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American Association of University Professors
Illinois Conference Policy Council
Minutes for Saturday, November 1, 2003 Meeting Columbia College,
Chicago IL
Present: Pangratios Papacosta (Columbia College), President, Joan
Berman (Barat College, DePaul University, Emeritus), Vice President,
Joseph Felder (Bradley University), Secretary, Leo Welch (Southwestern
Illinois College), immediate past President and Lobbyist, Lynne
Meyer, Executive Director, Michael Collins (Loyola University Medical
Center), Lisa Townsley (Benedictine University), John Wilson (ISU
Graduate Student, Editor of IL Academe), John Leahy (DePaul University),
Past President.
Absent: Anne L. Draznin (U of I Springfield), Treasurer, Walter
J. (Jerry) Kendall (The John Marshall Law School), Lesley Kordecki
(Barat College, DePaul University), Frederic W. Widlak (National-Louis
University), Michael McIntyre (De Paul University), Jan Cook (ISU
retired), Robert Hippensteele (Illinois Wesleyan University)
Also in attendance for part of the meeting: Jordan Werblow, an accountant
and financial general contractor, hired shortly after the April
26 Annual Meeting.
The meeting was called to order at 10:30 a.m.
1) The Minutes for the April 25, 2003, Meeting were approved as
amended. The Secretary was informed that the Minutes for the April
26 Business Meeting will be distributed at the 2004 Annual Meeting.
2) Report of the President, Pan Papacosta
a) Pan speaks at other campuses, takes many calls, and provides
information and referrals.
b) IL Academe was sent to all members and bundles were sent to chapter
presidents for local distribution. The new format and content of
IL Academe have been well received by members of the national office.
c) There have been no applications for chapter grants. (Columbia
College will be submitting one shortly.)
d) The Illinois Conference sent Lynne Meyer and Leo Welch to an
AAUP Summer Institute in New Mexico.
e) The website keeps getting better. It now has some photos and
more links.
f) There have been significant problems with the recently purchased
laptop computer. It appears that we purchased a lemon. We are still
trying to resolve the issue with the manufacturer (DELL). Because
of the computer problem, we have fallen behind is issuing newsletters
and chapter outreach.
g) The accounting mess is being resolved. Pan assumed the duties
of de facto Treasurer shortly after becoming President. We are now
in a transition phase as the duties of Treasurer are being shifted
to the elected Treasurer, Anne Draznin.
h) John Wilson, the new editor of IL Academe, has computer expertise
that has saved us a lot of money.
3) Report of the Editor of IL Academe, John Williams
a) The deadline for submissions is November 13. The next edition
will be sent out a week before Thanksgiving. We need member mailing
labels. John was advised to contact Eileen Garner, Administrative
Coordinator in the National Office. After the meeting the Secretary
found the following contact information: [email protected], 202-737-5900,
ext. 3005, to get mailing labels.
b) We will send copies to other State Conferences. We will also
send copies to the Presidents of Illinois colleges and universities.
c) The editor still wants to hear from chapters so that chapter
news items can be included.
d) The editor would like to be able to announce in the next issue
the date, place, and theme of the next annual meeting.
e) John Wilson is the first graduate student to serve on the State
Council. We should do more to get graduate students to join AAUP.
We should get and distribute a brochure aimed at graduate students.
John announced that the National Association of Graduate and Professional
Students will hold its regional meeting at ISU in March, 2004.
4) Report of accountant and financial general contractor, Jordan
Werblow of the Hechtman Group, Wilmette, IL
a) Jordan was engaged shortly after the April 26 Annual Meeting
to do a one year financial report for 2002. Later, Jordan was asked
to go back two more years and prepare financial reports for 2001
and 2000. He provided us with Profit and Loss and Balance Sheet
reports for 2001, 2002, and 2003, as of the end of November or December.
Jordan worked closely with Anne Draznin and was very impressed with
her competence and professionalism. His report covers many of the
same topics and recommendations found in Anne Draznin’s Treasurer’s
Report, submitted to Council members in advance of this meeting.
b) Jordan Werblow made the following discoveries and recommendations.
c) AAUP-IL had a tax ID number, but it was invalid because it was
not associated with a qualifying organization.
d) We have considered Lynne Meyer, our Executive Director, to be
an employee, and we did take withholding and Social Security, but
we did not remit the money to the relevant governmental agencies.
We agreed that Lynne should be treated as an independent contractor,
responsible for paying her own taxes. We also agreed that her pay
will be adjusted so that she ends up with the same after-tax income
she would have received as a regular employee.
e) Remission of dues from National is deposited at irregular times.
Jordon recommended that we work with National to standardize the
timing of remissions and deposit them in a timely scheduled manner.
f) Jordan recommended that we centralize where things are sent,
where funds are deposited and kept, and from whence disbursements
are made.
g) Jordan recommended that we purchase Quickbooks Pro and issue
electronic checks. The program updates balances and accounts automatically.
It costs about $200. A drawback is that the program would reside
on just one computer and all checks would have to be issued from
that computer. Anne Draznin recommends in her report that we purchase
Quickbooks and that it reside in Jordan Werblow’s office,
where it would be accessible to the Treasurer and other authorized
individuals, no matter where they are located.
h) Jordan recommended that we establish an explicit reimbursement
policy. He said that when we issue reimbursements we need to issue
1099 IRS forms to the recipients. He also said that some reimbursements
may be taxable.
i) To be a non-profit tax exempt organization we need to go through
an application process. Jordan said that either a 501(c)3 or (c)4
would be appropriate for us. To learn more about an501(c)3’s
and 4’s see the handout by Donna Euben, a lawyer in the national
AAUP office, entitled “Taking Care of Business: Managing Chapter
and Conference Taxes and Business Affairs.”
j) It is easier to get the (c)4 designation. Essentially, we self-declare
that we are a not-for-profit social welfare organization. We would
need professional help to get the (c)3 designation. With the latter,
but not the former, our members could take their state dues and
contributions as a charitable tax deduction. One drawback of the
latter is that our lobbying would be more limited.
k) In either case, we should incorporate, if only to limit the liability
of officers, employees, volunteers and members. We would need professional
help to incorporate.
l) Jordan’s time far exceeded what was originally envisioned.
He will submit a bill for the time he and his staff have put in.
The rates will be in the $100 to $200 per hour range.
5) Treasurer’s Report: Anne Draznin
a) Anne Draznin could not attend. She submitted a written report
to Council members in advance of this meeting. I incorporated most
of her points and recommendations above.
b) Pan Papacosta, who acted as de facto assistantTreasurer until
accounts and records were ready to be transferred to Anne Draznan,
submitted a complete statement of all checks issued under his name,
including an explanation for each check.
6) More on incorporation. Various members said that they would
consult with spouses and acquaintances who have legal expertise.
a) John Wilson moved that the Executive Committee explore the options
and initiate steps leading to incorporation in the State of Illinois,
including drafting articles of incorporation and drafting any changes
to our constitution required by same, if any. Michael Collins seconded.
Discussion followed. These questions were asked, but not answered:
Is bonding of the Treasurer part of incorporation? To what extent
is the Treasurer’s personal liability limited by incorporation?
(Personal risk was one of Anne’s concerns.) It was recommended
that we look into the practices regarding incorporation of other
state conferences and identify “best practices.” John
Wilson’s motion carried unanimously.
7) Discussion of the duties of the Treasurer.
a) One possibility, described on pages 6 and 7 of the Treasurer’s
Report, is to have the Executive Director keep track of the incoming
requests for reimbursement and bills, have the Treasurer approve
or disapprove the expenditures, and have the Executive Director
issue checks and generate a monthly report of all transactions for
the Treasurer so the Treasurer can keep track of the expenses on
an ongoing basis.
b) Another, more in keeping with our standard practice, is for the
Council to have responsibility for approval and the Treasurer to
have responsibility for dispersal and record-keeping.
c) Pan Papacosta moved that we specify in writing the job descriptions
of all constitutional officers, starting with Treasurer. Pan Papacosta
then proposed specific language for the job description and duties
of Treasurer, based on the language in Robert’s Rules of Order.
Lisa Townsley seconded. After discussion and accepted friendly amendmentswe
agreed on the following language:
Job Description of Treasurer of AAUP-IL
The Treasurer of AAUP-Il is the custodian of its funds and receives
and disburses them upon authority from the President and/or the
Executive Committee. A Treasurer shall be bonded. The Treasurer
should prepare monthly statements and a report once a year to be
presented at the annual meeting. The annual report will be audited
by an audit committee or an independent accountant. The auditor’s
report should be presented following the Treasurer’s report.
The Treasurer must prepare an annual budget to be presented to the
Council for approval at the Fall meeting. Copies of the monthly
statements, budget and annual report should be kept at the Conference’s
main office.
d) Leo Welch proposed that the President be given a small discretionary
budget. Leo proposed that there be a recall provision. Leo also
proposed that in the event of a recall, resignation, or incapacity,
the President should have the power to make an interim appointment,
subject to approval by the Executive Committee. There was general
agreement but no formal vote was taken on Leo’s proposals.
8) Planning for Annual Meeting
a) Pan Papacosta proposed Chicago, in hopes of greater attendance.
b) Jack Leahy suggested that the main topic be contingent faculty.
See the September/October issue of Academe. Jack also proposed breakout
sessions for administrators.
c) There was much discussion of other topics and formats.
d) A long list of possible keynote speakers was compiled.
e) Possible dates are April 17th or 24th.
9) Nominating Committee
a) It was decided that the nominating committee should be made up
of 2 or 3 Council members and 2 or 3 people not on the Council.
b) Positions to be filling include President, Vice President, and
2 Council seats.
10) Legislative Report: Leo Welch
a) Leo proposed creation of a new (constitutional?) Conference officer
position called the “Officer for Legislative and Governing
Board Affairs.” The officer would be a member of the Executive
Committee. The officer would attend IBHE meetings (roughly 6 per
year in various locations throughout the state), monitor state legislative
activity dealing with higher education, testify before and submit
written reports to legislative committees, meet informally with
legislators and their staffs, and generally serve as lobbyist for
AAUP-IL.
b) Leo has been performing these functions for years, and he is
a member of the Council by virtue of being the immediate past President.
His proposal would ensure that the lobbying function be done by
someone who is an elected or an appointed member of the Executive
Committee. Before Leo assumed the lobbying function without pay,
we employed a Springfield lobbyist for about $2000 per year. Until
recently, there was usually at least one member of the Council who
concurrently served on the Faculty Advisory Committee to the IBHE.
c) Leo also recommended that a budget item of $2500 be approved
for the 2004 calendar year to cover the costs of attending IBHI
meetings and lobbying.
Pan Papacosta moved acceptance in principle of creating an “Officer
for Legislative and Governing Board Affairs.” John Wilson
moved authorization and funding immediately, pending creation of
the official position. Both motioned passed unanimously.
d) Leo presented a written Legislative Report listing all higher
education bills signed into law, vetoed by the Governor, and not
yet passed by both houses. He called special attention to the new
Higher Education Budget (HB2671 – FY 04 and following) and
the Redefinition of Educational Employee (House Bill 1457).
e) Leo pointed out that individual campuses can have independent
union affiliations, including affiliations with AFT. A case in point
has arisen at UIC. The faculty at that campus request joint AFT
- AAUP membership for purposes of organization. Discussion followed,
including discussion of the growing tension between AFT and the
Collective Bargaining Congress of AAUP, and the fact that they sometimes
launch competing unionization drives.
Leo Welch Moved the following: Should the faculty of UIC prefer
a joint AAUP-AFT affiliation in its attempt to organize and form
a union, we honor and support the choice - as long as AAUP principles
are strongly adhered to. John Wilson seconded. The motioned passed
unanimously.
f) Leo reported on the PEW Trust’s “National Forum
on College-Level Learning.” He gave Council members copies
of a PEW Trust document summarizing the project (available at http://www.people.virginia.edu/~mam5mc/nationalforum.html
Leo also handed out a memorandum summarizing his views on the PEW
Trust project. In his opinion, it is a seriously flawed attempt
to impose a uniform grading system on student outcomes. Leo thinks
that the PEW project will lead to a “No Child Left Behind”
for Higher Education. He pointed out, as he had at the April, 2003
meetings, that the National AAUP Committee on College and University
Teaching, Research, and Publications, issued a report in June 1991
entitled “Mandated Assessment of Educational Outcomes.”
Point 1 in the AAUP Report says that “The faculty should have
primary responsibility for establishing the criteria for assessment
and methods for implementation. “ The pilot has people from
outside the state and the ILBHE staff decides the criteria and methods.
Within institutions it is implemented by staff, not faculty. Point
2 in the AAUP Report says that “The assessment should focus
on... institutionally determined goals and objectives.” The
pilot is “one size fits all.” Institutions decide whether
or not to participate in the pilot, but the institutional decision
is made by university presidents, not by faculty.
g) Leo is working with Tom Guild (Oklahoma) and Jiim Richardson
(Nevada) on the issue and has asked Jane Buck to address the issue
at the Collective Bargain Congress meeting in December. John Wilson
asked to get information from and about PEW.
11) Mike Collins, Loyola University Medical School, needs a speaker
who can address Medical School issues.
Motion to adjourn at 2:30 P.M.
JOB DESCRIPTION OF TREASURER OF AAUP-IL
The Treasurer of AAUP-Il is the custodian of its funds and receives
and disburses them upon authority authorization from the President
and/or the Executive Committee. A Treasurer shall be bonded. The
Treasurer shall prepare monthly statements and a report once a year
to be presented at the annual meeting. The annual report will be
audited by an audit committee or an independent accountant. The
auditor’s report should be presented following the Treasurer’s
report. an annual report. The annual report, consisting of an Income
and Expenditure Statement and a Balance Sheet, shall be [may be?]
audited by an audit committee or an independent accountant. The
Treasurer’s annual report shall be presented at the annual
meeting, followed immediately by the auditor’s report [if
any?]. The Treasurer must shall prepare an annual budget to be presented
and present it to the Council for its approval at the Fall Council[?]
meeting. The Conference’s main office shall retain Ccopies
of the Treasurer’s monthly statements, budget, and annual
report, and the auditor’s report [if any] should be kept at
the Conference’s main office.
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