RUTGERS UNIVERSITY SENATE
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
M I N U T E S
March 2, 2018


MEMBERS PRESENT:  Boikess, Borisovets, Esposito, Gillett (Chair), Gould, Krapivin, Oliver, Parsa, Settles, Thompson, Van Stine

MEMBERS EXCUSED:    Kelly, Scoloveno, Walters

ALSO ATTENDING:  A. Kustka (Research and Graduate & Professional Education Committee Chair), B. Lee (Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs), S. Rabinowitz (Faculty Representative to the Board of Governors), M. Mickelsen (Interim Executive Secretary)

The regular meeting of the University Senate Executive Committee was held on Friday, March 2, 2018 at 12:00 p.m. in Room 202ABC at the Cook Student Center, 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 p.m. He spoke about:
2.    Secretary’s Report - Mary Mickelsen, Interim Executive Secretary of the Senate
3.    Administrative Liaison

Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Barbara Lee presented an administrative report, which included comments on:
Lee then responded to questions, or heard comments on the above subjects, as well as:
4.    Schedule of Senate and Executive Committee Meetings, Academic Year 2018-19

Next-year's schedule of Senate and Executive Committee meetings was discussed. Mickelsen responded to questions about the schedule, which was modified and adopted. [Note: The link above goes to the schedule as adopted.]


5.    Standing Committees

Reports:

Research and Graduate & Professional Education Committee (RGPEC) Response to Charge S-1703 on Grant Costs - Adam Kustka, RGPEC Chair

The RGPEC has been charged as follows:  

Identify specific grant cost issues that negatively impact the University's mission to conduct research across disciplines, and actively engage in its students in that research, including but not limited to: tuition, fringe rate, Facilities and Administrative costs ("F&A," formally known as indirect costs), support services, and negotiated vendor contracts.  Identify and engage stakeholders, and make recommendations.

Kustka summarized his committee's report on Charge S-1703, on Grant Costs. The RGPEC response was discussed at length with a few formatting recommendations.  The report was the docketed for the March 23 Senate meeting.

[Kustka left at 1:11 p.m.]

Issues/Charges:

Proposed Charge to Instruction, Curricula, and Advising Committee (ICAC) on How OIT and Other Offices Solicit and Integrate Feedback - Submitted by Jon Oliver

Proposed Charge: Investigate and make recommendations on how OIT and other offices solicit and integrate feedback from all constituencies at Rutgers to ensure the optimal purchase and use of information systems.
Rationale:  The university has seen major changes to its procurement and enterprise resource planning systems over the past 3 years.  This trend is continuing with the study and implementation of a new human resource and student information systems.  The Office of Information Technology (OIT) has also undertaken multiple studies and working groups investigating cloud information systems, storage, and research computing to name a few.  While all of these significant changes have had various stakeholder participation study, not all have included all university constituencies.
Jon Oliver summarized the proposed charge on How OIT and Other Offices Solicit and Integrate Feedback. The proposed charge, which was supported by the rationale shown below, was issued to the Budget and Finance Committee, after much debate on which committee would be the most appropriate, with a December 2018 reporting deadline.
Proposed Charge to Instruction, Curricula, and Advising Committee (ICAC) on Online and Hybrid Course Support - Submitted by Jon Oliver

Proposed Charge:  Investigate and consider how online and hybrid courses are supported at Rutgers.  How are courses created and delivered and how are faculty supported.  What tools, licensed software technologies are used for the best content delivery?

Jon Oliver summarized the proposed charge on Online and Hybrid Course Support.  The proposed charge was discussed and issued to the Instruction, Curricula and Advising Committee who had dealt with a similar charge in 2009 - S-0806: Hybrid Courses and Model of Teaching.  ICAC will report to the Executive Committee by November 2018.

Proposed Charge to Instruction, Curricula, and Advising Committee (ICAC) on A Policy Relating to Student Posting of Faculty-Owned Documents - Submitted by Peter Gillett

Proposed Charge:  Investigate and make recommendations on University Policies relating to students' posting of syllabi, slides, tests, examinations, and other professor created documents to sites such as Course Hero. Consider similar issues related to student-created documents.

 Rationale: This practice compromises both copyright, and instructors' ability to manage and control the effective use of the materials they create.

Peter Gillett summarized the proposed charge on A Policy Relating to Student Posting of Faculty-Owned Documents.  Viktor Krapivin discussed some positive uses for such sites as Quizlet and asked the committee also consider student related documents.  The charge was issued to ICAC with a reporting deadline of February 2019.


6.    New Business

Issue Raised by Newark Faculty Council Chair, Jane Gilman, regarding holding more Senate meetings on the Newark Campus.  
   
The following is an email sent to Senator Robert Puhak from Chairwoman Gilman on February 12, 2018:
         
The Newark Faculty Council discussed its interaction and connection with the University Senate at today's meeting.

 I am writing to ask whether as one of the Newark representatives to the Senate, 

you are willing to ask the Senate (i) to hold more meetings in Newark. Instead of one out of nine yearly meetings, perhaps the Senate could hold at least two of  them in Newark and (ii) to arrange for Newark representatives to participate via Skype in Senate meetings. If there were place dedicated to Skype for Newark faculty, that would be an improvement to the current situation. If this arrangement were of interest to Camden faculty, they should be included, of course. A similar Skype arrangement for Senate committees would also be desirable.

After discussing NFC Chair Gilman's request at length, giving much consideration to the lack of attendance and participation of Newark senators, the larger contingent on the New Brunswick campus, fairness to other campuses, and logistical issues; the Executive Committee decided not to add more senate meetings in Newark (or any other campuses) at this time.  The Executive Committee will be reviewing the live streaming test that has been going on for the last 6 months during Senate meetings and will begin a video conferencing pilot program during committee meetings, starting with the Instruction, Curricula, and Advising Committee in September 2018.  Gillett will reach out to Gilman on the results of her request.

Request for a Presentation on "Bargaining for the Common Good" at the March 23 Senate Meeting - Submitted by Robert Boikess

The following is an email sent to Senate Executive Committee Member Robert Boikess from David Hughes, VP of the Rutgers AAUP-AFT Faculty Union on February 25, 2018:

As you well know, the union contracts of 24 bargaining units – covering 20,000 Rutgers workers – expire on 1 July 2018.  The coalition of these unions is requesting to make a presentation to the plenary of the University Senate on 23 March.  In the context of the negotiations beginning in March, we would like to share our proposals of “bargaining for the common good.”  Those proposals include:

     Reduced health insurance premiums and greatly expanded accessibility to health insurance for all university employees:

    Collective bargaining rights for all university employees;

   Tuition benefits for all university employees;

  A minimum wage of $15 for all university employees;

     A tuition freeze for students.

The presentation would allow us to seek input from the largest representative body of the University community, surely a worthwhile process.  The presenters would be:

  Premelia Toney-Boss, Corresponding Secretary, AFSCME Local 1761;

David M. Hughes, Vice-President, Rutgers AAUP-AFT.

I would be grateful if you could pass this request along to the Executive Council of the Senate.  Feel free to share the message in its entirety.
 
Boikess summarized the intention of David Hughes and Permelia Toney-Boss and defended the idea this presentation was not centered around collective bargaining but a collaborative event focused on the common good. The Executive Committee felt it was too close to collective bargaining, which the senate does not participate in, and suggested a joint caucus be formed prior to the Senate meeting on March 23, where Hughes and Toney-Boss can make their presentation to interested parties.  Gillett offered this option to Hughes, which he accepted. The presentation will take place at 12:30 p.m. in the multipurpose room of the College Avenue Student Center immediately prior to the March 23 Senate meeting.

[Lee left at 3:08 p.m.]

7.    Assignment of Nominating Panel
Nominating Panel 2018:  Mary Mickelsen will send an email to all current Senators announcing the opportunity to submit self-nominations or nominations of others for 2018-19 Senate officer and board representative positions, and that the email will direct Senators to nominating instructions and the Nominating Panel Charge.  The Executive Committee was asked to suggest Senators to serve on a Nominating Panel that can be called upon to suggest additional nominees in categories not sufficiently populated within the next several weeks.  Ann Gould will serve as chair and Viktor Krapivin, Adrienne Esposito, and Natalie Borisovets will serve as members on the Panel.  


8.    University Senate Agenda

The March 23, 2018 Senate Meeting agenda was discussed, and will include:

9.    Adjournment
 
The meeting adjourned at 3:11 p.m.

Minutes written and submitted by,

Mary Mickelsen
Interim Executive Secretary of the University Senate