MINUTES OF THE COMMITTEE ON MISSION AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
January 25, 2008

PRESENT:  Jonathan Doh, Chair; Antonia Allsman; Susan Ciccone; Robert Dormish; Nancy Ata Lee; Kelly Maquire; Susan  Markley; Anna Menard; Tom Mogan; Tom Nardi; Sally Scholz; Fayette Veverka, and William Werpehowski

AGENDA

Minutes from November 7, 2007 were approved.

Old Business:

Jonathan reported the latest updates on the Child Care issue and the University‘s new Child Care Assistance Program which was implemented recently. Jon provided additional background information on this new development and thanked our Committee, especially Rachel Schaller and Sally Scholz, for all our hard work over the past few years to push for this issue.

He also reviewed again the background history on our Darfur Resolution that was passed by the Senate and approved by Fr. Peter. This resolution is now going to the Board of Trustees. Along with this issue, Jon reported on the activities of the Subcommittee on Socially Responsible Investing, of which he is a member, and their proxy votes. Jon will report back to us at our next meeting about a letter being drafted by the University. Jon will ask for a timeline for what actions the University is taking. Then he will have our Mission subcommittee draft a report for him to deliver to the Senate. This report represents our Mission Committee’s part in the implementation of the Socially Responsible Investing process. Jon will need this report by our next meeting February 28^th.

New Business:

Jon reported that some in the University would like to see the Tuition Benefits extended to include stepchildren in the exchange program. There is also concern about the drop in tuition benefits for staff children, which went from 100% to 80%. Jon would like to form another Mission subcommittee to study some of our benefits before the University’s major Benefits Review next year. We would develop a list of principles or broad generalities that re-articulates the general principles that our Mission Committee represents and our hope that they will be considered by the University during their Benefits Review. The following volunteered to work on this subcommittee: Fay Veverka, Tom Mogan, Bill Werpehowski, and Nancy Ata Lee. Jon will get a timetable from Ken Valosky on this issue.

Jon then asked if our committee should get more involved with environmental issues on campus, such as “green power” and recycling, especially since Fr. Peter has dismantled VQI and was now looking at the University as a whole and the University’s quality of sustainability. John Cacciola, of Facilities, now heads this new sustainability initiative. Jon has invited him to meet with our committee and brief us on what they are going to be doing in the future.

New Issues:

In an effort to allow more of our Committee members to attend meetings, Jon has alternated our meeting schedules. These meetings will continue to be held in Bartley 1063 but at different times and on different days of the week:

Thursday, February 28^th from noon-1:00 p.m. (visit of John Cacciola)   

Friday, March 14^th  from 9:00 a.m. –10:00 a.m.

Thursday, April 18^th from noon-1:00 p.m.

The meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submitted by Susan Markley
Falvey Memorial Library