Meeting Minutes #262

Members Present: Karen Thompson, Jeffrey Zahn, Alexander Pichugin, Ellen Williams, Sanjib Bhuyan, Anna Haley, Ted H. Szatrowski, Amy Jordan, Peter J. Morrone, John Evans, Thomas Davis, Francis Ryan, John Kolassa, Ralph Bowen, Jimmy Sweet, Ana Pairet Vinas, Sue Shapses, Ronnee Ades, Marybeth Gasman, Jeremy Morgan, Thomas Stephens, Jack Bouchard, Robert Boikess, F. Javier Diez, Crystal Akers, Anne McPherson, Julia Maxwell, David Kryscynski, Eleanor LaPointe, Evan Kleiman, Xenia Morin, Don Schaffner, Heather Pierce, Nikolaos Linardopoulos, Thomas Figueira, Changlu Wang, Silke Severmann, Glenn Amatucci, Narayan Mandayam, Mei Ling Lo, Tugrul Ozel, Marci Meixler, Alisa Belzer, Linda Oshin, Mariann Bischoff, Lei Yu, Meenakshi Dutt, Matt Sequin, Peter Morrone, Benjamin Paul

Non-Member Present: Martha Cotter, Parliamentarian

1. Call to Order

The meeting was called to order by Chair Haley on Friday, January 26, 2024, at 1:10 pm via Zoom.

2.  Approval of the Agenda

The agenda was approved.

3.  Approval of the Minutes of the Meeting of December 15, 2023

The minutes were approved without objection.

4. Chair's Report – Anna Haley 

Chair Haley welcomed everyone to the meeting, wished them a belated happy new year, and thanked them for coming. She then provided the following updates:

  • The webinar featuring Dr. Ellen Schrecker has now been scheduled for Feb. 7, 7-8:30 pm. Dr. Schrecker, a retired Professor of History at Yeshiva University and current member of the AAUP Committee on Academic Freedom, has written extensively on academic freedom and related issues.  Her talk is entitled "Fighting for Academic Freedom, Past, Present, and Future". It is co-sponsored by the NBFC, the Camden Faculty Council, the Newark Faculty Council, the AAUP-AFT, and the Adjunct Faculty Union. If everyone agrees, the webinar will be recorded and posted (excluding the Q&A). 
  • An email will be sent out shortly to request volunteers for the committee to implement the New Brunswick Poet Laureate initiative. 
  • The NBFC is collaborating with Provost Saundra Tomlinson-Clarke to plan a late spring Teaching Conference. 
  • Two "Open House" Zoom orientation sessions for new and continuing NBFC faculty representatives are being scheduled.  A Qualtrics mini survey will be sent out after this meeting in order to determine the best times for the Open Houses.

5. Introduction of an NBFC By-laws Revision Process

Chair Haley proposed a process to study and revise the NBFC bylaws to address outdated and vague provisions, as well as the lack of clarity concerning the processes by which the NBFC does its work. She announced the formation of a working group to suggest revisions.  The group, which includes EC members and standing committee chairs and co-chairs, plans to present initial draft revisions for review in March and a final set of revisions for a vote in April. 

6. Break-out Sessions to Discuss NBFC “Priority Issues” Followed by Open Discussion

Chair Haley began by noting that this part of today’s meeting is dedicated to initiating a discussion about the results of the faculty priority issues survey conducted last November. She summarized the survey responses and ranked them to facilitate the discussion. There was some discussion about what topics should be considered, such as whether items typically handled by union negotiations should be excluded. Ultimately it was decided that even in such cases, the NBFC can issue opinions, and therefore no limits were placed on what could be discussed. Finally, Chair Haley informed the members that for the time being the survey summary should be handled as an internal NBFC document that is not ready for wider dissemination. 

Break-out Sessions

Co-chair Berthiaume then randomly assigned the Council members present to 7 breakout rooms. A 20-minute time limit was set for discussions in the breakout rooms, to be followed by a 25-minute open discussion. One or two members from each break-out room were asked to be ready to summarize the main issues their group considered during the open discussion. In addition, note takers in each break-out room were asked to submit summaries to the NBFC email for compilation and future discussion.

Open Discussion

The open discussion focused on the challenges faced by faculty at Rutgers-New Brunswick, particularly in terms of shared governance.  The following comments were presented by reporters from the breakout groups:

  • Tugrul Ozel highlighted the mistrust between the top-heavy administration and the faculty; the disconnect between department and administrative levels; the many mistakes, glitches, and delays affecting merit raises, healthcare deductions, and so on. He emphasized the need to address these issues to improve teaching quality. 
  • Francis Ryan raised concerns about teaching conditions, specifically mentioning issues with temperature control in classrooms. He suggested the NBFC could "audit" those responsible for inadequate services so that these problems get addressed. 
  • Xenia Morin discussed the importance of infrastructure and general faculty support across the university and mentioned several examples of poor upkeep of the facilities. She emphasized the need for data collection, evidence, and accountability in decision-making processes and implementing solutions. 
  • John Evans from MGSA mentioned that they have a person on-site who has a direct line of communication with maintenance. This helps although it does not address all issues. Chair Haley added that the fact that classrooms are randomly assigned each semester makes it more difficult to track progress in addressing maintenance issues. 
  • Alisa Belzer noted that although the NBFC is not involved in addressing deficiencies in enforcement of labor contracts, the Council may still highlight the impact that the resulting larger classes, etc. have on teaching quality. Faculty should be involved in problem solving and troubleshooting to address the issues. 
  • Mariann Bischoff proposed addressing concerns about vaccine mandates raised in the open responses to the priority issues survey. 
  • Robert Boikess suggested a shift towards concrete actions in resolutions passed by the NBFC to increase their influence. He also emphasized the importance of educating the public, the Governing Boards, and the university community about the issues we're facing. Therefore, issues should be widely publicized to put pressure on individuals who can fix the problems. 
  • Ellen Williams talked about the state of facilities from the student point of view, and mentioned some issues with the dormitories and the laboratories that are in poor conditions, which can discourage prospective students from attending Rutgers. 
  • Heather Pierce added that there have been requests for cutting costs that were made without regard to enrollment trends, resulting in fewer and more overcrowded classes, and that these cuts will almost certainly be borne by contingent faculty. All this results in giving less to the students while their tuition is increasing. 
  • Karen Thompson proposed increasing faculty involvement in decision-making processes, including a possible requirement that there be a certain percentage of faculty members among the members of committees, task forces, boards, etc. that make major decisions affecting faculty members. Such faculty representatives should be given a voice and a vote. For example, we might suggest that faculty representatives to the Board of Governors be given a vote. 
  • Thomas Figueira emphasized the opportunity for synergy between committees to address infrastructure and budget issues, as well as the need to protect Lecturers.

In her closing remarks, Chair Haley suggested conversations among committees and other groups to ensure effective communication and collaboration. She also noted that Chancellor Conway is very much interested in getting feedback on initiatives she's developing and that she wants to work with us to have an impact. The Chancellor also wants to see that following a resolution, there is continued involvement by the NBFC in the implementation and the follow through of that resolution. Chair Haley then thanked everyone for their participation and emphasized that this discussion is to be continued.

7. Discussion and Vote on BF&I Committee Resolution on Faculty Dining Services

Thomas Figueira, BF&I Committee Chair, introduced the resolution which asks that a committee be established by the Chancellor to devise a plan to reopen faculty dining facilities on all the New Brunswick-Piscataway campuses. He then spoke to the resolution, noting that dining with one's colleagues is not just about eating, but also about creating interactions, a sense of commonality, cooperation, sharing of ideas, and so on. In the discussion that followed, it was pointed out that this issue was not near the top of faculty concerns in the priorities survey, but overall, most comments were supportive. It was also pointed out that availability of faculty dining facilities affects our working conditions. Members also highlighted the importance of consultation with faculty members before decisions affecting the faculty are made. The resolution passed with 86% in favor.

8. Committee Reports

Student Affairs – Crystal Akers and Ana Pairet Vinas, Co-Chairs

 Co-Chair Pairet reported that before the meeting, the committee had created a shared document, which was used to identify charges to address for the spring and beyond; namely, communication and transparency around issues that impact the student experience such as dorms and dining, and the "First Day Program" that involves online textbooks.

Faculty and Personnel Affairs – Francois Berthiaume and Heather Pierce, Co-Chairs

 Co-Chair Berthiaume reported that the committee (1) is collecting departmental and school bylaws to explore current policies regarding the role of contingent faculty in departmental decisions, as well as term limits for department chairs; (2) is also discussing the increasing number of students per class in online courses; and (3) plans to invite a speaker to discuss how the Office of Disability Services supports students with disabilities.

Academic Affairs – Ted Szatrowski, Chair

Chair Szatrowski reported that two resolutions were discussed and passed within the committee, one suggesting that graduate programs should decide individually on the use of the GRE (which is the current policy at the School of Graduate Studies), and another supporting test-optional admissions, with provisions to find out about its impact on diversity, academic standards, etc. after one year. He added that the committee also discussed CourseAtlas and ways to inform the Chancellor and President about its impact. Chair Haley requested that the resolutions be sent for formatting and docketing on the agenda for the next EC meeting, with the goal of presenting them for a vote at the NBFC's February meeting.

Athletic Affairs – Thomas Stephens (Chair McKeever was absent)

Thomas Stephens said the committee did not meet, but there are general concerns about the impact of budget cuts on athletics.

Budget, Planning, & Infrastructure – Thomas Figueira, Chair

Chair Figueira said the committee focused on the results of the survey, with particular attention to concerns about reductions in numbers of lecturers, lack of support for graduate assistants, and various software problems, and also discussed returning to the parking issue, with its potential for short-term solutions.

Several members had comments/questions in response to the committee reports: 

  • Xenia Morin began a discussion about engaging with administrators to address a lack of transparency and to understand the budget better. Chair Haley proposed a brainstorming session with colleagues experienced in budgeting. 
  • Robert Boikess asked about access to the email list of New Brunswick faculty and Chair Haley responded that we have only by permission access, which means that we still don't have direct access to our constituents. Chair Haley is discussing this problem with Chancellor Conway, arguing that direct access is critical to meaningful shared governance and our ability to be autonomously functioning for our constituencies. 
  • Tugrul Ozel suggested that when administrators come to talk to us, they should minimize the number of prepared slides and spend more time for Q&A. He also suggested that we should invite Board members to speak to us, since they have the ultimate authority. Chair Haley noted that a similar request by the Senate was declined by Board of Governors Chair Best.

9. Old Business

No old business was discussed.

10. New Business

Xenia Morin introduced an issue related to older faculty members who feel that they are being pushed out by administrative and departmental decisions to give them unreasonable workloads and harsher working conditions, perhaps to replace them with non-tenured faculty.

11. Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 3:00 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Francois Berthiaume, Vice Chair, and Martha Cotter, Parliamentarian