March 2022 minutes

Friday 3/25/22 4pm

AAUP Chapter Meeting (Zoom)

Present: Marc Becker, Laura Bigger, Stephanie Russell, Torbjorn Wandel, Yuna Ferguson, Andy Kauffmann, Jack Davis, Joshua Nudell, Carlo Annelli, Christine Harker, Mateo Tornatore, Kathryn Brammall, Brian Snyder, Jay Belanger, Craig Hennigan, Taner Edis, Erin Joyce

David Robinson joined towards the end

Ch. 6 changes

The PPC is putting forward a resolution proposing desired changes to Ch. 6 as part of their work on full-time non-tenure-track faculty policies at the 4/28 Faculty Senate meeting. This will include the desired changes that AAUP has been working on. Please tell your departments to support these changes.

Information on this aspect of the resolution: https://docs.google.com/document/d/18OFPZ0Ym30lISGVYku3IzL7NoEV9LbUrBI_olu5uwTA/edit?usp=sharing

Parental Leave

The parental leave committee is submitting a proposal to President Thomas, Amy Clendennen, Dave Rector and Melissa Garzanelli next week. They plan to submit a proposal to Faculty Senate for endorsement on 4/28. They plan to present the proposal to BOG at the June meeting. This will likely be as an information item. They hope the proposal will go to a vote at the August BOG meeting.

Provost’s resignation

  • What is the process for picking an interim?
    • The provost will likely just be appointed by the President
  • Could this task be split among deans? Typically this has been done by a dean.
  • Many rumors are floating around about this
  • Questions about reorganization in light of this?
    • The committee’s work is important and it would be nice to know that their work will be utilized and not for nothing.
    • The only agenda that the Provost had that we seem confident about was having fewer chairs.
    • This question should be asked at Faculty Senate
      • Ask: what are the plans for reorganization given they were introduced by the Provost? Jack can ask at the next meeting.
    • How do we feel about the idea of reorganization?
      • Some faculty absolutely do not want a restructuring of the chair system as it is.
      • How big can this committee think?
        • It sounds like the committee was not confined to what they could consider? There are specific goals that use the phrase “administrative structure”

Rumor about changes to emeritus faculty accessing the library and rec center due to insurance liability?

  • We should just ask about this for clarification.
  • There may be other liability issues under review
  • Christine will ask about this.
  • Addition at end of meeting: library access and email use is valuable to emeritus faculty. David has been warned that they are looking at this.

Follow up regarding last month’s meeting?

  • It seems like the Provost’s resignation leaves IDSM, Self and Society, and the Symposium a bit more in the lurch.

Statement of Civil Discourse Committee?

  • This came out of how Faculty Senators are interacting with one another.
  • Dana Vazanna is working on this
  • We haven’t seen/heard anything about this for a while

Faculty mental health and burnout issues

  • Last spring a wellness committee was formed
    • Perhaps they could look at faculty mental health as an overlap to occupational wellness
  • Faculty tend to feel overworked, underappreciated, and burnt out.
  • Administrators don’t seem aware of this sentiment – based on anecdotal conversations
  • Administrators have assistants that help them accomplish their work.
  • Complaint about response time or being deferred to low-paid staff to try to resolve important issues.
  • We will add this to the agenda for April
  • Brian Snyder is on the wellness committee. Would faculty like to be surveyed on their wellness?
    • Yes, not just on the state of their mental health but also what could be improved?
      • The idea would be to use the survey to get working group questions.
  • For students there are a lot of resources that are available but they are unused or unknown.

Election!

AAUP needs to elect three new executive committee members for the 2022-23 academic year. Please consider nominating yourself or someone else!!

Possible issue coming from MO AAUP chapter in regards to salary cuts for faculty.

Next chapter meeting Apr 22, 2022at 4pm via Zoom

Tentative agenda:

  • Updates from PPC – what to expect at Faculty Senate re: resolutions
  • Faculty mental health
  • Keeping up with inflation
    • This is probably a good year to do this because the state has money they are unsure how to distribute