The University Senate unanimously passed a motion Wednesday to form an Ad-Hoc Committee that will evaluate Syracuse University’s policies on balancing work and family concerns.

 The motion was proposed by Marty Hanson, the co-chair for the Committee on Women’s Concerns, when she stressed that members of the SU community have come to the committee with concerns over childcare, maternity and parental leave and caregiving.

“We want our community to live their lives and be able to work and not have to worry if horrible things are going on in their lives,” Hanson said.

Questions related to the motion consumed much of Wednesday’s meeting in Maxwell Auditorium.  Bruce Carter, senate moderator and chair of the Agenda Committee, also discussed a potential open SU forum that would be scheduled by Chancellor Kent Syverud’s office, as well as requests for an Ad-Hoc Committee on disability issues.

But the vast majority of the meeting’s vocal participation surrounded Hanson’s motion.

Hanson tentatively referred to the Ad-Hoc Committee as the Committee on Family Friendly and Work-Life Balance Concerns. It would investigate the university’s policies on family issues and make policy recommendations where it saw fit, she said.

Hanson outlined general family life concerns in the university community, including access to effective childcare and leave related to caring for ill or aging family members. Senators and others in attendance mentioned that a $1,000 childcare subsidy is available to some faculty and staff, but graduate student employees don’t have access to the subsidy, and parents can often wait up to two years to enroll children in daycare.

Hanson didn’t wholly suggest that the university’s current policies are not serving their purpose. Rather, the committee would take concerns into account, evaluating existing policies and proposing new ones where it sees a need.

“It may be a lack of a policy at all or a policy that has been unevenly implemented,” Hanson said.

Since the motion came from the Committee on Women’s Concerns, senators discussed the fact that the issue of balancing family and work is not entirely a women’s issue, citing broader concerns like men caring for children or ill family members.

Senators also expressed doubt over forming a new committee when an existing committee, like the currently unpopulated Services to Faculty and Staff Committee, could absorb its proposed role. Some senators were also reluctant to support the formation of an Ad-Hoc Committee, as they wanted to avoid the committee gradually falling out of use.

Following the discussion, senators voiced their unanimous support for the motion. Hanson also announced that her committee will set forth a proposal in March or April to establish an regulatory office that would field university concerns.

At the start of the meeting during the Agenda Committee’s report, Carter announced that the Senate will sponsor a meeting with Chancellor Syverud open to the SU community, which would likely take place in Hendricks Chapel. The chancellor’s office will schedule the open meeting, though it has not finalized any plans, he said.

Originally, Carter had announced that Syverud would meet with the Senate only but Syverud decided he should address the university community more broadly, Carter said after the Senate meeting. Carter said he envisions the meeting will function as a “state of the university” address.

The Senate attempts to meet with chancellors regularly, as many SU chancellors chaired the Senate prior to former Chancellor Nancy Cantor’s tenure, said Teresa Gilman, the Senate recorder, after the meeting.

After the meeting began with senators approving the minutes from the Jan. 15 meeting, Carter issued the Agenda Committee report. All motions carried in the Curricula Committee report before Hanson presented the Committee on Women’s Concerns report.

The Committee on Honorary Degrees then issued its yearly report as all non-senators were required to leave the auditorium. No new business was introduced as Wednesday’s meeting concluded.

Published on February 13, 2014 at 1:21 am

Contact Jacob: jspramuk@syr.edu