RUTGERS UNIVERSITY SENATE
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
M I N U T E S
September 7, 2018

MEMBERS PRESENT:  Borisovets, Dasari, Field, Gillett (Chair), Gould, Kelly, Oleske, Oliver, Owens, Pappas, Serrano, Thompson, Van Stine

MEMBERS EXCUSED:   None


ALSO ATTENDING:  V. Fernández (SVP of Human Resources and Organizational Effectiveness), M. Mickelsen (Senate Executive Secretary), Ilce Perez (Undergraduate Student Representative to the Board of Trustees), S. Rabinowitz (Faculty Representative to the Board of Governors), R. Schwartz (Faculty Representative to the Board of Trustees)

The regular meeting of the University Senate Executive Committee was held on Friday, September 7, 2018 at 12:00 p.m. in Room 202 at 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. His Chair's Report included the following:

2.    Secretary’s Report - Mary Mickelsen, Executive Secretary of the Senate

3.    Administrative Report - Barbara Lee, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Barbara Lee was unable to present an administrative report, however President Barchi's Chief of Staff, Brian Ballentine sent the following, which were read by Executive Secretary Mickelsen:

4.    Review of Daily Targum Concept Plan and Financial Statements for Spring 2019 Referendum

The Executive Committee reviewed the Daily Targum Concept Plan, which had been submitted in preparation for a spring 2019 referendum. The committee rejected the concept plan in its current form and requested the following items, based on policy 10.3.3 - Student Services & Other Student-Related Policies and Programs, to be added and resubmitted for the October 5 EC meeting:

Executive Secretary Mickelsen will relay the above to the Business Manager at the Daily Targum and arrange for the ammended Concept Plan and Financial Statements to be presented at the October 5 EC meeting.

5.    Clarifying Concerns regarding the Administrative Response to the Recommendations in the report on Charge S-1512 on Staff Promotion and Salary Adjustment Policy – Vivian Fernandez, Senior Vice President for Human Resources and Organizational Effectiveness

SVP Fernandez reported on the University Policy 60.4.10 - Salary and Salary Adjustments for Non-Alligned Employees based on concerns raised in the Faculty Personnel Affairs Report on Charge S-1512 - Staff Promotion and Salary Adjustment Policy: Examine Rutgers' policies on salary adjustments for staff and the subsequent responses by President Barchi and SVP Fernandez.

As the current policy states in Section II.A, The Salary increase resulting from a promotion is determined as follows.

1. A minimum of five (5) percent up to a maximum of fifteen (15) percent increase to the employee's salary at the discretion of the hiring authority. The new salary cannot be less than the minimum or more than the maximum for the new grade. The hiring authority should consider the relative internal worth of the position, qualifications of the candidate, internal equity, and external competitiveness (i.e. midpoint within relevant labor market and peer insititutions) when setting the promotional salary increase. An additional factor to take into consideration is whether the position results in an increase in the standard number of hours worked per week. University Human Resources can provide guidance in evaluating the factors detailed above and establishing a competitive and equitable salary offer.

2. A Vice President, Chancellor, or designee may request an exception on the basis of market competitiveness, internal equity, or candidate qualifications. The request and supporting documentation should be forwarded to the Senior Vice President for Human Resources and Organizational Effectiveness or designee.

The main concern coming from the FPAC and the EC was the additional UHR process (II.A.2) an internal candidate vs. and external candidate has to go through to be offered a fair salary, all things considered equal. SVP Fernandez assured the EC that the process internal candidates go through is an additional check for purposes of pay equity across departments set by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, Department of Labor, of which the University is bound. It was suggested by Senator Borisovets that the requirements sound resonable but the policy does not communicate it in that way. EC/Senate Chair Gillett suggested the policy be ammended to clarify that a Vice President, Chancellor, or designee may request an exception that will be granted if justified by market competitiveness, internal equity, or candidate qualifications. SVP Fernandez agreed to take a look at the policy with the aforementioned suggestions in mind.

6.    Standing Committees/Panels  

Appointment of Cecelia Kane, Camden Staff, as Co-Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee

The Executive Committee approved the appointment of Cecelia Kane as co-chair of the Budget and Finance Committee in light of Chair Menahem Spiegel fall semester sabbatical.

Appointment of the University Commencement Panel (UCP) - Jon Oliver, Chair of the UCP

The Executive Committee appointed the following senators to the UCP:

The Executive Secretary will publish the results of the UCP on the Senate website and issue a call for volunteers from the Senate for the Chancellor's Commencement Committees.

Issues/Proposed Charges

Proposed Charge to Academic Standards, Regulations, and Admissions Committee (ASRAC) on Code of Student Conduct Policy Review - Submitted by Peter Gillett

Proposed Charge:  Review the new University Policy 10.2.11 on Code of Student Conduct, identify any concerns and, if appropriate, recommend further changes or other courses of action.

Background: A revised Code of Student Conduct was adopted by the Board of Governors on July 18. This policy does not require Senate approval, but the policy itself requires the Senate to be notified of substantive changes to procedures. Although there was extensive consultation with many interested parties, the Senate was not involved prior to adoption. The Board of Governors understands that the Senate will review the policy, which it was thought important to have in place at the beginning of the academic year, retrospectively and submit any comments or recommendations, it may have. The issuing of this charge does not presume that there will be significant concerns, but is intended to provide any opportunity to discover and remedy any that do exisit. 

Gillett summarized the proposed charge and background on Code of Student Conduct Policy Review.  The Executive Committee discussed this proposal and agreed to issue the charge to the ASRAC with a reporting deadline of December 2018.

7. Old Business

School of Public Health Departmental Mergers Update

The Executive Committee discussed the response from Dean Perry Halkitis and Vice Dean Cristine Delnevo along with the results of the faculty poll, conducted in July, regarding the mergers of the Department of Social and Behavioral Health Sciences with the Department of Health Systems & Policy and the Department of Epidemiology with the Department of Biostatistics.

The EC agreed that going forward, the Senate does not need to be formally involved however, would like to see the response rates of the poll as well as what the deans proposed to do to identify and address faculty concerns.

Follow-Up regarding the Motion from the Newark Faculty Council

Chair Gillett summarized the issue, which has carried over from last academic year, for the Executive Committee. The EC was reminded that Newark Chancellor Nancy Cantor agreed to discuss this issue with the Newark Faculty Council at their next meeting. After disucssing the issue at length it was decided:

9.  Agenda for the September 21 Senate Meeting

10.  Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 2:50 p.m.

 

Minutes written and submitted by,

Mary Mickelsen
Executive Secretary of the University Senate