Faculty Senate Minutes April 2, 2020

April 2, 2020
Via Zoom

Present: T. Moretti (Chair), D. DeFino (Secretary), M. Bard, A. Bishop, M. Draeger, A. Howerton-Fox, H. He, M. Hughes, L. Ivanov, R. Jantzen, J. Kaalund, A. Kelso, E. Mariola, C. Martins, M. Nadel, H. Park, S. Petrovic, A. Rosenfeld, O. Soluade, A. Spiegel, M. Veyvoda

T. Moretti called the meeting to order at 3:35pm. Quorum was met.

Approval of Minutes

Minutes for the 2/27 Faculty Senate meeting were approved via e-mail on 3/11

Announcements:

None

Information Item: Reporting Student Illness

• The Senate will seek clarification from the Provost concerning if and how faculty should report students who have indicated that they have become ill from COVID-19

Information Item: Provost Weekly Meetings

• The Senate will seek clarification from the Provost concerning his weekly Zoom meetings: specifically, whether they are mandatory, whether they could be moved to a more convenient time, and what general function the Provost sees them serving (informational, check-in, etc.)

Information Item: MSCHE Updates

• T. Moretti reports that the liaison site visit has been postponed, but the design document has been drafted and is still ready for review by the President and Provost. Once reviewed, it will be sent to the MSCHE liaison. He also noted that several working group slots still need to be filled, due to turnover

Information Item: Adjunct Faculty Representative Ballots

• • Adjunct faculty who nominate themselves to serve as Senate representative will be asked to include a brief statement introducing themselves and outlining their priorities; these statements will be included with the adjunct ballots when they are sent out

Action Item: Faculty Awards Committee

• J. Gerometta (A&S) and A. Alabbad (LaP) were elected to represent faculty on the Provost’s Faculty Awards Committee
• Item closed

Action Item: Faculty Senate Awards Committee

• M. Bard, A. Bishop, A. Howerton-Fox, and T. Moretti were elected to serve on the Faculty Senate Awards Committee
• Item closed

Action Item: Memo to Committee on Rank, Tenure and Awards

• The Senate voted to draft a statement to the members of RTA requesting special consideration for faculty seeking renewal and tenure, in light of the impact COVID-19 is likely to have on scholarly productivity; D. DeFino will circulate a draft as soon as possible
• Item closed

There being no other business, T. Moretti adjourned the Faculty Senate meeting at 4:49pm. The next Senate meeting will be held via Zoom on 4/23/20 at 3:30pm.