First meeting scheduled for 12/7

The first meeting is scheduled for tomorrow 12/7/10. I cannot attend the meeting in person, but have requested electronic access.

My questions are:

#1: The committee rules say: "chair is to be elected by the membership of the committee from its faculty members" Since this is our first meeting, shouldn't our first order of business be to elect a chair? Related: There is a chair listed; how was this chair selected?

#2: Is there a member of the committee serving on the University Budget Committee at this time? If yes, would that person please summarize the meetings of the University budget committee to date.

#3: Questions about the charge
From http://www.american.edu/facultysenate/budget-benefits-committee.cfm:

"The committee is responsible for reviewing the budget guidelines each year (*) and making recommendations to the Senate for legislation concerning the budget (**). The committee considers all financial matters pertaining to the academic programs and faculty of the university (***) and is authorized by the Senate to request financial data (****)....The committee also considers the physical plant operations and services in support of the academic programs of the university. The committee makes recommendations for space allocations and considers and makes recommendations regarding priorities for investment in all facilities used to advance the academic mission of the university (*****)

* Where can we find the CURRENT budget guidelines?
** What responsiblity has been ceded to the faculty? Where can we actually make a difference?
*** Should we be "considering" only instructional matters (as the main faculty governance document suggests" or is "academic" interpreted to mean matters that include research? that include new tenure-track lines?
**** I would like to move that we be briefed on the current budget and compare it to the previous budget.
***** How has this committee been involved in the campus plan? How will it be involved in the space utilization group that is being organized and chaired by direct reports to the provost?