Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes September 20, 2023
University of Louisiana at Lafayette Faculty Senate
Draft Minutes, Wednesday, September 20, 2023, Zoom Meeting
Presiding: Philip Auter, Secretary: Kelly Robinson
I. Call to Order
3:58pm
II. Quorum Call
44, need 25
III. Sumner 2023 Activities
P. Auter provided a summary of Faculty Senate activities and related activities over Summer 2023.
• Report from Faculty Senate Executive Committee to work on full faculty handbook. Goal is a full draft.
• Over the summer, University Council continued to meet. Faculty Senate is receiving University Council minutes regularly.
• State Legislature activity over the summer was also monitored. A number of cultural bills introduced during the supposed ‘fiscal only’ summer session.
• Included the ‘God We Trust’ sign posted in every classes. Waiting on Board of Regents guidance, but the need for this guidance has been conveniently forgotten.
• Not supposed to use TikTok on state WiFi or equipment, but okay on personal devices on cell networks. No one is monitoring though.
• Background check law requires background check on any person hired on external research funds or gifts as of July 1, 2023.
IV. Faculty Senate Membership
P. Auter: The Executive Committee is working on finalizing the membership of the Faculty Senate right now. Not ideal, but Faculty Senate election timing changed last year from Fall to prior year’s Spring and colleges have unevenly adapted to the transition. This shift allows 1-year senators (like adjuncts and instructors) to attend their full term instead of starting in October of their term year. The Executive Committee is expected to finalize the roster in the next week or so. Senate committees will be up and running in the next week or so. If you know Full Professors in your department, then the Senate Constitution allows them to participate if they simply ask to be a member of the Senate. Just ask a member of the Executive Committee.
V. Tenure and Promotion Policy: Final Language
P. Auter: Final language for the Tenure and Promotion policy to be added the Faculty Handbook to be reviewed by the Deans and Faculty Senate hopefully will vote on the final draft by the end-of-the-year.
VI. Matt Green’s Proposal
Term expired last spring. No election in Education in 2 years. Proposed a motion about appointments to dean search committees. Briefly, it requests that more detail is provided for appointments to hiring committees. Motion to go to Senate Ways and Means Committee and then eventually to the Senate as a whole for consideration.
VII. Evaluating whether UL Lafayette will shift to Canvas
VIII. University Committees
Clai Rice will evaluate which university committees can be sun-setted.
IX. Quorum check
42 Senators present. Quorum met.
X. Agenda approved unanimously
XI. Approval of April 19, 2023 Faculty Senate meeting minutes
31 favor, 0 nay, 1 abstain
XII. Approval of May 5, 2023 Faculty Senate meeting minutes
32 favor, 0 nay, 1 abstain
XIII. Leah to report out Faculty Senate Committee Reports
• Committee on Committees
• Ways and Means
• Academic Planning and Development
• Government Concerns
• Faculty Advisory Council
• Ad Hoc
o Status of women and underrepresented persons
▪ Met August 23; collecting data on R1 universities
▪ Plan to report to the Senate Jan/Feb 2024 meeting
o Tenure and Promotion
▪ Campus planning
▪ Diversity
▪ Strategic Program Review Committee
XIV. New Business
a) Motion to pass a resolution that:
Let it be resolved:
1. The Faculty Senate endorses the priorities set forth in the 2023-2028 Strategic Plan
2. The Faculty Senate’s position is that faculty should be active participants in achieving the academic, research, and faculty-personnel goals in the Strategic Plan
3. The Faculty Senate will provide faculty representatives for relevant university efforts through our existing democratic process and committee-selection procedures.
Rationale is that there will be faculty voices in the room regarding the strategic plan. Present to Dianne Olivier and Jaime Hebert to ensure faculty representation at high-level discussions. The goal is not to limit the role of the Senate members; rather, to be vehicle to solicit perspectives from faculty including non-senators.
Senator Dinu recommends to change the word ‘participants’ in Item 2 to because faculty are already doing all the things.
b) Faculty Senate moved to a committee of the whole; PA seconds’. 37 in favor, 0 no, 2 absentia
[meeting minutes paused while senate is in a committee of the whole]
c) Faculty Senate moved to exit committee of the whole
d) Motion carried for the Faculty Senate to accept the revised resolution for the faculty senate statement about the strategic plan
REVISED: Let it be resolved:
1. The Faculty Senate endorses the priorities set forth in the 2023-2028 Strategic Plan
2. The Faculty Senate’s position is that faculty should be active partners in achieving the academic, research, and faculty-personnel goals in the Strategic Plan
3. The Faculty Senate will provide faculty representatives for relevant university efforts through our existing democratic process and committee-selection procedures.
e) Motion to adopts this Faculty Senate meeting schedule is carried
i. FALL Sept -- 9/20/23 Oct -- 10/18/23 Nov -- 11/15/23 Dec (if urgent) -- 12/6/23
ii. SPRING Jan -- 1/17/24 Feb -- 2/21/24 [2/14 Mardi Gras] March -- 3/13/24 April -- 4/17/24 May (if needed) -- 5/1/24
XV. Announcements
a) Emphasis on the need for participation of full professors in the faculty senate
XVI. Adjournment
4:59
Submitted by Kelly Robinson
October 16, 2023