RUTGERS UNIVERSITY SENATE

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
M I N U T E S
December 1, 2017
DRAFT - Will be considered for approval at the February 2, 2018 meeting.

Senate and Executive Committee Chair Peter Gillett called the meeting to order at 12:00 noon. His Chair's Report included comments on:

President Barchi presented an Administrative Liaison Report, which included comments on the following subjects:

Issue of ASRAC's continuing work on Charge S-1602, on Policies on Excused Student Absences for Religious Observances - Robert Schwartz and Matt Winkler, Academic  Standards, Regulations, and Admissions Committee (ASRAC) Co-chairs
 
The ASRAC has been charged as follows:

This matter also appeared later on the agenda, and was discussed only briefly here, primarily regarding the ASRAC's previous inability to schedule discussions on this issue with Rutgers' lawyers, which discussions are now enabled.

University Structure and Governance Committee (USGC) Chair Jon Oliver had requested, and was granted the following extensions of charge deadlines:

• S-1501 to February 2018
• Eligibility, Nomination, and Election of Senate Leadership and Board Representatives: Consider and make recommendations on the eligibility of candidates, and the nomination process and schedule for election of Senate officers, Executive Committee members, and board representatives. Respond to Senate Executive Committee by June 2017.  [Issued January 2015. Reissued June 2015, April 2016, March 2017]
• The Executive Committee approved Oliver's request to extend the deadline to February 2018.
• S-1605 to February 2018 
• Size and Composition of the Senate, Reviewed: As mandated in the December 2012 Senate Response to Charge S-1201, on Senate Size and Composition, reconsider the size and composition of the Senate. Respond to Senate Executive Committee by December 2017. [Issued April 2016. Reissued March 2017]
•  The Executive Committee approved Oliver's request to extend the deadline to February 2018.
• S-1607 to October 2018 
• Senate Committee Structure Review: Consider and make recommendations for modifying the Senate's standing committee structure and standing charges. Respond to Senate Executive Committee by December 2017. [Issued June 2016.]
• The Executive Committee approved Oliver's request to extend the deadline to October 2018.
• S-1604 to February 2018
• Process for Unit Mergers and Other Structural Changes - Continued:  Consider and recommend a procedure, timeline, template and process for merger or dissolution of, or making structural changes to, non-academic units that have a broad educational impact.  Refer to the Senate report and recommendations on Charge S-1403, Process for Unit Mergers or Other Structural Changes, when considering this charge.  Respond to the Senate Executive Committee by December 2017. [Issued April 2016.  Reissued March 2017]
• The Executive Committee approved Oliver's request to extend the deadline to February 2018. 

Gillett then offered the opportunity for other committee chairs present to discuss any charge deadline extension requests not listed on the agenda. Other chairs then requested, and were granted, deadline extensions, as follows:

From Budget and Finance Committee (BFC) Chair Menahem Spiegel:

• S-1601 to March 2018
• Allocation of Faculty Lines/Positions in RCM Units:  Investigate policies at Rutgers University regarding allocation of faculty lines/position within Responsibility Centered Management (RCM) units.  Identify areas of concern, and make appropriate recommendations.  Respond to Senate Executive Committee by September 2017. [Issued in March 2016.  Reissued March 2017]
• The Executive Committee approved Spiegel's request to extend the deadline to March 2018.

From Faculty and Personnel Affairs Committee (FPAC) Chair Alexander Settles:

• S-1701 to March 2018  
• Reconciling RBHS procedures for Review of Deans and Programs with Other Existing Procedures:  Consider and make recommendations as to how procedures for review of deans and programs at RBHS might best be reconciled with existing procedures in other parts of Rutgers.  Respond to the Senate Executive Committee by December 2017. [Issued January 2017]
• The Executive Committee approved Settles' request to extend the deadline to March 2018.
• S-1705 to March 2018
• Review of Rutgers' Policy on Workplace Violence:  Consider Rutgers' Policy on Workplace Violence, in particular its clarity and method of implementation.  To what extent does it apply retroactively to faculty and how far back in time?  To what extent is the policy's language precise?  For example: "reasonable."  To what extent can it be arbitrarily applied?  To what extent does due process exisit for all faculty/employees to whom the policy might apply.  Consult with the administration, students, and unions, as needed.  Make recommendations for changes to the policy if deemed appropriate.  Respond to Senate Executive Committee by December 2017. [Issued March 2017]
• The Executive Committee approved Settles' request to extend the deadline to March 2018.

Budget and Finance Committee's (BFC) Annual Report on the University Budget- Menahem Spiegel, BFC Chair

The Executive Committee approved Senator Spiegel's request to present the annual report on the Rutgers University budget at the January 5, 2018 Senate meeting.

Faculty and Personnel Affairs Committee (FPAC) Response to Charge A-1709 on Proposal to Improve Evaluation of Teaching at Rutgers - Joseph Markert and Alexander Settles, FPAC Co-Chairs

The FPAC had been charged as follows:

Review the Proposal on a Program to Improve How Rutgers Evaluates Teaching, as well as input received from the Senate's Instruction, Curricula, and Advising Committee (ICAC, Charge A-1708), and make appropriate recommendations.

Settles summarized his committee's report on Charge A-1709, on the Proposal to Improve Evaluation of Teaching at Rutgers. The report was discussed at length, including comments from Natalie Borisovets, Chair of Instruction, Curricula and Advising Committee (ICAC), which had previously provided the FPAC with the supporting report cited in the charge. Suggestions were made for changes, and the report, with suggested revisions, was then docketed for action at the upcoming Senate meeting.

Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee (ASRAC) "Preliminary Response" to Charge S-1714 on Enforcing the Academic Integrity Policy (Request for modification of the charge) - (Submitted by Robert Schwartz) Robert Schwartz and Matthew Winkler, ASRAC Co-chairs

The ASRAC had been charged as follows:

Co-Chair Robert Schwartz had submitted to the Senate Executive Secretary alternate charge language for the Executive Committee to consider in this matter. Senator Robert Boikess, an ASRAC member, spoke about the justification of this change. The suggested language was discussed, and Charge S-1714 on Enforcing the Academic Integrity Policy was revised to:

Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee (ASRAC) Response to Charge S-1602 on Policies on Excused Student Absences for Religious Observance - (Submitted by Robert Schwartz) Robert Schwartz and Matthew Winkler, ASRAC Co-chairs

The ASRAC had been charged as follows:

Robert Boikess, an ASRAC member, discussed the report submitted by ASRAC co-chair Robert Schwartz.  The report was discussed, and the Executive Committee agreed that the ASRAC should write a more formal report which would include the background and rationale for their recommendation. This report will be due to the Executive Committee by the January 5, 2018 meeting.

Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee (ASRAC) Request for Reconsideration of President Barchi's Response to Senate Resolution on Charge S-1609 on Revisions to the Rutgers Academic Integrity Policy - Robert Schwartz and Matthew Winkler, ASRAC Co-chairs

When submitting this item, Schwartz wrote:

"At our committee meeting of November 10, 2017, members of ASRAC discussed our disappointment with President Barchi's response to the Senate resolution of 1/20/2017 on revisions to the Rutgers academic integrity policy and voted unanimously to request the Executive Committee to ask the President to reconsider his response. Our request, together with the rationale for it, is given in the attached memo, which was skillfully crafted by longtime ASRAC Chair Martha Cotter with a little help from my co-chair Matt Winkler, Bob Boikess, and myself."

Barbara Lee briefed the Executive Committee on Barchi's rationale for his response. Lee agreed to bring the ASRAC's concerns to Barchi's attention and the Executive Committee will revisit this at the June 8, 2018 meeting.

Briefing on the OIT Technology Master Plan - Adrienne Esposito

Adrienne Esposito, Staff Member of the Executive Committee, had volunteered to present a briefing on the OIT Technology Master Plan at the upcoming Senate meeting. Esposito was not able to attend this meeting, but the briefing was docketed for the upcoming Senate meeting.

December 8, 2017 Senate Meeting: The upcoming Senate agenda was discussed and approved.