & Applied Sciences: C. Basaran (A), J. Jensen (P)
Informatics: J. Ellison (P)
Institutional/General: O. Mixon (A)
Law: L. Swartz (A)
Management: C. Pegels (P)
Medicine & Biomedical Sciences: J. Evans (A), L. Harris (E), J. Hassett (E)
Nursing: P. Wooldridge (P)
Pharmacy: G. Brazeau (A)
Public Health & Health Professions: C. Crespo (A)
Social Work: Barbara Rittner (A)
SUNY Senators: W. Baumer (P), W. Coles (P), M. Kramer (A), P. Nickerson (P)
University Libraries: C. Tysick (P)

Guests: C. Austin (Transportation Serv.), P. Balzano (SA), L. Finley (Faculty Affairs), J. Grela (Public Safety), L. Meister (SA), M. Ryan (Undergrad. Ed.), M. Wallace (Parking), S. Wuetcher (Reporter)

Tel: 716-645-2003
Fax: 716-645-2717
Email: facultysenate@buffalo.edu
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FACULTY SENATE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Minutes of February 16, 2005 (unapproved)

Minutes of February 16, 2005
(unapproved)