April 21st, 2020

 

ACADEMIC SENATE MEETING

MINUTES

Tuesday, April 21, 2020

ZOOM MEETING 

2:00 – 4:00 p.m.

 

Attendance:

Absences: 

Guests: 

The meeting will start a 2:00 p.m. with an opportunity for participants to check their settings and the Officers to take attendance. Instructions are available on iLearn for Senators and through email (senate@sfsu.edu) for guests. 

CALL TO ORDER: 2:00 p.m.

1.     Approval of the Agenda for April 21, 2020

·       Item 4.2 will be stuck from the agenda – president Mahoney is unavailable today.

·       Approved with one change @ 2:02pm

2.     Approval of the Minutes for April 7, 2020

·       Approved as submitted @ 2:03pm

3.     Announcements from the Floor

·       Sen. Stowers – Rachel Kahn-Hut – Condolences regarding former chair in sociology died 4/3/2020. 

·       Vic Chair Albiniak – the Forensics team will be experimenting by hosting online tournaments

·       Dean Clavier – Ten SF State students are going to the CSU Research Competition. We are hosting next year.

4.     Reports

4.1.   Chair Report

·       Elections closed on Friday. Office staff is working on compiling the list of winners. Qualtrics survey will go out soon regarding standing committees. If you are interested in running for a chair or officer positions please do so.

·       A few of our colleagues have lost family members to COVID-19 and several more have family suffering.

4.2.   President Mahoney

4.3.   Provost Summit

·       CARES Act funding - $14M to distribute directly to students. Sounds like a lot of money, but doesn’t go too far. Chancellor’s office asked to think in terms of 3 groups of students. First group has an expected family contribution of $0-$4000. This group is 11K and makes up 40% of our enrollment. Second group is $4001-$8000, 8% of our enrollment. Decided that 75% would be distributed to the first group: $1000 per student. Second group gets $750 per student. The remainder will be available for all students via application.

o   Sen. Bermudez – how do we get more students on plenary?

§  Chair Gerber – that would be a constitutional change.

o   Sen. Van Cleave – are the students getting the money directly?

§  Provost Summit – yes.

o   Sen. Yee-Melichar – the federal stimulus funds can also be used for operating? 

§  Provost Summit – we are still awaiting guidance from the Dept. of Education

·       Questions about the Fall semester. We don’t know yet, and we are not in a place where we can make that decision for ourselves as a campus. It would be prudent to plan to offer as much of the curriculum as possible through remote modalities. 

o   Sen. Goldman – no matter what we do in the Fall, there will be people who need to shelter in place. We should be able to promise to make accommodations. Also, have heard a concern that they are unable to carry out research off campus and are interested in talking about refunds or tuition discounts.

§  Provost Summit – encourage faculty to keep their students engaged.

o   Sen. Bui – Regarding remote fall: If school sites are open, can the students do their on site work?

§  Provost Summit – we just don’t know yet.

·       HOPE Crisis fund – DACA students are eligible!

·       Enrollment decline – Our 15% estimate may be generous. 

4.4.   Standing Committees

4.4.1.Curriculum Review and Approval Committee

4.4.2.Faculty Affairs Committee

4.4.3.Student Affairs Committee

4.4.4.Strategic Issues Committee

4.4.5.Academic Policies Committee/Educational Policies Council

·       Sen. Stowers – APC has three items today, EPC has two items today

Old Business

5.     Recommendation from the Academic Policies Committee: Proposed Revision to #S17-275, Academic Probation and Disqualification – second reading - 2:30 p.m. time certain

·       Sen. moved the item to the floor and spoke to the item.

·       Discussion

o   Sen. Wilczak – do we have a definition of “progress” toward a degree in any policy?

·       Vote

o   Passed @ 2:35pm

New Business

6.     Recommendation from the Curriculum Review and Approval Committee: Proposed Revision to the Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art – first reading – 2:45 p.m. time certain

·       Sen. Hines – moved the item to the floor and spoke to the item

·       Discussion

o   Sen. Collins – speaking in favor. They have scaffold their learning outcomes and should be commended.

o   Motion to move to second

§  Sen. Stowers – second

§  Discussion – NONE

§  Vote

·       Approved – moved to second reading @ 2:39pm

o   Discussion

§  None

o   Vote

§  Approved @ 2:40pm

7.     Recommendation from the Curriculum Review and Approval Committee: Proposed Master of Science in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence – first reading

·       Sen. Hines – moved the item to the floor and spoke to the item

·       Discussion

o   Sen. Hulik – speaking in favor – well thought-out program, especially glad to see two classes in ethics

o   Returned to committee @ 2:42pm

8.     Recommendation from the Curriculum Review and Approval Committee: Proposed Revision to the Master of Arts in Creative Writing – first reading

·       Sen. Hines – moved the item to the floor and spoke to the item

·       Discussion

o   None

·       Motion to move to Second Sen. Albiniak

o   Sen. Collins second

o   Discussion

§  None

o   Vote

§  Approved @ 2:46pm

·       No further discussion

·       Vote

o   Approved @ 2:47pm

9.     Recommendation from the Executive Committee: Proposed Policy resolution on #F15-160, Lecturer Faculty – first reading– 3:00 p.m. time certain

·       Sen. Albiniak moved the item to the floor and spoke to the item

·       Discussion

o   Sen. Glanting – this should help alleviate some of the fears lecturers across campus have right now.

o   Sen. Platas – cede time to Catherine Powell from the Library

§  Powell – shared data on the library and how this affects them.

o   Sen. Van Cleave - there has been a lot of concern about this in the library and glad to see that one one-year lecturers are included. Library has lecturers who are not “instructional” faculty as do other units and should not left out, and would offer some changes to the document to reflect that.

§  In lines 4, 5 and 16 to be more inclusive. 

o   Returned to committee @ 2:56pm

10.  Recommendation from the Academic Policies Committee: Proposed revisions to #S19-242, Academic Calendar Policy, in first reading

·       Sen. Stowers moved the item to the floor and spoke to the item.

·       Discussion

o   No discussion

11.   Recommendation from the Academic Policies Committee: Policy on Restructuring Academic Units, in first reading

·       Sen. Stowers moved the item to the floor and spoke to the item.

·       Discussion

o   Sen. Grutzik – request clarification about the committee of neutral individuals. What makes a person neutral.

§  That’s not currently in the policy. ExComm could make the call to ensure impartiality.

§  Neutral people should be well-informed.

o   Sen. Bloom – line 99 regarding the vote – would like to suggest that secret ballot be mandated

o   Sen. Harvey – should there be language about proportional voting.

§  Sen. Stowers - Should be taken care of by the affected department’s by-laws

o   Returned to committee @ 3:10pm

12.  Recommendation from the Educational Policies Committee: proposed revision to #S19-255 Requirements for Baccalaureate Degree, Majors, Concentrations, Minors, and Certifications and its Appendices, in first reading.

·       Sen. Stowers moved the item to the floor and spoke to the item.

·       Discussion

o   Sen. Wilczak – strongly support changes to the language about SF State Studies. Have you considered language to limit the number of SF State Studies areas one course can cover?

§  Sen. Stowers – that came up, but was not included. BRC may have discussed this at more length.

o   Sen. Way – yield to guest Zuzana Janko

§  Zuzana Janko – chair of BRC - point of SF State Studies is to meaningfully infuse the values of SF State into the course. When more than one designation is being covered there is a concern that it not being covered in significant depth. There is not an automatic additive property with all classes that are being proposed. Especially when there are two SF State Studies areas being covered.

o   Sen. Collins – when you look at curriculum that is only fulfilling these studies at merely 1/3 of the course, it is hard to imagine that students are getting what they expect from the course.

·       Returned to committee @ 3:24pm

13.  Recommendation from Student Affairs Committee: Proposed revisions to #S18-196, Withdrawal from Courses Policy, first reading 

·       Sen. Olsher – moved the item to the floor and spoke to the item

·       Discussion

o   Sen. Way – clarification – did the university attorney already see it?

§  Sen. Olsher – no, the Provost was consulted.

§  Chair Gerber – it has been sent to the university counsel, but no response.

o   Sen. Hulik – wondering about line 49 – compelling reasons defined by the student. Do the students have guidance on what defines “serious and compelling?”

§  Sen. Olsher – the idea is that a student would choose from a menu of items

o   Sen. Collins – what happens when this conflicts with departmental or college policies

§  Sen. Olsher – a senate policy should supersede any other policies.

·       Sen. Collins – have Colleges and academic units been consulted?

o   Sen. Olsher – consultation has been to the Associate Deans so far

o   Sen. Way notes via Zoom chat that in EO 1037 it says there must be a campus-wide definition.

o   Returned to committee @ 3:35pm

14.  Recommendation from Faculty Affairs Committee: Proposed changes to Senate Policy #S13-18 Leaves with Pay Policy, first reading 

·       Sen. Rubin moved the item to the floor and spoke to the item.

·       Discussion  

o   Sen. Scott – Clarification - people with grants cannot use this policy for half-pay sabbatical. Due to the fact that faculty are still considered full time employees at the university and cannot be paid more. Also, the timing has not be working for most people, so that change is very important.

o   Returned to committee @ 3:42pm

15.  Recommendation from Faculty Affairs Committee: Proposed changes to Senate Policy #F11-145, Department Chairs and Equivalent Unit Directors, first reading 

·       Sen. Rubin moved the item tot the floor and spoke to the item.

·       Sen. Harvey moved to extend debate and delay consent agenda

o   Sen. Van cleave second

o   No debate

·       Discussion

o   Sen. Van Cleave – the library is not a degree-granting unit and is therefore not covered by the addition.

o   Sen. Harvey – lines 28-31 – regardless of an equivalent unit, the whole policy is about electing chairs or other leadership, so would suggest that the word “elected” is added to clarify. Perhaps clarifying that when people are appointed, they are appointed “provisionally.”

o   Sen. Bloom – have some suggestions about language changes. Points of information: on lines 101-114, what is the process for conducting a secret ballot? Line 107-108, 

o   Sen. Hulik – even as an incoming chair from an external search, the unit still elects that person, so all units elect their chair.

* Consent agenda – no later than 3:45 p.m.

16.  Recommendation from Student Affairs Committee: Resolution Calling for Support of Counseling and Psychological Services, consent item

·       Sen. Olsher moved the item to the floor and spoke to the item. 

o   Senators Bermudez and Chen read the document into the record.

·       Adopted by general consent @ 4:03pm

17.  Recommendation from the Strategic Issues Committee: Resolution on the COVID-19 Response, consent item

·       Sen. Mooney moved the item to the floor

·       Sen. Goldman spoke to the item and read the rationale and resolved clauses into the record.

·       Adopted by general consent @ 4:07pm

18.  Recommendation from the Strategic Issues Committee: Resolution Thanking & Supporting Custodial & Facilities Staff at SF State during COVID-19 Crisis, consent item

·       Sen. Mooney moved the item to the floor

·       Sen. Ward spoke to the item and read the rationale and resolved clauses into the record.

·       Adopted by general consent @ 4:10pm

19.  Recommendation from the Strategic Issues Committee: Resolution Thanking the SF State Instructional Support and Information Technology Staff, consent item

·       Sen. Mooney moved the item to the floor, spoke to the item, and read the document into the record.

·       Adopted by general consent @ 4:12pm

20.  Recommendation from the Strategic Issues Committee: Resolution in Support of Reinstating Merit Salary Steps for CSU Staff, consent item

·       Sen. Mooney moved the item to the floor, spoke to the item, and read a portion of the document into the record.

·       Adopted by general consent @ 4:15pm

21.  Adjourned @ 4:16pm