Senate Steering Meeting
Minutes
March 7, 2023
3:30 p.m.
Via Zoom: https://auburn.zoom.us/j/83309018571

Members: Mark Carpenter (Chair), L. Octavia Tripp (Secretary), Dan Svyantek (Past-chair), Lisa Kensler (Chair-elect), Linda Gibson-Young (Secretary-elect), Vini Nathan (Interim Provost), Evelyn Hunter (Rules appointee), Robert Norton (Presidential appointee), Danilea Werner, Robert Cochran (Presidential appointee), Laura Kloberg (Senate admin support).

Special Guests:   Susan McCallister Dir, Campus Safety & Compliance, and Floyd Johnson, Dir, Emergency Mangement • Campus Safety and Security.  Gerry Dozier, AI@AU initiative (i.e. Artificial Intelligence at Auburn University).  Mitchell Brown, Chair of the Senate Faculty Handbook Review Committee. Leslie Cordie (chair) and Ralph Kingston, Senate Retention Committee.

Steering Minutes:

3:30: The Chair called the meeting to order at 3:30 pm

3:33: Discussion/approval of Steering Minutes from March 7, 2023.
Minutes approved

3:35: Vini Nathan, Interim Provost, Announcements from Provost Office
Dr. Nathan shared information about the recent three Dean Searchers and gave a recent update from the February SASCOC visit.

3:40: Special Guests:

• Floyd Johnson/Susan Update on Campus Safety and Security.

Floyd Johnson provided a presentation about campus safety by sharing a powerpoint of the overview of safety on campus. In his presentation he discussed three main areas, Prevention, Protection, and Preparedness. He reviewed Auburn Safety and Security by reminding the committee that Auburn police  are present on campus and that there is a university Auburn police precinct located on campus. He furthered discussed carrying a concealed weapon on campus. He discussed that while there is a new law in reference to carrying a concealed weapon there will be no major opinion that campus security will continue to reinforce the law when necessary.

• Gerry Dozier, Update on AI@AU.

Doizer presented a PowerPoint presentation on the AI @ AU Initiative. He gave an overview of the AI initiative by sharing that AI@ AU has goals of conducting transformative multidisciplinary research to address society’s critical issues. He shared the importance of the Initiative for Auburn University. He introduced several committees made up of AU faculty that will be working on the AU Initiative. Those committees are Research, AI Computational Infrastructure, Inclusive Excellence & AI Ethics, and AI Education. Dozier

4:00: Senate Committee Business

• Ralph Kingston and Leslie Cordie shared information on the expansion of membership for Retention Committee. The information shared was based on three added positions in order to support revision and the restructuring of the committee. It was noted that there needs to be one person from Academic Affairs, one person from Student Affairs - Director of Strategic Assessment, and one person from the Office of Inclusion and Diversity. This would allow for re – energizing the committee.
• Mitchell Brown chair of the Faculty Handbook shared proposed changes to the handbook. This included discussion on three concerns. Concern 1 – Retention Committee, Concern 2 – Clarification on the confusion about the distinction between guidelines and  policy 3-  clarification of the misunderstanding of language on the provost website about  in reference to schools and colleges.
• Update on the vote for the three open Rules Committee Seats.  As of now, there are four candidates for the three seats. Tony Moss declined the nomination. During the vote each senator selects 3 (of the 4) candidates. Candidates with over 50% are deemed elected. If fewer than 3 candidates make 50% on the first round, then another round of voting with ALL the candidates not yet elected listed.  Senators get to select 1 or 2 candidates (depending on how many slots remain to be filled.)

5:01: Steering discussed the approval of Senate Agenda for 3/14/2023

5:08: Unfinished or New Business? None

The meeting was adjourned at 5:10 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
L. Octavia Tripp, Senate Secretary