University Senate discusses budget deficit and bus schedules

 

Brian MacDougall, the Executive Vice-President for Planning and Administration, told a Senate meeting last Tuesday that the next budget forecast report will be presented to the university’s financial committee in mid-March.

“Once we have got a good handle of [the] tuition revenue of [the] spring semester and forecast for the cost of faculty salaries, we will have more confidence in presenting our numbers,” MacDougall said.

Senate Vice-Chair and the Chair of the Budget Review Committee Tarek Selim said that the university has been suffering from fiscal challenges since its move to the new campus in 2008, and that this suggests that more strategic planning is needed to ensure budget sustainability.

He added that the travel ban issued by some countries due to the unrest in Egypt, has affected the number of study abroad students applying to AUC.

MacDougall suggested that the university could start seeking African and Chinese students to come as part of a study abroad program.

But Provost Amr Shaarawi says the decline of international students isn’t the only challenge, adding that around 350 currently registered students haven’t paid their fees. He said that the university will be sending community-wide messages regarding how students should meet payment deadlines.

Bus issue still unresolved

The AUC community has also been grappling with the new bus policy, which proposes that students, faculty and staff who wish to take alternative buses to the ones they have already paid for, should purchase a bus ticket.

Fifty-seven percent of the Senate agreed to postpone a vote on the bus motion pending further input from the transportation committee.

President of the American Association of University Professors’ Chapter (AAUP) Helen Rizzo said that the association has some objections to the bus policy. Rizzo suggested that the university could generate other sources of revenue by, for example, charging more fees for parking.

She added that the Family Bus Company owes a lot of money to the university.

Senator of Academic Affairs Javed Maswood said that many members of the AUC community see the bus service as a very basic and important amenity.

“I don’t understand why the senate executive is asking us to give up our benefits perpetually for a short-term crisis,” he said.

New retirement package proposed

A new retirement plan for AUC faculty was also introduced during the Senate meeting.

The proposed plan suggests that any faculty member who wants to retire should be paid a lump sum incentive payment.

This sum would be funded as equivalent to a full leave with pay for up to two years, or a partial leave with pay for up to three years.

Course repeat policy discussion postponed

The Senate meeting then moved on to examine a new course repeat policy which would provide students with a failing, incomplete or a minimum grade of B- the opportunity to take the class again.

But student representatives voiced objections toward the policy, saying it was unfair to students with grades higher than B-.

Student Union President Ahmed Atalla also suggested that declaration should be based on the major GPA. A motion was passed to postpone the discussion to a later date.

Freedom of expression motion passed

Meanwhile, a motion that reiterates AUC’s commitment to freedom of speech was passed by a 98 per cent vote. It ensures that members of the university community facing serious accusations will not be deprived of their university status.

President Lisa Anderson said that the administration is in touch with faculty members who are facing allegations of insulting the government in reference to Amr Hamzawi, professor of public policy and administration (PPAD), and Emad Shahin, professor PPAD, who was accused of espionage.

Shahin is currently on leave.

Anderson added that according to university policy, the administration provides direct legal support only if the allegations made involved persons representing the university or were on university grounds.