Staff Senate Meeting Minutes
October 20, 2021
2 p.m. via Zoom
Call to order
- Dr. Allen
- Based on low COVID rates in the community and at SAU, TaskForce made the decision to relax the mask requirement on campus outside of classrooms and tutoring sessions. Employees can request signage from admin to ask that people continue to wear a mask in their own office area if they wish to do so.
- Zero faculty and staff positive; one student in quarantine and one positive right now.
- Student vaccine initiative: vaccinated students can enter upcoming drawings to receive $100 in declining balance, bookstore credit, or Beyond the Campus store credit. They must provide proof of vaccination to enter.
- A vaccine panel of campus experts met with Freshman Seminar students to give presentation and answer questions about vaccinations to help encourage students to get vaccinated.
- SAU is offering a vaccine clinic on November 1st. We’re currently waiting for the government decision about boosters for Moderna and whether shots from different manufacturers can be mixed; hopefully will know within the next week or two. Currently 480 people ready for boosters at SAU; plan is to have two drive-through booster clinics to spread out demand.
- Recruiters have gone to 140 college fairs and done 163 campus tours compared to 84 from last year, and we have received more applications so far than this time last year, so next year is looking positive for new student numbers.
- SAU has given out $31,000 in professional development funding this fall (about 50/50 faculty/staff), and will award more in the spring.
- Recently having meetings with AGFC on possible partnering at Laney Farms for initiatives like controlled burns, stocking fishing pond and having derby fishing events, having enriched resources for the farm, bee habitats, expanding trap shooting range and adding archery, and creating more trails on the property.
- Recent Events: Murphy USA classic went well with good Mulegating turnout and we won the game; golf tournament had over 30 teams; Mulekick at MAD had over 40 people attend Jazz Band performance.
- Social media policy is being proposed in order to give protection against trademark infringement, personal threats, fraud, defamation, self-promotion of individuals, or campaigning/elections.
- Love and Loyalty campaign ended at homecoming; surpassed goal of $23 million with almost $29 million total raised.
- ADHE productivity funding is not great news; it’s based on a three-year rolling average so we will lose some state funds this year because of the reduction in the number of international grad students several years ago. But this should be the last year we have to deal with this reduction in our productivity funding.
- What’s Next Committee being formed to look for initiatives to improve recruitment and retention; open to ideas from anyone.
- SAU was one of eight Arkansas institutions selected to receive a grant from Board Arkansas to help fund initiatives for teacher educators. Three schools will also be selected from this group to apply for a larger grant; we will receive more information on this beginning in November.
• Approve minutes from September meeting (Wilson/Marisa)
• Committee Reports.
Online Education Committee having first meeting next
week (Wilson)
Next Academic Affairs meeting coming up November
16th (Kayla)
• Old news: Look Up Campaign
– Tuesday November 2nd tentative date for the event.
– Senators will work in shifts to cover major crosswalks.
• New News: Social Media Policy (no questions)
• Adjournment (Marisa/Sage)
