October 2023 Minutes

Present: Senators Wise, Valenzuela, Logan, Faucett, Pfannenstiel, Oden, Lowther, Coppersmith, Djiguimde, Al-Shami, White, Tucker, McLelland, Filburn, Greathouse, Karim, Nelson, Samples

Ex-officio and guests: Trey Berry, David Lanoue, Donna Allen, Shawana Reed, Robin Sronce, Abdel Bachri, John Jones, Jennifer Rowsam, Connie Wilson, Amy Womack, Marisa Grippo, Margarita Norment, Gerald Plumlee, Brian Logan

Call to order: 3:40 pm

Reading of Proxies: White proxy for Fanning

 

1. Approval of Minutes

Minutes from September 21, 2023, were approved (motion – Logan, second – Samples)

 

2. Special Orders of the Day

Cybersecurity Task Force and Search Committee purpose and scope

Since the last meeting, the cybersecurity task force has been created and met. The scope and purpose of the committee is to hire a Chief Information Officer and review ITS policies. More information was in the attachment sent out by Sheryl Edwards. Dr. Berry hopes that the task force will continue to exist in the future.

Update on the state of our cyberinfrastructure

Everything is looking positive. There are a few more objectives left to complete, such as getting some servers online, but things are almost back to normal.

 

3. Reports of Committees

Report from the Ad-Hoc Committee on Artificial Intelligence (Senator Oden)

The next meeting is on October 30^th and will cover AI’s purpose and ethical use in the classroom, AI policies at other universities, and AI syllabus language.

Report from the Faculty Senate Handbook Committee (Senator White)

The handbook committee is working with the College of Education and Human Performance. More information should be available at the next meeting.

Report from the Faculty Senate Budget Committee (Senator Oden)

The Faculty/Staff budget meeting will be held on November 6^th at 4 PM. The committee will be soliciting questions from faculty for Shawana Reed and David Lanoue to answer.

Report from the Faculty Senate Parking, Building, and Grounds Committee (Senator Nelson)

The committee became aware of a pothole on Military Dr. The pothole has already been fixed.

Report from the Institutional Review Board (Senator Logan)

The IRB is looking at applications and is open to receiving questions through email.

Report from the Research Committee (Senator Filburn)

The first cycle for the research committee is open. Proposals are due on Monday, November 6^th.

 

4. Old Business

There was no old business to report.

 

5. New Business

Paperwork has been filled out for the new Chief Information Officer position. With the help of consultants, advertisement for the position is in the best places. The search for the executive director of the SAU Foundation is winding down.

Fundraising and development surpassed the $4 million goal, hitting $5 million so far this year. Both enrollment and recruiting are basically where we were last year. SAU is applying for a Windgate Foundation grant again this year to help with need-based scholarships and the College of Education.

Engineering and computer science classrooms will be ready for the Spring semester. There has been progress on the Biology field station and student-athlete success center. The Ryder lounge opened yesterday in the basement of the Bruce Center.

Dr. Logan is currently heading an economic impact study to see the impact of SAU on Magnolia. There is a book recycling program going on which will end tomorrow. The Murphy USA game against Harding University is on Saturday.

The ADHE meeting will be held on Friday, October 27^th. SAU will be discussing changes in the Teacher Education program to support the Forward Arkansas grant. There may be discussions about the funding formula as well.

 

6. Questions for the Administration
7. Would administration consider a flat across-the-board base salary increase for all full-time employees (e.g., $1000) in the 2024-25 budget to address the effects of recent inflation, which has created a disproportionate financial burden on lower-paid faculty and staff?

• This is something that will go through the Budget Committee, where they could consider a one-time bonus to everyone’s salary. Since the COLA is morale-boosting, this would require very strong support across the faculty and staff before moving in this direction. The degree of support would likely be measured through a secret ballot vote. Equity issues will likely be looked at in deliberations.

2. Can the physical plant work order process be reviewed, specifically to improve communication? For instance, if Physical plant is short-staffed, too busy or materials are limited, can this be communicated? Also, once work orders are completed can we receive details of how/when the issue was resolved?

• This will be brought up with Robbie Nash to discuss ways to improve the process. The physical plant can also be contacted if there are any questions.

3. Could the intervention process following Mid-term grades, Four-week grades, Class Absence reports, Roster certification and Early Alerts be explained in more detail to faculty? Are there data to support that these overlapping and time-comsuming efforts by faculty effective and worthwhile?

• The reports allow advisors to reach out and intervene if students are struggling in their courses. Action plans are created for certain students based on the reports. Data suggests the implementation of these reports has been positive, as there are fewer withdrawals after reported grades became required. This data includes rates and raw numbers.

4. Is the university considering putting more resources into promising initiatives like the paired reading sections for students enrolled in developmental sections?

• This program is being done for students below a certain reading level. It is a great program and there are currently three courses available. Since there are empty seats in those courses, everyone who needs and wants to be in the program is taking it. If there is a need for expansion, more resources will be put into the program.

5. How does administration plan to address the following problems that have arisen since the Wilson renovation: continued leaking of roof; leaking and disruptively loud HVAC units?

• The roof has condensation issues but is not leaking. The administration will also look into addressing the problem by changing out units, particularly old units. Renovations are difficult to do during the school year without causing disruptions, but they will be worked on during the break and next summer.

6. With UCA and ASU both recently announcing an initiative toward free tuition for students whose family’s income is below a certain level, should we be concerned with how this will affect SAU enrollments moving forward? Is SAU considering a similar strategy to compete?

• UCA and ASU are doing this because they are bleeding students, but they are not direct competitors to SAU. SAU will monitor the situation but does not need to immediately react. SAU has a good price point and amazing recruiters.

7. Will SAU Health Services continue to do free COVID testing for students? If not, will this create a public health risk to faculty, staff, and students?

• There are currently zero cases of COVID-19 on campus. SAU has historically not had free testing in the past but did so because the government paid for COVID-19 tests. Students can still get tested for $5 right now.

 

7. Additional Comments

Adjournment at 4:55 PM. Senator Tucker gave the motion, seconded by Senator Oden.