Minutes for November 7, 2016

The Faculty Senate of Eastern Kentucky University met on Monday, November 7, 2016 in the South Ballroom in the Keen Johnson Building. Senator O'Brien called the third meeting of the academic year to order at approximately 3:30 p.m.

The following members were absent:

^* Indicates prior notification of absence to the Faculty Senate Secretary
^ ALT Molly McKinney attended for P. Bryden
^ ALT Pei Gao attended for D. Cunningham
^ ALT Joe Carucci attended for Z. Marshall
^ ALT Bob Brubaker attended for J. Palmer
^ ALT Karen Hood Hopkins attended for B. Polin
^ ALT Brad Marcum attended for K. Smith
^ ALT Anne Gossage attended for C. Zhang

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Senator O’Brien reminded the senators that:

• Motions coming before the senate should be provided in written form to the chair.
• Motions listed in the online polling documents are written in summation form only. The official verbiage for motions is included in the minutes of record.

Senator O’Brien will be sharing the following information at the beginning of each meeting:

Voting in Faculty Senate will follow Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised 11th Edition that states the basic requirement for approval of an action or motion is a majority vote.

A majority vote is defined as more than half of the votes cast by persons entitled to vote, excluding blanks or abstentions, at a regular meeting. So, if you choose to abstain from a motion, you will not be counted into the tally. If you choose not to vote, you are not counted in the tally.

The Faculty Senate complies with Kentucky Open Meeting and Open Record laws through use of an electronic voting system. Senators vote through their smart phones or clickers.

Individual votes on motions will be recorded in the minutes by Senator name. So those will be accessible by your name. If you are using clickers, there will be a list of the clickers checked out which is the important part of knowing who has what number so it can then be traced back.

Meetings of the Faculty Senate are open to the public. Only members are eligible to speak before the Senate unless called upon by the Chair. Under all times when a member stands up to be recognized, they are to speak to the chair, not to other members of the Senate or the audience. Persons other than Senators wanting to address the Faculty Senate must make a request to the Chair prior to the meeting. 

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:

The October 3, 2016 minutes were presented for review but approval was deferred to the December 5th meeting to allow time to address the issues noted below.

• Senator Day asked for a point of order on the “Resolution on Non-Confidence Vote for Faculty Regent” on page 5 of the October 3rd minutes stating that based on Roberts Rules of Order for parliamentary procedures and State law KRS 164.350 (2) and the EKU Faculty Handbook which specifies the duties for the Faculty Regent, the chair must declare the resolution to be out of order, null and void and that all mention of the resolution should be removed from the October 3rd minutes.
  
  Senator O’Brien supported the point of order and ruled that the resolution on non-confidence vote for Faculty Regent was out of order and all mention of the resolution should be removed from the October 3rd minutes.
  Senator Givens moved to appeal the chair’s decision, seconded by Senator Irvin. Senator O’Brien noted that if the motion to appeal carries, the resolution on non-confidence vote for Faculty Regent will remain in the minutes as presented. Motion to appeal carried. (YES = 41 vote NO = 19 votes ABSTAIN = 1 vote) (See Also: Individual Votes)
  Senator Day asked that a note be appended to the October minutes stating that in November the motion was declared null and void because it conflicts with state law.
  Senator Hartch stated that the Senate should hear from legal authority if state law was violated. Senator Givens asked if a written review by legal counsel could be presented to Senate BEFORE a note is appended to the minutes as was requested by Senator Day.

• Senator Liddell requested that Senator Eser’s statement on page 4 of the minutes be changed
  FROM “Senator Eser moved to postpone action on the motion until the full report on the budget cut recommendations is available for review”
  TO “Senator Eser moved was to table discussion and action until such time as Faculty Senate received a full report about proposed cuts on the non-academic side of the university from the Staff and Student Services Budget Review Sub-Committee”.

• Senator O’Brien stated that based on a review of the Senate rules, Robert’s Rules of Order, and discussion with the Counsel of the University, the motion on the no-confidence vote DID pass the Senate with a vote of 30 to 18. Abstentions should not be counted in the voting totals. So the October minutes will be changed to reflect that correction.

REPORT FROM THE PRESIDENT:  Senator Benson

Several of us from EKU spent the better part of Wednesday at a Performance Based Funding work group meeting in Frankfort. There are still many uncertainties relative to the final product and how it will impact every public institution in Kentucky. One thing is certain, however, and that is that this new funding model is happening and a new normal is upon us.

The next meeting is November 15th, followed by another on November 28th to finalize our work and submit a report to the Governor’s Office and General Assembly by December 1st. Draft language is already being worked on for inclusion into a proposed bill.

On the fourth Saturday of every October, EKU joins a nationwide celebration of “Make A Difference Day.” Our students and others fan out across the campus and community to perform a variety of community service projects.

But we are all privileged to be part of a learning community where every day of the year is Make A Difference Day. Just in the past few weeks, we’ve seen several examples of that.

• Perhaps you read the recent article in the Lexington Herald-Leader about Colonel football player Justin Adekoya. He’s one of our countless success stories, a social work major who eagerly envisions a life spent helping young people growing up like he did.
• Any talk about life-changing experiences at Eastern must include our Honors program, which again fielded the largest delegation of presenting students at the recent National Collegiate Honors Council.
• On one recent weekend, groups of EKU and Centre College students, assisted by a few community volunteers, joined forces to continue the restoration work at the historic Shelby City African American Cemetery near Danville. For the past three years, Cindy Peck, our Central Region director, has spearheaded this effort, bringing students and community volunteers together to uncover an unappreciated and largely forgotten slice of Kentucky history. In 2014, the project received one of our $10,000 Regional Stewardship Grants.
• Our University Diversity Office is also working hard to make a difference as well. In addition to its new scholarship program, which has a strong mentoring component, the Office is sponsoring a variety of programs aimed at building bridges of understanding.
• Across campus, our adult education programs in Madison, Clay and Garrard counties were recently ranked among Kentucky’s best. 

Leila Salisbury, Director of the University Press of Kentucky, will be on campus on Monday at 4pm in Walnut Hall, Keen Johnson to speak with interested faculty about national trends from the last five or six years.

GUEST SPEAKERS:

Turning Point Technology Training. Jonathan Sikora, Professional Development & Academic Services Coordinator, was in attendance to provide assistance during the electronic voting throughout the meeting.

LMS Evaluation Update. Betina Gardner announced that faculty who were present at the October LMS Review Committee meeting voted to not pilot a system in the spring. The rationale was that it would cause a great disruption in student learning. Instead, a different process will be designed by which faculty can evaluate the systems. Within the next week or so faculty will receive an email invitation to review a course in Blackboard, Canvas and Brightspace. Faculty will then be asked to complete a short survey on their experiences within one of the systems. The sandbox evaluations will remain open until mid-January.

In addition, the committee has designed a series of forums which will give faculty an opportunity to speak with folks from the Instructional Design Center who have had experience with each of the three systems as well as other faculty who have evaluated the systems. Questions about the costs of the systems will also be addressed.

After the committee has received feedback from the sandboxes and from the instructional designers who have worked with the class content, a faculty survey will be distributed to learn about faculty experiences and to see if faculty are in favor of converting to a different system or remaining with Blackboard.

Performance-Based Funding. David McFaddin, Vice President for Government Relations, gave a brief update on performance-based funding.

In addition, he reminded the Senate about the Budget forum scheduled on Wednesday from 3-5pm in the Center for the Arts and encouraged faculty to attend.

Athletics Update. Sheila Pressley, FAR, and Monika Banbel, Interim Bratzke Center Director, were in attendance to provide an update on student athletes on campus.

Monika Banbel shared a video and a PowerPoint on the Bratzke Center which gave an overall view of the academic support provided to student athletes in order to help them succeed in the classroom and beyond.

Dr. Pressley reminded that EKU has a no-contact policy which means coaches should not be contacting faculty members, tutors or advisors or anyone who is involved in educating the student athlete in any way. If anything like that occurs, please contact Dr. Pressley.

If a student athlete needs to take an exam while on the road, the FAR at the visiting institution can monitor the test. Contact Dr. Pressley and she can make those arrangements.

Dr. Pressley plans to apply for a NCAA Choices Grant Award in the spring. If awarded, the grant would allow for campus-wide education on a topic of choice and our topic would be alcohol and substance abuse.

The University of North Carolina in Greensboro has an institute that has developed a series called “My Playbook” which is free to Division I institutions. “My Playbook” has various modules available for use, and the first module is on alcohol and substance abuse. Plans are underway to institute part of that module at EKU this semester.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS:

Report from the Academic Budget Review Sub-Committee (Programs for Suspension).  

The following programs were considered for suspension.

(For reference purposes, see:  CAA agenda from FS_10-03-16 for CAA's vote on each program)

1. Horticulture B.S.
   Senator Vice moved to suspend the Horticulture B.S. program, seconded by Senator Corley. Motion failed. (YES = 7 votes NO = 51 votes ABSTAIN = 2 votes) (See Also: Individual Votes)
2. Horticulture Minor
   Senator Vice moved to suspend the Horticulture minor, seconded by Senator Skubik-Peplaski. Motion failed. (YES = 11 votes NO = 47 votes ABSTAIN = 3 votes) (See Also: Individual Votes)
3. Comparative Humanities B.A.
   (Comparative Humanities was tabled at the October meeting and was not brought off the table for action.)
4. Humanities Minor
   Senator Vice moved to suspend the Humanities minor, seconded by Senator Corley.
   Motion failed. (YES = 15 votes NO = 40 votes ABSTAIN = 5 votes) (See Also: Individual Votes)
5. French B.A.
   Senator Vice moved to suspend the French B.A. program, seconded by Senator Skubik-Peplaski. Motion failed. (YES = 7 votes NO = 49 votes ABSTAIN = 3 votes) (See Also: Individual Votes)
6. French Teaching B.A.
   Senator Vice moved to suspend the French Teaching B.A. program, seconded by Senator Turner. Motion failed. (YES = 12 votes NO = 43 votes ABSTAIN = 4 votes) (See Also: Individual Votes)
7. French Minor
   Senator Vice moved to suspend the French minor, seconded by Senator Slusher.
   Motion failed. (YES = 9 votes NO = 46 votes ABSTAIN = 3 votes) (See Also: Individual Votes)
8. Geography B.A.
   Senator Vice moved to suspend the Geography B.A. program, seconded by Senator Spigelman. Motion failed. (YES = 6 votes NO = 51 votes ABSTAIN = 3 votes) (See Also: Individual Votes)
9. Geography Minor
   Senator Vice moved to suspend the Geography minor, seconded by Senator Eser.
   Motion failed. (YES = 8 votes NO = 49 votes ABSTAIN = 2 votes) (See Also: Individual Votes)
10. Journalism B.A.
    Senator Vice moved to suspend the Journalism B.A. program, seconded by Senator Turner. Motion failed. (YES = 7 votes NO = 51 votes ABSTAIN = 2 votes) (See Also: Individual Votes)
11. Journalism Minor
    Senator Vice moved to suspend the Journalism minor, seconded by Senator Turner.
    Motion failed. (YES = 6 votes NO = 51 votes ABSTAIN = 2 votes) (See Also: Individual Votes)

12. MBA Concentration in Accounting – NOTE: The Department supports the suspension of this program.
13. MBA Concentration in Integrated Communication – NOTE: The Department supports the suspension of this program.
16. Science for Engineering A.A.S. – NOTE: The Department supports the suspension of this program.
    Senator Vice moved to suspend the MBA Concentration in Accounting, MBA Concentration in Integrated Communication and the Science for Engineering AAS, seconded by Senator Slusher. Motion carried. (YES = 51 votes NO = 6 votes ABSTAIN = 1 vote) (See Also: Individual Votes)

14. Religion Minor
    Senator Vice moved to suspend the Religion minor, seconded by Senator Bentley.
    Motion failed. (YES = 11 votes NO = 47 votes ABSTAIN = 2 votes) (See Also: Individual Votes)
15. Applied Ethics Minor (was withdrawn at CAA and from Faculty Senate)

17. Technical Writing Concentration in English B.A.
    Senator Vice moved to suspend the Technical Writing Concentration in English B.A. program, seconded by Senator Ciocca.
    Motion failed. (YES = 10 votes NO = 48 votes ABSTAIN = 2 votes) (See Also: Individual Votes)
18. Theatre Concentration in English B.A.
    Senator Vice moved to suspend the Theatre Concentration in English B.A. program, seconded by Senator Spigelman.
    Motion failed. (YES = 4 votes NO = 54 votes ABSTAIN = 1 vote) (See Also: Individual Votes)
19. Theatre Teaching Concentration in English Teaching B.A.
    Senator Vice moved to suspend the Theatre Teaching Concentration in English Teaching B.A. program, seconded by Senator Turner.
    Motion failed. (YES = 7 votes NO = 51 votes ABSTAIN = 1 vote) (See Also: Individual Votes)
20. Theatre Minor
    Senator Vice moved to suspend the Theatre minor, seconded by Senator Eser.
    Motion failed. (YES = 8 votes NO = 49 votes ABSTAIN = 1 vote) (See Also: Individual Votes)
21. Social Intelligence & Leadership Studies Minor
    Senator Vice moved to suspend the Social Intelligence & Leadership Studies Minor, seconded by Senator Eser. Motion failed. (YES = 16 votes NO = 39 votes ABSTAIN = 4 votes) (See Also: Individual Votes)

During the deliberations noted above, Senator Corley moved to suspend the rules and continue the meeting time beyond 5:30pm, seconded by Senator Bradley. Motion carried. (YES = 46 votes NO = 9 votes ABSTAIN = 4 votes) (See Also: Individual Votes)

NEW BUSINESS:

Recommendations for Closure of Tenure Lines. Senator Vice moved support of the recommendations for closure of tenure lines resulting from potential program suspensions (see below), seconded by Senator Slusher. Motion failed. (YES = 6 votes NO = 50 votes ABSTAIN = 2 votes) (See Also: Individual Votes)

Provost Search Committee Update. Senator Corley stated that the plan is to have a new Provost in place by July 1, 2017.

Myers McRae, an executive search firm, has been hired to help with the search process. The firm has indicated that a successful search can be completed within a six month period. However, a current job description is required to begin the official search process. The existing job description is being rewritten to fit the current market needs and a draft should be available by the end of the November. The draft should be sent to the search committee two weeks prior to their meeting in December. This allows the search committee representatives time to review the job description with their constituents and provide input at the December meeting. Myers McRae would begin official contacts in December or January with scheduled candidate interviews expected to begin in March and April.

Election of Members to Board of Governors (5 vacancies).

The following were nominated for the vacancies:

(A) Scott Hunt *
(B) Ida Slusher *
(C) Rusty Carpenter
(D) Todd Gooch *
(E) Marco Ciocca *
(F) Paula Kopacz *

(Elected members are noted above by an asterisk *)
(A = 45 votes B = 44 votes C = 33 votes D = 45 votes E = 45 votes F = 39 votes) (See Also: Individual Votes) 

Report from Council on Academic Affairs. Vice Provost Robinson presented the following for approval.

New Concentrations

College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences
EKU School of Music

1. B.M. Music - Add two new concentrations: Performance/Piano Pedagogy and performance/Vocal Pedagogy

Program Revisions

College of Justice and Safety
School of Justice Studies

2. B.S. Criminal Justice - Change the list of supporting courses  The current list of supporting courses is too restrictive and doesn't address the academic needs of students.  The proposed list includes a broader range of options and courses that are a better complement to the criminal justice degree.

College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences
Department of Psychology

3. B.S. Psychology - Add PSY 419 as ACCT for Psychology major and remove PSY 401 as ACCT for Psychology.

Senator Hunter moved approval of items 1-3, seconded by Senator Zeigler. Motion carried. (YES = 52 votes NO = 0 votes  ABSTAIN= 1 vote) (See Also: Individual Votes)

GENERAL & STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS

REPORT FROM SENATE CHAIR: Senator O'Brien

The Senate continues to move forward in our attempt to comply with Open Meetings Laws. All committees are posting meetings and have appropriately notified the Senate Secretary of Special Meetings. Thanks to those committees that are complying with the expectation of Bylaws Section VII.E.1.c. Forwarding action items to the Executive Committee greatly assists with agenda management, especially if additional data may be requested for clarity. Comfort with electronic voting procedures grows each month. Please note that senator’s votes will be attached to the official minutes. This will aid in transparency concerns.

I attended the Board of Regents meeting on October 24th, 2016 expressing faculty concerns with the rate of changes in areas impacting faculty lives. The FY16-17 Budget was presented and approved. Positive data was shared about student enrollment and retention. In light of student/faculty/staff safety, all are urged to use crosswalks on campus. An early retirement transition program was approved and faculty have been notified about the process if interested. The Workload Reassigned Time Committee gave a report to the President and the Board of Regents.

On behalf of the Faculty Senate, flowers and a sympathy note were sent to the funeral of Lela W. Benson. (See: Note of Thanks from President Benson)

Work continues with the President’s Office to formalize the University Committee assignments. Some assignments are attached to a select position. Cross checking with bylaws is in process.

Performance-based funding continues to shape resource discussions on campus. The matrices are in a development phase, with graduation rates, retention and special populations all under consideration. Plan to discuss with departmental colleagues how each unit can and will contribute toward academic excellence given the realities of these outcome measures.

REPORT FROM FACULTY REGENT: Senator Day

The Board of Regents met in regular session on Monday, Oct. 24th.

A report was received from Executive VP Laurie Carter on enrollment management data. As has been widely reported, EKU’s freshman retention rate is at an all-time high. Four- and five-year graduation rates continue to trend upward. Overall enrollment remains relatively steady at ~17,000 students. This year’s freshman class was the best-ever academically, and second largest in our history. (Strategic goal #2)

The board was updated on various construction projects. Paul Gannoe reported that all projects were on schedule and on budget. (Strategic Goal #5)

• Expect phase 2 of the New Science Building to be completed around June 2017 (State $).
• New Martin Hall and New Hall B are expected to open in Fall 2017 (P3 $).
• The new Scholar House slated for completion by Summer 2017 (P3 with Kentucky River Foothills).
• A new 320-space parking garage is expected to open in July 2017 (P3 with Kentucky River Foothills).
• The renovation of the student union and a new student recreation and wellness center are both in the planning stage. Gannoe expects construction to begin on the fitness center in Fall 2017 (expected completion Spring 2019). Construction on the student union will commence in Spring 2019 (2020 completion) (Student special usage fee).
• The new dining hall, financed by Aramark, is expected by late 2017/early 2018 (P3 with Aramark).
• The Carloftis Garden is expected to be completed by next summer (same P3 as residence halls).
• Repairs to the Lancaster Avenue pedway should be finished in time for the Spring 2017 semester (insurance $).
• A second pedway, across the Eastern By-Pass near Alumni Coliseum, is now in the design stage (expected Fall 2017).

Development VP Nick Perlick reported that private support for the past fiscal year doubled over the past year to ~$8.9 million, an all-time high for the institution. (Strategic goal #4).

Crowe Horwath LLP reported a “clean” audit of the university, which the Board adopted (Strategic Goal #4).

The Board also approved the campus master plan, and routine personnel actions including promotion and tenure (Strategic goals #1 and 5).

The 2016-17 budget was approved. Dr. O’Brien and I noted the inadequate $2,700 line item for Faculty Senate, which has been greatly supplemented by the Provost in recent years, and recommended that a realistic budget line be created for the Senate that would not be beholden to the will of the next provost to fund.

An Enhanced Retirement Transition Program (ERTP) was introduced. But there is a very quick turnaround time on this opportunity. Faculty who meet the criteria for ERTP must be eligible to retire by no later than July 1, 2017, and confirm their intentions by no later than Monday, Nov. 14. The ERTP allows faculty to continue teaching half time for one or two consecutive years (2017-18 and 2018-19) and provides a salary up to 50 percent of the applicant’s nine-month base salary upon retirement.

As you may recall, we had an unresolved $2.5 million deficit in the current budget year for scholarships. Over the year we accrued ~$4 million in one-time (non-recurring) money. Those funds covered the deficit and allowed the university to implement the ERTP.

On Monday November 7th, the Faculty Senate will be asked once again to consider recommendations of program suspension from the Academic Budget Review Committee. At our last meeting, the Faculty Senate decided to withhold its recommendations.

This move, along with the timeline established in policy governing the Faculty Dismissal Committee, placed the President in the position of formulating his recommendations without the timely advice of the Senate.

In his message to the campus on October 28th, the President reminded us that we cannot afford to take lightly the evaluation of programs based on the number of students we are retaining and graduating. Our fiscal strength going forward depends upon it (Strategic goal #4).

The Board plans to act on the President’s recommendations in a special meeting on December 5th.

PROVOST REPORT: Senator Vice

At the last Board of Regents meeting, Dr. Jill Parrott and Dr. Sherry Robinson informed the Board of the new Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) which will be presented to SACSCOC team when the on-site visit occurs in February.

When President Benson and I met recently with the Academic Quality Committee, we reassured the Committee that EKU unequivocally supports the Liberal Arts. As the issue of Liberal Arts is a national conversation, it is one that the Education Advisory Board is researching to identify ways universities are preparing their Liberal Arts graduates for successful careers.

As members of the EAB Academic Forum, all EKU faculty and staff have open access to the repository of EAB’s academic research by searching https://www.eab.com/. Use your EKU email address to register at https://www.eab.com/members/register. We have authorization to use any of the data in-house.

Last week Dr. Tanlee Wasson and I met with the Faculty Senate Academic Quality Committee regarding our roll-out of eXplorance Blue as the new tool for student evaluations of faculty. Some of the reasons for moving to eXplorance Blue include the following: (a) our contract with IDEA was ending, (b) IDEA is moving to a totally online system with an exponentially higher price tag, (c) faculty using eXplorance Blue for e-Campus courses were positive about the experience, (d) results from 108 EKU faculty members who piloted eXplorance Blue in Spring 2016 were generally quite positive, (e) faculty get results within a week or so after the semester ends, and f) we are not limited to the number of sections evaluated.

The pilot review in Spring 2016 included 2,387 students in 287 courses taught by 108 faculty members across 20 departments. Feedback from pilot faculty was largely positive. Full details about the pilot implementation and faculty feedback are available on the IR website http://ir.eku.edu/explorance-blue.

The deadline to apply for the Enhanced Retirement Transition Program is Monday, November 14. Eligible faculty can apply to be considered for the new Enhanced Retirement Transition Program (ERTP), a one-time amendment to the Retirement Transition Program, Policy 4.6.9. Tenured faculty who meet the criteria to participate must be eligible to retire by no later than July 1, 2017. ERTP requests will be approved only when they are in the best interest of the University and have the approval of the Department Chair, the Dean, and the Provost. Requests will be considered in conjunction with the overall goals of the strategic budget reduction and our ability to offer high-quality programs.

As Dr. O’Brien reported, the Faculty Committee on Dismissal, the Deans, and I met on October 19 to discuss “what if” scenarios in the event of program closures.

The amended timeline for the FCD Workgroup and Program Review has been incorporated into the Important Dates in this report. Next steps for the FCD are outlined by Policy 4.6.16.

Please mark the following upcoming dates on your calendars:

REPORT FROM STUDENT GOVERNMENT: Collin Potter

• SGA will be hosting a workshop with the office of Equity and Inclusion focusing on Ethics on Thursday, November 10 beginning at 6:00 pm
• SGA has been working with EKU students and staff to decide which items will be placed in the time capsules for “New” Martin Hall and New Hall B. This committee has met twice and will be making final selections on Friday, November 11
• Sebastian Torres and Collin Potter have been representing EKU to the Kentucky Board of Student Body Presidents
  • The BSBP has set the Rally for Higher Education on February 13, 2017 – Those who are interested in getting involved can contact Collin Potter at collin.potter@eku.edu
• SGA will begin selling the three EKU posters – Pride, History, and Tradition – Money from theses sells will go to a scholarship fund established by SGA
• SGA has funded the safety app, LiveSafe, for this year and promoted the app at several campus events

Student Senate Report

• Student Senate is currently looking for students to fill senator-at-large vacancies. Students interested in applying for the appointment process can pick an application up in the SGA office (Powell 132)
• On Tuesday, October 25 Student Senate hosted the annual Safety Walk
• The Information Technology funding process has begun – Those with questions can contact Ted Herr at Theodore_herr1@mymail.eku.edu

Student Activities Council Report

• Colonel Corn Roast had over 350 students in attendance
• Campus movie nights have had an average attendance of 50 students
• India and Japan have been featured by the SAC Cultural Dinners with over 100 students in attendance at each event
• November 10 – Co-hosting Open Mic Night in Powell Underground at 7:30pm
• November 18 – Movie night in O’Donnell Auditorium at 8:00pm featuring Suicide Squad
• December 6, 7, & 8 – Cocoa and Candy Canes on Powell Corner (Naked Man Side) from 11am-2pm
• December 8 – Midnight Breakfast in the Powell Building – Bob Evans is catering
• There will be a survey for students during the week of November 14-18 to help decide what act to bring to EKU for the spring concert

Student Court Report

• Student Court is seeking EKU students to fill open Justice Positions. Those interested can pick an application up in the SGA Office (Powell 132)

STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS:

Academic Quality Committee. Senator Howell encouraged the senators to urge their colleagues to start thinking about how to use eXplorance Blue in annual faculty evaluations now rather than waiting until next year when P&T folders are due. It is a more complicated process than originally thought.

Budget Committee. Senator Fitch presented the resolution on budgeting priorities at the university.

Senator Day moved to amend the resolution with a substitute resolution, seconded by Senator Hunter. After further discussion, Senator Day withdrew the substitute resolution.

Senator Howell moved to amend the original resolution by adding the “whereas” statements from the substitute resolution into the original resolution, seconded by Senator Ciocca. Motion carried. (YES = 51 votes NO = 2 votes ABSTAIN = 2 votes) (See Also: Individual Votes)

Senator Weise moved to revise number 4 under “Be it resolved” on the original motion to end the sentence at “lowest priority for budgets cuts; add the number 3 “be it resolved” from the substitute motion; and change the current number 5 “be it resolved” in the main motion to be the new number 6. Senator E. Liddell seconded the motion. Motion carried. (YES = 50 votes NO = 2 votes ABSTAIN = 2 votes) (See Also: Individual Votes)

The main motion, as twice amended, carried (see below). (YES = 51 votes NO = 3 votes ABSTAIN = 1 vote) (See Also: Individual Votes)

Elections & University Nominations Committee. Senator Mason announced that the Elections Committee met this morning to coordinate the election of the Board of Governors and are still working on edits to the motion to change the procedure for faculty on university standing committees which will be presented at the December meeting.

Information Technology Committee. Senator Baggett reported that the IT Committee has met a couple of times now. He encouraged faculty to take advantage of the different technology trainings available on campus.

Rules Committee. Senator Turner presented two motions for consideration.

Faculty Welfare Committee.  Senator Mullaney reported that the committee met on October 24 to discuss the outsourcing issue. Everything appears to be in good hands and no further action is needed at this time by the Faculty Welfare Committee.

AD HOC COMMITTEES:

Athletics and Academics. Senator Carpenter reported that the committee met on October 24th. The committee has requested that the Athletics Director respond to the Ad Hoc Faculty Senate Committee on Academics and Athletics resolutions points with an academic justification and an interpretation of the data with at least one page due to the committee on or before November 30, 2016. The committee will read the report and events and then meet with the Athletic Director in January to discuss the written response and questions.

Senate Transparency. Senator Givens announced that the committee met immediately after the last Senate meeting to review procedures with the new voting system. Two problems noted were how to count abstentions and how to do senator reporting. A special called meeting has been scheduled for November 4th with the chair and the university counsel to review the issue of abstentions under Roberts Rules of Order.

Ombud Search Committee. Senator Mason reported that the committee met two weeks ago to review the applications. Phone interviews will be held on Friday. At least two or three candidates will be invited to campus for on-campus interviews and a public forum. More information will be shared as details become available.

Senator Mason shared that the total expense for the search process was the $2,300 spent for advertising.

ADJOURNMENT:

Senator Vice moved to adjourn at approximately 7pm.

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