Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes January 20, 2021
University of Louisiana at Lafayette Faculty Senate
Minutes, Wednesday, January 20, 2021, Zoom Meeting
Presiding: Donna Gauthier (DG), Secretary: Clai Rice
1. Call to Order: 4:04pm
2. Quorum Call: 34 and counting
3. Approval of Minutes – not available so postponed
4. Report from Faculty Senate President (DG)
- University Council has met several times since December. [Meeting notes can be found on the FS Moodle page].
- Main concern was students not returning after fall. The two main reasons given were debt and advising. We really need to talk up the importance of advising. It takes time to do it well and we need to look at our structure and think about a better system. If someone thinks their department or college is doing a great job, let us know. D. Reid mentioned he has 50 advisees.
- Budget goals with legislature are to get funding back to pre-COVID levels and getting faculty salaries up to SREB averages.
- There will be a university-wide attempt to standardize policies. Executive Officers of each policy will be assessing them. We will be having more frequent meetings on our handbook policies.
- Paul Thomas, head of HR, is the executive officer for the code of conduct policy we have been concerned about. I will be meeting with him a third time to see if he can state why the policy is needed, what state statutes it addresses for example, and if he can’t, we will ask the policy to be rescinded, going to the President if needed.
5. Reports from Senate Committees
Committee on Committees – JoAnne DeRouen
- No report. They did successfully get a Science rep for Ways and Means. Jimmy Kimble was elected.
Ways and Means – Jimmy Kimble is the new chair
- They met briefly over a new policy on emergency evacuation.
Academic Planning and Development – Kristi Carr
- No report.
Governmental Concerns – Robert Slater
- V. McGehee says the speaker series planning is ongoing.
6. Reports from University Committees
Curriculum Committee – Jaimie Hebert
- No report.
Faculty Grievance Committee – Natalia Sidorovskaia
- DG reports slate of nominees went forward but has met with unexplained delay.
Faculty Benefits and Welfare Committee – Praven Das
- No report.
Library Committee – Blair Stapleton
- No report.
Committee on Academic Affairs and Standards – Donna Wadsworth
- No report.
Student Evaluation of Instruction – Nancy Autin
- Deans and Departments have received Fall and Winter Intercession reports.
- Will meet with McKinney to discuss goals of SEI going forward.
Campus Planning – Thomas Sammons
- No report.
General Education – Pearson Cross
- J. Kimble states they met and were discussing assessment processes.
Distance Learning Leadership Council – Claire Arabie
- Frank Crocco reports new Moodle is being put in place for more pilot courses.
Strategic Program Review Committee – Donna Gauthier
- First meeting is next week.
Reports of Ad-Hoc Committees
Under-Represented Groups
- Dr. Pitre says that committee is still waiting on a charge from the Senate. DG suggests we poll at next meeting if this committee still needs to move forward. M. Greene suggests the committees report from 2014 could be distributed for discussion because many issues in that report still ring true. [Note: that report can now be found in the top section of the FS Moodle page: https://tinyurl.com/yd5gdlb5 --ccr].
Faculty Salaries
- Statistical analysis is ongoing.
7. Old Business
- Update - Code of Conduct and Ethical Behavior policy (see DG’s report above).
- Other.
8. New Business
-
Grading policy for spring 2021. Poll taken—Should we offer emergency grading procedures (not waiting until the end of semester)?
- Graduate School is not using emergency grading.
- What do we tell students applying to professional schools?
- Total class size is down by 300 for spring.
- Dean of Library? No news yet.
- No news about University being involved with vaccine distribution.
9. Announcements
- Next meeting February 23 (after Mardi Gras), 2021