FACULTY SENATE STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES
November 10, 2020
3:00 PM – ZOOM
ATTENDING: Barb Dahlbach, Rona Donahoe, Chapman Greer, Ignacio Rodeno, Mirit Eyal-Cohen, John Vincent, Andre Denham, Rainer Schad, Mary Stone, Matthew Hudnall, Patrick Kung, Ajay Agrawal, Kelly Shannon-Henderson, Jennifer Dempsey, Ruth Ann Hall, Joy Burnham, Steven Yates, Christopher Lynn, Susan Appel, Ibrahim Çemen, Jeri Zemke, Past President Donna Meester,
ABSENT: Parliamentarian Robert Riter
Roll call and quorum check by Barb Dahlbach, Faculty Senate Secretary.
The minutes of the October 13th Faculty Senate Steering Committee Meeting were approved.
President’s Report – (Rona Donahoe)
President Donahoe gave an update on the United Way campaign, stating that UA was substantially under the goal of $400,000. President Donahoe urged people to contribute (if they had not already done so), stating that UA is the largest contributor to the West Alabama United Way and that the contributions from UA were greatly needed this year.
The SGA is sponsoring an Angel Toy Drive. The Steering Committee is gathering money through the “Giving” site (https://give.ua.edu/) to raise money to help in this endeavor. The Committee will “Challenge” the Senate to sponsor 3 angels ($150 / angel).
The OAA Faculty Survey went out November 2nd. This survey will gather information on the mode of instruction and reactions to each, as well as work/life balance over the past months given COVID restrictions. There was no indication of the response rate at this time.
Clarifications were made regarding the HR email on Spring 2021 COVID faculty accommodations:
- Only HR will see medical information
- The timeline is compressed and concerns were stated about trying to get doctor’s appointments in this short time period
- It might not be necessary to get an appointment but to have one’s physician fill out the form to verify existing conditions
- The Medical Provider Form has undergone revision since it was first reviewed by the Steering Committee. Instead of a restrictive list of conditions, the Form now provides a space to list the underlying conditions that might put the employee/family member at risk
There is now a vaccine from Pfizer that is projected to be more than 90% effective against COVID 19 but which has not yet been approved by the FDA. UA has already placed an order for 50,000 doses of this vaccine. There has been no announcement of the vaccine being mandatory at this time.
Announcements from the President’s Advisory Committees included:
- information around testing: The GuideSafe product will be used for sentinel testing through the end of the year.However, due to concerns with this product, beginning in January 2021, all testing and reporting will be completed by the University Medical Center. The UMC now has the appropriate equipment and personnel to conduct this testing
- About 2,500 students will remain on campus after November 20 for a variety of reasons.Investigation into which student services need to continue in order to support these students is ongoing
- Academic Affairs has refused 4 / 5 requests to change teaching modes for spring 2021
Vice President’s Report – (Chapman Greer)
Vice President Greer is concerned about the recent email from HR which exposed email addresses and names of Faculty/Staff with accommodations, a violation of employee privacy. The Steering Committee would like some answers as to how this could have happened.
Research & Service – (Ajay Agrawal & Kelly Shannon-Henderson)
The R & S Committee is collecting statements and procedures from peer and aspirational institutions for accounting practices concerning ROH’s. This information will be used for writing a proposal requesting the University alter its current ROH accounting practices.
The Committee is also gathering information on the impact of the pandemic on scholarly productivity, especially on female faculty. Better funded institutions have provided employees with money for childcare.
Faculty & Senate Governance – (Ibrahim Çemen & Jeri Zemke)
Nominations are open for the “Merger or Discontinuance of Academic Units Committee.” The election will take place via Qualtrics, which will be released during the Nov 17th Senate meeting.
There will be no Marshals for the December 2020 commencement.
Nominations and elections of Convocation Marshals for May 2021 is currently on hold as there been no announcement as to the format of Spring Commencement. If the format allows for Marshals, nominations and elections will be held at that time.
Community & Legislative Affairs – (Joy Burnham & Steven Yates)
Brewer-Porch Children’s Center (BPCC) is holding a coat & winter gear drive which ends November 13th. They need adult coats. These can be dropped off at 302 Russell Hall.
The Teacher/Staff Appreciation Luncheon for BPCC is being planned for May 4, 2021
Academic Affairs – (John Vincent & Andre Denham)
Students are continuing to push for a P/F grading option, even though the Senate overwhelming voted against this at the October 20 meeting.
There was discussion surrounding proposed changes to the Emeritus policy. The Emeritus policy is under review again because it was not officially presented to the Board of Trustees. Before it is sent forward, some changes were being made. The rewrite under discussion eliminated the inclusion of faculty in the process. The Steering Committee felt it necessary to include the faculty in the process based on existing precedent: Faculty are involved in all tenure, promotion and retention reviews. The Steering Committee will return the document to Vice Provost Joel Brouwer to ask that the original language and procedures be reinstated. Other changes to the document were minor and accepted by the Steering Committee.
The proposed Faculty Handbook changes were determined to be relatively minor by the AA committee. The Steering Committee voted to send this document to the Senate for its vote at the November 17th meeting. (See below.)
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion – (Mirit Eyal-Cohen & Ignacio Rodeno)
The DEI Committee met with Dr. Taylor. They will work together with the BFSA to get a Kwanzaa display next to the Menorah.
In its goal to meet with each College’s DEI officer, the DEI Committee met with Josh Porter, DEI officer at the Law School. They discussed proposed initiatives, including DACA, a database of fellowships, and careers for international students.
The DEI Committee and the Research and Service Committee are working together to create three post-doc fellowships for under-represented minorities. They are looking at ways to expand the already-existing A&S initiative. They have investigated programs such as those at UNC and Virginia Tech. The DEI committee wants to put more emphasis on teaching (vs. just on research). The proposal will need to include concrete recommendations and costs.
The DEI Committee continues its efforts to expand affinity groups.
Financial Affairs – (Rainer Schad & Mary Stone)
The TASC Health Savings Accounts is being investigated by the Financial Affairs Committee. The accounting of funds seems unreliable. Those employees who have HSA accounts should monitor them frequently and obtain screen shots for verification of deposits.
Reports from Other Committees
International Education Committee- (Ignacio Rodeno)
Senator Rodeno presented a report from the International Education Committee.
From Carolina Robinson: The impact of COVID-19 on the education abroad program is multifaceted. Most students opted to return to the US in the spring, with a variety of accommodations being made for academic continuity. UA lead programs were either cancelled outright or moved online. There’s an economic impact as different services had to be refunded.
Summer and fall programs have also been affected. Some programs (those via outside providers along with some UA faculty lead programs) have continued.
Planning for summer 2021 programs is underway, with contingency plans to pivot to online. Education Abroad is contemplating virtual internships, and other virtual global experiences.
From Charter Morris: International Student and Scholar Services was affected by the various travel bans. International students have had issues returning to their countries of origin. The rapid changes to visas and alien residency via Presidential Executive Orders, have caused a great deal of anxiety among our international students. UA international enrollment has dropped by about 300 students as a result but is expected to bounce back after the pandemic ends. Visa extensions have become expensive and very slow.
From Bill Wallace: Enrollment in the English Language Institute has plummeted due to the pandemic and the Presidential Executive Orders impacting immigration. ELI currently has only 9 students.
From Lisa Pawloski: A&S is making plans to expand programs in International Education in the future.
Reminders
- Faculty Senate meeting: November 17th
- ‘Mini’ Town Hall 3:30-4:00 PM
- Ricky Friend, Dr. Luoheng Han, Chad Tindol
- Next meeting: December 8th (ZOOM)
- ‘Mini’ Town Hall 3:30-4:00 PM
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Chapter 2, Section XV. Page 47:
C. Other Conditions
1. Date of Conversion
The date of conversion from administrative to faculty status is subject to negotiation, but normally will be the first working day after the end of the administrative appointment and will be no later than the following August 16. Administrative stipends begin to be phased out as soon as the administrative appointment ends. Similarly, administrative leave typically begins as soon as the administrative appointment ends. For example, an administrator who steps down January 1 and had more than five years of administrative service typically would take administrativeleave in the spring and summer semesters at the 12-month salary, but then would be converted to nine-month faculty status, and 9-month academic year salary, on August 16, when the administrator returns from leave. If that same administrator steps down August 16, the conversion to nine-month appointment would take place immediately, and the administrator could take compensated leave either in the Fall or Spring semester that academic year and receive compensated summer leave (equal to 30 percent of the nine-month base) the following summer.
2. Salary During Administrative Leaves
Normally, administrators will have been converted to academic year salaries before beginning administrative leave. In such cases, sSalary during administrative leaves (distributed on a 12 month basis)will be one-half of the academic9-month salary for each semester of fall and/or spring leave and 30 percent of the academic year9-month salary for a summersummer semester leave. Any variation from this policy must be approved in writing by the Provost before the leave begins.
Chapter 2, Section V.B., Page 35:
Current language regarding tenure clock extensions for childbirth or adoption mandates that notice must be given “preferably within six months but no later than 12 months of birth or adoption.”
Revised statement: “preferably within six months but no later than 12 months after birth or adoption.”
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Chapter 3, Section XVII. Page 63: Summer Session and Interim Program Compensation
Current statement: “Each individual’s teaching assignment during one of the two terms normally is limited to six semester hours.”
Revised statement: “Each individual’s teaching assignment during one of the two summer terms normally is limited to six semester hours. Each individual’s teaching assignment during Interim terms normally is limited to three semester hours.”
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Appendix B, (pages 85, 97-103).: Changes were necessary in order to be in compliance with new Title IX regulations.
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Chapter 3, Sections IX and XII.A (pages 59-60); Appendix E. (page 117): Link added to the new ORED Policy for the Disclosure of External Activity…. (Policy was approved by the Faculty Senate last Spring).
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Contact: Sarah Miesse, semiesse@culverhouse.ua.edu