RUTGERS UNIVERSITY SENATE

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

MEETING AGENDA

Friday, September 4, 2026, 12:00 p.m. via Zoom

https://rutgers.zoom.us/j/94211933496?pwd=skvoyAl9j3tYpauYxubVHDLGpGFu21.1

Chair’s Report– Anna Haley, Senate Chair

Secretary’s Report– Taryn Cooper, Senate Executive Secretary

• Approval of Agenda
• Approval of the June 6, 2025 Senate Executive Committee Minutes
• Approval of the August 12, 2026, Emergency Senate Executive Committee Minutes
• Policy updates:
  • 60.1.33 Title IX Policy Resolution Procedures – Updated
  • 100.2.11 Prescribing Controlled Substances (Opioids) – Updated
• Communications
  • New Senator Orientation: Fri. Sept. 11 from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
  • Robert’s Rules Training: Fri. Sept. 11 from 12:00 – 2:00 p.m.
  • Chancellors Commencement Committee Volunteers Announcement
  • Senate Social Media Subcommittee Volunteers Announcement
  • Ad Hoc Committee on Cross-Campus Equity in Student, Faculty, and Staff Experiences, Support, and Recognition Volunteers Announcement

President’s Administrative Session (12:15 – 12:35 p.m.)  – William F. Tate, IV, President

Executive Committee Function Overview and Caucus Meeting Representatives (12:35 – 12:50 p.m.)

New Senate Agenda Structure (12:50 – 1:00 p.m.)

Appointment of University Senate Parliamentarian (1:00 – 1:10 p.m.)

Quorum Button Test (1:10 – 1:20 p.m.)

Senate Social Planning (1:20 – 1:30 p.m.)

Senate Internal Budget Committee Establishment (1:30 – 1:40 p.m.)

SAS-Camden Dean’s Evaluation Committee Volunteers (1:40 – 1:45 p.m.)

Rutgers Health Reporting Structure Letter Follow Up – Original Letter, Memo, Response from Chancellor Johnson (1:45 – 1:55 p.m.) – Senator Wendy Purcell

Standing Committees/Panels

Committee Report and Recommendations (1:55 – 1:55 p.m.)

None.

Proposed Charge (1:55 – 2:05 p.m.)

Standardizing Library Operating Hours and Closing Times – Senator Tesia Yachimovicz

Charge: Investigate the feasibility of implementing uniform, 2:00 AM closing hours across all University libraries (New Brunswick, Newark, and Camden campuses). Assess the current closing times at each campus and the impact of each library closing at different hours on student wellbeing.

Rationale: Many students have expressed concern about the differing opening and closing hours of libraries at Rutgers University. When unexpected library closing times force students to leave before they finish their work or relocate to less ideal study environments, their academic progress is disrupted. This is especially relevant for students who can only study at later hours due to working during the day, schedule conflicts, childcare responsibilities, and other competing obligations. A comprehensive assessment will help identify what adjustments may be needed to better support our students.

Proposed Charge (2:05 – 2:15 p.m.)

Recommend Best Practices Policy on Faculty Compensation for Study Abroad Instruction – Newark Faculty Council Chair – Brian Murphy

Charge: Rutgers University faculty who lead and teach study abroad programs are responsible for planning programs, teaching them in-country, and having students in their care while abroad. These are all significant time investments outside the expected scope of work and often outside the academic calendar, but Rutgers does not compensate faculty who teach these programs nor do they count toward annual teaching obligations – they are effectively volunteer work. We ask the Senate to compare practices of similar peer universities and recommend a uniform policy.

Rationale: It is unsustainable and unjust for Rutgers to depend on faculty donations of time and effort to sustain study abroad programming, and the university is well outside the norms of peer institutions in doing so. Without it “counting” toward teaching or being paid, the university’s international offerings suffer and faculty are exploited.

Proposed Charge (2:15 – 2:25 p.m.)

Request for Senate Resolution against DHS Rule RIN 1653-AA95 (Eliminating PhD Transfer and Duration of Status) – Non-Senator, Fred Huangfu

Charge: I am writing to urgently request that the University Senate take immediate action to oppose the Department of Homeland Security’s pending rule eliminating Duration of Status (RIN 1653-AA95). This rule is a direct threat to the continuity of Rutgers’ research enterprise, the academic freedom of its graduate scholars, and the institution’s ability to attract top global talent. I am asking the Senate to pass an emergency resolution condemning this rule and to formally advise the University President and the administration to aggressively lobby against its implementation. Specifically, this proposed rule harms the university and its researchers in two critical ways: 1. The Danger of Fixed-Time Visas in Academia Replacing Duration of Status (D/S) with strict 2- or 4-year visa limits reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of academic research. Scientific timelines are inherently fluid; experiments fail, peer-review processes delay publication, and lab funding fluctuates. Forcing international researchers to repeatedly apply to USCIS for extensions—with no guarantee of approval and amidst notorious administrative backlogs—will paralyze lab productivity. Researchers who are making standard academic progress will be forced to halt their work while awaiting bureaucratic approval just to remain in the country. 2. The Harm of Restricting Graduate Mobility and Transfers Furthermore, the rule proposes severe restrictions on a graduate student’s ability to transfer or change programs. In research Ph.D. programs, academic mobility is a necessity, not a red flag. Graduate scholars may need to change programs due to an advisor’s departure, a shift in research direction, a breakdown in an advising relationship, or later admission to a doctoral environment better suited to their specific academic trajectory. Imposing a categorical restriction on graduate-level transfers traps students in their initial programs. It deeply harms bona fide students seeking the best academic fit and drastically skews the institutional power dynamic, leaving international researchers vulnerable to abusive lab environments.

Rationale: International scholars are already rigorously monitored through the SEVIS system. Imposing arbitrary time limits and transfer bans does not increase compliance; it only damages the U.S. research infrastructure. Because speaking out individually on the federal register carries inherent visa retaliation risks for international scholars, we need the collective, institutional voice of the University Senate. Will the Senate draft a formal resolution opposing RIN 1653-AA95 and demand that the Rutgers administration use its full lobbying power to protect its international researchers, preserve PhD transfer and Duration of Status?

Old Business

New Business

University Senate September 18 Agenda (2:25 – 2:35 p.m.)

• Forum with the President – William F. Tate, IV – President

Adjournment