Lamar University

Faculty Senate Meeting

Wednesday, September 1, 2021

3:30 PM

CICE Building, 113A&B

 

Faculty Senate Agenda

 

Call to Order 3:32 PM by Cheng-Hsien in absence of Jennifer due to family personal issues

 

Roll Call (Sign In): Virtually via https://forms.office.com/r/cc6kWRf4bZ

 

 

President Taylor’s Minute – Brenda Nichols in place of Dr. Taylor who was double-booked

 

• Met with Jennifer re: authority over our bylaws and changes – spoke with a lawyer and we have the authority as our own governing body – all changes are immediately in effect
• Changes to classrooms – if class is face-to-face then it must be face-to-face – if you need to change to hybrid, you may but you must go through HR for any immediate change needs
• Changing the class type effects student pay – they paid for face-to-face and that is different than online costs and fees
• Please help students stay excited about being at LU and being a part of our learning community
• Feel free to reach out to Brenda directly at her email or at x7087 – she will answer herself
• We will be ending this year in surplus due to holding on to travel costs that could not be used as pandemic prevented it – also “held on to positions”. We are below average on our savings accounts compared to other TSUS system universities. This summer we did have to borrow to pay salaries.
• Covid has put us in an usual situation with not being able to tell easily when students are behind. Face-to-face helps us to mitigate that.
• Pushing personal responsibility to follow COVID safety protocols. Wash your hands, mask, test and do not come if you feel unwell, if you lost scent then get tested. At convocation vaccinations were offered – only 3 took advantage and all were staff. JT – Called the health center and said they didn’t test faculty – Stephen said he received info that a mobile site to be set up in September. Brenda to check and ensure they are testing and send info to Cheng-Hsien and Ashley to disseminate
• JT – Students who have opportunity to have Teams access just don’t show up – BN recommends recording and sharing instead – JT gives bonus points at the beginning at the meeting
• Question from floor – COB – rewriting bylaws – good to have clarification – AAUP representatives have suggested that amendments cannot be retroactively applied – BN, no, per Robert’s Rule of Orders, they are effective of the time it was voted upon and applied to the whole organization – change of rules from then forward
• Cheng-Hsien – what is the policy if a student has been in class with covid – follow CDC guidelines – if someone has tested positive, report to student health, then student health will reach out to those in contact with – fill out the form – classroom will be cleaned – everyday there are individuals cleaning – more masks will be given out tomorrow at the President’s community kickoff – wash songs – sing happy birthday or ABC song – avoid touching face and eyes
• James Slaydon - 3% is merit based for faculty and is disseminated from College to provost office
• Vivek – Merit-based – should we use a covid average? It is college based – some use a 3 year average – it is a department based decision
• Melissa R – Covid question – if a student reports to us that they have covid is it a legal issue to report – it is not illegal since it is a confidential report
• Garrick – Covid question re: personal responsibility – you have a student who is vaccinated and feels no need to wear a mask – we know from science that it can still be passed on – would like less emphasis on personal responsibility and instead on community responsibility emphasis – vaccinated CDC 3 days/unvaccinated 7-10, but recommends we check CDC to ensure accuracy
• Please realize covid is deadly – personal responsibility – I cannot wash your hands, vaccinate, etc.
• KW? May I ask about F2.08? COB no one received them back and none have been signed – please discuss this with me outside of Faculty Senate as this effects one organization and not faculty as a whole

 

Approval of Minutes – May 2021 Motion to approve: James Slaydon 2^nd: Stephan Malick – approved

 

Robert’s Rules of Order:  shared and available in Teams

 

Minute Faculty Senate Committee Chair Reports

 

Academic Issues Committee – Melissa Riley – not yet met but will meet September 15, 2021 – looking into course evaluations and how to update the wording – likely to meet via Teams

 

Faculty Issues Committee – Sujing Wang – not yet met but will meet September 15, 2021 – will look for nominations for Piper Award – will be a notice in Campus Announcement – will send out more detailed info to all senate committees and will ask to disseminate to all members of each person’s department – will be on Competition Space – Deadline Oct. 15 applications due – Provost office will receive our recs and send one faculty member forward to be considered

 

Budget and Compensation Committee – Garrick Harden – not yet met but will meet September 15, 2021

 

Events – Dorothy Sisk – did not meet over summer – but will meet virtually – new committee with Ashwini Kucknoor is cochairing as Dorothy is retiring January

 

Research and Creative Activity – John Gossage – didn’t meet over summer – but will be meeting September 15, 2021 – will poll committee members to determine face to face vs. virtual meeting – will be getting competition space ready for faculty development leaves (FDL)

 

Faculty Evaluation – Carmen Doering – new committee that will assist with some of faculty issues committee – will be meeting likely via Teams but will poll group – already have some requests from faculty – KW: maybe everyone should add F2.08 language to their bylaws C

 

Student Success – Pat Heintzelman – didn’t meet this summer – meet in two weeks – invited head of undergrad advising to join

 

Faculty Handbook – Matt Hoch – welcome new members to the committee – didn’t meet as a full committee over Summer – but some updates were provided as Matt met with administration re: some comments on the draft – it appears many didn’t realize there was space for review – workload is a big issue and has some progress but needs more attention, needs standardization – virtual is okay for meeting in Matt’s opinion – asking B. Nichols to join

 

Faculty Senate President’s Report

• Jennifer would like all committee chairs to review charges
• Brenda has talked about having an ad hoc committee for non-tenure track member to discuss policies and procedures for raises and promotions – if you are interested in being a member, let an officer know
• Budget and Compensation committee will be take up the equity study – would like to make a motion to make an ad hoc committee (J. Slayden) and seconded (Weeks) – Vivek agrees, much effort in it – people involved in past equity studies should be on this committee as well – Lin: it would require President to create; Weeks: Point of Information – Weeks: Roberts Rules would allow governing body to create groups; Harden: Point of Order – doesn’t think we need a separate committee as this is under Budget and Compensation’s purview but welcomes James Slayden – Slayden: it will overtake all your work – it’s so much work – we’d have to pay high-dollar to get someone else – Our bylaws: say that Robert Rules prevail only when there isn’t assigned; President reserves right to ensure there is representation – KW: Point of Information are not allowing a vote? Lin: we can have a vote – Garrick: Point of Information; Melissa – motion to table; Garrick – second that motion – JP: Clarification – initial motion to create? Matt Hoch – per our Bylaws we can vote to make a recommendation that the President form a committee
• WEEKS: Are the bylaws accurate? We don’t get to vote? We don’t get to do anything? Bylaws can be amended – cannot comment if they are good or bad bylaws – just trying to follow procedures that we have existing – like them or not?
• Vivek: Can we just make a motion to
• Garrick: Point of information regarding validity of bylaws – didn’t we vote on them and pass – I object to consideration as holding bylaws not in consideration
• Lin – calls to vote on Melissa’s motion - aborted
• Melissa – rescinds motion
• Matt Hoch – recommends amending motion – to recommend President to create an ad hoc committee
• Question from JD – clarity
• Motion to Matt Hoch – 11 favor; 10 against - ayes take the motion – amendment is adopted
• Weeks - I motion that we have AAUP President be a speaker at Faculty Senate to tell us how properly Faculty Senates work – Slayden seconded - JP is there a cost? Weeks? One night hotel and some gas? $200 max, Weeks willing to pay out of pocket; Vivek – we get good knowledge from AAUP; Pat believes he would come – Dorothy would he charge us? I doubt it; Garrick objects to the question as worded – the proper way for faculty senate to be run – offers an amendment for him to share with us for his knowledge on Faculty Senates – Weeks willing to amend: remove the word proper 
•  

 

Old Business

 

New Business – Motion of censure, Dean French – see email for more information; Weeks/Vince Nix seconded the motion – and added that the scale should be ordinal – Garrick: point of information – is it under the faculty senate purview – just a motion of disapproval (Slayden); Garrick – ARC (vivek and Garrick met with Brenda today re: reviews of Dean) – is the censure premature to those reviews

 

Motion of Censure on basis of Violating 44.3.7 of the Faculty Handbook where no quotas shall be established for the purpose of performance evaluations (Slayden and Weeks)

 

Vivek – ARC formation is a different issue – instead a specific instance of a specific dean if they have violated the handbook

 

Slayden – read the email in question aloud

 

Matt – Question: no performance evals for the last two years and never have been signed off – faculty have not received them; double-whammy with quotas and lack of evals

 

Vivek – f208 shouldn’t be a grading system and shouldn’t be – it should be faculty development

 

Garrick – with info presented – Jim and Kelly have strong case – University Curriculum Committee having issues to get College of Business to submit – think we should table until next faculty senate so we have time to review – motion to table, Garrick and Dorothy

 

Week – do we need a month to read small amounts of information

 

Garrick -  motion to table 11 aye, 15 nay

 

Slayden – motion 29 aye – motion carries to censure

 

Kelly sent two surveys and is asking for everyone to read it before next meeting since he may make motions next meeting

 

JP nelson – contract for Proctorio is it expiring? Faculty is having issues with it? Melissa will contact Poonam Kumar to learn more

 

Pat H. – Jennifer appointed chair on ad hoc committee – asks that Ashley disseminate emails

Wang – Distance Ed Committee may be a good committee to make recommendations to

Garrick – can Pat report on Covid committee

Pat – Felt response was dismissive about COVID 16 recommendations – concerns if dashboard is correct – how can we determine if it is correct

Bert Wagner – Jeremy Alltop: Lin – ask him to speak to us about COVID

 

Adjourn – Motion to Melissa and Stephan – passed 5:37PM