FSEC Chair Claude Welch told members that an ad hoc student group, the Student Alliance Against Budget Cuts, sought his support for its planned protest which was to take the form of a two-hour boycott of classes on April 30. About 20 members of the student group attended the April 17 meeting to ask for FSEC support.

Noting that "it is not in my role as chair to speak on behalf of the Faculty Senate," Welch opened up the subject to FSEC input.

Calling the Teach Out "the wrong way to make a statement," John Boot said "faculty should not even think of canceling classes. If it's an officially sanctioned class, it should be held."

Students and faculty "have a right to participate, but not during a regularly scheduled class," said Dennis Malone. Faculty should not in a formal sense cancel or reschedule classes, but should be willing to meet with students informally. He added that he considered make-up classes to be appropriate.

The FSEC also heard a report by William Fischer, vice provost for faculty development, on retirement options and the effect they could have on UB's budget.

UB must think of the retirement incentive as a long-range development effort, since it is impossible to calculate how many faculty will take advantage of the option and what impact their retirement will have overall on the budget, Fischer said.

Like last year's opportunity, he said, the retirement incentive is available to faculty age 50 and older who have 10 or more years of service with the university. Unlike last year, however, there will be two windows of opportunity for retirement. Those dates have not yet been determined, Fischer said.

About 250 faculty members are eligible for the incentive; of those, about 20 percent are age 65 or older.

"There are no obligations here, no binding policies for retirement. It's an individual decision-making process," he noted.

A survey of people who participated in last year's incentive indicated that continued "access to the ambiance of the institution" was important to retirees, and UB is "looking closely now at providing more enhanced soft benefits to retirees to improve that relationship," Fischer said.

In other business, the FSEC heard an interim report by Margaret Arcara of the Faculty Tenure and Privileges Committee on review criteria for promotion to full professor. The FSEC will continue its review of the process in the fall semester.

In his report to the FSEC, President Greiner again expressed his unhappiness with student conduct at the April 9 protest in Capen Hall.

"In order for openness to be preserved, it is incumbent on us to protect the rights of others," Greiner said. And, if necessary, that protection will include enforcing rules about trespass, assault and disorderly conduct as they apply to both UB's Student Rules and Regulations and New York State law.

"On my watch, I will work very hard to protect on this campus all points of view," Greiner said. But, he added, not all methods of expression are appropriate, particularly when they are made in private spaces "or in ways that cause fear or intimidation."

"I will be patient, I will be kind, but I will not tolerate 'uncivil behavior,' he said.

Students have every reason to be concerned over the future of higher education, Greiner said. "I think frankly they have a right to be angry at my generation and the generation behind it." Those generations have "squandered some assets and turning that around will be very difficult."

He encouraged students to continue to make their concerns known to UB's administration, but noted that how the message is delivered has an impact on how it is received.

"I do not think displays of bad temper will influence anyone," Greiner said.

He added he is willing to meet with groups of students "on request, not demand" at times and places that are mutually agreeable, to discuss UB's future. "We have to do a little mutual learning together," he said.