Posted June 2, 1999

MEDICAL FACULTY ASSEMBLY

Minutes for the meeting of May 4, 1999




Attendance by Officers and Members of the Executive Board:
 
President Harvey Kaslow present
President-Elect Loren Laine present
Secretary Robert Stellwagen present
Treasurer Jerry Gates  
Past President Kathryn Challoner  
Member-at-Large Peter Heseltine  
Member-at-Large Roger Jelliffe  
Member-at-Large Dennis O'Leary  present

Representation at the Meeting:
 
Anesthesiology  
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Frank Markland
Cardiothoracic Surgery  
Cell and Neurobiology  
Children's Hospital  
Emergency Medicine Michael Orlinsky
Family Medicine  
Medicine Om P. Sharma
Molecular Microbiology and Immunology Joe Landolph
Neurological Surgery  
Neurology Patricia Anderson
Norris Medical Library  
Obstetrics and Gynecology Rebecca Sokol
Ophthalmology Ronald Green
Orthopedics  
Otolaryngology Dennis O'Leary
Pathology Leslie Khawli
Pediatrics Laura Wachsman
Physiology and Biophysics Herb Meiselman
Preventive Medicine Daniel Stram
Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Bruce Gross
Radiation Oncology  
Radiology Michael Tuck
Rancho Los Amigos Hospital  
Surgery Jeffrey Peters
Urology  

Also attending: Ronald Kaufman, Henry Slucki, Austin Mircheff, Victor Henderson, John Briere, Manbir Singh

1.  Minutes and Calendar:

The meeting was called to order by President Harvey Kaslow shortly after 12 noon.
    The minutes of the March 2, 1999 MFA meeting were approved unanimously. Consideration of the notes for the April 13 meeting of the faculty-at-large was deferred until the next meeting.

    President Kaslow called the representatives' attention to the MFA calendar, which was among the items distributed. He indicated that the events related to elections of new representatives were proceeding as scheduled.

    President Kaslow distributed a proposed schedule for MFA meetings for 1999-2000 in which the meeting dates of the MFA had been moved from the first to the second Tuesday of the month. President-elect Laine expressed a preference for retaining the first Tuesday of the month as the meeting date. Representative Gross from Psychiatry favored the change to the second Tuesday or some other time other than noon on the first Tuesday since that time conflicts with faculty meetings in Psychiatry. President Kaslow asked representatives to consider the proposed schedule as a decision should be made at the June MFA meeting.

2.  Nomination of Officers of the Medical Faculty Assembly President-elect Laine, chair of the nominating committee, repeated the list of nominees that had been announced at the meeting of the faculty-at-large on April 13. He invited representatives to suggest additional nominees. The nominees proposed by the committee are: 3.  The Faculty Handbook
    President Kaslow called the representatives' attention to several distributed documents related to the Faculty Handbook. He reviewed these documents to provide background on the current debate involving the statement that had been added to the web version of the Handbook by President Sample without approval of the Academic Senate. The section added by President Sample refers to the Trustees' policy regarding amending the Handbook.

    Dr. Slucki asked how faculty would be made aware of actions of the Board of Trustees that might impact the Handbook. Dr. Meiselman pointed out the importance of the issue since the Faculty Contract document refers to the Faculty Handbook. President Kaslow expressed concerns related to the complexities of the issues involved. Dr. Landolph pointed out that the Contract and the Handbook are closely inter-linked. President Kaslow suggested deferring additional discussion on the Handbook issue until after the Contract was discussed as the next agenda item.

4.  The Faculty Contract
    President Kaslow reviewed his communications with the Provost on this issue, including the Provost's letter of April 9, 1999. President Kaslow also referred to the letter of April 15, 1999 to Medical School faculty from Senate President Thalmann.

    Victor Henderson reported on an Academic Senate task force which has been meeting to consider the contract issue. A report from this committee is expected soon, perhaps within a week.  Task Force Report.

    Several representatives expressed opinions about the contract issues and their importance. The meaning of tenure was discussed, and views were expressed about apparent differences between faculty and administration in the interpretation of tenure and what, if any, economic security it guarantees.

    President Kaslow introduced a draft version of Faculty Contract Exhibit A that had been discussed at the May 4 meeting of the MFA Executive Board. This proposed version incorporates key language from the Handbook into the Contract in an attempt to resolve some faculty concerns. A variety of opinions and concerns were expressed without resolution of the issues.

5.  USC-LACHS Affairs
    Dr. Kaufman commented on the proposed change regarding clinical research funding at County Hospital and on other issues related to the contract negotiations.
6.  Brief Reports and Updates Regarding Ongoing Issues AAUP-sponsored conference: Academic Values in the Transformation of American Medicine: Universities and the Academic Health Center, May 20-23, 1999, Boston, MA. President Kaslow made information about this upcoming meeting available. President Kaslow and Dr. Slucki will attend, and President Kaslow will make a presentation regarding events at USC. 7.  New Business: None.

8.  Adjournment:  The meeting was adjourned at approximately 1:30 PM.

Submitted by: Robert H. Stellwagen, MFA Secretary; edited by Harvey Kaslow, MFA President