Minutes for November 6, 2017

The Faculty Senate of Eastern Kentucky University met on Monday, November 6, 2017 in the South Ballroom in the Keen Johnson Building. Senator Winslow 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 Julie Lasslo attended for P. Bryden
^ ALT Kellie Ellis attended for J. Christensen
^ ALT Michael Bradley attended for B. Clark

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:

Senator Slusher moved approval of the October 2, 2017 minutes as written, seconded by Senator Turner. Motion carried. (YES =  49 votes | NO = 1 vote | ABSTAIN = 2 votes) (See Also: Individual Votes)

REPORT FROM THE PRESIDENT:  Senator Benson

At the time of writing this report, I am preparing to attend a CPE Board meeting in Elizabethtown at which the budget will be presented. Without going into specifics about numbers, I can tell you that we have finally reached consensus among Kentucky’s public universities as to what our priorities are for the upcoming session: pension relief, capital resources and asset preservation, performance funding, and workforce development and job creation.

As it relates to the pension issue, the comprehensive institutions are specifically requesting budgetary relief from the inevitable increases which will be passed along to each campus in the coming months.

The full legislative draft of Governor Bevin and legislative leadership’s public pension reform bill was released to the public late Friday evening. All members of the House and Senate, along with the public, now have the legislation to review. (See Pension Reform Draft (505 Pages) ; Section by Section ; and Side by Side Comparison) One key component still remaining is an actuarial and financial analysis of how the system will be paid for in the years to come, as well as a financial analysis of how the proposal will affect employee retirements. Much of the public discussion since the framework was released has been around the proposal’s impact on K-12 and specifically teachers, both those currently in the system and new hires. There will also be significant impacts to our university communities and other state agencies. We have reached out and continue to have good dialogue with both the executive branch and legislative leadership concerning the impact of the bill on our institution.

The Governor and legislative leadership continue to state that a special legislative session will take place “soon,” but a date has not been set publicly. They continue to be committed to holding a special session prior to the January 2, 2018, regular session to address only the public pension crisis. The minimum number of days needed to pass legislation through both chambers is five. There will be no emergency clause in the final bill, meaning that any changes to the pension plans will be in effect on July 1, 2018, the first date of the next fiscal biennium.

A special called meeting of the Public Pension Oversight Board (PPOB) is scheduled for Thursday at 1:00 pm (ET) in Capitol Annex Room 154, where the Governor’s Budget Director is expected to review the major provisions of the bill.

I can promise you that we will work tirelessly on behalf of higher education generally and Eastern Kentucky University specifically during this session. David McFaddin is the convener of the legislative representatives for all public institutions, and I am the convener of the presidents, so EKU is very well represented as we help push our agenda forward. We anticipate having our elected officials visit campus in the next few weeks for an open forum; more details will be forthcoming.

Campus Updates:

• Dr. Faridah Awang, an award-winning professor in our School of Business, is the very first Malaysian-American to earn a full professorship in her academic field in the U.S. Her incredible rise from childhood poverty to the pinnacle of her profession is chronicled in Dr. Awang’s autobiography, which is being made into a movie.
• Dr. Tom Appleton was recently honored on the floor of the U.S. Senate. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called Dr. Tom Appleton, who is retiring at the end of this academic year, “one of Kentucky’s premier historians” and said he had “made a lasting impact on the next generation with his teaching.” We’re eagerly awaiting Dr. Appleton’s next work, a biography of legendary Kentuckian Albert B. “Happy” Chandler.
• On Saturday, November 11 there will be a Veterans Day ceremony at Memorial Plaza that will also include the unveiling of a Fallen Soldier Cross sculpture dedicated to all those who lost their lives because of their service, but not while serving. The previous day, Friday, November 10, the University community will participate in the National Roll Call, during which approximately 7,000 names will be read to honor those service members lost in recent military conflicts. I am proud to serve an institution that boasts such a proud legacy of military service.
• Eastern is home to a thriving community of more and more Latino students and we are one of the few universities outside the coasts or the American southwest with two Latino Regents. Lewis Diaz and Juan Castro were both on campus recently to share their strategies for success with students, and Regent Castro was back a few days later as we dedicated the Bobby Verdugo Bilingual Peer Mentoring and Tutoring Center in McCreary Hall. The revered Chicano civil rights activist was on campus for the occasion and will return next year to deliver our keynote address for Latino Heritage Month.
• One faculty member instrumental in the establishment of the center, Dr. Socorro Zaragoza, was one of 19 faculty members from across Kentucky to graduate last week from the very first cohort of the Council on Postsecondary Education’s Academic Leadership Development Institute.
• Congratulations to five EKU faculty members among 41 statewide who recently completed the fourth annual Bluegrass Academic Leadership Academy. The EKU Fellows are Ida Kumoji-Ankrah, chair, Department of Art and Design; Karen Maloley, chair, Department of Curriculum and Instruction; Dawn L. Rothe, chair, Department of Criminal Justice and Police Studies; Michael Walach, associate professor, Department of Applied Engineering and Technology; and Kelly Watson, associate professor, Department of Geosciences.
• Next month we anticipate a positive vote to reaffirm EKU’s accreditation at the annual SACSCOC meeting in Dallas, Texas.

GUEST SPEAKERS:

Ombud Minute. Ombud Joan Beck stated that during the 94 working days she has been on campus, she has received 41 cases which averages about 3.8 days each to resolution. The common theme in most cases has been bullying.

What is workplace bullying?

Definition from the Workplace Bullying Institute’s website:
Workplace bullying is repeated, health-harming mistreatment of one or more persons by one or more perpetrators. It is abusive conduct that is:

• Threatening, humiliating, or intimidating, or
• Work interference which prevents work from getting done, or
• Verbal abuse

How can workplace bullying be avoided?

• Carefully examine your own conduct
• If you see a colleague being bullied, interrupt the conduct and redirect the attention
• Invite the Ombud to a department meeting for a facilitated conversation to explore better ways to work 
  together.

Early Textbook Adoption. Tim Gognat, Manager of the Bookstore, gave a brief report on the benefits of early textbook adoption for students. Earlier textbook submissions mean greater savings to our students. The due dates for textbook submissions are October 15 for spring and March 15 for summer and fall.

The platform used for submitting book orders is Faculty Enlight. This site also provides a lot of helpful information for faculty.

The on campus bookstore price matches the local competitor as well as B&N.com and Amazon.com. Please include the following language on syllabi so that students are aware that price matching is an option.

The B&N @ EKU Bookstore will Price Match rentals or purchases from Amazon.com, B&N.com & our local competitor, The Campus Bookstore. Visit the Bookstore in Keen Johnson Building or the website shopeku.com for details.)

In answer to Senator Turner’s question on the 10% employee discount, Mr. Gognat stated that B&N recently renegotiated a 15-year contract with Eastern which includes the 10% discount for general merchandise items but does not include it for textbooks. While not confirmed, it may be possible to reissue the discount for textbooks if the textbook submission rate is increased by 10-30%.

Community Service at EKU. Dylan Bogard, Coordinator for Community Service and the Colonel’s Cupboard in the Student Life and First Year Experience Office, gave a brief update on community service opportunities available at Eastern.

In addition, he reported that the Colonel’s Cupboard has provided food boxes for about 50 students so far this semester. In the spring they plan to expand their services to include clothing and toiletry items. The Colonel’s Cupboard is located on the second floor in Commonwealth Hall. Visit the website to learn more.

Parking and Projected Fees. Bryan Makinen gave a brief update on the projected parking fees, pending Board of Regents approval.

• Parking fees will increase to $140 a year for faculty, staff and students. The new fee will go into effect for employees beginning January 1, 2018 and for students in fall 2018.
• Employees and students with an EKU or veteran license plate will still receive the $60 discount and would pay $80
• There will be a park and ride lot option available for $100 per year. Anyone with an EKU or veteran license plate who participates in the Park and Ride program will receive the plate discount and will only pay $40 per year.
• Silver service tags are available for an additional departmental charge of $140 per year.
• Reserved spaces for contractors will be charged $400 per space per year.
• A pilot program will be offered this year for 20 reserved spaces on campus for $400 a space. (11 spaces in front of Whitlock and 9 spaces in the Jones Lot)

Even with the increase in fees, EKU is the second cheapest university in the state relative to fee charging for parking.

It should be noted that since last semester:

• Over 1600 additional parking spaces have been added to the overall infrastructure on campus.
• An additional 325 spaces will be added with the completion of the parking garage. 
• Freshman parking has been moved to the periphery of campus.
• A parking task force has been created to address real-time concerns about population and to allow quick response to issues
• A comprehensive communication plan has been implemented to educate our different populations about all of the changes.
• For the first time ever, parking was enforced on the first day of classes and violators were towed.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS:

Policy 4.7.12 – Faculty/Staff Academic Travel with Students. Senator Turner moved approval of Policy 4.7.12, seconded by Senator Gershtenson. Motion carried. (YES = 46 votes | NO = 2 votes | ABSTAIN = 4 votes) (See Also: Individual Votes)

Policy 4.7.4 – Faculty Grievances. Senator Mason moved approval of Policy 4.7.12, seconded by Senator Turner. Motion carried. (YES = 45 votes | NO = 2 votes | ABSTAIN = 4 votes) (See Also: Individual Votes)

Provost Search Update. Senator Winslow reminded folks to visit the website often for updates.

NEW BUSINESS:

Volunteer Sought for University Committee. Senator Winslow asked for a volunteer to serve as faculty representative on the University Parking Advisory Committee. Senator George volunteered to serve.

Motion on Administrative Vote Clarification. The motion comes forward from the Rules Committee and does not require a second.

Senator Ciocca moved to remove section “2C” from the motion, seconded by Senator Mason. (For clarification: this amendment would remove “2C” from the motion only; the language for “2C” remains in the Faculty Handbook.) The amendment passed. (YES = 42 votes | NO = 2 votes | ABSTAIN = 7 votes) (See Also: Individual Votes)

Senator Slusher moved to postpone discussion until the December Senate meeting, seconded by Senator Polin. Motion failed. (YES = 11 votes | NO = 32 votes | ABSTAIN = 7 votes) (See Also: Individual Votes)

The main motion, as amended, carried. (YES = 41 votes | NO = 3 votes | ABSTAIN = 7 votes) (See Also: Individual Votes)

Policy 4.3.8 – Posthumous Degrees. Senator Winslow introduced the policy for a first read. The policy will be on the December agenda for action.

Policy 4.2.10 – College Level Examination Program. Senator Winslow introduced the policy recommendation as a first read and announced that it would be on the December agenda for action.

Policy 4.7.11 – Faculty Responsibility for English Composition. Senator Winslow introduced the policy recommendation as a first read and announced that it would be on the December agenda for action. 

Report from Council on Academic Affairs. Vice Provost Sherry Robinson presented the following materials.

Program Revision
Academic Affairs
General Studies

1. Veterans Studies Concentration in the Associate of Arts in General Studies
   Revise the Associate of Arts in General Studies Veterans Studies concentration to Match the Veterans Studies certificate and minor. This revision will assist in Streamlining the curriculum for all of the Veterans Studies programs currently Offered.

Information Only

2. Winter Term Enrollment Language
   Add language to the catalog and winter term website to clarify the maximum number of credit hours allowed for Winter Term. Students are limited to attempting an absolute maximum academic load of 4 credit hours in a single winter term session.

Senator Ciocca moved approval of item 1, seconded by Senator Turner. Motion carried. (YES = 46 votes | NO = 1 vote | ABSTAIN = 2 votes) (See Also: Individual Votes)

Item 2 was presented for information only.

GENERAL & STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS

REPORT FROM SENATE CHAIR: Senator Winslow

Diane Vance brought a question about intellectual property to the Executive Committee. The policy passed by the Senate last year seems to not cover “traditional educational materials” that faculty create for courses, thus leaving some ambiguity about the ownership of those materials. In addition, Dr. Vance brought up the point that Chairs and other supervisors can access materials on Blackboard without faculty permission, or even notification. The Executive Committee charged the Rights and Responsibilities Committee to work with Vice Provost Robinson, University Council, and other relevant offices to clarify the IP policy as it pertains to traditional course materials. The Committee’s report is due to the Senate by the end of the fall semester.

I previously reported to the Senate that the Executive Committee would seek to hire an outside firm to assist in the evaluation of President Benson. Because we have not heard from Board Chair Turner about his willingness to pay for that outside firm nor any recommendations for appropriate firms, and because we need sufficient time to complete a report that complies with policy, we are now planning to complete the evaluation in-house. We have already contacted Institutional Effectiveness and are reviewing the questionnaire from the previous evaluation. At this point the plan is to send the survey out to faculty in January or February.

The Executive Committee has scheduled two additional meetings to work on the evaluation of the president. The meetings will be on Wednesday at 3:30 and Monday of next week at 4:30 in the Faculty Center. These are open meetings.

The Board of Regents meets from 8:30 - 3:00 on November 15 in Model Lab School. As important as all Board meetings are, this one may be even more important given the current and future State budget situation. Please try to attend the open sessions of the meeting, if schedules permits.

Please be aware that there are Blackboard Working Discovery Sessions scheduled on Monday, November 13.

REPORT FROM COSFL: Senator Kopacz

COSFL met on October 12, 2017, at the CPE office in Frankfort. EKU was represented by Nancy McKenney, who is the Vice-President of COSFL, and these notes summarize her Minutes.

COSFL members discussed again the possibility of meeting with the governor, the legislature, or both. They want to counter legislators’ idea that employers want a “work-ready” person. COSFL plans to offer evidence that employers today want employees with “broad knowledge in the liberal arts and sciences.” Members are developing a series of short, informative papers on key issues in higher education.

No date has been set for the next meeting, but it is expected to be in December.

PROVOST REPORT: Senator Whitehouse

Senator Whitehouse shared the following highlights:

• Kentucky All “A” Classic
  The Kentucky All “A” Classic will take place Wednesday, January 24 through Sunday, January 28, and is expected to attract more than 30,000 visitors to the area.
  
  As we plan for the influx of visitors, faculty are encouraged to consider alternate methods of course delivery for Richmond campus classes during the All “A” Classic and, especially, on Thursday, January 25.

• College Strategies for Recruitment, Retention, and Growth
  Last week, the President’s Council reviewed an Academic Affairs’ Enrollment Growth Plan drafted in concert with the college deans, which includes outreach opportunities like the All “A” Classic. In planning growth strategies, the deans have identified their unique opportunities and challenges for growth, retention, and program quality, such as space and faculty shortages. Once the full Plan is finalized, it will be shared with the Board of Regents then with the EKU community.

• Adult Degree Completion and Credit for Prior Learning
  The Academic Affairs’ Enrollment Growth Plan aligns with state priorities and builds on current initiatives at the institution, including degree completion for adult learners. Recently, (See CPE news release at bottom of page 1 on pdf file).
  
  Academic Affairs has formed a work group that will review credit for prior learning to better attract, serve, and graduate adult learners. This work group will identify opportunities and mechanisms for implementing and assessing credit for prior learning. We hope to have a redesigned pilot program in place by March 1, 2018.

• Summer School Enrollment
  Another academic initiative is to increase Summer School enrollment. Dr. Rusty Carpenter has agreed to serve as Summer School Coordinator for this effort.

Please mark the following upcoming dates on your calendars:

• January 24-28, 2018 – Kentucky All “A” Classic (Faculty may want to consider alternate methods of course delivery where possible for Richmond campus classes.)
• February 1, 2018 – Application deadline for Annual Faculty Awards (http://studio.eku.edu/annual-faculty-awards)
• February 8, 2018 – Posters-at-the-Capitol

STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION: Laura Jackson

Ms. Jackson shared the following highlights:

• This year’s Rally for Higher Education is scheduled for Tuesday, February 6, 2018.
• The deadline to apply for IT funding has been extended until this Thursday. Registered student organizations as well as departments can apply. Packets are available in the SGA office in Powell 132. The funds will be allocated on November 14.
• T-shirt swap. Students can bring in a t-shirt from any other university and swap it out for an EKU t-shirt. The shirts that are swapped will be donated to charity.
• The campus safety walk was held recently and the issues identified were shared with public safety.
• Fan Jams have been well attended this year. This is a great opportunity for students to get involved in campus, come together, communicate with each other, and rally behind student athletes.

STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS:

Budget Committee. Senator Ciocca reported that the committee met on Friday, October 27.

As part of the charge to the committee, we performed an analysis of EKU salaries as compared with the salaries at a list of our official benchmarks.

EKU faculty at the rank of professors earned 90.6% of the similarly ranked faculty at the Benchmark institutions. A similar comparison for associate professor showed them earning 92.6% and, at the assistant professor rank, 98.6%. The data were obtained from the Chronicle of Higher Education. (See chart)

Also stemming from the charges given to the committee, an analysis of the expenditure of the Athletic departments and programs was performed and the results were discussed. The data can be found at the budgeting website.

In the years between 2008 and 2016, the Maintenance and Organization operating budget (M&O) of all Athletics Departments and Programs was found to be, on average, approximately 9% of the University budget for this category, with an upward trend (it was 8.5% in 2008, and reached 11.09% in 2016).

The M&O budget includes expenses for scholarships (salary and benefits were not included). Further, the operating budget was compared with the actual expenditures (Operating budget is determined at the beginning of the fiscal year, the actual expenditures are determined at the end). It was found that the University as a whole underspends its operating M&O budget by approximately 3% (on average from 2008 to 2015. No firm conclusion as the why of this occurrence was reached, as there was an open discussion on how the Revenue shown in the Operating budget is used by Athletics.) The discussion will continue.

The Athletic Department and programs M&O is approximately 10% of the whole University M&O. The number of students identified as Athletes is approximately 320. (See charts on Athletics).

Elections & University Nominations Committee. Senator Mason stated that the committee met on October 23 to refine their internal procedures.

The next meeting is on November 20 to prepare for the university standing committee elections which will be disseminated in late February or early March.

Rights and Responsibilities Committee. Senator Quan stated that the committee met on October 24 and are working on several charges.

The committee received an additional charge from the Executive Committee last Friday to work with relevant offices on campus to clarify the university’s stance on intellectual property as it pertains to traditional course materials.

The next meeting is on November 14 in Library 208.

Rules Committee. Senator Kay stated that the committee met on October 9. They are currently working on the faculty-at-large petition wording which should be completed soon.

The committee is also making inquiries to find out whether the merit pay guidelines still need to be included in the faculty handbook.

Senator Kay reminded the committee chairs that internal procedures are due to the Rules Committee today.

Faculty Welfare Committee. Senator Bentley reported that the committee has been working on several issues and charges:

• Why doesn’t part time pay begin with the first pay period of the semester?
  We contacted Sarah Pitt, HR Director, and learned that everything is on hold until the drop/add period is over before determining part time employment.
• Increase in summer pay
  The committee acknowledged that pay increases were announced last spring for this past summer and due to the budget climate we are not going to further explore this topic.
• Why are textbooks no longer included in the employee 10% discount at the bookstore?
  This was answered earlier in the meeting today.
• Several faculty have inquired if there is a penalty to faculty for not participating in KTRS.
  The committee spoke with Sarah Pitt and she stated that the employee does not pay a penalty for choosing an optional retirement plan. However, the University is required by the state to pay the state 5.1% for all optional retirement plan selections.
• Tuition waiver for dependents and merit scholarships
  The committee spoke with Bryan Erslan, Director of Student Financial Assistance. He quoted the tuition waiver form policy which states multiple scholarships may not be awarded to dependents who qualify for more than one tuition assistance program including EKU sponsored scholarships, state mandated tuition waivers, and EKU staff scholarship. Dependents that have been awarded an EKU-sponsored scholarship may choose the highest award.
• Parking Fees
  This was addressed earlier in today’s meeting.
• Follow-up on IPEP, our internal pay equity program.
  The committee received information from Provost Whitehouse and Barry Poynter. IPEP Phases I and II have been fully completed. However phase III remains on hold due to lack of funding.

AD HOC COMMITTEES:

Ombud Framework. Senator Zeigler reported that the Ombud Framework charter will be introduced for information at the December Senate meeting.

ADJOURNMENT:

Senator Whitehouse moved to adjourn at approximately 5:30pm.

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