Faculty Meeting Minutes
November 5, 2021
Michael Orr, Dean of the Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs, called the meeting to order at 3:32 p.m. He welcomed everyone to the third Faculty Meeting of the semester and expressed the hope that the semester was going well for everyone. He stated that he had just returned from the annual Northeast Deans meeting where the perspectives from other northeast liberal arts colleges had been shared on topics such as the use of social media by student activists and approaches and solutions to COVID challenges. While a lot of commonality had been reported on these issues, there was also widespread agreement among the deans in recognizing and appreciating the remarkable resilience, ingenuity, and commitment demonstrated by faculty and staff at all institutions. DOF/VPAA Orr commented that although he found it helpful to compare 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 situation with the circumstances at other institutions, it was important to recognize that everyone鈥檚 experience is unique and that we must remain focused on what is happening at 黑料吃瓜网. DOF/VPAA Orr then reminded everyone of the procedures to be followed during the Zoom meeting, noting that anyone wanting to speak during the meeting should use the raise hand function and that closed captioning was available.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
DOF/VPAA Orr asked if there were any corrections to, or comments regarding, the minutes of the Faculty Meeting held October 1, 2021. Hearing none, he announced the minutes were approved.
OLD BUSINESS
There was no old business.
NEW BUSINESS
Adrian Bautista, Dean of Students and Vice President of Student Affairs, shared an update on the recent student gathering outside Case Center that had been held to draw attention to Title IX and Sexual and Gender-Based Misconduct (SGBM) concerns. In response to the students鈥� concerns, Dean Bautista and Leslie Gomez, a former sexual violence prosecutor and nationally-recognized expert on Title IX, conducted a series of listening sessions with concerned students. Dean Bautista stated that several themes emerged during those listening sessions, including the need for increased education, more outreach, and intentional programming as well as clarifying the role Campus Safety plays in Title IX and SGBM issues.
Dean Bautista stated that the next phase is to include faculty and staff in these conversations. To that end, a survey was being prepared by Leslie Gomez that will be distributed shortly to gather feedback from faculty and staff. Feedback will also continue to be gathered from students and parents to determine what areas need work. In the meantime, Communications has created a new information hub to provide community members with various resources and information about events and programs related to Title IX and SGBM. Additionally, a new version of the SGBM advisory committee will be reconvened to determine what changes can be implemented to policies and procedures based upon the results of the survey and the feedback received.
Thereupon, Joel Aure, Title IX Coordinator, shared a PowerPoint presentation concerning Title IX reporting processes and obligations for faculty and staff (see attached for details). The presentation included information on reporting obligation requirements, information that should be disclosed prior to an incident being reported, the procedures that should be followed in the event an incident is reported, and contact information once a report is made. Mr. Aure thanked the faculty for taking such great care of our students in these moments.
Following Mr. Aure鈥檚 report, Dean Bautista noted that students often want to discuss the specifics of particular cases, sometimes drawing on information posted on social media that may name specific students or include inaccurate information. He stated that one of the biggest challenges in the present moment is maintaining confidentiality and being limited on what information can be shared.
PRESIDENT鈥橲 REPORT
President Conner thanked Dean Bautista and Mr. Aure for their report and noted that these issues are not unique to 黑料吃瓜网 but are pervasive in higher education. Every school is grappling with issues surrounding Title IX, especially as a result of the changes made to Title IX two years ago. He reminded everyone that 黑料吃瓜网 joined the New York 6 Consortium in offering a letter of objection to these changes. While he is hopeful that some revisions to Title IX regulations will be made under the new administration, he believes many of the challenges will remain. Thus, President Conner stated that it is important that we look at how we manage these situations and to respond more effectively.
An opportunity for questions in response to the Title IX presentation was then provided. Brief discussion was held on whether the mandatory reporting status for faculty members could be reconsidered and whether BIPOC and non-binary student voices were being included in the conversations concerning Title IX and SGBM matters.
Next, President Conner provided an update on the recent Board of Trustee鈥檚 meeting held in mid-October. This occasion was the first time in two years that the Trustees have been on campus, and it was wonderful to see the Board engaging with the campus and intersecting with students, faculty and staff. Campus master planning was a major topic of discussion for the Board. In that regard, the Board met with Ayers Saint Gross, the architectural firm the College is working with on the master planning project, and received tours of campus facilities. It was very helpful for the Board to tour 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 physical spaces so that Board members can better engage in discussions about opportunities and challenges for the campus going forward.
President Conner also reported that Joshua Woodfork, Vice President for Strategic Planning and Institutional Diversity, Joe Stankovich, Director of Institutional Research, and Marta Brunner, College Librarian, presented the results of the HEDS campus climate survey to the full board. President Conner reminded everyone that this survey goes back almost two years and that sharing the results, in conjunction with the creation of the new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee of the Board, had brought the project full circle. It was a great opportunity to educate the Board about the demographics and the qualitative and quantitative evidence from our community as evidenced in the survey results in order to enable informed discussions about our campus climate.
President Conner then spoke about the Presidential Inauguration that had occurred while the Board was on campus. The Inauguration had been a moment of gathering and an opportunity to celebrate 黑料吃瓜网, and President Conner expressed his gratitude to all the faculty, staff and students who had participated in the occasion. While he has felt welcomed at 黑料吃瓜网 ever since his arrival, President Conner stated that the inauguration served a larger, almost ritualistic or liturgical institutional welcome and marked the important moment in the College of transitioning to a new president. For anyone who was not able to be present and would like to learn more about his vision and values for the future at 黑料吃瓜网, President Conner indicated that a recording of his inauguration address is available on the website.
Next, President Conner reported that the Halloween weekend had gone very well, with a variety of organized programs provided for the students; that our fall sports season has been very successful, with 54 student athletes earning Liberty League academic honors (an all-time College high); and that live theater is once again being held in the Bernard Theater. In addition, as indicated in the most recent 黑料吃瓜网 Weekly Bulletin, President Conner announced that he will be holding office hours over the next few weeks for anyone wishing to discuss any issues with him. Lastly, President Conner announced that 黑料吃瓜网 Cares would be held December 6-10. He noted that this activity is an opportunity for the 黑料吃瓜网 community to give back to our surrounding communities and that more information will be forthcoming shortly.
Thereupon, Pat Fehling, Associate Dean of the Faculty for Infrastructure and Faculty Affairs, provided a brief update on the Campus Master Planning project. Dean Fehling indicated that we have completed the first phase, 鈥淥bserve and Assess,鈥� with over 40 listening sessions being held with various campus constituents. We are now in the middle phase, 鈥淓nvision and Test.鈥� The consultants were recently on campus for five sessions to share their preliminary ideas of where they think we should be going in this long-term planning process. For anyone unable to attend the on-campus sessions, the consultants will be conducting online sessions in December. Dean Fehling encouraged everyone to attend one of these sessions as the consultants want to share their ideas and receive feedback. The consultants will next return to campus in February when they will share their recommendations and invite further feedback before finalizing their recommendations and sharing with the Board.
Lastly, President Conner referenced the presentation on the college鈥檚 finances given by several members of President鈥檚 Cabinet on November 1 and indicated that it was part of an ongoing effort to share with the community the college's financial status and financial context in terms of long-term budget planning and projections. President Conner stated that the presentation had included a question and answer period in which over 40 questions had been answered. President Conner reminded everyone that 黑料吃瓜网 is heavily dependent upon tuition revenue to cover operating expenses, that staff and faculty levels are higher than most of our peer and aspirant institutions, and that our student-faculty and student-staff ratios are low relative to our endowment. He also reminded everyone that one of the big challenges facing 黑料吃瓜网, as it continues to prioritize student support and financial aid, is that financial aid costs will continue to increase, impacting net tuition revenue; additionally, current projections of future enrollments anticipate a decline over the next several years. President Conner stated that, as we continue to monitor these parameters, it is beneficial that we can spread out the reduction in staffing levels over a 5-year period rather than having to make wholesale cuts across the curriculum or eliminate current positions. While it will be a challenging time for 黑料吃瓜网, President Conner emphasized that the lived experience of employees will continue to be a priority, and that we will reevaluate our plan every year and continue to share information and prioritize transparent communication and collaboration in this effort.
DEAN OF THE FACULTY AND VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS鈥� REPORT
DOF/VPAA Orr thanked everyone for the continued hard work and dedication to our students during this COVID moment. He reported that, after a recent spike in cases and concerns about student compliance with testing, the situation has shown improvement. As there had been a considerable increase in positive COVID cases last year immediately following Halloween, there had been some concerns that we would experience a similar increase in positive COVID cases this year as well. However, the office of Student Affairs had been very attentive to this concern and had sponsored a variety of alternative activities for students; fortunately, we did not experience a rise in cases due to Halloween-related socializing and partying .
Indicating that he did not want to underestimate the personal impact of COVID on anyone who tests positive or must quarantine, DOF/VPAA Orr emphasized the good news that we continue to see no evidence that transmission of the virus is occurring in the classroom. Further, in response to feedback received regarding the proposed relocation of the testing location to the Pine Cottage Annex, DOF/VPAA Orr announced that the testing location will now be relocated to the upper floor in Murray Aikens, a much more convenient and accessible location for our students. He then reminded the faculty of the importance of taking attendance sheets and seating charts home with them over the weekend, as contact tracing typically occurs over weekends as well as during the week. Unfortunately, if faculty members are not able to provide these items for several days, it delays our ability to respond promptly to a positive case and follow up with contact tracing.
Next, DOF/VPAA Orr announced that plans for the Thanksgiving break remain unchanged, with students returning to campus after Thanksgiving for the final two weeks of classes and final exams. Students will be provided with rapid antigen tests to take home with them over Thanksgiving break so that they can test immediately before returning to campus. Students will then be expected to test upon arrival and once more during the first week back. In addition, all faculty and staff will be expected to undergo one round of COVID testing upon return from the Thanksgiving break.
DOF/VPAA Orr then provided an update on some minor adjustments to the COVID policies regarding speakers at events and meals for official visitors. With regard to speakers at events in a large space, such as an auditorium, the individual speaker will be allowed to unmask while speaking, provided that the speaker is positioned at least 10 feet from anyone else in the room. All audience members and any other panelists on the stage must remain masked. For departments that are hosting visiting speakers, external reviewers, or other special guests, the policy against holding meetings or gatherings on campus with food and refreshments remains in place. However, visitors may be entertained off campus at an area restaurant if everyone is comfortable with eating at a restaurant, in accordance with college鈥檚 policy on travel and entertainment.
DOF/VPAA Orr then reminded everyone that the deadline for submitting nominations to serve on the faculty compensation study working group was Monday, November 8. The purpose of the group is to provide recommendations and advice to the DOF/VPAA on faculty compensation, including selecting the peer group of institutions used as market comparators for benchmarking faculty salaries, determining criteria for considering internal salary equity, and establishing targets for external benchmarking of faculty salaries. The group will be working with our outside consultant, Yelena Stiles from Segal, a specialist in compensation assessments for nonprofits, especially for staff and faculty in higher education. DOF/VPAA Orr then reported on the membership of the faculty advisory committee on hiring, the other faculty advisory group that has been formed this semester. The members are Maria Lander, World Languages and Literatures; Jennifer Cholnoky, Geosciences; Sarah Sweeney, Art; Andrew Lindner, Sociology; T.H. Reynolds, Health and Human Physiological Sciences; and Sandra Goff, Economics, along with Dean Janet Casey, Dean Pat Fehling, and himself.
Thereafter, Michael Arnush, Associate Dean of the Faculty for Student Academic Affairs, introduced Ryan Homsey as the new Director of Academic Advising. A welcoming round of applause was given.
DOF/VPAA Orr then announced that Sue Blair, Senior Budget Coordinator in the Office of the Dean of Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs, will be retiring in January, 2022, after many years of service at the College. There will be an opportunity to celebrate her at the annual retiree recognition event in May.
Next, DOF/VPAA Orr reminded everyone of the two upcoming lectures 鈥� the Steloff lecture featuring Adam Phillips on November 11, 2021 and the Moseley lecture given by Matthew Hockenos, Professor of History, on November 16, 2021.
Finally, DOF/VPAA Orr congratulated Minita Sanghvi, Associate Professor of Management and Business, on being elected to serve as the Finance Commissioner for the Saratoga Springs City Council.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 4:34 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,