RUTGERS
UNIVERSITY SENATE
EXECUTIVE
COMMITTEE
M I N U T E S
November 3, 2017
MEMBERS PRESENT: Boikess, Borisovets, Gillett
(Chair), Gould, Kelly, Krapivin, Majumdar, Oliver, Parsa,
Scoloveno,
Settles, Thompson, Van Stine
MEMBERS EXCUSED: Esposito, Walters
ALSO ATTENDING: B. Lee (Senior Vice President for Academic
Affairs), R. Schwartz (Faculty
Representative to the Board of Trustees and ASRAC Co-Chair)
The regular meeting of the University Senate Executive Committee was
held on Friday, November 3, 2017, beginning at 12:00 p.m. in the
Executive Board Room of ASB III, 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. His Chair's Report included comments on:
- his and Vice Chair Jon Oliver's October 17 meeting with President
Barchi, which included a discussion on New Brunswick Faculty Council
Chair Sanjib Bhuyan's concerns about course-scheduling software (which
he also told Bhuyan he would mention to the Executive Committee);
- the previous week's Big Ten Academic Leadership Conference at
Penn State, which he attended, and at which he accepted Purdue
faculty's request to convey their search for support in opposing their
institution's purchase of Kaplan;
- a discussion initiated by Karen Thompson on how other Big Ten
institutions compensate PTLs for shared-governance service, on which
Gillett asked Thompson to draft a specific question that he could send
to chairs of those institutions' senates; and
- a brief mention of differing policies among universities
regarding faculty representation on governing boards.
[Ann Gould and Michael Kelly joined the meeting at 12:06 p.m.]
2. Secretary’s Report - Ken Swalagin,
Executive Secretary of the Senate
3.
Administrative Liaison Report -
Barbara Lee, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
Senior Vice President for Academic Affiars Barbara Lee presented an
Administrative Liaison Report, which included comments on the following
subjects:
- recent
controversial social-media posts by SEBS Professor Michael Chikindas;
- a
controversial new book by Rutgers Professor Jasbir Puar; and
- President
Barchi's response to the report of the Academic Unit Reorganization
Committee, and her related assignment to address global issues, and a
recommendation that Rutgers create a design school.
Lee also
responded to Karen Thompson's question about a website or clearinghouse
for a Rutgers postdoc office. She and Thompson will both speak with Vivian Fernández, Senior Vice President for Human
Resources and Organizational Effectiveness about the matter.
4.
Old Business
Proposed
Charge to Faculty and Personnel Affairs Committee
on Procedures for Handling Student Complaints Against Rutgers Personnel
- Alex Settles and Joe Markert, Faculty and Personnel Affairs Committee
(FPAC) Co-chairs
This matter had previously been assigned to, and subsequently removed
from, the Student Affairs Committee (SAC) as Charge S-1612. The
Executive Committee (EC) discharged S-1612 at the previous EC meeting
at the request of SAC Co-chair Viktor Krapivin, who noted that the
issue was too broad for the SAC, and cited other related challenges.
The EC requested a draft charge from FPAC Co-chair Alex Settles, after
consulting with Senators Boikess and Krapivin.
Proposed
Charge to
FPAC: Consider and make recommendations for improving procedures for
handling student complaints against Rutgers personnel, as well as how
those procedures are communicated to students.
The
rationale submitted originally with the charge proposal was:
There are student complaints that are not covered by Rutgers
University policies, and that are handle in an ad-hoc manner by
department
chairs, deans and other administrators. For grade complaints there is
an
established policy in the course catalog for each campus. For issues
related to
the following policies there are established procedures for handling
complaints: Policy
Prohibiting Sexual Harassment, Sexual Violence, Relationship Violence,
Stalking, and Related Misconduct by Employees and Third Parties
Resources Supplement;
Discrimination, Harassment, Workplace Violence, Sexual Misconduct, and
Retaliation; Policy 60.1.12, Policy Prohibiting Discrimination and
Harassment;
Policy 60.1.13, Policy Prohibiting Workplace Violence; Policy 60.1.16,
Conscientious
Employee Protection Policy; Policy 10.3.12, Student Policy Prohibiting
Sexual
Harassment, Sexual Violence, Relationship Violence, Stalking, and
Related Misconduct;
Policy 10.2.11, Code of Student Conduct; RBHS Students Rights,
Responsibilities
and Disciplinary Procedures; and Student Life Policy Against Verbal
Assault,
Harassment, Intimidation, Bullying and Defamation. A policy gap exists
when the
student complaint against a faculty member does not fall within these
policies.
When a complaint is made concerning an instructor, the department
chair, dean or
other administrator may make a decision concerning the complaint
without
consulting the instructor. There is a need to review existing policies,
identify the policy gap
concerning student complaints, and make appropriate recommendations.
The
Executive Committee issued the charge to the FPAC as follows:
Consider
and make recommendations for improving procedures for
handling student complaints against Rutgers personnel, as well as how
those procedures are communicated to students and other personnel.
Respond to Senate Executive Committee by February 20, 2018.
5.
Committees/Panels
Committee Reports:
The ICAC had been charged as follows:
Review
the proposal to improve the evaluation of teaching received from Senior
Vice
President for Academic Affairs Barbara Lee, and make appropriate
recommendations as input to the Senate's Faculty and Personnel Affairs
Committee.
Borisovets summarized her committee's
report on Charge A-1708, on a Proposal to Improve Evaluation of
Teaching at Rutgers, which had been requested on a short deadline as
input to the FPAC's work on the same issue. The ICAC response was
discussed, and several suggestions were made for revisions. The report
was then advanced to the FPAC in compliance with the ICAC's charge.
[Robert Scoloveno joined the meeting at 1:01 p.m.]
Review the draft
information technology policies, and respond with comments.
Borisovets summarized her committee's report on Charge A-1711, on the
Draft Acceptable Use Policy for Information Technology Resources. The
report was discussed, and several suggestions were made for minor
changes. The report was then docketed for action at the upcoming Senate
meeting.
Issues/Proposed Charges:
Proposed Charge to Academic Standards,
Regulations and Admissions Committee (ASRAC) on Procedures for
Adjudicating Academic Integrity Policy Infractions - Submitted
by Matthew Winkler, ASRAC Co-chair
ASRAC Co-chair Matthew Winkler had submitted the following proposed
charge and rationale on procedures for adjudicating Academic Integrity
Policy infractions:
Proposed
Charge:
Examine
the administrative and procedural processes of the University Academic
Integrity
Policy. Review current status of, and provide recommendations for the
enhancement and expedition of, the educative and adjudication processes
of the
Offices of Student Conduct regarding infractions of the University
Academic
Integrity Policy. Identify areas of concern, review best practices of
peer
institutions, and provide appropriate recommendations. Respond to
Senate
Executive Committee by February 20, 2018.
Rationale:
At
the October 2017 Senate meeting, ASRAC hosted Mr. Kevin
Pitt, director of the Office of Student Conduct. This meeting was
slated
following the issuing of an email sent on behalf of Mr. Pitt's office
that was
sent to all faculty asking for feedback about their experiences with,
and
attitudes about, academic integrity and the Office of Student Conduct.
Since
ASRAC and Senate have traditionally worked very
closely with administration on the
development of, and adjustments to, the Academic Integrity Policy (AIP)
we felt
it was imperative that we meet with Mr. Pitt to discuss his process,
the roles of
ASRAC and Senate vis a vis the AIP, and ways we might work together
more
closely in the future.
At
that meeting Mr. Pitt presented troubling data and
expressed a number of concerns regarding the exponential increase in AI
violations, the lack of support from administration, and serious
staffing
issues causing unacceptable average times for adjudication of AIP
violations
and many other issues.
While
this may be a primarily New Brunswick issue, ASRAC
requests that a charge be issued to our committee to investigate the
current
procedures for adjudicating AI policy infractions on all three campuses
with
the goal of determining what recommendations we may consider regarding
what we
see as a vital issue for students and faculty alike.
The
matter was discussed, and the following charge was issued to the ASRAC:
Review
the current status of the educative and adjudication processes
of the
Offices of Student Conduct regarding infractions of the University
Academic
Integrity Policy. Identify areas of concern, and provide appropriate
recommendations. Include in deliberations input received on this issue
from the Senate's Student Affairs Committee. Respond to
Senate
Executive Committee by April 17, 2018.
The
Student Affairs Committee (SAC) is to provide input to the ASRAC on
this matter by February 2018, so a charge was also issued to the SAC,
as follows:
Review
the current status of the educative and adjudication processes
of the
Offices of Student Conduct regarding infractions of the University
Academic
Integrity Policy. Identify areas of concern, and provide appropriate
recommendations. Provide a response which will be forwarded to the
Senate's Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee on
this same issue. Respond to
Senate
Executive Committee by February 20, 2018.
[Mrittika Majumdar left the meeting at 2:00 p.m.]
Proposed
Charge to University Structure and Governance Committee
(USGC) on Student Membership on Senate Executive Committee -
Submitted by Viktor Krapivin, on behalf of the Student Caucus
Viktor
Krapivin, on behalf of the Senate's Student Caucus, had submitted the
following proposed charge and rationale on student membership on the
Senate Executive Committee:
Proposed
Charge:
Consider
the manner in which student
representatives to the Senate Executive Committee are elected.
Investigate if
it is necessary to amend the process by which Student Representatives
to the
Executive Committee are elected in order to ensure there are no
vacancies on
the Executive Committee, and if necessary make appropriate
recommendations.
Rationale:
The
Student Caucus of the University Senate encourages the Executive
Committee to
charge the University Structure and Governance Committee with drafting
a
proposal to refer to the Board of Governors that would amend the Senate
Bylaws
to allow for Student Representatives on the Executive Committee to be
fulfilled
by any student who is a member of the University Senate if the position
has not
been filled by a Student Senator from the campus to which the position
is
specifically allocated after a specified period of time.
The
Student Caucus specifically endorses such a change that would permit
any
student to fill the aforementioned position, after having been elected
by the
Senate in accordance with all established bylaws and procedures, after
the
position has been vacant for the spring organizational meeting and
the first
fall meeting, provided no student from that campus is nominated at the
second
fall meeting.
The
Student Caucus emphasizes that such a change would still promote
student
representation on the Executive Committee from each campus while still
ensuring
full student representation, based on the seats allocated to students,
in order
to better enable to Senate to act as a unified body of all stakeholders
within
the university.
The
Student Caucus supports a mechanism by which the at large student would
continue
to consider the best interests of the campus to which the allocated
position
belonged by frequent communication with the Senators from that campus.
The
Student Caucus can also serve to provide this forum for communication.
This at
large student should recuse themselves from issues that unfairly
benefit the
campus they represent in the Senate if this is to the detriment of the
campus
to which the allocated position belonged.
This
past year there was a vacancy on the Executive Committee due to the
absence of
an elected student senator from Newark wishing to run for the position
of
Executive Committee Representative for Newark students. This position
is
critical for student representation from Newark and student
representation as a
whole. Additionally, I would like the committee to which this charge is
issued,
if issued, consider the endorsed language (above) from the Student
Caucus.
The
proposal was discussed, and it was proposed that Charge S-1501, already
pending in the University Structure and Governance Committee
(USGC), include this specific issue. That proposal was adopted.
USGC Chair Jon Oliver was present at the meeting and will incorporate
this issue into the discussions on Charge S-1501.
[Barbara
Lee left the meeting at 2:19 p.m.]
Issue Raised by Student Justin Valeroso
regarding Raising the Minimum Wage at Rutgers, on behalf of
Rutgers United Students Against Sweatshops (RUSAS), a labor rights
organization
Mr.
Valeroso had asked Ken Swalagin to allow RUSAS's
resolution on this issue to be presented at the October 20 Senate
meeting. Swalagin responded that he could not grant that request, but
that he would inform the Executive Committee of the issue and the
resolution. The matter was discussed, but was not
considered to be appropriate for the Senate, or to charge to a Senate
committee, at this time.
6.
University Senate Agenda
November
10, 2017 Senate Meeting: The upcoming Senate agenda
was discussed and approved.
7. Additional, Late Business
Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee (ASRAC) Matters -
Robert Schwartz, ASRAC Co-chair
ASRAC Co-chair Robert Schwartz raised an issue regarding ASRAC Charge
S-1602, on Policies on Excused Student Absences for Religious
Observance. Robert Boikess said that Barbara Lee had declined to allow
a University attorney to meet with the ASRAC to discuss the matter.
Gillett will speak with Lee about that meeting. Swalagin was instructed
to remove Barbara Lee's name from Charge S-1602.
8.
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 3:39 p.m.
Minutes written and submitted by,
Ken Swalagin
Executive Secretary of the University Senate