September 12th, 2023

Academic Senate

Plenary Meeting Minutes

Tuesday 12 September 2023

Hybrid – Zoom & Seven Hills

2:00 PM

 

 

 

OPEN FLOOR PERIOD:  2:00 - 2:10 PM

The Open Floor Period provides an informal opportunity for campus community members to raise questions or make comments directed to Senators, Senate officers or to university administrators. Please arrive promptly at 2:00 PM. Please limit comments to not more than three minutes per topic. We usually allow 5 minutes total, but extend this time today. Senators may make announcements under Item 3 below.

 

Meeting and Open floor period started at 2:02pm

 

Chair Goldman gave notice that formal comments can be made later in the meeting’s agenda.

 

CALL TO ORDER: 2:10 PM

 

Chair Goldman called the meeting to order at 2:10pm.

 

1. Approval of the Agenda for 12 September 2023

Sen. Collins moved to approve the agenda as read. Sen. Wilson seconded the motion. The agenda was approved as read.

 

2. Approval of the Minutes for 29 August 2023

Sen. Collins moved to approve the agenda as read. Sen. Wilson seconded the motion. The meeting minutes wre approved as read.

 

3. Announcements from the Floor

Chair Goldman gave notice that he will address a few topics, but first opened the floor for general announcements.

 

Sen. Pasion: gave notice that an event called SF State Transforms will be held Thursday, September 28 from 1:00-2:30 PM in Library 121. More information here: https://transforms.sfsu.edu/

 

Sen. Segovia-McGahan gave notice of The College of Ethnic Studies DJ Series titled “Liberation Vibes” will take place in the Malcolm X Plaza from 12:00-2:00 p.m. on September 19, September 21, October 3, October 17, and October 19. This DJ Series will be hosted by Assistant Professors Carolina Prado and Michael De Anda Muñiz. She asked that faculty encourage their students to attend. We will have snacks.

 

Sen. Brewer: gave notice of an event, “Noche de Estrellas,” held on Thursday, September 28 @ 7pm in Thornton Hall TH432 (and planetarium and roof).  The events include a science talk, planetarium show, and telescope viewing (all in Spanish and English).  This is a regularly occurring event on the last Thursday of each month.

 

Sen. Erickson invited people to gather in the quad from 11am-3pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during collective bargaining. Invites people to come by.

 

Chair Goldman gave notice about a two-day conference, “Rights and Wrongs,” held Sep 18 and 19. There will be a few presentations. 3 presentations on academic freedom, this will be hosted by our own Ac Freedom senate subcommittee. There will be in Lib 121. This information will be in the Friday report. There will also be a an event about reducing sexual violence. Notes that there will also be senate sub-committee elections.

 

4. Reports
   1. Chair’s Report

Chair Goldman offered a reminder about open senate subcommittee positions that need to be filled, then adding a further comment that the campus community is invited to attend all our Plenary meetings. Chair Goldman then introduced a few items on the day’s agenda, including a discussion of the Academic Affairs budget with Interim Vice Provost for Academic Resources, John Kim, and then a report by Senator Katie Lynch on new additions to the Student Affairs and Enrollment management Team. Note that Sen. Lynch made this report in President Mahoney’s stead.

 

 

1. 2. President’s Report (tentative)

Sen. Lynch announced the addition of two Associate Vice Presidents to the Student Affairs and Enrollment management Team: Dr. Miguel Á. Hernández, AVP for Student Life and Dean of Students and Dr. Dai To, AVP for Disability Access and Student Wellbeing.

 

1. 3. Provost’s Report

 

Provost Sueyoshi reported on recent meetings with VPs about education campaigns to limit smoking on campus as well as unsafe biking and skateboarding on campus. She shared that they are also working on getting a university wide calendar to centralize events. Provost Sueyoshi then moved to address the announcement from the Chancellors office about the proposed 6% tuition increase. The increase will stretch across 5 years, from academic year 24/25 to 28/29. This will begin Fall 2024. She then outlined the reasons for this 5-year window and its relationship to the tuition increase.  

Provost Sueyoshi then shared reflections about a webinar about the “HEERF Hangover.” This “hangover” refers to the passage of the Federal Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) that provided campuses with needed funding (via the CARES Act) to see them through the pandemic, and now the now exhaustion of those funds. She underscored the importance of creating financial sustainability for the campus.

 

Chair Goldman opened the floor for questions.

 

Discussion was had about the extent to which financial aid may absorb the proposed tuition increase. Systemwide, 82% of students receive Financial Aid, on our campus 56% of students get Financial Aid. Furthermore 51% of SF State Students get some kind of gift grant. 62% of SF State students graduate without debt. Sen. Lynch anticipated that the proposed tuition raises amount to a $384 per year increase.

 

1. 4. Standing Committee Reports
      1. Academic Policies Committee

Sen. Chou gave notice that her committee is developing a resolution about student senior capstone project practices. She invited people to send their experiences with these projects and their best practices.

 

No questions were raised.

 

1. 1. 2. Campus Curriculum Committee

Sen. D’Alois indicated that her committee is bringing to the floor a proposal for a Minor in Disability Studies. Sen. D’Alois emphasized the interdisciplinary nature of this minor.

 

No questions were raised.

 

1. 1. 3. Faculty Affairs Committee

 

Sen. Holschuh gave notice that her committee is working on bylaws template to accompany policy 2306. They are also discussing Retention, Tenure and Promotion (RTP) policy 22.

 

Chair Goldman Are we asking department to wait until these bylaws are approved?

 

Sen. Holschuh indicated this is just a template (an ancillary document) and so departments can start to move forward as they wish.

 

No questions at this time.

 

1. 1. 4. Strategic Issues Committee

 

Sen. Trousdale gave notice that his committee is continuing to look at the university budget. They also looking instructional continuity policy.

 

No questions at this time.

 

Chair Goldman gave notice that people can use this section in the agenda to raise issues of interest to these committees.

 

1. 1. 5. Student Affairs Committee

 

Sen. Olsher gave notice that his committee is in an info gathering phase to see where they can best focus attention to support students. They are exploring bottlenecks in student hiring. They received a report from Senator Katie Lynch about changes to FAFSA; these changes will roll out this fall. SAC has also invited Dr. Dai To to speak to the committee next week.

 

INFORMATIONAL ITEMS

An informational item is a statement announcing the completion of a process, carried out in accordance with Senate policy, and requiring formal notification of the Senate at its conclusion.

 

No items today.

 

 

CONSENT ITEMS

A consent item is one deemed by the Chair to be non-controversial, requiring no debate. Any Senator may call the item to the floor, in which case it is considered as new business in first reading. If no Senator calls it to the floor, it is considered approved. It may be read into the record, or we may move directly to the next agenda items.

 

No items today.

 

 

CONTINUING BUSINESS

Continuing (once called Old) Business involves items returning to the Senate, usually in Second Reading, but occasionally still in First Reading. Items in Second Reading belong to the Senate as a whole rather than to an individual or committee. Comments on Second Reading items should be confined to those for or against or proposing specific amendments. Amendments and the final document are passed or not passed by majority vote.

There are no items of continuing business today. Continuing Business is usually from a recent Plenary, and we try to close out business by the end of the academic year.

 

No items today.

 

NEW BUSINESS

New Business items are brought by a committee or individual to the Senate in First Reading, during which open discussion and debate may occur. We ordinarily limit each speaker to three minutes. Senators may yield their time to non-Senators if needed. The item is then returned to the Committee for further revision, to be brought back as Continuing Business in Second Reading.

 

5. Recommendation from the Campus Curriculum Committee: A new Minor in Disability Studies, in first reading. You may find documentation at this link: Minor in Disability Studies (sfsu.edu).

 

Chair Goldman explained the procedure for the New Business. Section of the agenda. He then asked Sen. D’Alois to bring the item to the senate floor.

 

Sen. D’Alois shared a screen describing the minor in disability studies. Sen. D’Alois emphasized the interdisciplinary nature of the minor as well as its social justice mission. Classes will also be face-to-face.

 

Chair Goldman opened the floor for questions.

 

Vice Chair Harvey raised a question about the frequency with which the classes can be offered. Was this topic discussed when the recommendation was drafted?

 

Sen. D’Alois and Sen. Burku: indicated that this was not specifically addressed in their meetings but is covered in the proposal. There is a list of approved substitutes used for any missing courses.

 

Sen. Hellman Offered his support for the proposal.

 

Interim Vice Provost Kim offered support for the motivation and background of the proposed minor. He then asked if the courses are required by the university and if there is space to support the potential demand.

 

Discussion was had about these and other points. They do anticipate demand, but don’t know exactly how much, but sense there would be sufficient space. Yes, many of the courses are required by other programs. In cases where it’s needed, course substitutions may be made based on course availability or due to the specifics of a student’s disability. EXCO 401 was suggested as a possible course to include. Further questions were raised about how advising would work for students in this minor. Widespread support was articulated.

 

The proposal will be taken back to the committee and then brought back for second reading at a future plenary.

 

Chair Goldman moved that the meeting break until 3:16pm.

 

 

PRESENTATIONS

 

6. Presentation by ASCSU Senators Robert Keith Collins, Santhi Kavuri-Bauer, and Jackson Wilson, “Academic Senate of the CSU (ASCSU) Report.” Time approximate 2:50 PM.

 

Chair Goldman moved to resume the meeting at 3:18pm.

 

Sen. Collins noted that SF State is abundantly represented in the body of the ASCSU. He further indicated that many topics were discussed across the 3 days of ASCU meetings. Among those topics were the The California General Education Transfer Curriculum (Cal-GETC) and the items now raised by Senators Wilson and Kavuri-Bauer.

 

Sen. Wilson explained that the CSU Emeritus and Retired Faculty Association (CSU-ERFSA) had report about a CalPERS identity breach. For those who suspect their information was leaked, they are instructed to reach out to CSU-ERFSA by the end of September to request identity protection. Sen. Wilson gave notice that retired persons did have a breach of data. Non-retired persons did not experience a breach. Discussion was then held confirming that CalPERS members may continue to pay into their retirement and pensions beyond 40 years of active employment (at a rate of 2.5% per year).

 

Sen. Collins indicated that the California State Student Association raised numerous concerns. These included their position against the tuition hikes as 40% of students will have to bear this out of pocket. There is concern that students will drop out. Students would like to be held in equal voice to faculty as this issue continues to be discussed. Students are also concerned with the total cost of attendance (e.g. food, housing, etc.).

 

Sen. Wilson gave notice that one resolution was passed and one was not passed. The tuition increase was passed. The next resolution did not pass. SB 640 concerns food service contacts and was not passed.

 

Sen. Kavuri-Bauer offered info on the Cozen O'Connor Report. Compared to other campuses, SF State has a more organized implementation team. Sen. Kavuri-Bauer then gave notice that there were two resolutions brought to the floor. The first resolution was passed and concerned administrative communication to faculty employees about union bargaining. The second resolution was pushed to a second reading and concerned protective measures against banking books on CSU campus. This will go back to the senate floor in November.

 

 

7. Presentation by John Kim, Interim Vice Provost, Academic Resources, “Academic Affairs Budget Update.” Time approximate 3:10 PM.

 

 

Interim Vice Provost Kim provided an explanation of his new role as Interim Vice Provost as well as his extensive background on the SF State campus. He explained his efforts to explore the budget situation and communicate the severity of the issue (Glide Path) to campus colleges. The Glide Path means reducing the campus budget by $36 to $38 million over a period of about 4 to 5 years.  John Kim stressed that this is not a problem that can be fixed once but presents the campus with an opportunity to make long-term changes. Find this information here: https://adminfin.sfsu.edu/university-budget-committee-0

 

He opens the floor for questions.

 

Provost Sueyoshi asked to John Kim remind us why we are going through reductions.

 

Interim Vice Provost Kim explained that the campus is not meeting its Full-Time Equivalent Student (FTES) targets. Campus enrollments have been declining due to a combination of health, demographic, and economic factors (an overall enrollment decline of 20%).

 

Sen. Drennan commented on the critical classes lost amid cuts (especially in the Broadcast and Electronic Communications Arts department).

 

Interim Vice Provost Kim explained that this situation is faced by many departments and encouraged people to take their concerns to their department chairs and college deans.

 

Sen. Trogu asked if these cuts these cuts will be applied bluntly across departments. His department has grown over the last few years (in the past 5 years by about 50%); will this be taken into consideration? Many classes are being taught by lecturer faculty.

 

Interim Vice Provost Kim indicated that the only college systematically getting ahead of FTES targets is Science and Engineering. But they are still being asked to make cuts.

 

 

Further discussion was had about the areas that will experience cuts and those that will not. For example, programs and projects funded by means other than the campus budget (e.g. grants) will not experience cuts. Lecturer faculty feel disposable. $16 million in salaries will need to be reduced (translating to a total of $24 million when associated benefits are factored in). Such cuts based on curricular need.

 

 

Interim Vice Provost Kim expressed that hopefully conversations at the department and college levels include more than just benefits as places to cut costs. It is best look at what the curricular need is. Shared governance is important. It is important for everyone here to communicate with their peers in departments and colleges.

 

The meeting adjourned at 4:25pm.

 

Ryan Gurney

Secretary

 

 

 

Guests

 

POST-PLENARY FLOOR PERIOD

This is ordinarily an informal opportunity for senators and guests to meet, exchange information, or follow up on items or questions emerging from the meeting. It will ordinarily run for thirty minutes from the end of formal business, but not beyond 5:00 PM, if people remain online or in the room.