UW-Madison received a plaque commemorating its 2007 Truman Scholarship Honor Institution award at Monday’s Faculty Senate meeting, prior to continuing its regular meeting agenda.

Frederick Slabach, Truman Scholarship Foundation executive secretary, presented the award, which recognizes UW-Madison’s commitment to the scholarship and its high Truman Scholar recipient rate. In memory of President Harry S. Truman, the scholarship was established in 1975 to honor college students pursuing careers in public service.

“We are very pleased this year to present the award to University of Wisconsin,” Slabach said.

“Because the scholarship is so competitive, it’s highly unusual for any one college or university to amass a significant number of Truman scholars, but University of Wisconsin has had a remarkable success rate in selecting and nominating Truman scholars.”

UW-Madison has produced 15 Truman Scholars since the scholarship’s launch 31 years ago, Slabach said. UW-Madison Provost Patrick Farrell accepted the award.

“On behalf of the university I’d like to thank Mr. Slabach and The Truman Foundation for the award,” Farrell said. “It’s quite an honor.”

Police videotapings At the meeting, University of Wisconsin Police Chief Susan Riseling addressed videotape use by campus police at demonstrations, football games and other events, in response to last month’s faculty meeting, during which UW-Madison history professor James Donnelly inquired about the Constitutionality of the taping.

The purpose of UWPD taping large campus demonstrations is to document possible evidence should there be any sort of misconduct where many students are congregated.

Riseling said no privacy is at stake and police officers are taking necessary precautions to keep the individuals in the tapes protected. Due to budgetary reasons, she said tapes are not destroyed, but are reused and recorded over.

Privately funded employees The Faculty Senate also began to address the issue of privately paid faculty members, who are appointed UW-Madison faculty responsibilities but continue to receive their salary from an outside agency.

Michael Olneck, professor of educational policy studies, posed a series of questions to the Faculty Senate, raising concerns about the primary incentives of privately funded employees and trends towards privatization.

“Does anybody else find it a little disturbing that an employee of a private company would be accorded the responsibilities and privileges of a member of a faculty including voting on other peoples hires and tenures?” Olneck asked.

Many faculty members raised differing viewpoints, but due to time constraints, the Senate voted to postpone further discussion to next month’s meeting.