Friday the Board of Trustees discussed sexual assault prevention, innovation strategy and guaranteed tuition.
The Ohio University Board of Trustees ended its August meeting and retreat last Friday with discussions about sexual assault prevention, strategies to meet its academic goals and guaranteed tuition.
Sexual assault
University officials vowed to “do more” when it comes to addressing reports of sexual assaults on campus. The university’s existing resources, such as the Survivor Advocacy Program, were highlighted as current tools on campus to assist victims.
The trustees met in Dublin to hear from individuals such as Vice President for Student Affairs Ryan Lombardi, who presented on the university’s policies addressing sexual assault.
“This is not an effort of one individual or one office on this campus,” he said. “It is an effort that requires the entire campus.”
At the meeting, President Roderick McDavis said he will become more involved with those efforts by co-chairing the Presidential Advisory Council on Sexual Misconduct, which is slated to begin work in the next two weeks, he said.
“One of the things we haven’t really mentioned yet is victims,” said Susanne Dietzel, director of the Women’s Center, about 30 minutes into the presentation. Some of the trustees had previously raised questions about the drinking culture on campus, and the consequences for those convicted of sexual misconduct.
Innovation strategy
Eva Klein, who is a consultant working on OU’s Innovative System Strategy, emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary research.
“I want to do it more and better,” she said, adding that they will be looking toward funding “niche” projects and innovation.
Klein said she is hoping to have more discussion with OU faculty about how to best encourage multidisciplinary research. Led by Athens campus deans and leaders, the program will strive to engage scholars in research from a variety of fields and different communities.
“My fondest hope is that innovation becomes a way of doing business,” Klein said. “We just aren’t really far along with any details at all.”
Guaranteed tuition
Executive Vice President and Provost Pam Benoit wrapped up the meeting with a presentation updating the board on the status of guaranteed tuition, which she said is on target to be implemented next fall.
She showed videos which describe the tuition model as “predictable, transparent and accessible” for students and their families. The program will offer students the same price of attendance over 12 consecutive semesters. Some on campus have expressed concern with that model, calling “guaranteed tuition a guaranteed tuition hike,” as it allows the board to raise tuition more in one year than is normally allowed because the rate must remain the same over four years.
“We are getting an awful lot of very, very positive feedback across the state,” McDavis said.
Raises and Debt
On Thursday, the trustees unanimously approved a 7.8 percent raise for McDavis, increasing his base salary by $33,850, which brings it to $465,000. The board also gave McDavis a bonus of $85,000. That brings McDavis’ total compensation for the 2014-15 academic year to $550,000, before retirement pay and other monies are factored in.
Deborah McDavis, the president’s wife, also received a pay raise to $35,000, up from $31,200.
The board also discussed issuing hundreds of millions of dollars in debt to repair university infrastructure.
Stephen Golding, vice president for Finance and Administration, introduced the idea of issuing $250 million in debt to address the university’s deferred maintenance backlog.
The debt wouldn’t need to be paid off for a century.
Golding suggested the university invest $7 million when the university takes out the debt. After 100 years, even under conservative estimates, that $7 million should have earned enough interest to pay off the interest on the $250 million, he said.
