RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY
UNIVERSITY SENATE

MINUTES: Regular Meeting of the University Senate

DATE: April 26, 2024

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

MEMBERS PRESENT: Allen, C. Anderson, K. Anderson, Andrews, Apel, Ardeshna, Askew, Aubry, Axelsson, Bhavaraju, Bhuyan, Boikess, Boison, Borie-Holtz, Borisovets, Boucher, Boxer, Bridgeman, Cahill, Caponegro, Carpenter, Chang, Clarke, Collick, Conway, Cooper, Cuitiño, Dai, Dane, Davis, Dinnall, Dock, Easley , Eastman, Ebert, Edelstein, Esposito, Everett, Fang, Fatahzadeh, Fedorko, Figueira, Foster, Fulton, Gahlawat, Giraud, Godoy, Gong, Gower, Graham, Granadeiro, G. Guo, Z. Guo, Gursoy, Haley, Haviland, Hennessy, Hewitt, Javanmard, Kaplan, Keates, Kettle, Khan, Kiss, Knievel, Kustka, LaMorte, Ladell, Lee, Lutz, Maeng Brown, Markowitz, Matise, Mbadugha, Morales, Morton, Murphy, Nucci, O’Connor, O’Halloran, Oberle, Olivera, Orelus, Osorio-Fernandez, Özel, Parsa, S. Patel, K. Patel, Pichugin, Pierce, Pintar, Prihoda, Purcell, Quincy, Rabinowitz, Ramachandran, Rodriguez, Rossman-Murphy, Roth, Salas-de la Cruz, Saltzman, Santos Mendoza, Sayde, Schroth, Schwartz, Searcy, Sergel, Serrano, Shinbrot, Siederer, Simonds, Sloan-Power, Smart, Smith, Sonnenberg, Suh, Szatrowski, Thompson, Torres, Volino, White, Wirtenberg, Wolfe

MEMBERS EXCUSED: Ayorinde, Barbarello Andrews, Chama, Everts, Giberson, Kahng, Levine, Truschke

MEMBERS ABSENT: Abdelfattah, Abusah, Adamo, Adya, Ameri, Amjad, Anderson Eloy, Ariwoola, Bachmann, Barone, Blanchett, Bond, Campbell, Cantor, Charles, Chiricolo, Choron, Ciolek, Cundiff, Desir, Di Bella, DiGiovanni, Diaz-Tena, Ditching, Eaton, Edwards, Feldman, Flynn, Fortson, Fox, Geary, Giermanski, Glenn, Griffin, Habeb, Halkitis, Hisham Hamawy, Henderson, Hernandez, Holloway, Ibrahim, Inman, Johnson, Joseph, Kahanda, Kamen, Kaye, Kelly, Kolben, Lamorgese, Lawson, Lee, Lehman, Lei, Leibman, Lemish, Levin, Lildhar, Manzini, Marchetta, Matta, Mattis, Mayers, Mazurek, McCarthy, McKeever, Meshoyrer, Moghe, Murtha, Nickitas, Paiste, Papakonstantinou, P. Patel, Perez, Robson, Samaan, Sarath, Savage, Schnetzer, Scott, Shafik, M. Shapiro, S. Shapiro, Shaw, Shobut, Spiegel, Strom, Takhistov, Tewfik, Tillis, Tirino, Vito, Wade, Wagner, Weiss, White, Whitehead, Winters, Yang, Yusuf, Zhang, Zhou

CALL TO ORDER, DETERMINATION OF A QUORUM, AND CHAIR’S REPORT – Adrienne Simonds, Chair

Chair Simonds called the meeting to order at 1:11 p.m.

SECRETARY’S REPORT – Vicki Hewitt, Executive Secretary

• Agenda: The meeting agenda was approved, with the addition of one item of New Business and after reordering.
• Minutes: The minutes of the March 22, 2024 Senate meeting were approved as distributed by the Executive Secretary.
• Communications
  • 2024-2025 Senate Calendar
  • Reminder to log in to the Senate website for attendance and voting access

COMMITTEE REPORTS/RESOLUTIONS: The report will be presented/summarized by the committee chair, then will be discussed, and acted upon by the Senate. Substantive amendments to these reports should be given to the Senate secretary in writing prior to or at the time the amendment is moved.

Information Technology Committee
Katie Anderson and Adrienne Esposito, Co-Chairs
Report on S-2319: Explore Mechanisms, Methods and Processes for Senators to Communicate Senate Work and Information to their Constituents

The committee was charged as follows:

The Senate should explore mechanisms, methods and processes for senators to communicate senate work and information to their constituents.

Senator Anderson presented this report and recommendations to the Senate. The recommendations were adopted.

Ad Hoc Committee on Senate Officer Compensation
Michael Joseph and Suja Patel, Co-Chairs
Report on S-2312: Senate Officer Compensation

The ad hoc committee was charged as follows:

To provide guidelines for appropriate compensation for Senate officers and other Senators whose duties as Senators represent a significant fraction of their university obligations. The resources for such compensation should be provided in a manner that does not create conflicts of interest. Procedures for such compensation already in place at some of our peer aspirant universities may serve as useful models.

Senator Patel presented this report and recommendations to the Senate.

A motion was made to implement the stipend for Lecturer faculty retroactively for three years. The motion was lost.

A motion was made to amend “Senators (not mentioned from 1-2) should receive” to “Senators (not mentioned from 1-2), not including tenure-track faculty, should receive.” The motion was adopted. The amended recommendations were adopted.

Ad Hoc Committee to Propose Changes to the Senate Handbook to Add the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee
Antoinette Farmer and Ronald Quincy, Co-Chairs
Report on S-2328: Propose Changes to the Senate Handbook to Add the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee

The ad hoc committee was charged as follows:

To propose changes to the Senate Handbook to add the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee. The Senate adopted a resolution on Fri. Oct. 20, 2023 to re-instate this standing committee and, to formally complete the process, a Standing Charge for the committee needs to be added to the Senate Handbook.

Senator Quincy presented this report and recommendations to the Senate. The recommendations were adopted.

A motion was made to initiate a roll call vote on this question. The chair ruled that a roll call vote was out of order as there was no uncertainty about the outcome of the vote since it was conducted electronically. A motion to appeal from the ruling of the chair failed for lack of a second.

Budget and Finance Committee
Abdelrahman Ibrahim and Carolyne White, Co-Chairs
Report on S-2320-1: Timing and Process for Recommending Tuition, Fees, Housing Charges, and Dining Charges

The committee was charged as follows:

Review the process and timing whereby recommendations are developed and made for annual changes in tuition, required fees, and room and board, including mechanisms for input from students, parents, and other stakeholders (including tenants with rents affected by Rutgers housing rates) and including the role of shared governance in this process. Make recommendations for any changes in this process to increase transparency and confidence in the process.

Senator Everett presented this report and recommendations to the Senate. A motion was made to amend “Establish a Parent Advisory Committee” to “Establish an Advisory Committee.” The motion was adopted. The amended recommendations were adopted.

OLD BUSINESS

Budget and Finance Committee
Abdelrahman Ibrahim and Carolyne White, Co-Chairs
Report on S-2302: Budgetary Considerations Underlying Potential Merger of the RBHS Subunits Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and New Jersey Medical School into One Medical School

The BFC was charged as follows:

Investigate any relevant financial issues that will emerge if there is a proposed merger of RWJMS and NJMS. Make necessary recommendations to the Senate.

Senator Roth presented this report and recommendations to the Senate. The recommendations were adopted.

Budget and Finance Committee
Abdelrahman Ibrahim and Carolyne White, Co-Chairs
Report on S-2308-1: Conflict of Interest Declarations

The committee was charged as follows:

Investigate and make recommendations on public declarations of conflicts of interest by politically exposed persons at Rutgers, including all members of the BoG and all those involved in significant financial decision-making.

Senator Shinbrot presented this report and recommendations to the Senate. A motion was made to amend the recommendations to the following:

“The Senate urges the President and the Board of Governors to make meaningful changes to address serious concerns about the fairness, openness, and legitimacy of the Board and its decision-making practices. Specifically, we recommend that the BoG commit to transparency and adhere to common conflict of interest standards.

We additionally recommend that the Attorney General and the State Ethics Commission examine these issues and put in place measures to prevent their recurrence in the future.”

The motion was adopted. The amended recommendations were adopted.

Senate Handbook Change – Name of the Nominating Panel

Chair Simonds presented this resolution to the Senate. The resolution was adopted.

Senate Handbook Change – Committee Co-Chair Elections and Eligibility Requirements for Senate Officers

A motion was made to divide the question. The motion passed.

On the question of Committee Co-Chair Elections, a motion was made to refer the matter to the University Structure and Governance Committee with a due date of December 2024. The motion to refer was lost. The main motion was adopted.

On the question of Eligibility Requirements for Senate Officers, a motion to refer the matter to the University Structure and Governance Committee failed for lack of a second. The main motion was adopted.

University Structure and Governance Committee
Perry Dane and Kevin Schroth, Co-Chairs
Report on S-2202-1: Honors College Student Senators (Information Only)

The USGC was charged as follows:

Investigate and recommend how Honors College Students from each campus can best be represented in the Senate. The creation of the Honors Colleges on each campus has created a new unit and community that students live, learn and participate in within the University. Student entitlements to the Senate are based on their academic association and Honors College Students can participate based on those associations if elected via their student governing associations. However, since student Senators are not specifically elected from the Honors College they may not be able to properly represent the needs of the Honors College community.

Senator Dane presented this information-only report to the Senate.

Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee
Lucille Foster and Robert Schwartz, Co-Chairs
Report on S-2324: Investigate Sunsetting of Academic Credit Across Campuses and Review Any Proposed Changes

The ASRAC was charged as follows:

Review how course credits earned at Rutgers can be sundowned across all Rutgers campuses, recognizing many students are unable to complete a desired academic degree in the usual time sequence. Report and explain the rationale for any proposed changes and offer possible recommendations concerning changes to policy of earned credit toward graduation, with consideration of potential complexities with respect to professional/graduate studies that are externally accredited.

Senator Foster presented this report and recommendations to the Senate. The recommendations were adopted.

Ad Hoc Committee on Develop Nomination Procedures for a Senate Representative for the Policy Approval Committee
Lucille Foster and Kerry Hennessy, Co-Chairs
Report on S-2327: Develop Nomination Procedures for a Senate Representative for the Policy Approval Committee

The ad hoc committee was charged as follows:

To develop nomination procedures for a Senate Representative for the Policy Approval Committee for addition to the Senate Handbook. As part of the new policy approval process, the University Senate is entitled to a representative on the University-wide Policy Approval Committee. As the Policy Approval Committee begins meeting in February 2024, the current representatives to the Board of Governors will serve as interim representatives to the Policy Approval Committee in the meantime.

Senator Foster presented this report and recommendations to the Senate. The recommendations were adopted.

NEW BUSINESS

Resolution in Support of Peaceful Protest on College and University Campuses

Whereas freedom of speech is a high value and protected within institutions of higher education, an at Rutgers particularly, as reaffirmed President Jonathan Holloway in his statement, “On Academic Freedom and Freedom of Speech” (https://www.rutgers.edu/president/academic-freedom-free-speech^[1][2]); and 

Whereas U.S. universities and colleges have a long and important history of being sites of intellectual, social, and political debate that have extended, equally importantly, into serving as settings for protest….; and

Whereas non-violent protests are a form of protected free speech,  

Be it resolved that the Rutgers University Senate condemns the use of police and other security forces against peaceful protests that have recently arisen on campuses across the country, and the sanctioning of peaceful protesters by their educational institutions.

Be it further resolved that the Rutgers University Senate implores Rutgers University President Jonathan Holloway to affirm that similarly repressive and harmful tactics will never be used against members of the Rutgers community who engage in peaceful protest.

^[1] “[A]ll members of our community—our faculty members, students, alumni, and staff—are free to express their viewpoints in public forums as private citizens, including viewpoints that the University itself may not share. And we do not restrict the activities of recognized university organizations, including the speakers they invite to campus, as long as these organizations follow University policy and guidelines.”

^[2] “While Rutgers will not defend the content of every opinion expressed by every member of our academic community, or of speakers who we invite to our campus, it will defend their right to speak freely. That freedom is fundamental to our University, our society, and our nation.”

Senator Boxer presented this resolution to the Senate.

ADJOURNMENT

A motion to extend the meeting by 30 minutes was adopted. A motion to extend the meeting by 5 minutes was adopted. A motion to extend the meeting by 10 minutes was lost. The meeting adjourned at 4:38 p.m.

Minutes prepared by:
Vicki Hewitt, Executive Secretary of the University Senate

Committee Meetings

Academic Standards, Regulations & Admissions Committee Meeting

No location or time for this committee meeting

Budget & Finance Committee Meeting

No location or time for this committee meeting

Faculty Affairs & Personnel Committee Meeting

No location or time for this committee meeting

Information Technology Committee Meeting

No location or time for this committee meeting

Instruction, Curricula & Advising Committee Meeting

No location or time for this committee meeting

Research, Graduate & Professional Education Committee Meeting

No location or time for this committee meeting

Student Affairs Committee Meeting

No location or time for this committee meeting

University Structure & Governance Committee

No location or time for this committee meeting