September 15, 2021 Minutes

Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes (SUB Ballroom B)

09/15/21

3:10pm – 4:30pm

Please wear a mask.

I.            Call to Order

a.       Meeting was called to order at 3:10pm

II.            Attendance Reminder

a.       Please sign in on one of the sign-in sheets when attending in person.

b.       Please let Keely know if you’re going to called in.

III.            Approval of FS Minutes from September 01, 2021

a.       Tomas Gedeon moves to approve. Andrew Hill seconds. None opposed. No abstentions. Approved. 

IV.            FYI items

a.       Honorary Degree Nominations due Oct 29

i.      https://www.montana.edu/calendar/events/39034

b.       Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences internal grants

i.      Scholarship & Creativity Grants Program, due October 2, 2021, and March 1, 2022, https://www.montana.edu/research/internal_awards/s_and_c_grants_fy2022.html 

ii.      Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (HASS) Grant Program, due March 1, 2022, https://www.montana.edu/research/internal_awards/hass_rfp2022.html

c.       2021 MSU Faculty Symposium in Teaching and Learning

i.      https://www.montana.edu/calendar/events.php?id=39041

d.       Senator Hour, Monday 11-12, and Thursday 10:30-11:30 via WebEx

i.      Links in D2L Faculty Senate shell

V.            Information Updates: 

a.       Allen Yarnell Center for Student Success, Vice Provost Carina Beck

i.      Would like faculty to help/share in these efforts

ii.      Early alert - http://www.montana.edu/msuinfo/classrolls/ 

1.       An important opportunity for students to enhance performance and strategize for academic success

2.       1900-2000 referrals from faculty

3.       Covid has caused gaps in learning and confidence, sense of belonging.

4.       What you see in your classrooms is invaluable

5.       35-40% of referrals are seen by someone in AYCSS, others are referred as needed.

iii.      Smarty Cats tutor - http://www.montana.edu/aycss/success/smartycats/index.html 

1.       Tutors available online and in person

2.       3000 students, 15000-20000 hours of tutoring

3.       Tutors can sit in class with you

4.       Won’t hire a tutor for your course without your permission

5.       Tutors have to have a B average or above

iv.      Career support - http://www.montana.edu/aycss/careers/

v.      Save the Date – MSU Fall 2021 Career Fair, October 7, 2021, 9:00am-3:00pm, Brick Breeden Fieldhouse

1.       Faculty/students meet with community partners

2.       Held in the fieldhouse for the first time other

A.       COVID precautions 

3.       Virtual Career Fair, sometime in November 

4.       Encourage your students to attend. They hire May graduates in September. 

vi.      Questions, Comments, and Partnerships Appreciated

1.       None

b.       Committee Requests

i.      Athletics

1.       Room for one member

2.       Does not have to be a senator or faculty member, just a faculty member

ii.      Recreational Sports and Fitness Advisory Board

1.       Primarily students

2.       Spending money to add something to our campus

3.       Future of what recreation fitness looks like

4.       Good if you are looking for high energy, positive interactions with students

5.       If interested, please contact Bradford and Michael

6.       Could be a senator or an alternate

iii.      Chair of Grievance Committee

1.       Seeking Recommendations for Chair of Grievance Hearing Committee

2.       Qualifications

A.       Full Professor

B.       Previously served on a Grievance Hearing Committee

C.       Or has relevant experience to the position

3.       3 Year Term

A.       Committees are assembled as needed per grievance

B.       Overseeing if policy was followed correctly

4.       See Faculty Handbook for complete scope

5.       Send recommendations to Bradford and Michael

c.       Proposed Research Misconduct Policy

i.      https://www.montana.edu/legalcounsel/proposed/index.html 

ii.      Will be discussed at next Senate meeting

iii.      Camie Bechtold and Kirk Lubick will present proposed changes

1.       Final feedback at that time

iv.      Looking for review comments, feedback

1.       Put in writing and send to Bradford and Michael

2.       Guarantee it info will get to the right place

VI.            Undergraduate Courses and Programs

a.       First reading, second reading at next meeting. Approved at Steering the following week.  

c.       Courses – First Reading

i.      Discrete, do not overlap

ii.      We are the last approval for courses

iii.      CSCI 109 : C for Engineers and Scientists (Spring 2022)

1.       If you see something coming and it’s from your department, it’s a good idea to talk with them about any questions or issues.

iv.      EDEC 249 : Infant/Toddler Development and Group Care (Spring 2022)

v.      EELE 452 : Power System Operation and Control (Spring 2022)

vi.      KIN 210 : Principles of Strength and Conditioning (Spring 2022)

d.       Programs – First Reading

i.      None at this time.

VII.            Graduate Courses and Programs 

a.       Courses – First Reading

i.      None at this time

b.       Programs – First Reading

i.      Will go to the Board of Regents for approval.

ii.      If you see something coming and it’s from your department, it’s a good idea to talk with them about any questions or issues.

iii.      001-MENG:    Master of Engineering Civil Engineering

iv.      001-MENG: Master of Engineering Environmental Engineering

v.      PACC-M:    Master of Professional Accountancy (accelerated version of an existing program)

vii.      RGSE-CERT:   Regulatory Science Graduate Certificate

1.       Interdisciplinary approach

2.       Housed in the Graduate School

A.       Departments that are touched on should make themselves familiar with this proposal

c.       Program Deactivations

i.      AMNU-MN : Associate Degree RN to Masters of Nursing (Clinical Nurse Leader)

1.       Final Catalog – 2021-2022

2.       Very low interest and enrollment in the program.

VIII.            Update on MUSFAR discussion with Board of Regents and OCHE

a.       Comprised of Senate Leaders Across the MUS

i.      Agenda for BOR Discussion

1.       COVID

A.       Laid out our idea for system wide approach to a mask mandate

I.      Commissioner wants to stick to campus coordination 

B.       No near-term decision to be made by the Regents on a system wide approach to vaccinations. It is not the agenda at this meeting.

C.       Did they say why?

i.      Asked what their impression on the President’s executive order

1.       They said that we will see what happens with that. It’s “just” an executive order.

2.       They said that the federal government doesn’t have a stance on this.

3.       One regent did ask how we can monitor and check all of this?

a.       How will this impact business? How much will it cost?                

                                                                                                                                                                                                              I.      Campuses already spend time and energy trying to manage                                                this. Those costs far out way what this would cost. 

4.       Smaller schools may potentially lose a lot of students if they mandate masks. We could do it here and not lose a drastic number of students. 

a.       BOR is the only body who can mandate masks

b.       U of M students did sign a resolution for vaccines on their campus

D.       Sally Moyce; is there a vaccination threshold you are looking for before we say we don’t need masks?

i.      That would come from the Health Department. We would rely on them for that information

ii.      We don’t know how many students are vaccinated. Only have the county numbers to look at. 

iii.      About 50-60% of faculty and staff

iv.      Another 25% from the raffle, but that data is not reliable due to misunderstanding/confusion by students

v.      Billings is different because most of their students are coming from Yellowstone County, so they can look at the county numbers.

E.       Amanda Blaker: If we did have a mandate, what can we do about it? We couldn’t kick them out, could we?

i.      Yes, we could. Many that did set a deadline date to get it done. 

F.        Do we know the data about the consequences of not vaxing/masking?

i.      Voluntary Health Department information

1.       If you don’t report to the Health Dept. that you are part of MSU, we won’t have that info. We cannot ask for it.

2.       Last numbers Ed Dratz saw was that MSU contributed 10% of the county numbers

a.       There are multiple variables 

G.       Stephan McCalla: Is there funding available for data collection?

i.      In terms of data collection, we have the same resources that we had last semester. Same amount of funds, etc. We could request it, but not sure what availability we would have since we cannot ask if you have, or have had, COVID or if you’ve been vaccinated. Don’t know what more we could do. 

1.       IF the BOR gave use the ability to do that, we could.

H.       Ed Schmidt: We are an institution of adult education. We have a population who CAN help themselves. 

I.         Sally Moyce: Any discussion about potentially challenging house bill 702?

i.      We are told by legal scholars that these are so new they haven’t been interpreted yet. Not unusual for one bill to be interpreted differently by two different bodies.

J.         Roberta Amendola: Are you familiar with the un-mask petition going around?

i.      Said it was from an MSU student, but it is not. 

ii.      Said if you agree that you shouldn’t be required to mask, sign the petition. 

iii.      Looking for money, events, and people.

iv.      Could be two different emails. Some are from an actual student.

v.      Some faculty did engage the students. Saw it as a teachable moment. Could have an open debate. 

vi.      Sally Moyce: Don’t want to be disciplined for responding. 

K.       Colter Ellis: Introduces a motion to send a resolution to the BOR.

i.      The faculty of Montana State University-Bozeman thank the Board of Regents and the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education for all that has been done to keep the campus community safe during the COVID-19 Pandemic. We strongly support continued efforts to enact evidence-based strategies to mitigate the risks of COVID-19 for students, staff, faculty, and the wider community. First, we ask the Board of Regents to require vaccination against COVID-19 for students, staff, and faculty. Second, we ask the Board of Regents to require masks according to CDC guidance, specifically for everyone in indoor spaces, while Gallatin County remains an area of substantial or high transmission.

ii.      Seconded by Andrew Hill

1.       Peter Tillack: Would it be better to ask the BOR to delegate the authority to the individual universities? 

2.       Tomas Gedeon: 

a.       If this is what the faculty is asking for, that is what the resolution should reflect

b.       Like emphasis on indoor spaces

3.       Otto Stein: “In lieu of the BOR making a system wide recommendation….”

a.       Colter Ellis: Might not be the right approach. Would like to make it more about the science. 

L.         Jerry: “In lieu of”, gives them an out

i.      Point was, if they aren’t going to make it campus wide, let each campus make their own decisions. 

1.       Gary Caton: that was my point. It’s hard from the statement to tell if we are asking for MUS, or campus wide.

M.     Mat Walter: Extension Experiment Stations, are vulnerable. 

N.       Tomas Gedeon: If this comes from us, and Missoula, and others, BOR can look at all of that together. The way it’s written is not so bad.

O.       Sarah Stoneback???: Well written. What about religious exemptions, etc.? Do we mention it, or not? 

i.      From a legal standpoint, those exemptions are covered and posted. 

1.       What about the word “eligible’

a.       I feel it is implied. Federal Law supersedes 

P.       Ed Schmidt: Do the right thing for MUS. If we joint the other voices, we are all stronger together.

Q.       Andy Hansen: Reasonable that this letter be for MSU. Our main goal is to advocate for vaccine and mask requirements on campus without advertising which body is responsible to manage that. This language says required, does not allow for exemptions. “Faculty supports vaccine/masks requirements within the MUS, considering exemptions.”

i.      Amanda Blaker: We are not trying to write a law; we are telling them what we think they should do. Don’t feel it needs to be specific. We are simply giving them our opinion about what we want them to do. It is a public statement of what this body believes. 

ii.      Otto Stein: Should we say, “Montana State University-Bozeman Faculty and Staff”. 

1.       Andrew Hill: There will always be “ifs” and “buts”. Should keep it simple, broad. 

R.        None opposed. No abstentions. Approved. 

2.       Faculty Salary

A.       MSU 79% of the average peer institution

B.       Have lost 2% since we wrote our strategic plans

C.       Average cost of home in Gallatin County is over $700,000

D.       Child/Family care is a factor as well

E.       BOR is aware of these issues, but there was no discussion on solutions or what we can do.

F.        Questions

i.      Ed Dratz: Went from a 10-month contract to a 9 month. Wasn’t ready for it. 

1.       It was published, but maybe it could have been clearer

2.       Good reminder to double check your paystub and that your salary is correct

ii.      Cat Dale: The number of TT faculty compared to NTT faculty that are turning down jobs at MSU?

1.       Over the last five or so years we’ve had a net gain in tenure track faculty

2.       Trying to institutionalize tracking how many do not take a job because the cost of living is too high

a.       Colter Ellis: Please be aware of race and gender in this information.

b.       Mat Walter: Still costs almost twice as much to live here than other places in Montana. Missoula is similar.

iii.      MUSFAR will continue to bring up these issues.

3.       Shared Governance

A.       We must have a relationship between the Faculty Senate, the BOR and the Presidents. 

i.      That requires open and transparent communication and an evaluation of the process. 

1.       Is it doing what was intended?

b.       Bradford Watson is Chair. He and Michael Brody do not represent Senate, but MSU itself.

c.       August 16th BOR meeting

i.      Decision making must be done in a public meeting

ii.      All their public meetings require public comment

d.       Engage your students about why masks are important

e.       Is in the student handbook, so you can refer a student to the Dean of Students if they refuse to comply

f.        Letter to BOR-MUSFAR Public Comment

i.      BOR says that each campus would make their own regulations. BOR are the ones who can change that. 

1.       Would like the best tools that are available 

ii.      Have not heard a response from BOR on our comment

iii.      Since our comment, Pfizer has gotten full FDA approval

iv.      At each BOR meeting, opportunities for different groups to meet with them.

1.       MSUFAR met with them this morning 

v.      To the Board of Regents:

We want to again thank the Board of Regents and the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education for all that was done over the last academic year to keep the campus community safe during the COVID-19 Pandemic. As we begin the fall semester on our campuses throughout the MUS, we are profoundly concerned that we do not have the same tools for protecting our campus community as we did last year. Faculty from campuses in the MUS have expressed their grave concerns about the safety of everyone on campus and our community given that several of the campuses are in the CDC high risk category, cases are rising, and we know that things can change rapidly and dramatically with COVID. MUSFAR is asking the BoR to reconsider its position on safety measures for the system. The BoR has the Constitutional Authority to govern the safety and wellbeing of the campuses and we implore you to reconsider your position and require both vaccines and masks, regardless of vaccination status, for all indoor spaces on all MUS campuses.

With the full FDA approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on August 23, we have seen public institutions across the country institute a vaccine requirement for all members of the campus community (faculty, students, and staff). Over 600 higher education institutions, with over 200 of those being public institutions, have required vaccines for the entire campus community. The list of all those requiring vaccinations has been cataloged by the Chronicle of Higher Education here:

https://www.chronicle.com/blogs/live-coronavirus-updates/heres-a-list-of-colleges-that-will-require-students-to-be-vaccinated-against-covid-19  

Until we can reach a fully immunized campus and system, a face-covering requirement is the best tool available for ensuring that campus communities remain safe and that classes do not have to move to remote instruction. 

We offer our support to you should you like to hear more specific measures that the faculty can do to ensure the health of our campus community.

Respectfully,

The Montana University System Faculty Association Representatives (MUSFAR) 

Bradford Watson, Chair MUSFAR

IX.            Senators’ Open Conversation

a.       Sally Moyce: Thank you Bradford and Michael for providing such leadership on such important issues. 

b.       Bret Olson: Firearms carry is in courts now. Is there a date estimated?

i.      December is what is being said, but that could always be extended. No idea how long the court case will go on. BOR are getting an update on the litigation tomorrow. 

X.            Public Comment

a.       None

XI.            Adjourn

           a.       Ed Schmidt moves to approve. Gary Caton seconds. Meeting was adjourned at 4:28pm.

REMINDER:

Next meeting: Wednesday, October 29, 2021, 3:10pm-4:30pm, SUB Ballroom C