Senate Steering Meeting
Minutes
April 11, 2023
3:30 p.m.
Via Zoom

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: Mitchell Brown, Chair of the Senate Faculty Handbook Review Committee. Ash Curtiss, NTTF Committee Chair.

3:30 pm: Chair Carpenter call the meeting to order and welcome everyone. He introduced and welcomed the new members to the 2023-2024 Leadership executive committee (Lori Eckhardt, Chair-Elect, and Jaena Alabi, Secretary-Elect).
3:35: Discussion/approval of Steering Minutes from March 7, 2023.
Senate Business:

      1. Mark Carpenter/Lisa Kensler, public access to Senate committee reports. It was discussed that the last five years committee reports will be placed on canvas and senators will have access to the reports.  Discussion was made about the legal aspect having the open reports available. After much discussion it was decided that some reports will be submitted to the canvas space and there will be further discussion about where to house them later reviewing any legal issues.
      2. Mark Carpenter/Lisa Kensler, Administration Policy on Policies, PolicyonPolicies.pdf (auburn.edu)  Mark discussed policy on policy suggestions that Mitchell Brown had presented previously of which 3 main concerns. After much discussion, new suggestions were given that would support the senate being more involved:  1.) feedback loop before a policy get published, 2.) a member of the Senate executive should be part of the policy committee and 3.) sufficient notice of the policy change should go before the senate to have time to review before the policy change.
      3. Ash Curtiss, NTTF Committee Chair and Senior Lecturer in Chemistry/Biochemistry. Ash gave a detailed committee report on Non-Tenure Track faculty. The report was received Ash made a suggestion of the lecturer be given a third promotion and or a creation of a teaching step 3.
      4. Mitchell Brown and/or Norman Godwin, changes to the Faculty Handbook. Norman Godwin spoke concerning handbook changes to be considered. After much discussion on concern 2 the chair asked should executive/steering send changes back to policy committee.  A vote was made by the committee, and it was decided to send concern 2 back to the policy committee. Concerns 1 and 2 did not have concerns and they will stay as originally submitted.
      5. Octavia Tripp, Rules Committee Chair, Senate Committees Nominations. The secretary presented information on names of faculty who have agreed to ether continue to stay on various committee and those volunteers that have been reviewed. All names that volunteered and agree to continue for another term were approved by Rules. It was discussed that we were still needing volunteers and at the next Rules committee Rules will continue to work on the list. Therefore, at the next Senate meeting senators will look at the approve list and vote for the nominated individuals.
      6. Discussion, edit, and approval of Senate Agenda for 4/18/2023 was accepted.
      7. Unfinished or New Business?

Lisa Kensler made a comment about having a parliamentarian for 2023-2024 school year.  This statement would be considered an announcement and it was agreed that the announcement would come under information.
5:35 pm: Meeting adjourned with no objections.