May 4, 2021

 

ACADEMIC SENATE MEETING

MINUTES

Tuesday, May 4, 2021

ZOOM MEETING 

2:00 – 5:00 p.m.

 

Attendance:

Absences: 

Guests: 

 

 

 

 

OPEN FLOOR PERIOD:  2:00 - 2:05 p.m.

The Open Floor Period provides an informal opportunity for campus community members to raise questions or make comments directed to Senate officers or to university administrators.  Please arrive promptly at 2:00 p.m.

CALL TO ORDER: 2:05 p.m.

1.     Approval of the agenda for May 4, 2021

·         Approved as submitted @2:05pm 

2.     Approval of the minutes for April 20, 2021

·       Sen. Bloom - Motion to amend – on page 3 change to: 

Sen. Bloom - based on the recent amendment to the resolution, I would like to note that Sociologists identify Jews as the only group that are both an ethnicity and a religion.  And that there are Jews who are Catholics.  They follow the doctrines of the Catholic Church but are ethnically Jewish.  Therefore, I move to amend the amendment to restore the words “Muslim and Jewish” as well as the aforementioned language.

o   Second – Sen. Wilczak

o   VOTE:

§  Yay: 34

§  Nay: 0 

§  Abstain: 6

·       Approved with one change on page 3 (as indicated above) @2:07pm

3.     Announcements from the Floor

·       Sen. Drennan – one of the new programs we approved this year (Climate Change Certificate) already is hosting an event. LINK

4.     Reports

4.1.   Chair Report

·        

4.2.   President Report

·       President Mahoney began by sharing the most recent covid statistics and what that means for our campus. The President shared her surprise about the place that we are in right now that none of us expected and that the speed at which the guidelines are changing is difficult to adjust to. The President and other administrators are meeting and talking to try to determine how to best serve our students. 

4.3.   Provost Report

·       Provost Summit briefly spoke, mainly to thank everyone and note that the last year was the hardest thing we have every done in our professional lives and to discuss the possibility of expanding the number of in-person and hybrid courses in the Fall semester. 

·       Provost Summit also shed some light on the resolution that senators will see later in the plenary session regarding the receipt of the AMP Framework and what the next steps will be and what it means for our campus community.

4.4.   Standing Committees

4.4.1.Student Affairs Committee

·       Sen. Olsher – one item in second reading on today’s plenary agenda (see below)

4.4.2.Strategic Issues Committee

·       Sen. Goldman – thanks to the amazing committee. Two items on the plenary agenda today. (see below) Hosted several RSO directors as guests to committee last week for a robust discussion. As a result, that policy will return next year after further consultation. 

4.4.3.Academic Policies Committee

·       Sen. Stowers – thanks to the incredible work of the committee this year. EPC has three items on today’s agenda. APC has two items on the plenary agenda today (see below)

4.4.4.Curriculum Review and Approval Committee

·       Sen. Hines – Many thanks to the members of CRAC. Eleven items on the plenary agenda today. (see below)

4.4.5.Faculty Affairs Committee

·       Sen. Rubin – thanks to the thoughtful and collegial members of FAC. One item on today’s plenary agenda. (see below)

Consent Agenda

5.     Recommendation from the Curriculum Review and Approval Committee (CRAC): Title Change of the Certificate in Pre-Master of Business Administration (MBA) Foundations—consent item.

6.     Recommendation from the Curriculum Review and Approval Committee (CRAC): Revision of the Bachelor of Science in Biology: Concentration in Cell and Molecular Biology—consent item.

7.     Recommendation from the Curriculum Review and Approval Committee (CRAC): Revision of the Bachelor of Science in Biology: Concentration in Microbiology—consent item.

8.     Recommendation from the Curriculum Review and Approval Committee (CRAC): Revision of the Bachelor of Science in Biology: Concentration in Physiology—consent item.

9.     Recommendation from the Curriculum Review and Approval Committee (CRAC): Revision of the Bachelor of Arts in Spanish—consent item.

·       Chair Albiniak read ALL consent items in the record

·       No motions were raised – no discussion

·       Items 5-9 adopted by consent @ 2:38pm

Old Business 

10.  Recommendations from the Academic Policies Committee (APC): Proposed Revisions to S20-290: Policy on Restructuring Academic Units—second reading.

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

·       Discussion

·       Sen. Harvey – speaking against the new language related to the “equivalent unit” and offering a motion to change the language in a couple of places. Suggesting: Line 66 remove ‘or colleges’ and, line 378, add ‘Department,’ School or Program. NO Motion

o   Sen. Stowers – colleges might want to restructure, so we are not saying that they are equivalent, just that they might want to change. What is the point of changing the language in an example? It would be impossible to address all possible

·       Sen. Bloom – point of information: where is the process description for when faculty want to restructure? Adding support

o   Sen. Stowers – line 230 – there are two different pieces. One for faculty and one for deans. 

·       Sen. Hennessey – thank you for a complicated policy. Probably not supporting this policy due to the fact that the minority membership may be disadvantaged by a majority vote instead of the 2/3 vote.

·       Sen. Wilczak – speaking in support. Support the majority because the minority could hold power to shut down any movement desired by others and there is oversight by the Provost and the Dean to protect the minority interests. 

·       Sen Way – point of information – if a whole department wanted to separate who needs to vote and when?

o   Sen. Stowers – the people seeking to leave should vote first. Then, all of the members of the existing unit votes.

·       Sen. Hulik – speaking in favor and the use of majority with the numerous layers that include the Provost and Dean. We need to respect the majority.

·       VOTE to accept the policy

o   Yay: 41

o   Nay: 5 

o   Abstain: 8

11.  Recommendations from the Academic Policies Committee (APC): Proposed Revisions to S20-242: Academic Calendar Policy—second reading.

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

·       Discussion

·       Sen. Xu – speaking in favor, do not want another finals week around December 22^nd. There are several reasons to avoid this, many that pertain to students.

·       VOTE to accept the policy

o   Yay: 49

o   Nay: 0

o   Abstain: 3

12.  Recommendation from the Educational Policies Committee (EPC): Proposal for the Suspension of the Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Arts: Concentration in Design/Technical Production—second reading.

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

·       No Discussion

·       VOTE to accept the suspension

o   Yay: 50

o   Nay: 0

o   Abstain: 2

13.  Recommendation from the Educational Policies Committee (EPC): Proposal for the Suspension of the Master of Arts in French—second reading.

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

·       No Discussion

·       VOTE to accept the suspension

o   Yay: 49

o   Nay: 0

o   Abstain: 1 

14.  Recommendation from the Educational Policies Committee (EPC): Proposal for a new S21-XXX: Curriculum and Course Standards Policy—second reading.

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

·       Discussion

·       Sen. Hulik – proposing an amendment:

Lines 118- 124 (strike and replace with the following):

New course proposals should be submitted by Fall and Spring deadlines. Revised course proposals will be considered on a rolling basis. All new courses and new topics for variable topic courses are eligible for inclusion in the semester after the proposal is submitted.

All approved program revisions and new programs will become effective at the beginning of the first Fall semester after being fully approved, according to best practices.

o   Sen. Wilczak – Second         

o   Discussion on the amendment

§  Sen. Wilczak – speaking in support of the amendment. A new course does not necessarily mean a change to the bulletin. New courses will only be an elective in the spring. This flexibility is necessary.

§  Sen. Drennan – wanted to speak strongly in support of this change.

o   VOTE to accept the amendment

§  Yay: 40

§  Nay: 4

§  Abstain: 7 

·       Sen. Wilczak – speaking in favor of the new policy. We need to have these practices written into policy

·       Sen. Hulik – support this policy and thank you for the committee’s work, especially Sen. Stowers. This is very important to have for our WASC visit. 

·       Sen. Harvey – thank you to the committee and speaking in favor

o   VOTE to accept the policy

§  Yay: 48

§  Nay: 0

§  Abstain: 2

15.  Recommendations from the Curriculum Review and Approval Committee (CRAC): Certificate in Data Science and Machine Learning for Biotechnology—second reading.

·       Sen. Hines moved the item to the floor and ceded time to Professor Kulkarni who spoke to the item.

·       No Discussion

·       VOTE to accept the policy

o   Yay: 46

o   Nay: 0

o   Abstain: 1 

16.  Recommendations from the Curriculum Review and Approval Committee (CRAC): Certificate in Liberal and Creative Arts—second reading.

·       Sen. Hines moved the item to the floor and ceded time to Dean Hwu.

·       Discussion

·       Sen. Ramirez – proposing an amendment: Adding language to Section 6.b.

International Students are not eligible for federal financial aid. To increase program accessibility and recruitment for this certificate, the College of Extended Learning and the College of Liberal & Creative Arts will aim to develop financial aid options, such as offering scholarships to qualified students from underrepresented backgrounds.

·       Sen. Pierce - Second

·       No Discussion 

o   VOTE to accept the amendment

§  Yay: 43

§  Nay: 0

§  Abstain: 5 

·       No further discussion

o   VOTE to accept the certificate

§  Yay: 46

§  Nay: 1

§  Abstain: 2 

17.  Recommendations from the Curriculum Review and Approval Committee (CRAC): Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies Integrated Teacher Education Program—second reading.

·       Sen. Hines moved the item to the floor, then Sen. Hennessey spoke to the item.

·       Discussion

·       Sen. Borjian – today more than ever we need excellent teachers who are culturally responsive, sensitive to the needs of students and are well-trained. Speaking strongly in favor of the program. 

o   VOTE to accept the program

§  Yay: 49

§  Nay: 0

§  Abstain: 1 

18.  Recommendation from the Faculty Affairs Committee (FAC): Policy Resolution #F20-287, Temporary Modification of Academic Senate Policy #S20-241, Policy Resolution on Retention, Tenure, and Promotion—second reading.

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

·       No Discussion

o   VOTE to accept the resolution revisions

§  Yay: 47

§  Nay: 0

§  Abstain: 3 

19.  Recommendations from the Strategic Issues Committee (SIC): Revised Charge to University Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Council (formerly University Research Council) —second reading

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

·       Discussion

·       Sen. Nielson – speaking in favor, these changes do a better job in representing all of the ways in which research and professional work is pursued on this campus. 

o   VOTE to accept the revisions

§  Yay: 47

§  Nay: 0

§  Abstain: 2 

20.  Recommendation from the Strategic Issues Committee (SIC): Resolution on Transparency in Allocation of Indirect Cost—second reading.

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

·       Discussion

·       Sen. Grutzik – point of information on first resolved clause (lines 41-43) – in the introduction of the item you mentioned consultation and transparency, but this line seems like a call to action. Could we have more clarification?

o   Sen. Goldman – we did think that this needs to be discussed further and this was one possibility for doing that. 

o   Sen. Neilson – there is another resolution that

o   Sen. Scott – the existing policy is from an unknown source and really needs to be updated. It will be good to have a committee look at the policy and revise it. 

o   Sen. Grutzik – unsure how that applies to line 43

§  Sen. Scott – the strategic allocation is more about how the money is distributed, not how the funding is spent.

·       VOTE to accept the resolution

o   Yay: 42

o   Nay: 1

o   Abstain: 4 

21.  Recommendation from the Student Affairs Committee (SAC): Resolution on Dropping Classes for Non-Payment of Tuition and Fees—second reading.

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

·       No Discussion

·       VOTE to accept the resolution

o   Yay: 46

o   Nay: 0

o   Abstain: 2 

22.  Recommendation from the Executive Committee (Ex Comm): Resolution on the Impact of Technostress—second reading.

·       Vice Chair Wilson moved the item to the floor and spoke to the item.

·       No Discussion

·       VOTE to accept the resolution

o   Yay: 46

o   Nay: 0

o   Abstain: 2 

23.  Recommendation from the Executive Committee (Ex Comm): Revision to Academic Senate Policy #S99-183 Professional Development Council Charge and Composition—second reading.

·        Vice Chair Wilson moved the item to the floor and spoke to the item.

·       Discussion

·       Sen. Ramirez - proposing an amendment of added language to line 52, as the new item b.: 

Staff Representation: One staff member chosen by the Vice President of each Cabinet area for a renewable one-year term. Staff representatives shall be appointed by the respective Vice President, until such a time that appointments can be made either by a vote of the constituency, or through consultation with a Staff Council.

·       Sens. Chen and Pierce – Second

o   Discussion

§  Sen. Way – does this change the nature of the committee? Isn’t this a committee that deals with faculty in particular?

§  Chair Albiniak – there is a staff professional development committee in development, and we recently heard back from Jeff Bagley that he is in support of this amendment. 

o   VOTE to accept the amendment

§  Yay: 39

§  Nay: 6

§  Abstain: 3

·       Sen. Gerber – speaking against the item. There needs to be a separation of the faculty and staff professional development. 

·       Sen. Nielson – a lot of staff work with us on many projects and their work affects us. Not sure if it makes sense to have separate groups.

·       Sen. Scott – one thing this committee does is find funding for faculty. Not sure it is appropriate for staff to be on a committee that is making these determinations. 

·       Sen. Chen – because the document mentions staff professional development, we should ensure that staff have an avenue for input. 

o   VOTE to accept the revisions as amended

§  Yay: 20

§  Nay: 13

§  Abstain: 15 

New Business 

24.  Recommendation from the Curriculum Review and Approval Committee (CRAC): Title Change of the Bachelor of Science in Biology: Concentration in Zoology; and Title Change of the Bachelor of Science in Biology: Concentration in Biology and Limnology—first reading.

·       Sen. Hines moved the items to the floor and ceded time to Professor Moffat who spoke to the item

·       Discussion

·       Sen. Nielsen – speaking in favor of the name change. It accurately reflects the degree

·       Sen. Goldman – speaking in favor of the change. Extraordinary effort on the part of the department to make it easier for our students to complete their degrees in a timely manner. 

·       Sen. Stillman – speaking in favor – motion to move the item to second reading

o   Sen, Harvey – Second

o   Discussion

§  Sen. Goldman – in favor

o   Vote to move to 2^nd reading

§  Yay: 41

§  Nay: 0 

§  Abstain: 2

·       No Discussion in Second Reading

o   VOTE to approve the program revisions

§  Yay: 42

§  Nay: 0 

§  Abstain: 1

25.  Recommendations from the Curriculum Review and Approval Committee (CRAC): Elevation of the Master of Science in Engineering: Concentration in Energy Systems; and Elevation of the Master of Science in Engineering: Concentration in Embedded Electrical and Computer Systems—first reading.

·       Sen. Hines moved the items to the floor and ceded time to Professor The, who spoke to the items

·       Discussion

·       Sen. Hines – one of the things that most impressed the committee was the materials that the department provided. It was quite impressive.

·       Sen. Hines – motion to move the item to second reading.

o   Sen. Pierce – Second

o   No discussion

o   Vote to move the item to second reading.

§  Yay: 41

§  Nay: 0

§  Abstain: 1

o   No further discussion

·       VOTE to approve the program revisions

o   Yay: 43

o   Nay: 0 

o   Abstain: 1

 

26.  Recommendations from the Curriculum Review and Approval Committee (CRAC): Elevation of the Master of Science in Physics: Concentration in Astronomy—first reading.

·       Sen. Hines moved items to the floor and ceded time to Professor Joe Barranco

·       Discussion

o   Sen. Xu – served on the committees that helped with this and wanted to say that these are necessary and student-centered changes. 

o   Sen. Way – thank you to everyone who had to deal with EO 1071 in their programs.

o   Sen. Small – in support of this and seeing the revisions in senate that keeps are students in mind is inspiring – MOTION to move

§  Sen. Hennessey – Second

§  No Discussion

§  Vote to move to second reading

·       Yay: 42

·       Nay: 0

·       Abstain: 0

o   Sen. Hennessey – speaking in favor of the proposal. It was a very strong and well-supported proposal

o   VOTE to approve the program revisions

§  Yay: 42

§  Nay: 0 

§  Abstain: 0

27.  Recommendation from the Executive Committee (Ex Comm): Resolution on Receipt of the Academic Master Plan Framework—first reading.

·       Chair Albiniak stepped down from his position as Chair and Vice Chair Wilson served as Chair of Academic Senate for this item

·       Chair Albiniak moved the item to the floor and spoke to the item, then ceded time to Dean Clavier to speak further.  Both parties talked about the next steps for the AMP.

·       Discussion

·       Sen. Goldman – perhaps someone can clarify for the senate the difference between an academic master plan and an academic master plan framework. Perhaps this needs more conversation before moving on it.

o   Chair Albiniak – part of the process to determine our core values has been completed by a group of 140 people. The writing group is only four people, it is important that we now begin to implement and create action items, timelines, and budgets. 

·       Sen. Way – the framework as already helped guide us. The interdisciplinary nature of the several certificates came out of the AMP work. 

·       Chair Albiniak made a motion to move the item to second reading.

o   Sen. Wilczak – second

o   No Discussion

o   Vote to move to second reading

§  Yay: 38

§  Nay: 1

§  Abstain: 1

o   Discussion in Second Reading

§  Sen. Goldman – propose amendment to add the SF State faculty and staff to the recipients list and removing department chairs/directors in lines 12-13

§  No further discussions

§  Vote to accept the amendment

·       Yay: 41 

·       Nay: 0

·       Abstain: 1

·       No Further discussion

o   VOTE to accept the resolution as amended

§  Yay: 37

§  Nay: 0 

§  Abstain: 3

o   Leadership of the senate was returned to Chari Albiniak

28.  Adjourned @ 4:41pm 

 

POST-PLENARY FLOOR PERIOD: until 5:00pm (if time allows)

The Post-Plenary Floor Period provides an informal opportunity for senators and guests to meet, exchange information, or follow up on items or questions emerging from the meeting.