RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY
UNIVERSITY SENATE

MINUTES: Regular Meeting of the University Senate

DATE: January 22, 2021

TIME AND PLACE: 1:10 p.m., Remote via Zoom

MEMBERS PRESENT:  Ahmed, Albert, Alexander-Floyd, Alizadeh, Allamand, Ameri, Aubert, Avallone, Bachmann, Baldi, Barbarese, Bekdash, Bhatt, Bhattacharya, Bhuyan, Boikess, Boison, Borisovets, Bridgeman, Brienza-Arcilla, Britton, Buyske, Castaneda, Cavanagh, Chefitz, Chen, Chiu, Choo, Cole, Coleman, Cooper, Crews, Dane, Davidson, Ding, Dool, Drazer, Ebert, English, Esposito, Everett, Farmer, Fellenz, Fernandez Arroyo, Figueira, Foster, Garcia, Garner, Gillett, Giraud, Gohel, Gomes, Goonetilleke, Gould, Gower, Granadeiro, Guo, Gursoy, Haley, Hara, Hatefi, Henderson, Holloway, Huang, Hunter, Hunter-Fratzola, Ibrahim, Immidisetti, Jarrín Montaner, Joergensen, Kane, Kaplun, Kettle, Kiss, Kosar, Kothari, Kovacs, Kustka, Lamar, Lawson, Linardopoulos, Lutz, Lyles, Maglione Rico, Mahajan-Cusack, Mansukhani, Marchetta, Markert, Markowitz, Marsic, Matto, Mayes, Mazurek, McKeever, Mena-Segovia, Mendicino, Menifield, Mickelsen, Miller, Miranti, Moghe, Molloy, Morton, Murphy, O’Connor, Oberle, Oliver, Ozel, Parsa, Patel, Pedro-Santiago, Pichugin, Pinto-Figueroa, Piotrowski, Ponzio, Rabinowitz, Ribau, Rivera, Rizvi, Roth, Ryan, Sacks, Sahota, Saltzman, Schroth, Schwartz, Schwartz, Shapiro, Shapses, Shinbrot, Siederer, Simonds, Sinacori, Smith, Song, Spiegel, Stephens, Stephenson, Struble, Szatrowski, Takhistov, Thompson, Todorinova, Tommasi, Trees, Valverde, Van Stine, Vargas, Vellangany, Ventura-Martinez, Virani, Volino, M, Wang, X, Wang, Ward, Warde, Willett, Winters, Wirtenberg, Yamaoka

EXCUSED: Bogden, Fox, Hurd, Maddox Douglas, Sagarra, White

ABSENT: Adya, Anderson Eloy, Arman, Atkins, Ayad, Barone, Bator, Beegan, Blanchett, Cabrera, Cantor, Chadalvada, Chintalapudi, Cifelli, Cohen, Dasari, Dreyer, Eafrati, Eaton, Fadahunsi, Farley, Farris, Feldman, Flynn, Halkitis, Hodes, Holdom, Hsueh, Johnson, Kashalikar, Kaye, Kukor, Lei, Liu, Lopez, Madson, Mahon, Maloney, March, Marchitello, Marsh, Moore, Mutcherson, Nath, Nelson, Nickitas, Paskhover, Potter, Potter, Rajan, Sesti, Shankar, Shobut, Silver, Stern, Strom, Tan, Thakuriah, Veysey, Vidal, Walkup, Wayne, Williams

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 1:10 p.m. remotely via Zoom. He welcomed all to the first meeting of the 2021 spring semester and wished all health and wellness in the New Year. He thanked all senators for their continued participation and cooperation as we learned to function as a remote Senate and expressed his hope for a return to in-person by next semester. He announced an Ad Hoc Committee on Senate Attendance was announced and a call for volunteers has been distributed. He asked that any volunteers, especially those from Newark and Camden, email the Executive Secretary. Oliver reported that Rutgers President Jonathan Holloway will be providing the Administrative Report and SVP for Strategy Brian Ballentine and RCM Committee Chairs Ashwani Monga and Romayne Rotti will be delivering an update on that committee’s work. He thanked SVP for Human Resources & Organizational Effectiveness Vivian Fernandez for joining the Staff Caucus as well as David Kimball, SVP for Research for joining the Research and Graduate & Professional Education Committee. Oliver also wanted thank the Senate and the Administration for continuing to find ways to work together to make Rutgers an even better institution for the future.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY – Mary Mickelsen, Executive Secretary

• Agenda: The meeting’s agenda including time limits, was approved by the Senate.
• Minutes: The November 20, 2020 Senate minutes were approved as distributed by the Executive Secretary.
• Communications:
  • Mickelsen reported that the following polices have been updated/added in the University Policy Library:
    • University Policy 10.2.11: Code of Student Conduct
    • University Policy 40.2.13: Donor Gift Policy
    • University Policy 50.4.1: Lobbying and Advocacy Policy
    • University Policy 60.1.33: Title IX Policy and Grievance Procedures Section 1557 (PDF)

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Faculty and Personnel Affairs Committee Response to Charge S-1905: Teaching Loads – Farid Alizadeh and Joseph Markert, Co-Chairs

The FPAC was charged as follows: Consider Rutgers Strategic Plan, our aspirations as a research university and the demands of our teaching commitment; investigate norms for teaching loads at Rutgers and make recommendations regarding how such norms are implemented and followed in practice.

The FPAC Co-Chairs summarized the work of the committee and the FPAC’s Response to Charge S-1905: Teaching Loads. After some discussion on the committee’s recommendations, the Senate approved the report with no amendments.

Budget and Finance Committee’s Response to Charge S-2001: Re-Evaluation of Student Fee Consolidation – Menahem Spiegel, BFC Chair

The BFC was charged as follows: Re-evaluate the consolidation of student fees which occurred before/around the time of TUE and done in accordance with recommendations of the University Senate and its Budget & Finance Committee and the corresponding administrative task force; provide recommendations if needed.

BFC Chair Spiegel summarized the work of the committee and reviewed the recommendations of the BFC’s response to Charge S-2001: Re-Evaluation of Student Fee Consolidation. The report was approved with no amendments.

Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee (ASRAC) Response to Charge A-2021: Re-Examination of the Add-Drop Period During the COVID-19 Crisis and Beyond

The ASRAC was charged as follows: Consider if and how the Add-Drop period should be adjusted for Spring 2021 assuming that the University will once again offering most instruction remotely. Also, evaluate the standard structure of the Add-Drop period and assess whether the changes instituted by the Senate several years ago, having the Add period extend one day beyond the drop period, have had the desired effects.

ASRAC Chair Robert Schwartz summarized the work of the committee and reviewed the committee’s recommendations. A few amendments were proposed and subsequently approved. The recommendations were amended and approved as follows.

Original recommendation by ASRAC:

Be it resolved that the Rutgers University Senate recommends that:

1. 1. The Add period will be ten (10) calendar days, one more than previously recommended by ASRAC and agreed by the Administration, with the period to Drop extended to ten calendar days, allowing students to drop a course if they so choose. On an eleventh day, which we term a “switch day”, a student can only add a course if that student is also dropping a course and vice versa.
   2. Institute an appeals process that extends three subsequent weeks after the designated Add-Drop period. During this time frame, students have the right to appeal to the appropriate dean or academic advisor to have a course dropped without receiving the designation of withdrawn or W into the student transcript.
   3. The above procedures should be implemented for the Spring 2021 and subsequent semesters.

Approved recommendations by the Senate:

Be it resolved that the Rutgers University Senate recommends that:

1. 1. The Add period will be fourteen (14) calendar days, with the period to Drop extended to fourteen calendar days, allowing students to drop a course if they so choose. On the fifteenth day, which we term a “switch day”, a student can only add a course if that student is also dropping a course and vice versa.
   2. Institute an appeals process that extends three subsequent weeks after the designated Add-Drop period. During this time frame, students have the right to appeal to the appropriate dean or academic advisor to have a course dropped without receiving the designation of withdrawn or W into the student transcript.

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT – Jonathan Holloway, President of the University

President Jonathan Holloway provided the Administrative Report consisting of the following topics:

• Thanked everyone for their well wishes after his struggles with Covid-19;
• Standing practice to send out monthly updates from the President as well as from each campus’ respective Chancellors/Provosts on returning to campus Fall 2021 and the vital role vaccines play in that transition, with an ambition all students will have an opportunity for face-to-face instruction in some format;
• Rutgers has applied for authorization to become a distribution site for Covid-19 vaccines;
• Encouraged everyone to register to receive the vaccine;
• Pass/No Credit option for undergraduate students is underway;
• Opened dorms for undergraduate students – 9% in the Fall 2020 and Spring 2020 is now at 20%;
  • students who are housed in resident halls are tested weekly
• Conversations regarding spring semester commencement have started and will announce decisions in early-February
• Searches for the Camden Chancellor as well as SVP for Research are underway;
• RCM review is being managed by SVP for Strategy Brian Ballentine – this is not an indication of removing RCM as Rutgers’ budget model;
• University’s Patent Policy is being updated by SVP David Kimball

President Holloway then answered questions on the following topics:

• Covid-19 vaccine, testing, and contact tracing program;
• Institutional bias (SAT/ACT admission requirements, using student evaluation of teaching while making employment decisions and pay equity);

RESPONSIBILITY CENTERED MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE REPORT – Brian Ballentine, SVP for Strategy, Ashwani Monga and Romayne Rotti, RCM Committee Co-Chairs

SENATE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE REPORT – Senate Vice Chair Peter Gillett reported on the January 8, 2021 Senate Executive Committee meeting.

REPORTS OF REPRESENTATIVES TO BOARDS OF GOVERNORS AND TRUSTEES: No Reports

REPORTS OF CAMPUS FACULTY AND STUDENT LIAISONS: Camden Faculty Senator Samuel Rabinowitz and Camden Student Senator Michael Van Stine reported on their respective campus activities/meetings. Newark Student Senator Harrison Chiu reported on the student issues on the Newark Campus specifically the Emergency Relief Fund. New Brunswick Faculty Senator Tugrul Ozel, New Brunswick Faculty Council Chair, reported on the events of the NB faculty. Senator Laura Willett reported on the RBHS Faculty Council’s current initiatives.

ADJOURNMENT: The meeting adjourned at 4:42 p.m.

Minutes prepared by:

Mary Mickelsen, Executive Secretary of the University Senate

 

Committee Meetings

Academic Standards, Regulations & Admissions Committee Meeting

Zoom @ 10:30 am

Budget & Finance Committee Meeting

Zoom @ 10:00 am

Faculty Affairs & Personnel Committee Meeting

Zoom @ 10:30 am

Information Technology Committee Meeting

Zoom @ 10:00 am

Instruction, Curricula & Advising Committee Meeting

Zoom @ 10:00 am

Research, Graduate & Professional Education Committee Meeting

Zoom @ 10:00 am

Student Affairs Committee Meeting

Zoom @ 10:00 am

University Structure & Governance Committee

Zoom @ 10:00 am