Faculty Senator L. Peterson announced that the Faculty Senate is holding its Fall Plenary Session here at Oswego this Thursday through Saturday, October 23-25. The main topic for deliberation will be SUNY faculty response to the Board of Trustee mandated system wide, value-added, assessment for General Education.

Greg Auleta reported on the following items relating to UUP:

1. Negotiations--The State and UUP mutually agreed to pause in any formal negotiations over the summer. This decision was reached in an attempt to keep the process clear of any demands which were linked to the State's still uncertain fiscal situation. At this point both sides have articulated their demands, and it is anticipated that sometime early in the Fall the teams will divide into small subcommittees to explore non-monetary issues first (such as those relating to grievances, job security, and professional staff issues). As a clearer picture of the State's fiscal reality emerges, both teams will come together for a discussion of these vital concerns. UUP is committed to coming to an Agreement with the State which its members will accept.

2. Current Agreement--The current contract expired on July 1st. However, all the

rights and protection of the past contract remains in place and will until the next contract. At this point the only extant salary adjustment is the DSI which will be distributed sometime this fall. Until the next contract there will be no more salary adjustments.

3. Political Action--During the Fall we will call on faculty and staff to convey our concerns to our legislators regarding the funding and status of the State University. The importance of this action cannot be overemphasized.

4. Issue of Assessment before the Faculty Senate--As this topic is not directly addressed by the contract, UUP has no official position on the matter. Of course we are aware that this topic has highly political implications, and we will be vigilant to its potential abuse by those who do not have what we believe are the best interests of the university. Were there to be developments which clearly have contractual implications, UUP will quickly assert its presence on all relevant matters. In the meantime, we are supportive of the efforts of the Faculty Senate to carry out its legitimate oversight of the academic policies and programs in the University.