Meeting Minutes #250

Friday, April 1, 2022

Members Present: Marybeth Gasman, Francois Berthiaume, Francis Ryan, Christine Morales, Robert Boikess, Crystal Akers, Tugrul Ozel, Karen Thompson, Jeff Zahn, Thomas Figueira, Martin Gliserman, Sanjib Bhuyan, Kenneth McKeever, Haym Benaroya, Benjamin Paul, Jack Bouchard, Gary Taghon, Ryan Womack, Sue Shapses, Laura Bowering Mullen, Louisa Schein, Laura B Mullen, Anna Haley, Gajic, Barbara Faga, Alexander Pichugin, Anne McPherson, Jeanine Oleson, Martha, Andrew, Ted H. Szatrowski, Karen Sanchez, Ryan Womack, Ellen Williams, Zoran, Carla Cevasco, Sue Shapses, Elisa Shernoff

Non-Members Present: Francesca Maresca, Interim Assistant Vice Chancellor for Health and Wellness and Director, Health Outreach, Promotion & Education

Jennifer Jones-Damis, Acting Director of CAPS

David Wolcott, Vice President for Academic Administration

Ingrid Fulmer, Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement & Faculty Affairs

1. Call to Order

The meeting was called to order by Chair Marybeth Gasman on Friday, April 1, 2022, at 1:12 pm via Zoom.

2. Approval of the Agenda

The agenda was approved.

3. Approval of the Minutes of the Meeting of February 25, 2022

The minutes were approved.

4. Chair's Report – Marybeth Gasman

Chair Gasman welcomed everyone to the meeting and presented the following updates:

It is the 250^th meeting of the NBFC.
There are elections coming up for the NBFC, which will take place electronically. Information will be sent out shortly. Questions can be sent to Chair Gasman or members of the executive committee. Elections will also take place in departments and schools.
A poll regarding the format of meetings next year is to be completed. An email reminder was sent.
Martin Gliserman discussed changing the poet laureate position to a laureate position to allow for individuals of other disciplines to have a more visible role at the university. The administration is currently discussing this, and Martin Gliserman should have more concrete information by the next meeting.
There are current discussions with the Chancellor’s office about PTLs and managing the PTL election.
The website was certified and will not be moved.

Topics discussed during the meeting:

Mental health resources for Rutgers’s students
Current actions being taken to address part-time lecturer (PTL) concerns about making Rutgers a more equitable place for PTLs
The Big Ten Alliance
Food insecurity among students
NNT Task Force Study
First Year Honors Program
Computer Program Environments
The Resolution on Academic Freedom
The Resolution on Support for Faculty Research, Teaching, and Service at Rutgers University – New Brunswick

5. Mental Health Presentation – Francesca Maresca, Interim Assistant Vice Chancellor for Health and Wellness and Director, Health Outreach, Promotion & Education, & Jennifer Jones-Damis, Acting Director of CAPS

Acting Director of CAPS, Jennifer Jones-Damis, gave a presentation on the following:

Role of Rutgers CAPS and Student Health Services
Services Provided by CAPS
CAPS Community Based Counseling Locations
Crisis Intervention
JED Campus
Other Opportunities for Mental Health Engagement
Resources Following a Critical Incident
Role of Rutgers CAPS and Student Health Services: The staff includes psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers, and alcohol and drug counselors, all with expertise in both general mental health concerns and issues unique to a college environment.
Services Provided by CAPS: Rutgers CAPS provides counseling, psychiatric and psychological services, crisis intervention, substance use treatment and recovery housing, community-based counseling services, consultation with concerned staff or faculty, assessments of a university community’s needs, guidance and assistance with department guidelines, and efforts focused on wellness.
CAPS Community Based Counseling Locations: Locations include the Paul Robeson Cultural Center, Center for Latino Arts and Culture, Center for Social Justice and LGBT Communities, School of Engineering, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Honors College, Mason Gross School of the Arts, School of Business, Asian American Cultural Center, Rutgers Global: International Students and Scholar Services, Student Access and Diversity Programs, and Rutgers Graduate School.
Crisis Intervention: A CAPS on-call counselor is available for crisis intervention/emergencies every day during regular business hours (Monday-Friday, 8:30am-4:30pm, except university holidays). Students can access the on-call counselor by visiting 17 Senior Street on the College Ave Campus or calling 848-932-7884. The phone is answered through “Protocol” off hours. Concerns for others can be shared at dosomething.rutgers.edu. This is not an urgent response system. Concerns are reviewed Monday-Friday during office hours. If you are concerned about suicide or harm to self or others, please call 911. Once the concern is reviewed, they cannot communicate back to you with the follow-up.
Other Opportunities for Mental Health Engagement: Other opportunities for mental health engagement include mental health first aid, Campus Connect: Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Training, Curriculum Infusion: The Wellness Classroom, syllabi, peer mental health educators, and peer wellness coaching.
JED Campus: JED Campus is a nationwide initiative of The Jed Foundation designed to help colleges and universities enhance emotional well-being and mental health promotion efforts, reduce substance abuse, and prevent suicide among students. Faculty, staff, and students are involved, and Rutgers is currently in its third year of involvement. The link to the initiative is https://newbrunswick.rutgers.edu/student-experience/health-safety/jed-campus
Resources Following a Critical Incident: Handouts that can be used by faculty, staff, and students include Rutgers Psychological First Aid Worksheet, In the Wake of Trauma: Tips for College Students, and When Terrible Things Happen: What You May Experience.

Following the presentation, discussion ensued on the following:

Scheduling difficulties for students at CAPS
Concerns about student cannabis use: though recreational cannabis use is legal in New Jersey; it is not permitted on campus. This does not mean students do not use cannabis. There are educational resources including programmatic, to address use and impact on the body, mind, and academic performance.
Resources for students diagnosed with Autism-Spectrum Disorder include the College Support Program (CSP) at GSAPP and a skills group at CAPS. The link to the program is https://rcaas.rutgers.edu/CSP
Student interactions with the police

6. Part-Time Lecturer Discussion – David Wolcott, Vice President for Academic Administration & Ingrid Fulmer, Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement & Faculty Affairs

David Wolcott spoke about current actions being taken to address part-time lecturer (PTL) concerns about making Rutgers a more equitable place for PTLs.

The University Senate Resolutions passed on March 25^th.
During the last round of contract negotiations, the university and PTL union reached an agreement on the creation of a PTL professional development fund, PTL advancement opportunities, multi-semester appointments for PTL-3s, and appointment priority for longer serving PTLs at the university.
Separate from the contract negotiations, the university enhanced the PTL professional development fund to include additional flexibility for hardware and software requests, added a new staff member to the EVPAA Faculty Development office to expand professional development offerings to PTLs, and awarded PTL professional development funds in excess of the contractual amount from the office’s discretionary funds. There is an administrative issue accessing the allocated funds, which is being addressed with the Office of Labor Relations.
During recent conversations with Chancellor-led units, historical resolutions are being reviewed from the University Senate and faculty councils to make progress on non-contractual issues. Overall, issues are related to integration, inclusion, and recognition of PTLs into the university community. More specifically, these concerns included a need for better orientation, ensuring that PTLs are on the right communication lists, the inclusion of PTLs in faculty meetings, the recognition of non-instructional responsibilities of PTLs, technology access, reforming classroom observation, and the inclusion of PTLs in university awards, honors, and grants.

Progress is being made to address the identified concerns:

The university created a Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching by a Part-Time Lecturer, which includes a $1,000 honorarium, and New Brunswick created a Chancellor-Provost Award for Excellence in Teaching by a Part-Time Lecturer, which includes a $5,000 institutional award.
There are current discussions with the Office of Labor Relations on creating a PTL training session for academic leadership on the union contracts. Additionally, a reference guide on best practices in PTL inclusion and recognition will be created.
Efforts are being made to identify how the EVPAA can further professional development resources and opportunities for PTLs within the existing office structure.
They are in the early stages of working with Chancellor-led units.
Most important issues have not yet been addressed that were highlighted senate resolutions. The Office of Labor Relations was notified, and the issues will likely come up during contract negotiations.

Following the presentation, discussion ensued on the following:

Academic freedom protections for PTLs
Misinterpretations of PTL salary minimums
Fair treatment of PTLs

7. Committee Reports:

Athletic Affairs – Ken McKeever, Chair