Council of Deans
Unapproved Minutes
October 22, 2001
Members:
Sullivan
Buckley
Bhattacharya
Dawe
Goode
Harrison
Neale
Soelle
Pickthom
Also Present:
Tony Pokorny
Harold Robinson
1. Agenda Item I - OSHA Information (presentation by Harold Robinson)
a. Sullivan stated that the reason he has asked Robinson to visit with the Council today
is that during the Executive Officers' Retreat, he brought to our attention something that is going to
have enormous consequences and impact on all ofus over a period oftime. This has to do with new
OSHA regulations that are applicable to all areas butparticularly impacts the science and technology
areas.
b. Robinson began his presentation by saying that on November 1,2000, OSHA paid
us a visit, wrote a report, and slapped our hands pretty good for not having a written Health and
Safety Program. The areas OSHA is talking about are: hazardous communication; hazardous energy
control; blood-borne pathogens; respirators; chemical hygiene; hazardous assessment and personal
protective equipment and confined space. Policies have been developed but have not yet been
distributed.
c. Robinson stated that each of the policy manuals he is going to hand out are more
than all encompassing. They levy requirements and responsibilities at each level ofour organization
starting with the President then to the deans and department heads and on down. In the process of
responding to the report, one ofthe things he had to do was conduct a survey. He sent out a survey
form to each of the organizational elements on campus and asked that they look at their areas and
identify any hazardous conditions. It was a pretty detailed survey and helped him identify problems
or potential problems throughout the campus.
d. As Robinson talked he handed copies ofthe separate plans. He asked the group to
keep in mind that what he was distributing only scratches the surface. These documents do not have
all the attachments and appendices with them. These are manuals and programs that were developed
by Physical Facilities in compliance with State and Federal OSHA regulations. There is absolutely
no latitude in what has to be done in your elements. An example that will make everyone realize
how tough this is - take for instance blood-borne pathogens. There are certain things we have to do
and certain records that must be maintained on each of our employees. These records, once
completed will be on file and retained for 40 years. That is what the Federal Government says.
He asked the group to stop and think about that for a moment. The policy also mandates four hours
per quarter of safety training for every employee.
e. Robinson distributed the overall Health and Safety Policy. There is an introductory
statement in this document which is the commitment ofthe university to this Health and Safety Plan.
This statement has been collaborated with the President. Within this policy there are seven
individual programs. Programs 15 and 16 have to do primarily with Physical Facilities personnel
and those are being development. Programs 10 through 14 cover requirements for each of the
schools and their operations for things that must be done. Responsibilities are outlined in each of
the programs that Robinson will be distributing. Robinson reminded the group that all of the
attachments and back~up information are not included in the copies being handed out today. He
suggested that prior to getting the complete bound programs with attachments and back-up
information, that each one here read what he is giving out today so they can get an idea of the
magnitude ofthis program. Tom Chapman has been appointed as the Health and Safety Coordinator
for the university and this is so extensive that it takes up almost all ofhis time. Lengthy discussion
followed as copies of each program were handed out.
f. Robinson stated that he needs to know from the people here what they think about
the distribution ofthese manuals. The responsibilities for this program range from the President all
the way down to the head of a small department. We are looking at 80-90 different locations that
need to know what these requirements are. Question was asked ifthere is a potential for putting this
out on the Intranet or something like that. Robinson replied that Physical Facilities has a web site.
He doesn't know if everyone can access it or not. It tells about his department and there is an area
in there that addresses the Health and Safety Program. It might be possible to put these on that web
site. Discussion followed.
g. Robinson stated that OSHA people visit quite regularly.
2. Agenda Item 2 - Posting Procedures for Events
Sullivan distributed a sheet that Dr. Dzialo hands to each student or organization that
comes to her office wanting to get permission to post a flyer or something else. This gives them the
procedures for posting their information, i.e., not to post anything on painted surfaces, wooden
surfaces, trees, glass, no tape, etc.
3. Agenda Item 3 - Student Technology Fees
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a. Sullivan stated we are to the point in spending student technology fees where we
need a mid-year review. We have spent some funds but we also have a lot of other requirements for
these funds. An increase in student technology fees from $5.00 to $7.00 per credit hour is being
requested for this coming year, but we will not see that until next fall. The balance in that account
is about $180,000. There are some requirements that Sullivan is aware of and some other
requirements that he is not aware of. He asked Goode to take the lead in this discussion.
b. Goode stated that the Student Technology Fees have, in the past, helped to support
our network infrastructure - not 100%, but as items came up that needed funding, we would look to
see ifwe thought that students benefitted from it or if it was strictly for administrative use and then
decisions were made from that.
(1) What has happened with our labs and what has thrown us behind in our plan
is that we have labs that were created with grant money, which is wonderful, but then in three or four
years as they age and need to be replaced the grant money, as a rule, is not available for that and it
falls into student technology fees to assist. Departments and schools don't generally receive funding
to do that. More and more labs have been created throughout the years and that has thrown us
behind.
(2) The PC's that are in classrooms that support curriculum have, for the most
part, been funded by the department but then last year and this year, departments simply did not
receive the money. For example, Communications has computers in three areas and one computer
in the Duncan Higher Education Center must be used for power point presentations by the students
in Communications. There are other classrooms around campus that also require support from
student technology fees. Other areas are the distance learning classrooms in Howell 101 and 102,
South Shepler on the fourth floor in Dr. Harrison's area, and the Duncan Higher Education Center.
(3) OneNet mandated that we move to the polycom H.323 technology and that
consumed a considerable amount ofour student technology fee money at the end oflast year and we
were hopeful to do a little bit more this year with student technology fee money. Primarily what we
want to do this year is replace the polycom in South Shepler and then buy another polycom as a
backup if one of our systems goes down.
(4) We have specialized labs - Technology has one, Computer Science has one,
and they have been funded from student technology fees. The main criteria that we have used in the
past for spending student technology fees funds is that we are able to completely justify that the
funds spenttl were used in support of the students. Sullivan mentioned that everything that he has
seen come through and approved is in direct support of the students. Lengthy discussion followed
regarding redundancy in the number oflabs, low utilization ofthe labs, establishing labs just for the
purpose of being able to better control the lab rather than using one already established, getting
Sullivan involved in looking at proposals being prepared, getting the word out to students that we
have these labs and they can use any ofthe labs they want to, providing a list of software available
in each lab, etc.
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(5) Statement was made that there are a lot of little student labs around of
different sizes so how is the decision made on when it is time to upgrade them? Goode stated that
once she is aware of them, they are put in the plan and they automatically come up. This year, our
requests to replace the equipment exceeds the student technology fees money. There will need to
be some decisions made. We want to make sure we know what is going to be needed. There may
be a very important request out there that we are not aware of. We may get the request in January
and will have already committed student technology fees money on other requests that came in and
that request will not get done. What Goode would like the deans to do is talk to their department
chairs and fmd out what else they know of that they might need these funds for this year - not that
it will happen but she needs to know this as soon as possible so they can figure out what can be done
and what cannot be done this year and how we might be able to fit it in within next year's budget.
When the chairs think about their labs they also need to include their software because that isn't a
small matter any more. Also in as many labs as possible where it will work, she would like the
$84.00 charge added for the centurion guards. Students can download anything they want to but
when the computer is rebooted or turned off, it goes back to the original setting.
c. Sullivan stated that there are some generic issues that we need to think about and
he will draft up something for deans to look at.
(l) One has to do with the idea of - do these student labs belong to people and
if so why and what can we do so that we have more student access across campus.
(2) Another issue is whether or not we need all the computers we have now. We
have over 700 computers available for student use right now. He has gone to these labs at various
times of the day and night and he cannot see that they are being used that much.
(3) Third issue is perhaps some guidance on what deans would like to see in our
plan for next year. In other words, some sort ofprocess where we sit down and resolve this together.
d. Sullivan stated that Young had asked about the long range proj ect for Enterprise
Library System to replace VTLS. If the Regents approve the library fee increase we will buy that
system with those funds. There is no reason why that increase will not be approved. We should be
able to start with that perhaps next summer.
e. Sullivan stated that with the increase in student technology fees from $500,000 to
$700,000 we should be able to get back on track.
f. Goode asked deans to provide her with a list of computing related needs that might
be candidates for student technology fees expenditures.
COMMENTS
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D. Goode - One more item, on the sheets that were sent to the deans, the Duncan Higher Education
Center, the Testing Center, the Student Services 12 PC's for the common area, and the Computer
Science lab will all be added.
Buckley - Oklahoma Academy of Science will be on campus on Friday, November 2. There will
be about 200 state-wide science type people in the Science Complex all day. Everyone is welcome
to come over. Jack Tyler is the person who has put this together.
Dawe - The President has approved the celebration of research for February 11-22 and we have
decided this year to get input from each of the schools as to what type of workshops and activities
they would like to see occur over that two week period. Dawe asked the deans to go back to their
schools and speak to their faculty about what they would like to see done with the emphasis being
placed on research and development. Dawe stated that he could furnish a list of some of the things
that were done last year. Sullivan asked Dawe to bring that to the next Deans Council meeting.
Dawe stated that we have a dozen people in behavioral sciences who have prepared posters for the
regional universities Research Day on November 9. They are also going to participate in the
Oklahoma Academy of Sciences event.
Neale - No comments.
Soelle - No comments.
Pokorny - Stated that this Wednesday the Cameron University Foundation's annual board meeting
will be taking place at 3:30 in the Goodyear Lecture Hall in the Science Complex. This is open to
all members for the first part of the meeting and election of board members and then the board
meeting begins after that and they approve what needs to be approved to have the Foundation
function properly in the next year.
Harrison - No comments.
Pickthorn - No comments.
Bhattacharya - No comments
Adjourned 12:04 p.m.
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