The Syracuse University Senate met in Maxwell Auditorium Wednesday afternoon to hear reports from committees that function at the heart of the university, as well as to discuss issues with global magnitude.

According to the USen Committee on Research’s report, the committee has met twice this year to discuss faculty effort reporting and the effort report requirements for the university.

Issues have been raised surrounding the Office of Sponsored Research and Contract Accounting activities at SU.

For individuals who engage in funded research, the federal government requires that the institution certify the percent effort, or the proportion of time spent on an activity, of faculty in all aspects of their job, which includes teaching, research, service and administration.

With respect to open disclosure of research findings, the committee reported that issues can arise in terms of summer salary and activities allowed while 100 percent effort is being paid off of a research grant.

‘There are institutions that have been sued for millions of dollars over this,’ said Chancellor Nancy Cantor. ‘It’s a big issue.’

The university is currently looking into a system to track and certify percent effort of faculty and the research committee will remain engaged in this process.

‘We’re working to change the practice of faculty and the ways they think about how they use their time,’ said professor Jeremy Gilbert, associate dean for research and doctoral programs in the L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science and chair of the USen committee on research.

Future topics for committee-which is responsible for stimulating, assisting and coordinating the various university groups interested in research-include ethics in research, open access and publication of data and communication of research institutes.

Looking forward, Gilbert said the committee will continue to work to educate itself on issues of research to bring to the senate.

The senate’s voting on the recommended candidates for honorary degrees proceeded in closed session.

‘During the December meeting, there’s less business to deal with,’ said Bruce Carter, chair of the Senate Agenda Committee and associate dean of faculty, curriculum and student services in the College of Human Services and Health Professions. ‘Faculty are worried about grades and what they’ll do when the semester is over. People usually get more invigorated in the spring.’

Yet Carter said he was surprised how much discussion came up under ‘new business,’ namely the political avenues SU could pursue to counter the discrimination and segregation that was manifested in a recent Supreme Court hearing.

On Monday, justices heard arguments in cases concerning when race may be used as a basis for assigning students to public schools. Parents in Louisville, Ky., and Seattle are challenging school assignment plans that factor a student’s race in an effort to have individual school populations approximate the racial makeup of the entire system.

The school system, once segregated by law, remained segregated 20 years after the Supreme Court’s landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision.

‘As an academic institution, I’m hoping we can coordinate efforts to speak out about this,’ said Professor Leslie Bender of the SU College of Law. ‘We can’t change the Supreme Court’s decision, but we can send a message to the world that we don’t want Brown to die and segregation to return.’

Bender suggested teach-ins and working with the community from the administration down to represent how serious a commitment the university has to this issue.

‘I know I’m stating the obvious, but we as a community need to educate students about the importance of voting,’ Carter said. ‘Students need to be more involved, voting affects peoples’ lives.’

While the cases concern K-12 education, Cantor said through the partnership for a better education, which works to assist the Syracuse City School District students to graduate and successfully pursue higher education, the university may have a vehicle to do this.

‘Every month the chancellor sits before us, we’re another outlet besides SA where people can go when they want something done,’ said Darryl Patteson, who will serve as chair of the senate’s student caucus next year.

USen, which functions in an advisory capacity to the chancellor, is made up of faculty, students, staff and administration members. The majority of its work is done in the 17 standing committees, which report to the full senate at least once a year.

Published on December 5, 2006 at 12:00 pm