1997-05-02: Spring 1997


MINUTES OF SSRIC MEETING, MAY 2, 1997, SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY

PRESENT: Barkan, Young, Korey, Haston, Ebeling, Emenhiser, Ross, Taketa, Gerber, Chico, Nelson, Shaffer, Campbell; ABS: all the rest

1. Winter minutes were discussed and approved.

2. The announcement was there were no announcements.

3. ICPSR Report by Ebeling: Ebeling and Lucy Cardona (CSUSB) expressed a desire to attend the summer program and the recommendation was to divide the money into $1500 each, which was approved. Ebeling also agreed to do a Friday workshop on STATA based on his summer work.

4. CLRIT Task Force was discussed by Frank Young, who distributed a letter from CLRIT with charge to review annual payments for databases. There was a June 15, 1995 letter from Munitz and a March 25, 1997 letter from Richard West.


On the task force to review are Gary Hammerston (SFSU), William Aguilar (CSUSB), Floyd LeCureaux (CSUSac), and Harold Goldwhite (CSULA and ITL). The issue centers on the centrally funded business and social science data bases. Young explained the shifts to decentralization, with decreasing sums to IRT and into Integrated Technology through CLRIT and other Commissions. The issue was discussed, including Munitz's letter and the issue of funding, notably the question of keeping to the spirit of the original promise to support but the question is of justifying continuing central funding out of Tom West's budget: in other words justifying the usefulness of the data sets.


Parallels were made to library resources, something the system should be investing in for present and future students that will not happen if funds are decentralized, based on the prior experience with the decentralization of computer facilities. Young insisted it was not a line item but something supported by individuals. The reply was that the system speaks of its technological goals but would not fund SSDBA. There would be great difficulty assembling such data sets otherwise and the response to concerns about low usage is to increase it not abandon the data sets. Noted, too, are the workshops and publications we have sponsored around the SSDBA materials. Frank noted the role of interlibrary loans because they are centrally funded and he expressed the belief that the Tassk Force and CLRIT would understand that.


Shaffer noted that CLRIT chair Baker, president of SLO, would not let the business data center there die. To which Barkan responded that Social Sciences are sfoter than Business and the hard sciences and that it is harder to get other funds or to command the visibility ythe others have; hence, it was CSU's responsibility to provide assistance.

It was suggested that a subcommittee would be needed to report to CLRIT before its October meeting. That subcommittee would consist of Barkan, Nelson, Tabb/DeLeon, Ebeling, and Turner, with Korey specifically suggesting that Cvhair Turner meet with West and West. Nelson would contact LeCureaux, Barkan Aguilar, and Tabb/DeLeon Hammerston and Goldwhite.

At this point Ebeling had to leave and a profound silence fell across the room. recovering, we moved on to item 5.

5. Great vote of thanks to Taketa for the Student Conference, which cost $1000.


6. Academic Opportunity Funds proposal discussed, with $25,000 being available. There was discussion of a proposal for a Social Sciences Teaching Resource Depository, with an interest expressed by Korey, Chico, Ross, Nelson, Turner, and Emenhiser.

7. 1997-98 CALENDAR: FALL, FRESNO, OCTOBER 9-10; WINTER, SAN MARCOS, FEB. 5-6; SPRING, NORTHRIDGE, EITHER MAY 7-8 OR APR 30-MAY 1

8. Field Committee Report gave an update on the status of the 96 files and it appeared 01-05 were done and 06-07 had not been started (adapting for SSDBA), but 97-01 was being moved up so Nadine Koch could use it.


It appeared that about 10-12 persons were going to the May 30 Field Workshop in SF. There was also some discussion about communication problems between Field and SD and LA in terms of the quality of the Field Data. Colin said there could be a 1`0 day turn around and Nelson said he would talk to Doug Coe re the run around problems.


Application by Caryn Moore, SFSU, for Field Internship for summer, which was approved.

9. ICPSR: SB was held off because I will be on sabbatical, thus putting the order who can attend Oct 23-26 to NORTHRIDGE; CHICO; SLO; LONG BEACH; POMONA, with Bakersfield to go if LB cannot. Subsequent list is San Bernardino, San Jose, Fullerton, San Marcos, Sacramento, Humboldt, Fresno, San Diego, Northridge, San Francisco, Stanislaus, Hayward, Los Angeles. Funds cover transportation and some meals but no hotel.

10. SSDBA: Colin Campbell distributed a quarterly report and noted that San Jose and Stanislaus have pulled out of SSDBA (and refused to pay?) and he was unsure if Long Beach had paid. He noted, with LA as the ICPSR hub, we get a 45% discount. He also indicated that he would be requesting the Voter News Service and LA Times polls henceforth. I believe he indicated that LA was moving away from UNIX and SPSSX to other formats and that a new interface with Field data would be implemented for Fall 97.


In response to Barkan's comment that SSDBA was not really user friendly with UNIX and SPSSX, Campbell indicated that an advisory note was needed from SSRIC for what we wanted/needed. And, in turn a request was made from Campbell for a list of what campuses want. Shaffer, Turner, Emenhiser formed a subcommittee to advise Campbell and SSDBA.

11.I reminded the group that I am still sitting on$400 and will go for a hell of a dinner if we don't think of a useful way to disburse it, given the projects people are doing.

12. Turner asked for a brief history of the 3 awards given at the Student Conference, possibly to be put on web site, and Ross was designated WEBMASTER par excellent.

13. And on that note we adjourned at 12:10 PM.

Elliott Barkan