Minutes
Senate Steering Meeting
June 7, 2022, 3:30 p.m.
Via Zoom

Present: Todd Steury (Chair), Donald Mulvaney (Immediate Past Chair), Ralph Kingston (Secretary), Mark Carpenter (Chair elect), L. Octavia Tripp (Secretary elect), Vini Nathan (Interim Provost), Robert Norton, Robert Cochran, Danilea Werner, Cheryl Seals, Laura Kloberg (Administrative Assistant).

Not present:

Guests: Karen Battye

Senate Chair Todd Steury called the meeting to order at 3.30 p.m.

Approval of Steering Minutes from May 10, 2022:
Ralph Kingston (Senate Secretary) pointed out that he had gotten a date wrong in the minutes. Hearing no objections, the minutes, with the date corrected, were approved by unanimous consent.

Potential Solution to Finals/Graduation Conflict, presented by Karen Battye (Registrar)

Karen Battye (Registrar) gave background to the problem which started with the introduction of Friday-night commencement as a covid measure. Some students are taking exams at the same time as the ceremony. The problem, however, is being seen as an opportunity to consider broader issues with the schedule for exams and commencement. Karen Battye noted that no single measure would solve the issue – for example, shortening the time between exams OR reducing the length of exam slots. A solution had to be either the creation of an additional exam day or a combination of both breaks between exams AND shortening exam slots. The Registrar’s office surveyed the exam schedule of other institutions before coming up with a proposal for the latter: 2-hour exams with a 30-minute break between them (1 hour for lunch.)

Asked why the university was committed to continuing Friday commencement post-COVID emergency, the Provost responded that it was because graduates and their families preferred it. The Registrar was also asked about what students thought about proposed changes to the exam schedule.  The Provost’s Office has not yet talked with the SGA about the proposal.

Steering asked the Registrar to present other additional options to Senate, including one with 1-hour breaks between exams and one with 30-minute breaks but the same-length exam slots as currently in use. Interim Provost Nathan noted that it is not required that Senate approve this policy: the policy is being brought to senate only for discussion. She noted that the Provost’s office was hoping to have the revised calendar in place for the fall, which requires it to be finalized as soon as possible so it can be accommodated in faculty course planning.  Karen Battye added that neither of the scenarios the Steering committee was asking for would solve the problem.
The Steering committee then moved on to discuss how the change might proceed. It was noted that getting it done for fall was going to be difficult if the SGA has not been consulted yet.  It was also noted that introducing this in the June senate meeting was introducing a major change when faculty were least engaged in senate business.  Several members of steering argued that faculty should be consulted in a more substantial fashion, for example in a poll. It was agreed that the Registrar’s office would have a better sense of faculty opinion after the plan was presented in senate.

Karen Battye agreed that she did not want to rush a solution and that her office was also working on an interim (but imperfect) plan for the fall if the changes can’t be implemented in time. Effectively, this plan would reorganize which exams were scheduled on Friday so that the least number possible of students were impacted by the overlap.

Steering agreed that this item should be added as an “Information Item” to the agenda for the 14 June meeting.  It was agreed that no alternative plan should be proposed to senate that did not solve the issue.  Karen Battye should also explain the interim plan as part of her presentation. 

Discussion, edit, and approval of Senate Agenda for 6/14/2022 at 3:30 pm

Action item: Senate Committee Nominations presented by Ralph Kingston

Ralph Kingston (Chair of the Rules Committee) presented the remaining nominations from the 2021-2022 Rules Committee, including the nomination of a new member of the Steering Committee for 2022-2024 and the faculty elected to the Faculty Grievance Committee.

The committee then discussed what, if any, precedent is set if senate appoints an associate clinical professor (non-tenure-track) to the Faculty Grievance Committee. It was noted that Rules had discussed proposing a change to the committee description to make a rule to require that members should be tenured, but it had felt that this would be inappropriate given that non-tenure-track faculty also bring grievances to the Faculty Grievance committee. It was also noted that institutions created when the majority of faculty were tenure-line might not be adequate now that the university employs so many non-tenure-track faculty. It was decided that the Senate should task one or more senate committees to take up the issue of grievance committee composition and/or operation and how to represent both tenure-line and NTTF fairly going forward.

Update on Academic Sustainability; already presented at May Steering meeting by Rebecca Retzlaff

Chair Steury reminded the Committee that they had heard Rebecca Retzlaff’s presentation in its last meeting.

Before asking the committee to approve the agenda, Steury shared his intention to speak at the meeting about the power and importance of the senate body and of senate committees. He noted that, in this academic year, individual senators had made motions from the floor with good results. A member noted that he had heard that some senators might like to make a motion to limit the speaking rights of non-senators in meetings. The members discussed how such a motion, if made, might proceed. Fundamentally, however, members of the Steering committee voiced strong opposition to denying non-senators the right to speak in senate.

There was no objection to the agenda as amended to include an information item on a potential solution to Finals/Graduation conflict.  It was agreed by unanimous consent.

Unfinished or New Business

Mark Carpenter asked for members of the Steering Committee to confirm his schedule of meetings for next year.
Todd Steury offered his thanks to members of Steering, and particularly to Cheryl Seals, who is cycling off the committee.  Don Mulvaney and Ralph Kingston, also stepping down from the Senate Executive, added thanks to their fellow senate officers and the members of the committee.

Adjournment
Senate Chair Steury adjourned the last Steering Committee meeting of 2021-2022 at 4.55 p.m.