Rutgers University Executive Committee Meeting Minutes

RUTGERS UNIVERSITY SENATE
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
M I N U T E S
February 3, 2017

MEMBERS PRESENT:  Boikess, Borisovets, Esposito, Gillett (Chair), Gould, Janniger (on phone), Krapivin, Krutyansky, Mouradian, Otto, Pirrello, Puhak, Thompson, Wang

MEMBERS EXCUSED: Cotter, Van Stine

ALSO ATTENDING: R. Barchi (President of the University, on phone), B. Lee (Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs), A. Patel (Student Representative to the Board of Governors), S. Rabinowitz (Faculty Representative to the Board of Governors), A. Samant (Faculty Representative to the Board of Trustees), M. Spiegel (Faculty Representative to the Board of Trustees), K. Swalagin (Executive Secretary)

The regular meeting of the University Senate Executive Committee was held on Friday, February 3, 2017 at 12:00 p.m. in Executive Conference Room of ASB-III on the Cook Campus.

1.    Chair’s Report - Peter Gillett, Senate Chair

Senate and Executive Committee Chair Peter Gillett called the meeting to order at 12:00 noon. He said that he had submitted names for Evaluation Committees for Dean Joanne Robinson (School of Nursing-Camden), and for Dean Cathryn Potter (School of Social Work), and that he would send a response on the dental hygiene program issue that day.

2.    Secretary’s Report - Ken Swalagin, Executive Secretary of the Senate

Agenda: The meeting agenda was approved as distributed by the Executive Secretary.
Minutes: The Minutes of January 6, 2017 Senate Executive Committee Meeting were approved.
Communications: The following communications was presented:

Rev. Dr. Paul Lachance, who chaired the University Senate from 1990 to 1992, died in January.
Rutgers University Student Assembly (RUSA) Proposal to Increase Student Voter Turnout, and Resolution to Urge the Rutgers University Senate to Declare All United States Presidential Election Days as University Holidays
Room, equipment, and setup charges at Rutgers student centers will increase by more than 100 percent on July 1, 2017.

The Executive Committee then discussed Viktor Krapivin's request to reconsider issuing a charge to a standing committee to explore the possibility of canceling classes on presidential election days. The item was not on the agenda, but had been discussed at the previous meeting, and no charge had been issued. It was eventually decided that Krapivin would draft a more general charge on how to increase student voting in all elections.

3. Administrative Liaison

University President Robert Barchi presented an administrative report, which focused on the current United States political climate, and Rutgers fundraising.

Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Barbara Lee then continued the administrative report, focusing on recent New Jersey legislation allowing leave of absence for pregnant students and their non-birth partners.

4. Standing Committees

Issues/Charges:

Revisions to University Policy on Political Activity, received from Kim Pastva, Secretary of the University - Peter Gillett had informed the Executive Committee that this policy is being revised. Discussion focused on whether or how the Senate should participate in this revision. Gillett will write to Pastva expressing the committee's concern that the policy could be interpreted as prohibiting, for example, promoting voting on ballot referenda not related to public office, such as those conducted on Rutgers funding or other issues beneficial to Rutgers.

Proposed Charge on Rutgers/IPEDS Campus Comparisons Report, May 2013, submitted by Michael Van Stine - Michael Van Stine was not present at the meeting, so the committee took no action on this item.

Reports:

University Structure and Governance Committee (USGC) Response to Charge S-1404 on Revisions to University Policy Library - Jon Oliver and Robert Puhak, USGC Co-chairs

USGC Co-chair Robert Puhak summarized his committee's report on Charge S-1404, on Revisions to University Policy Library. The report was discussed at some length, and suggestions were made to clarify some of its content. The Executive Committee suggested several changes to the report, which Puhak will implement. The report, with those amendments, was docketed for action at the upcoming Senate meeting. [Note: The link above goes to the report as amended, and as adopted by the Senate on February 17, 2017.]

[Barbara Lee left the meeting at 1:31 p.m.]

Student Affairs Committee (SAC) Response to Charge S-1616 on Absentee Ballots in Special Student Organization Funding Referenda - Viktor Krapivin and Samuel Rabinowitz, SAC Co-chairs

SAC Co-chair Viktor Krapivin summarized his committee's report on Charge S-1616, on Absentee Ballots in Special Student Organization Funding Referenda. The report was discussed, and a minor change suggested. The report was docketed for action at the upcoming Senate meeting. [Note: The link above goes to the report as amended, and as amended and subsequently adopted by the Senate on February 17, 2017.]

Charge-Deadline Extensions:

The Ad Hoc Video Committee's response deadline on Charge S-1606, on Videorecording and Live Webstreaming Senate Meetings, was extended to March 2017.

5. Old Business

There was no old business.

6. New Business

There was no new business.

7. University Senate Agenda

February 17, 2017 Senate Meeting: Items were docketed for the February 17, 2017 Senate agenda, as indicated above. Gillett spoke about the Parliamentarian's Report, which had been introduced at the January Senate meeting, and which would be voted on at the upcoming Senate meeting. He said that Krapivin had proposed adding a section to the report. Krapivin then spoke about the proposal, which would allow, by petition of one-third of the Senate, a charge to be issued to a committee, or a resolution placed on a Senate agenda, without approval by the Executive Committee. Gillett said that it was a substantive change, and offered to work with Krapivin to draft a proposed charge on the issue.

8. Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 2:06 p.m.

Minutes written and submitted by,

Ken Swalagin
Executive Secretary of the University Senate