Resolution 20: Establish a Standing committee of the Faculty Senate on Campus Climate

Passed: May 9, 2001
Sponsor: University Faculty Committee
Senate Discussions:

The Resolution

Mission Statement:

The Campus Climate Committee will facilitate efforts on campus to create and to institutionalize a respectful, inclusive, diverse community where we learn, through reasoned, sustainable, and civil discourse. The committee will pursue actively the challenge of breaking down barriers and promoting greater interaction across the campus community. Diversity and collegiality among students, staff, and faculty are central to maintaining the high standards of excellence that characterize Cornell. The principal task of the Committee is to actively engage members of the Cornell community in a campus-wide effort to create a respectful, inclusive environment in which to live, learn, and work.

Role:

  1. Encourage, facilitate, and support dialogue across ability, age, class, family status, gender, nationality/ethnicity, race, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, political positions, and other differences on issues of diversity. Where appropriate the committee will draw on the expertise of the various academic units that have special expertise.
  2. Facilitate communication among self governance bodies and university offices and committees.
  3. Facilitate and recommend actions based on assessments of climate reflecting the broad campus community.
  4. Publicize efforts to improve climate and increase diversity on campus to the broader community, highlighting progress and successes.

Structure:

The Campus Climate Committee, which is a committee of the Faculty Senate, draws on the self-governance structure across the campus. This includes the following self-governance bodies:

· Faculty Senate
· Student Assembly
· Graduate and Professional Student Assembly
· University Assembly
· Employee Assembly

The Campus Climate Committee links to and provides advice to administrative offices. Positions involved are:

· Vice Provost for Diversity and Faculty Development
· Dean of Faculty
· Vice President of Student & Academic Services
· Dean of Students
· Director of the Office of Assemblies
· Director of Minority Educational Affairs
· Director of the Office of Workforce Diversity, Equity and Life Quality
· Director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Resource Center
· Director, Student Affairs and Diversity, Campus Life
· Director of Cornell United Religious Work
· Director of Gannett Clinic (Psychological and Counseling Services)
· Director of International Students and Scholars

This list is not exclusive of other offices, organizations or groups with whom the committee may need to work. The committee should develop those links necessary to accomplish their work and to be inclusive of all aspects of the campus community.

The Campus Climate Committee will report on a regular basis (at a minimum annually) to the Faculty Senate and the respective Assemblies. Committee members are selected through the self governance structure of the campus community combined with members from the administrative structure of the university. Each constituent governance group selects designated representative(s) on this committee by its usual processes. The committee may have a subcommittee structure that draws on persons beyond the Campus Climate Committee membership. The membership structure is as follows:

Membership:

1) Member selected by the University Assembly
2) President of the University Assembly or designated member
3) Member selected by the Employee Assembly
4) President of the Employee Assembly or designated member
5) Member selected by the Student Assembly
6) President of the Student Assembly or designated member
7) Member selected by the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly
8) President of the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly or designated member
9) Member selected by the Faculty Senate
10) Chair of the Faculty Senate Committee on Affirmative Action or designated member
11) Dean of Faculty
12) Vice Provost for Diversity and Faculty Development
13) Director of the Office of Assemblies
14) Vice Pres. of Student & Academic Services, Dean of Students or designated member
15) Vice President for Human Resources or designated member (Office of Workforce Diversity, Equity, and Life Quality)

Members selected by the student assembly or by the graduate and professional student assembly will serve one-year renewable terms. Members selected by the Faculty Senate, the University Assembly, or the Employee Assembly will serve three-year terms, with a lapse in service required before reelection to the committee. Terms of members from each constituency should be staggered. Designated member will serve for at least a period of one semester to provide for full involvement in on-going discussions of the committee. Using the option of designated members, the various administrative offices should set up a rotation process so that various members of these offices have an opportunity to serve at various times. This rotation should occur after continuous service on the committee for three years. Each office would establish the procedure for rotation and selection of the designated member.

The committee will have co-chairs with the Vice Provost for Diversity and Faculty Development being one co-chair; the other co-chair will be selected from the faculty according to the normal procedures of the Faculty Senate Committee on Nomination and Election. The elected co-chair should serve no longer than two years without a break in service in this role. This committee and its accomplishments will be reviewed by the University Faculty Committee after two years, reporting to the Faculty Senate within the third year.

Background

Submitted by UFC, Subcommittee
Professor Kay Obendorf
Professor Risa Lieberwitz
Professor Peter Loucks

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