RESOLUTION OPPOSING HOUSE BILL 27
BY
THE FACULTY SENATE
OF
THE
UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA AT MONROE

WHEREAS the Faculty Senate and Faculty of the University of Louisiana of Monroe are concerned about campus safety, and

WHEREAS the Faculty Senate and the Faculty of ULM deplore the mass shooting incidents at Virginia Tech, Northern Illinois University, and the Baton Rouge campus of the Louisiana Technical College, and most recently, the school shootings in Germany,

WHEREAS the student gunmen in Virginia and Illinois had both been hospitalized for psychological treatment and had nonetheless been able to obtain their weapons legally, and

WHEREAS such incidents are extremely rare, given the thousands of post-secondary institutions in the United States and the millions of students, faculty, and staff who come to those campuses every weekday, and

WHEREAS the faculty of the System expressed their concern about the safety and welfare of students, faculty, staff, and visitors to our campuses last year in a resolution opposing HB 199, and

WHEREAS House Bill 27, which would allow for licensed, concealed weapons on college campuses, has been filed before the 2009 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature, and

WHEREAS, by facilitating the escalation of disputes into violent and perhaps fatal confrontations, this legislation would actually increase the risk for gun-related violence on college campuses and the surrounding communities, and

WHEREAS, in the highly unlikely event of an attempted mass shooting, other armed students and staff, who would not be marksmen trained in how to respond in such a crisis, would open fire and probably injure even more people in the crossfire, and

WHEREAS even on gun-free campuses faculty and staff are occasionally exposed to threats and retaliation from disgruntled or disturbed students, and

WHEREAS the knowledge that individuals could be carrying concealed weapons would increase the tension in such situations, and

WHEREAS passage of HB 27 would have an adverse effect on the recruitment and retention of students, faculty, and staff, and

WHEREAS university and college police forces (with the assistance of local law enforcement and other first responders) are the appropriate individuals to handle those infrequent events of violence,

NOW BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED THAT the Faculty Senate and Faculty of the University of Louisiana at Monroe strongly oppose this legislation and urge legislators to vote against it;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Faculty Senate and Faculty of the University of Louisiana at Monroe encourage the Legislature of the State of Louisiana to prioritize campus safety issues and to support additional resources which allow for continued improvements that will aid campuses in their safety and security efforts.

Signed ________________________
Donna A. Rhorer, President
ULM Faculty Senate
March 12, 2008

This resolution is adapted from the one opposing HB 199 set forth by The Faculty Advisory Council to the Board of Supervisors of the University of Louisiana System in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on April 25, 2008.

Resolution to Governor Bobby Jindal
and to the
Legislature of the State of Louisiana
from
The Faculty Senate
of
The University of Louisiana at Monroe
in response to
Proposed Budget Cuts to Louisiana Higher Education

WHEREAS, the Northeast quadrant of the state has been negatively affected by the closing of major companies and subsequent job losses at a disproportionately higher rate than that of the rest of the state (Stephen Moret), and

WHEREAS, the University of Louisiana at Monroe most recently experienced disproportionately low state funding enhancement and a disproportionately large budget reduction compared to other Louisiana universities even though this region experiences the highest poverty level in the Deep South and historically has an unemployment rate significantly higher than the state average, and

WHEREAS, budget cuts of the magnitude projected will accelerate the economic devastation of the area and can only serve to exacerbate the brain drain from the area and the State, and

WHEREAS, the Governor has supported tax cuts in the 2009 calendar year which have resulted in a substantial loss of revenue to the state; and whereas, he has supported the prospect of additional tax cuts beginning in 2010, and

WHEREAS, several hundreds of millions of dollars are projected to be in the “rainy day” fund by the end of this fiscal year; and whereas, additional financial support is available in economic development funds, and the existence of these funds means that there are alternatives short of gutting higher education available to the State to meet its fiscal obligations, and

WHEREAS, during difficult economic times citizens return to universities, there must remain viable institutions within the State to provide training and/or re-training for both the employed and the unemployed, and

WHEREAS, drastic cuts to higher education across the State will jeopardize current and future federal and private funding and investment for education in Louisiana, thereby diminishing the ability of institutions of higher education to attract and retain faculty to deliver quality instruction, research, and services to the State; therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED, that the Faculty Senate and the Faculty of the University of Louisiana at Monroe vigorously request that the Governor and the Legislature of the State of Louisiana rescind immediately the proposed massive budget cuts to Louisiana higher education; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Faculty Senate and the Faculty of the University of Louisiana at Monroe call upon the Governor and the Legislature of the State of Louisiana to propose alternative remedies to the State’s fiscal plight to minimize the current and future impact on higher education.

Done this day in the city of Monroe, Louisiana, on March 11, 2009
Signed __________________________
Donna A. Rhorer, Ph. D.
Faculty Senate President
ULM Faculty Senate


cc: ULM Faculty
Northeast Louisiana Legislative Delegation
Members of the Louisiana State Legislature
Dr. Sally Clausen, State Commissioner of Higher Education, Board of Regents
Dr. Randy Moffitt, President, University of Louisiana System
Dr. James E. Cofer, Sr., President, University of Louisiana at Monroe
Dr. Stephen P. Richters, Provost, University of Louisiana at Monroe
Jamie Mayo, Mayor, City of Monroe
Dave Norris, Mayor, City of West Monroe
Monroe News-Star
The Advocate, Baton Rouge
Shreveport Times

This resolution has been adapted from the one set forth by Southern University, the
first of the state’s institutions of higher education to write a document requesting
the rescission of budget cuts.

Resolution in Support
of
the ULM Faculty and the Administration

Whereas the Administration of University of Louisiana of Monroe has apprised university constituencies of possible budget cuts which may occur in June 2009, and

Whereas faculty members have been given the opportunity to discuss and offer contingencies to address these cuts, and

Whereas faculty members have expressed their willingness to work with the administration and their departmental and collegiate colleagues to implement such contingencies, and

Whereas faculty members have directed the Faculty Senate to express the faculty’s wishes concerning these issues, and

Whereas faculty members understand the need to be creative in the face of economic challenges;

Now Be It Therefore Resolved that the Faculty Senate, on behalf of the faculty, offers cooperation and pledges their support to President James E. Cofer and Provost Stephen P. Richters and other members of the Administration, as they lead us forward to address innovatively the current budgetary concerns.

More specifically, faculty members agree to the following:

1. To maintain and continue to improve the academic footprint of the University, thus ensuring the continuing integrity of our mission.

2. To maintain sufficient course offerings in each academic program so that students may progress toward completion of degrees in the normal period of time.

3. To teach one additional course (without compensation) where necessary and feasible each fiscal year in a sequence to be chosen by the faculty member in consultation with the Dean and Department Head.

In support of faculty, the Faculty Senate states the following:

1. Collegiate and departmental needs and resources differ, and implementation of the plan must be individualized accordingly. This approach could include a redistribution of courses (e.g., allowing for course banking).

2. This plan will begin on July 1, 2009, and end on June 30, 2010. During Spring Semester 2010, the situation will be reviewed for a possible extension to end on June 30, 2011.

3. Should the budget reductions be such that the budget objectives could be accomplished in an alternative manner, then the administration would recommend a new plan and compensate faculty for any additional courses taught.

4. A faculty member may count any extra courses taught as part of his/her service requirement.

5. Any exemptions under the plan should be made with strong justification and complete transparency.

6. Any overriding of departmental/collegiate decisions relating to course scheduling must be accompanied by strong justification and complete transparency.

7. Deans and Department Heads are requested to ensure that a faculty member’s progress toward tenure and promotion is not unduly hindered.

The Faculty Senate appreciates the hard work and dedication of Dr. James E. Cofer, Dr. Stephen P. Richters, and Mr. Dave Nicklas in their attempts to work through budget cut solutions which will help maintain and preserve the academic footprint of this University.

The Faculty Senate is also very appreciative of the Administration’s support and trust as evidenced in its affording us, as representatives of the faculty, the opportunity to work with it in developing, studying, and considering actions that impact both the Academy and the faculty within the Academy.

Members,
ULM Faculty Senate
February 12, 2009