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    Senate Launches Electronic Network to Help Members and Save Paper

    This past week, the UCSB Academic Senate introduced a new, Web-based system for interactive communication between its members and staff. Called mySenate, this encrypted site offers services like the Senate's grant history, committee businesses, and balloting capabilities tailored to Senate members' needs and responsibilities.
    "It will be the major communication vehicle between the Senate office and Senate members," said Claudia Chapman, executive director of the Academic Senate. Several years in creation, the mySenate custom software will be used by faculty applying for research and travel grants; council and committee members will receive reports, minutes, and agendas; even campus Senate elections will be eventually conducted over this electronic network.
    Paper is one key cost that that Chapman expects to reduce when mySenate is fully up and running. "Use of paper at this office is enormous," she said. For example, the fall ballot next month, which will still be on paper, requires five pages and three envelopes for each of the Senate's roughly 1,300 members. In addition, the staff will send out pro and con arguments in a separate mailing.
    Following Senate approval on Oct. 31 of electronic voting, the spring elections will be conducted via mySenate. Guidelines were also included in the authorization of electronic ballots: Voting must remain secret; no one can change his/her ballot after it is cast; and ballots will not be counted until after the deadline on the final day of the voting period.
    Senate members and authorized faculty will receive individual, randomly generated passwords through e-mail and campus mail for use in initially logging on to the system. Once logged on, Chapman explained, they will choose their own passwords and agree to the terms of use in order to gain further access to the system.
    Members may come to the Senate office for assistance with using mySenate at any time during the month of November. After that, the office will be open for this purpose every Tuesday from 3 to 5 p.m. Call x2885 for more information.

    Senate member Harry Nelson, professor of physics, is surrounded by the paper the Academic Senate staff estimates is needed to conduct the balloting this fall.