RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY
UNIVERSITY SENATE

MINUTES: Regular Meeting of the University Senate

DATE: October 18, 2019

TIME AND PLACE: 1:10 p.m., Multipurpose Room, College Avenue Student Center, College Avenue Campus

MEMBERS PRESENT: Albert, Alexander-Floyd, Alizadeh, Ardeshna, Avallone, Bachmann, Bekdash, Boikess, Bora, Brewster-Bauzyk, Bridgeman, Britton, Bugel, Chaudhary, Coleman,l Colley, Crews, D’Anna, Dasari, DiLalo, Doumit, Dreyer, Ebert, Everett, Figueira, Fischer, Fox, Gillett, Goonetilleke, Gould, Gower, Graber, Haley, Hara, Hsueh, Hunter, Hunter-Fratzola, Jarrín Montaner, Joergensen, E. Kane, C. Kane, Kashalikar, Kaul, Kettle, Kosar, Kovacs, Kustka, LaPointe, Lamar, Lee, Lutz, Maddox Douglas, Maglione Rico, Mahajan-Cusack, Maloney, Mammis, Marchetta, Markert, Markowitz, Marsic, Masiello, Matto, Mayes, Mena-Segovia, Miranti, Moomjy, Murphy, Nath, Norris, O’Brassill-Kulfan, O’Connor, Oliver, Omotoso, Oukil, Ozel, Pandey, Parsa, Paskhover, Patel, Perez, Pinto-Figueroa, Posluszny, Puar, Rabinowitz, Robbins, Romanko, Saltzman, Sanchez, Sass, Schneider, Schwartz, Schwartz, Sen, Sesti, Shapiro, Shapses, Shinbrot, Shobut, Simonds, Sinacori, Sinnott, Song, Spiegel, Steinberg, Stephenson, Szatrowski, Tan, Tharney, Thompson, Tomasko, Torres, Trees, Van Stine, Vargas, Volino, Wang, Willett, Zheng

EXCUSED:  Agboste, Aubert, Bhuyan, Borisovets, Buyske, Dool, Dowlin, Esposito, Felder, Giraud, Goldfarb, Goodman, GuoK, Gursoy, KayeK, McKeever, Pappas, Pardlo, Pradhan, Ravichandran, Rivera, Roth, Silver, Stoprya, Thuravil, Tracey, Vidal, Walkup, Wang, White, Wirtenberg

ABSENT:  Acosta, Alidou, Altman, Assaf, Atkins, Barbarese, Barchi, Barone, Bator, Beegan, Bembry, Blanchett, Brunson, Cantor, Castaneda, Cohen, Conway, DeFilippis, Eaton, Emmons, Farmbry, Farris, Feldman, Fernandez, Ganesh, Gonzales, Gotur, Haddon, Halkitis, Hartman, Hatefi, Holzemer, Huang, Johnson, Johnson, Kratik, Kukor, Langer, Lei, Lewis, Liu, Lopez, Madsen, Mahon, Mandalapu, Manek, Mansukhani, March, Marchitello, Mazurek, Menifield, Mitra, Molloy, Moore, Murphy, Mutcherson, Nickitas, O’Rourke, Oleske, Padovano, Paul, Ponzio, Porumbescu, C. Potter, J. Potter, Powell, Rajan, Russomagno, Schiavo, Shankar, Sheridan, Sridar, Strom, Struble, Takhistov, Thakuriah, Titus, Tsakalakos, A. Wang

ATTENDANCE SUMMARY: Faculty: Of 117 total: 71 present (61%), 21 excused (18%), 25 absent (21%); Students: Of 49 total: 28 present (57%), 5 excused (10%), 16 absent (33%); Administrators: Of 38 total: 5 present (13%), 1 excused (3%), 32 absent (84%); Staff: Of 18 total: 13 present (72%), 4 excused (22%),  1 absent (6%); Alumni: Of 6 total: 5 present (83%), 1 excused (17%), 0 absent (0%)

CALL TO ORDER, DETERMINATION OF A QUORUM, INTRODUCTION OF COMMITTEE CHAIRS AND CHARGES, AND CHAIR’S REPORT – Jon Oliver, Chair

Senate Chair Jon Oliver called the meeting to order at 1:16 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room of the College Avenue Student Center, College Avenue Campus, New Brunswick. He outlined his goals for the coming year to include showcasing all the great work done by the Senate and its committees. He asked all Senators to communicate with him frequently about the advancements, not only via the Senate, but achievements of Rutgers as a whole.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY – Mary Mickelsen, Executive Secretary

• Agenda: The meeting’s agenda including time limits, was approved by the Senate.
• Minutes: The Minutes of the September 20, 2019 Senate Meeting were approved as distributed by the Executive Secretary.
• Communications: The following communications were presented by the Executive Secretary:
  • The following policy has been updated/added in the University Policy Library:
    • University Policy 40.2.23: Policy Governing Century Bonds

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Research and Graduate & Professional Education Committee to Charge S-1810 on Facilities and Infrastructure – Adam Kustka, RGPEC Chair

The RGPEC was charged as follows: Evaluate the relevant systems, processes, and plans for university research facilities and infrastructure and make recommendations to create a comprehensive, robust, actionable, and sustainable plan that will support infrastructure needed for world-class research at the university.

RGPEC Chair Adam Kustka summarized the work of the committee and the RGPEC’s Response to Charge S-1810 on Facilities and Infrastructure. Kustka then read the related resolutions. After some discussion the vote carried.

ELECTION OF NEWARK STUDENT MEMBER OF THE SENATE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE – The seat for Newark Student Member of the Executive Committee has remained vacant due to lack of candidates. There were two (2) nominees – Valentine Lamar, GS-N (S) and Sarah Shobut, NCAS (S). Senator Shobut was declared the winner.

ELECTION OF GRADUATE STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES – The seat for Graduate Student Representative to the Board of Trustees has remained vacant due to lack of candidates. Valentine Lamar, GS-N (S) was nominated from the floor by Senator Jarrin. Senator Lamar accepted the nomination and was subsequently declared the winner by acclamation.

VICTIMS OF CRIME ACT PRESENTATION – Sarah McMahon, Director of the School of Social Work’s Center on Violence Against Women and Children

Director McMahon gave a presentation on the Victims of Crime Act followed by questions and answers which included the following:

• the element between mental illness and trauma;
• the great work the Camden VPVA office has done with healthy relationships and consent;
• human trafficking; and
• training for students to learn how to alleviate conflict

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT – Barbara Lee, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

Vice President Lee presented an administrative report on the following topics:

• National Academy of Science Award Winners;
• Vivian Stringer, Women’s Basketball Head Coach, is the recipient of the John Wooden Award;
• President’s Carbon Neutrality and Climate Resilience Task Force;
• Course Atlas to begin for the Spring 2020 semester

Lee then answered questions on the above and the following topics:

• disappointment with the implementation of Course Atlas (formally Infosilem); and
• Rutgers commitment to fostering the growth of native bee populations and revisiting the use of pesticides on the grounds

SENATE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE REPORT – Senate Vice Chair Peter Gillett reported on the October 4, 2019 Senate Executive Committee meeting.

REPORTS OF REPRESENTATIVES TO BOARDS OF GOVERNORS AND TRUSTEES: Senators Boris Paskhover and Menahem Spiegel, Faculty Representatives to the Board of Trustees and Ann Albert, Undergraduate Student Representative, reported on the September 25 Board of Trustees meeting. Senator Boris Paskhover presented the report on the Board of Trustees meeting in Senator Rachel Kaye’s absence.

REPORTS OF CAMPUS FACULTY AND STUDENT LIAISONS: Camden Student Senator Michael Van Stine reported on recent plans and activities of Camden student governing associations. Senator Samuel Rabinowitz reported on the Camden Faculty Council Meeting. New Brunswick Student Senator Emily Kane reported on recent plans and activities of New Brunswick student governing associations. Faculty Senator Tugrul Ozel, New Brunswick Faculty Council Chair, reported on the September 27^th New Brunswick Faculty Council meeting. Senator Sarah Shobut reported on the recent activities of the Newark students. Senator Carol Lutz reported the RBHS Faculty Council was meeting concurrently with today’s Senate meeting. There was no faculty representative from Newark nor student representative from RBHS present.

ADJOURNMENT: The meeting adjourned at 3:08 p.m.

Minutes prepared by:

Mary Mickelsen, Executive Secretary of the University Senate

Committee Meetings

Academic Standards, Regulations & Admissions Committee Meeting

CASC Room 413 @ 10:30 am

Budget & Finance Committee Meeting

CASC, Atrium Conference Room @ 10:00 am

Faculty Affairs & Personnel Committee Meeting

CASC Room 411 @ 10:00 am

Instruction, Curricula & Advising Committee Meeting

Alexander Library, University Librarian's Conference Room, 3rd Fl @ 10:00 am

Research, Graduate & Professional Education Committee Meeting

CASC, Room 109 @ 10:00 am

Student Affairs Committee Meeting

CASC, Graduate Student Lounge @ 10:30 am

University Structure & Governance Committee

CASC, Room 115 @ 10:00 am