May 5th, 2020

 

ACADEMIC SENATE MEETING

MINUTES

Tuesday, May 5, 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: 2:02 p.m.

 

1.     Approval of the Agenda for May 5, 2020

·       Approved as submitted @ 2:02pm

2.     Approval of the Minutes for April 21, 2020

·       Approved as submitted @ 2:03pm

3.     Announcements from the Floor

·       Sen. S. Chen – want to encourage students to reach out to CAPS for services.

·       Sen. Bermudez -  two questions for President Mahoney – 1. How does the decision get made regarding nursing students going back to in-person learning? 2. Does the president support the move to get nursing students back to in-person learning?

4.     Reports

4.1.   Chair Report

·       Chair Gerber shared that her years as Chair of the Academic Senate and noted that it has been the most fulfilling experience she has experienced at SF State. Thank you to everyone for their continued dedication to the senate and to shared governance.

4.2.   President Mahoney

·       RE: nursing – CSU issued guidelines a couple of weeks ago. The colleges are using those guidelines to create a proposal to get students back into their clinical experiences. 

·       No word on teachers going back to their practical experiences.

·       This has been a difficult and exhausting and will be on-going for a while. Put health and science first. We have many employees that fall into high-risk categories. We need to re-populate carefully. We are working on prioritizing where face-to-face is necessary. We are all exhausted already and we have a huge amount of work ahead of us. Thanks to everyone for the hard work that is going on all over campus. 

4.3.   Provost Summit

·       In a meeting yesterday of nation-wide Provosts, it was apparent that everyone is in the same situation.  Survey for faculty will be forthcoming. The CAREs funding will hopefully partially support faculty professional development to assist faculty in preparing for teaching in alternate modalities. Survey will also ask about research and creative activity needs. 

4.4.   ASCSU Report

·       Sen. Yee-Melichar – Summary of ASCSU passed resolutions at the last meeting - included endorsement of the AAUP statement “In Defense of Knowledge and Higher Education,” the pathways transfer from community colleges to CSU and UC campuses, accommodation for faculty due to the COVID-19 crisis, the implementation of the Ethnic Studies requirement and a resolution addressing legislative intrusion into the curriculum. 

·       All resolutions and actions of the CSU Academic Senate are available on the website: https://www2.calstate.edu/csu-system/faculty-staff/academic-senate

o   President Mahoney – thank you to Chair Gerber for her leadership

4.5.   Standing Committees

4.5.1.Student Affairs Committee

·       Sen. Olsher – one item on the floor today – withdrawal policy 

·       Thanks to all committee members. Special thanks to the lecturers and students who participated significantly this year.

·       Sen. Bermudez and guest, Ari Marcantonio, read into the record a letter to President Mahoney

4.5.2.Strategic Issues Committee

·       Sen. Mooney – thank you to all members of the committee for their work this year.

4.5.3.Academic Policies Committee

·       Sen. Stowers – thank you to all members of the committee for their work this year.

·       Two items on the agenda today.

4.5.4.Curriculum Review and Approval Committee

·       Sen. Hines – thank you to all member of the committee for their work this year. 

·       Four items on today’s agenda, three are consent items and one in second reading

4.5.5.Faculty Affairs Committee

·       Sen. Rubin – thank you to all members of the committee for their collegial and thoughtful participating in the committee.

·       Two items on the agenda today.

5.     Presentation of the 2020 Distinguished Faculty and Staff Achievement Awards – 2:30 p.m. time certain

Teaster Baird spoke briefly about the awards and the importance of the awards. In particular he noted that the poople who are recognized each year, truly represent the best and the essence of SF State. Excellence in Professional Achievement Award 

·       Excellence in Professional Achievement Award 

·        

o   Excellence in Professional Achievement Award – Dr. Letitia Márquez-Magaña

o   Excellence in Service for Staff Award– Nalini Libby-Guest

o   Excellence in Service Award – Dr. Michael Goldman

o   Excellence in Teaching Award for Lecturers – Dr. William “Bill” Cochlan 

o   Excellence in Teaching Award for Tenured Faculty – Dr. Burcu Ellis

Old Business – no later than 3 p.m.

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

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

·       Discussion

o   Sen. Hines ceded time to Arno Puder, who spoke about the need for this new degree.

·       Vote

o   Passed @ 3:10pm

7.     Recommendation from the Executive Committee: Proposed Policy resolution on #F15-160, Lecturer Faculty – second reading

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

·       Discussion

o   Sen. VanCleave – thank you to everyone for incorporating the Library’s feedback and thank you for supporting our lecturers. 

·       Vote

o   Passed @ 3:12pm

8.     Recommendation from the Academic Policies Committee: Proposed revisions to #S19-242, Academic Calendar Policy, second reading

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

·       Discussion 

o   Sen. Bloom – explain the rationale again?

§  Chair Gerber – the registrar was consulted. They typically receive very few calls regarding grading issues, and most issues cannot be fixed in one day. Those concerns were not significant enough to continue 

·       Vote

o   Passed @ 3:18pm

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

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

·       Discussion

o   Sen. Grutzik – the Deans are particularly interested in this policy. Overall there is nothing problematic, but the Deans requested clarification. All of the suggestions, which will likely be heard in second reading, address these concerns and clarifications.

o   Chair Gerber – thank you to Sen. Stowers for revising this document at the last moment.

o   Sen. Harvey – definitions of “equivalent unit” or “academic unit” are confusing.

§  Chair Gerber – “equivalent unit” is an old term and we can be phased out as we revise

§  Sen. Stowers – APC discussed this and specifically decided to omit CEL and the Library for this purpose. 

o   Sen. Stowers – motion to move to second reading

§  Second – unknown

§  No discussion

§  Vote 

·       Passed @ 3:32pm

o   Sen. Stowers – motion to add the collection of amendments (highlighted in yellow in the document available to senators during the session) as one unit to revise the document.

§  Second – Sen. Platas

§  No discussions

§  Vote

·       Passed @ 3:33pm 

o   Sen. Stowers – spoke to and supported her motion. In particular, she spoke to the concern about a fast-track option.

§  Discussion

·       Sen. Way – encourage that we revisit the process of consultation so that the work that is done does not get side tracked at the last minute. 

·       Sen. Grutzik – there are different ways in which Deans and senators can connect regarding the consultation that needs to happen with policies such as this. 

·       Sen. Harvey – line 121 referencing an “independent unit”

§  Vote to amend

·       Changes to the policy approved @ 3:24pm

·       Vote

o   Passed @ 3:44pm

·       Sen. Harvey moved to continue with agenda items 10-12 before preceding to the new business.

o   Second – Sen. Albiniak

o   Approved @ 3:45pm

10.  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   None

·       Sen. Albiniak – Motion to moved to second

o   Second – unknown

o   Approved @ 3:49pm

·       Sen. Way – suggested changes on lines 69-72 to address a requirement in the EO1037. 

o   Second – Sen. Stowers

o   Discussion

§  Sen. Stowers – does the person need to be a specific person

·       Sen. Way – yes, the President could determine that.

o   Vote

§  Amendment approved @ 3: 53pm

·       Sen. Bui – regarding lines 70-73 and the instructor’s ability to withdraw a student. If these lines are removed, is there another way to avoid a WU grade. 

o   Sen. Way – it is not allowable for an instructor to withdraw a student. That language has been removed to get the policy through, but it is highly suggested that we revisit this issue.

·       Vote

o   Passed @ 3:57pm

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

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

o   Discussion

o   None

o   Vote

o   Passed @ 3:59pm

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

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

o   Discussion 

§  Sen. Harvey – clarification about what is a degree-granting equivalent unit would be good to have.

§  Sen. Harvey – motion to change line 32 to add the word “not”

·       Second – unknown

·       Change accepted @ 4:07pm

o   Vote

§  Passed @ 4:07pm

New Business

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

13.  Recommendation from the Curriculum Review and Approval Committee: Proposed Revision to the Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts

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

·       CRAC approved it unanimously

·       Approved by general consent @ 4:09pm

14.  Recommendation from the Curriculum Review and Approval Committee: Proposed Revision to the Master of Arts in Mathematics

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

·       CRAC approved it unanimously

·       Approved by general consent @ 4:11pm

15.  Recommendation from the Curriculum Review and Approval Committee: Proposed Revision to the Minor in Persian Studies

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

·       CRAC approved it unanimously

·       Approved by general consent @ 4:12pm

16.  Resolution thanking and commending the outgoing 2019-2020 SF State Academic Senate

·       Sen. Albiniak moved the item to the floor and read the resolution into the record.

·       Adopted by general consent @ 4:18pm

17.  Resolution thanking outgoing Chair of the Academic Senate, Nancy Counts Gerber

·       Sen. Albiniak moved the item to the floor and read the resolution into the record.

·       Adopted by general consent @ 4:21pm

18.  Adjourned @ 4:21pm