Rationale

Whereas under Public Officers Law, Section 73.3 SUNY Faculty are currently prohibited from serving as expert witnesses for compensation in cases brought against the State of New York in the Court of Claims, and

Whereas Section 74 may contain language which further restricts or prevents such service, and

Whereas, there may be future efforts to further expand this prohibition to other courts, and

Whereas, such a prohibition does not exist for faculty at private colleges in New York State, and

Whereas, recent events suggest that many SUNY faculty and administrators may not be aware of this restriction, and

Whereas, faculty at independent and SUNY statutory colleges are not considered employees of state agencies

Resolution

Therefore be it resolved that the University Faculty Senate, in its opposition to this legislation, urges the Chancellor, to seek an exemption from Public Officers Law 73.3 (and 74 if relevant) for SUNY faculty from the

existing legislation and to oppose any efforts to expand its range, and

Further, be it resolved that the Chancellor insure that SUNY faculty are regularly informed of any limitations such

as this imposed upon them by virtue of being employees of New York State, and

And finally that the University Faculty Senate urges the Chancellor, the Board of Trustees and United University Professions to oppose any pending or future legislation that would impose on SUNY faculty any lesser status of rights and responsibilities than that enjoyed by their colleagues in the independent and statutory sectors.