DRAFT FAEC Minutes 4\/22\/2020<\/b><\/p>\n
Faculty Assembly Executive Council [FAEC] Meeting Minutes<\/b><\/p>\n
Date<\/b>: Wednesday, April\u00a0 22, 2020\u00a0 | <\/span>Location<\/b>: ONLINE\/REMOTE\u00a0 | <\/span>Time<\/b>: 10:30 am to 12:00 pm<\/span><\/p>\n Attendees<\/b>: Tae Kwak, Donna Flynn, Kathy Zeno, Christina Connor, Scott Frees, Roark Atkinson, Naseem Choudhury, Ashwani Vasishth (Interim SSHS Representative), Pinar Kayaalp (<\/span>interim HGS Representative), Lisa Lutter<\/span><\/p>\n Secretary<\/b>: Nakia Matthias<\/span><\/p>\n Guests<\/b>:\u00a0 Stephen Rice, Jacqueline Braun<\/span><\/p>\n I.\u00a0 FAEC Minutes Approved\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n II.\u00a0 ARC Updates<\/b><\/p>\n ARC has nearly completed its processes this semester for proposal review and approval.\u00a0 ARC suggests that a document management system is developed and implemented to facilitate submissions and review should RCNJ continue to work remotely during the fall.. A simple system can be created using Canvas. The college catalog should be published by next Fall.\u00a0 Stephen Rice will take over as ARC Chair.<\/span><\/p>\n GECCo and WAC have separate charges and need to clarify its relationship to FAEC for the future.<\/span><\/p>\n III.\u00a0 Contingency Planning – Remote Fall Semester<\/b><\/p>\n The administration should plan for the event that we deliver courses online for the Fall 2020 semester.\u00a0 In the event that RCNj will resume the Fall semester remotely FAEC suggests the development and implementation of guiding principles at the convening group and unit levels to manage a remote teaching and course delivery process. If we have to extend remote learning into the Fall these online teaching processes should be formalized for consistency.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0Resources that faculty need to continue remote instruction should\u00a0 be identified.\u00a0 There should also be informational clearinghouses devised to facilitate this process and address concerns that faculty may have .<\/span><\/p>\n It is important that convening groups and units inform faculty that they should prepare in the event that they may need to teach remotely in the Fall.\u00a0 The process may need to involve ARC to ensure that syllabi include information that aligns with instructional measures implemented for remote learning and teaching.<\/span><\/p>\n It is important for faculty to revise syllabi to address obligations to students including office hours, methods of course delivery, grading etc.<\/span><\/p>\n The administration cannot structure the course but can inform faculty of the methods of delivery and the interface for instruction.\u00a0 For remote course delivery faculty are not obligated to use college approved LMS.\u00a0 For Summer classes, faculty must use Canvas.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The faculty can develop proposals for remote instruction rather than react to proposals that the administration puts forth to ensure that there is some clarity on how we will proceed in the fall.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n IV.\u00a0 Reappointment and Promotions<\/b><\/p>\n At present, binders are on hold and decisions are on hold for promotion and reappointment.\u00a0 Reappointment and promotion decisions are on pause until September.\u00a0 There is concern about the lack of an online document management\u00a0 system\u00a0 for reappointment applications.\u00a0 A system should be developed to ensure that these processes can be implemented remotely.<\/span><\/p>\n V. RCNJ Library<\/b><\/p>\n The library is currently working with consortiums and vendors to facilitate free services for books and other resources but cannot be sure that companies will extend free services through December.\u00a0 The library is using trial versions for some services but may not be able to do this through the summer.\u00a0 The library is operating with an extremely limited budget and librarians will make decisions that support the curriculum holistically and equitably distribute resources between Units. \u00a0 The library is operating on reduced funds from this year\u2019s budget unit at least September 30.\u00a0 FAEC is\u00a0 concerned about the fundraising for the library and the possibility that it could be idle. Communication from Library Unit liaisons will be distributed to each unit to provide more information about resources going forward.<\/span><\/p>\n VI. State of RCNJ\u2019s Finances\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n There is currently a hiring freeze but it is unknown as to whether there is also a promotion freeze.\u00a0 There are concerns about job loss on campus. \u00a0 There is also concern about\u00a0 how the College will manage financial losses due to potential reduced enrollments and a drop in fees that The College usually depends on as part of student attendance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n RCNJ may\u00a0 be bound by Sodexo contracts although students are not on campus and foodservice operations are abnormal due to the COVID19 emergency.\u00a0 Filling classes may be an issue and if RCNJ transitions to online instruction in the Fall\u00a0 there will be a loss in parking and dorm fees. There is the possibility that monetary gifts to the college may be rescinded as donors renege on their pledged contributions.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n FAEC would like to know when the debt will be retired for the dorms.\u00a0 It would also be helpful for the administration to provide projections or an exact accounting of figures indicating RCNJ\u2019s losses over the summer and otherwise.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The Provost\u00a0 is waiting for other units in the college to determine which areas must be scaled back before considering reductions to academic affairs. \u00a0 In the provosts purview, Academic Affairs should be a last resort for cuts. Adjunct instructors may be reduced in an effort to manage losses going forward.\u00a0 Currently 300+ adjuncts are teaching approximately 100 sections over the course of the year.<\/span><\/p>\n VII. Stipends<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Stipend in general will be on hold over the summer due to budget shortfalls.\u00a0 Any negotiation of stipends with the Provost must involve AFT as per\u00a0 the local contract.\u00a0 Course releases and stipends are very inconsistent.\u00a0 It is an extraordinary measure to cut salaries across the board but reducing the number of stipends granted will be a reasonable way for the administration to scale back.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n There needs to be a consistent and universal process for how faculty are being asked to relinquish or forego stipends.\u00a0 The criteria by which faculty are being asked to give up stipends needs to be documented.\u00a0 Some faculty have been asked to provide services without a stipend, while some have not.\u00a0 Furthermore, there is irregularity in the distribution of\u00a0 summer stipends.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n VIII. FA Transitioning and FA Bylaws\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n On July 1, 2020 Tae Kwak will step down as FA President and Naseem Choudhury will resume this position.\u00a0 However the FA bylaws indicate that the official start date is\u00a0 September 1.\u00a0 The FA\u00a0 bylaws must\u00a0 be revised to reflect the July 1st start date.\u00a0 Naseem and Tae have worked together to ensure that the transition is seamless.\u00a0 Some FA procedures have been inconsistent and out of sync with FA bylaws. Naseem will revisit the FA bylaws to ensure that codification and modification is implemented to support transparency within FA processes and structures.\u00a0 The FA bylaws may have to change or eliminate the over and under 11 year requirement for some positions.<\/span><\/p>\n Meeting Adjourned 12 pm<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" DRAFT FAEC Minutes 4\/22\/2020 Faculty Assembly Executive Council [FAEC] Meeting Minutes Date: Wednesday, April\u00a0 22, 2020\u00a0 | Location: ONLINE\/REMOTE\u00a0 | Time: 10:30 am to 12:00 pm Attendees: Tae Kwak, Donna Flynn, Kathy Zeno, Christina Connor, Scott Frees, Roark Atkinson, Naseem Choudhury, Ashwani Vasishth (Interim SSHS Representative), Pinar Kayaalp (interim HGS Representative), Lisa Lutter Secretary: Nakia […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1128,1093,876],"tags":[517,518,1094,1095],"class_list":["post-4437","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fa-rcnj-minutes-2020","category-faec-meeting-minutes-2020","category-ramapo-faec","tag-faec","tag-faec-minutes","tag-faec-minutes-2020","tag-faec-minutes-rcnj"],"yoast_head":"\n
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