RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY
OF NEW JERSEY
UNIVERSITY SENATE
MINUTES: Regular Meeting of the University
Senate
DATE: March 27, 2015
TIME AND PLACE: 1:10 p.m., Multipurpose Room,
Rutgers Student Center, College Avenue Campus
MEMBERS PRESENT: Admani, Ahmed, Anaele,
Anderson, Angell, Aubry, Avadhani, Barbarese, Barraco, Bhuyan, Bodrog,
Bolden, Borden, Boyle, Bridgeman, Buchholtz, Bugel, Burrell, Charles,
Chen, Cotter, Covello, Dasari, Delnevo, DiVito, Dreyer, Durham, Edward,
Edwards, Eisenstein, Elkabes, Fagley, Fennell, Fiore, Gajic, Geis,
Gillett, Gould, Grant, Gupta, M. Gursoy, Hackworth, Heckscher,
Hinch, Hirsch, Hudson, D. Hughes, Ibrahimpatan, Janniger, Jimenez, Joo,
Karamichael, Killingsworth, Kirna, Krishnamurthi, Kukor, Langer, Lee,
Lepucki, Jane Lewis, Mahon, Marchick, Martinez, Miller, Miranti, Moran,
Morrell, Mouradian, Murphy, Nanda, Nissen, Norville, Oberdiek,
O'Connell, O'Connor, Oleske, Oliver, Otto, Padgett, Parry, N. Patel,
Pintar, Pirrello, Puhak, Rabinowitz, Ramsamy, Redlawsk, Roth, Saltzman,
Schafer, Schulberg, Schwartz, Scott, Settles, Shapley, Spiegel,
Stauffer, Stein,
Struwe, Suplee, Svasti, Szabo, Szatrowski, Tamburello, Thomas-Hawkins,
Tiangco, Toney-Boss, Trehan, Tursi, Van Stine, Velan, Wagner, Wang,
Zimmerman
EXCUSED: Abu
El-Haj, Alder, Barchi, Boikess, Draves, Fitzgerald-Bocarsly, Gibson,
Glaser, Gomes, K. Gursoy, Hamai, Kressel, Markert, McGinnis, McKeever,
Messer, Mitchell, Powell, Raza, Shapiro, Thompson, Tsakalakos, Wise
ABSENT: Allen, Anthony,
Avakame, Balog, Barone, Battle, Bell, Bernstein, Blanchett, Borisovets,
Caler, Cantor, Cooper, Covington, Deans, Donald, Eastman, Farmbry,
Farris, Fehn, Feldman, Fernandez, Ferraris, Ganesh, Goodman, Gower,
Gracias, Grave, Haddon, Holzemer, Holzer, J. Hughes, Iwamiya,
Johnson, Joshi, A. Kim, S. Kim, Kumar, Law, Lei, Leibman, Jan Lewis,
Lindenmeyer, Lieu, LoMonoco, Lynch, Maher, March, Maruna, Mazurek,
McInerney, Meck, Meggali, Millonig, Mitra, Munoz, Navrot, V. Patel,
Potter, Rhoads, Robinson, Rogers, Sahi, Salmond, Schiavo,
Schurman, Scotto, Shulman, Simmons, Stillwagon, Strom, Sun,
Takacs,
Triner, Van de Walle, Velez, Vodak, Wasserman, Weigert, Winkler,
Winterbauer, Yousaf
ATTENDANCE SUMMARY:
Faculty:
Faculty:
Of 106 total: 67 present (63%), 14 excused (13%), 25 absent (24%);
Students: Of 49 total: 22 present (45%), 7 excused (14%), 20 absent
(41%);
Administrators: Of 42 total: 7 present (17%), 2
excused
(5%), 33 absent (78%); Staff: Of 17 total: 11 present (65%), 0
excused (0%), 6
absent (35%); Alumni: Of 6 total: 6 present (100%), 0 excused (0%), 0
absent
(0%)
View Senate
Attendance Record for this Year
PRESIDING OFFICER: Ann Gould, Chairperson
CALL TO ORDER, DETERMINATION OF A QUORUM, CHARGES, AND
CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT - Ann
Gould,
Chairperson
Senate Chairperson Ann Gould called the meeting to order at 1:21
p.m.
in the Multipurpose Room of the Rutgers Student
Center, College Avenue Campus, New Brunswick. She welcomed all
attendees, and summarized the agenda. She then called for a moment of
silence in memory of Professor and longtime Senator Jan Dutta.
SECRETARY'S REPORT
- Ken
Swalagin, Executive Secretary
Executive Committee (EC) Bylaws
Change Regarding Annual Elections of Senate Leadership,
Executive Committee Members, and Board Representatives
Executive
Committee Vice Chair Martha Cotter summarized the Executive Committee's
report on Senate Election Procedures.
In accordance with parliamentary procedure and established Senate
practice, this bylaws change was introduced at the previous Senate
meeting. Without further discussion, it was adopted on card vote with
one opposed. The change stipulates that Senators may not accept
nomination, nor be placed on the initial ballot, for more than one
position in any single election for Senate leadership, Executive
Committee members, or board representatives.
Senate Executive Committee Report
and Recommendation
Endorsing Merger of School of Law - Camden and School of Law - Newark -
EC
Vice Chair Martha Cotter
Executive Committee Vice Chair Martha
Cotter summarized the Executive Committee's
report endorsing the merger of the School of Law - Camden and the
School of Law - Newark. Executive Secretary Swalagin read the report's
resolution, as follows:
Resolution In
Support of
the University Senate's Executive Committee’s report and
recommendations:
Whereas, the University
Senate Executive Committee and Standing Committees have expressed
support for
the merger of the Camden and Newark Law Schools; and
Whereas, the University
Senate has considered the Executive Committee report and its
recommendations,
finding those recommendations to be sound and in the best interests of
Rutgers
University;
Therefore, Be It Resolved,
that the Rutgers University Senate approves the merger of the Law
Schools on
its merits and urges the Board of Governors to do the same; and
Therefore,
Be It Further
Resolved; that the law school deans provide a status update to the
Senate
Executive Committee within six months of approval by the Board of
Governors.
The report and resolution were discussed, then adopted by the Senate on
card vote, with one opposed and seven abstentions.
Student Affairs Committee (SAC) Response
to Charge S-1402 on Cost of Textbooks [Note: Link goes to the report as
amended and adopted.] - SAC Co-chairs Robert
Barraco, Sara Kim, and Samuel Rabinowitz
Student Affairs Committee Co-chairs
Robert Barraco and Samuel Rabinowitz, and SAC Member Christina Parry
summarized the SAC's
report and recommendations on Charge S-1402 on Cost of Textbooks. The
committee had been charged as follows:
Examine the current practices involving
purchasing and cost of textbooks, and investigate possible solutions to
mitigate the costs. Consider previous Senate reports and
recommendations on textbooks, as well as practices at other
institutions, and possible benchmarks.
The report was discussed. Senator David Hughes successfully moved to
separate the two recommendations contained in the report. The SAC
co-chairs accepted as friendly a motion to amend by making the final
paragraph of the report part of the first recommendation. The first
recommendation was then discussed, and adopted by the Senate on card
vote, with six opposed, and six abstaining. Rabinowitz then changed the
second recommendation to "Consider transitioning an entire degree
program, on a voluntary basis, to exclusively open educational
resources." The second recommendation, as amended, was discussed, and
was rejected by the Senate with only 15 voting in favor.
Budget
and Finance Committee (BFC) Response
to Charge S-1408 on Athletics Program Deficits - Menahem
Spiegel, BFC Chair, and Mark Killingsworth, BFC Subcommittee Chair
Budget and Finance Committee Chair
Menahem Spiegel, and BFC Subcommittee Chair Mark Killingsworth
presented the BFC's report and recommendations on Charge S-1408 on
Athletics Program Deficits. The report was discussed at length. Senator
Robert Barraco moved to delete Recommendation 1.A., but Senate
Parliamentarian Peter Gillett indicated that he should instead move to
have it separated and considered individually. Barraco did so, but the
motion failed. Following further discussion, Senator Cotter
successfully called the question. The report and recommendations were
adopted with 12 opposed.
[Gillett assumed the chair briefly while Gould went to the Senate
floor.]
ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT - Richard Edwards, Executive Vice
President
for Academic Affairs
Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Richard Edwards presented
a brief administrative report, commenting on topics including:
- US News and World Report ranking Rutgers' Nursing program in the
top 25;
- admissions;
- the success of the "Our Rutgers, Our Future" campaign; and
- the New Brunswick Honors College showcases, recruitment, and
related events.
Edwards then responded to questions, or heard comments, on the above
and a variety of other subjects, including:
- faculty and staff contract negotiations; and
- the function and structure of University Hospital in Newark.
[Gould returned to the chair.]
BUDGET AND FINANCE COMMITTEE ANNUAL
REPORT ON THE RUTGERS BUDGET - Menahem Spiegel, BFC Chair, and
Charles Heckscher, BFC Member
Budget and Finance Committee (BFC) Chair Menahem Spiegel, and BFC
Member Charles Heckscher presented their committee's Annual Report on
the Rutgers Budget.
OLD
BUSINESS:
There was no old business.
NEW BUSINESS: There was no new
business.
REPORTS
OF THE REPRESENTATIVES TO BOARDS OF GOVERNORS AND TRUSTEES:
Senator
Samuel Rabinowitz, Faculty Representative to the Board of
Governors, reported that there had been no Board of Governors
meeting since the previous Senate meeting. Senator Robert
Schwartz, Faculty Representative
to the Board of Trustees, reported on the March 19, 2015 Board
of Trustees meeting.
CAMPUS FACULTY AND STUDENT LIAISON
REPORTS:
Senator Samuel Rabinowitz, Camden Faculty Council Chairperson, reported
on that group's recent plans and activities. Senator Mark Bodrog
reported on Camden student governing association activities. Senator
Martha Cotter,
New Brunswick Faculty Council Chairperson, reported on her group's
February 27, 2015 meeting. Senator Vetri Velan, New Brunswick Student
Member
of the Senate Executive Committee, reported on New Brunswick student
governing association activities. Newark Student Member of the Senate
Executive Committee Edmund Janniger
reported on Newark student governing association activities.
ADJOURNMENT:
The meeting adjourned
at 3:49 p.m.
Minutes Written and Submitted by,
Ken Swalagin
Executive Secretary of the University Senate