Faculty and Professional Staff Senate Meeting Minutes
November 3, 2025 2pm.
Quick recap
The Senate meeting focused on reviewing and revising shared
governance goals, including discussions about staffing, workload, and student
representation, while also addressing grading policies and AI-related content.
Updates were provided on various programs including a genocide certificate and
pre-veterinary pathway, along with discussions about tutoring services and
online resources for students. The conversation ended with scheduling updates,
including the cancellation of November ALT meeting due to Veterans Day, and a
review of the Navigate system for tracking student assignments and progress.
Summary
Senate Goals and Governance Update
The meeting minutes from the previous meeting were approved.
Presented the Senate goals, focusing on governance and leadership, and shared
feedback received so far. Leadership group is working on establishing a charter
to ensure regular meetings and proper representation. The discussion included a
brief history of Senate representatives on the academic leadership team, with
Carolyn being the current representative.
Shared Governance Goals Revision
The meeting focused on reviewing and revising shared
governance goals. The group agreed to combine goals 2.1 and 2.2 into a single
goal addressing staffing and workload issues. It was suggested moving content
from 2.2 into 2.1, which Kelli agreed to implement. The group also discussed
expanding student representation and wraparound services. Kelli mentioned her
previous practice of collaborating with the Student Senate and offered to
formalize this relationship in the senate roles instead of goals. The
conversation ended with an agreement to proceed with electronic voting on the
proposed revisions.
Student Senate Collaboration Framework
The group discussed codifying the practice of collaboration
between the Student Senate and the president, deciding to incorporate it into
the president's role description. They agreed to add wraparound services to the
combined goals 2.1 and 2.2. The team also considered revisions to the academic
and student experience goals, including the addition of an academic freedom
statement and addressing interpreter availability issues. Kelli mentioned the
possibility of rolling over unachieved goals to maintain momentum on important
issues.
Grading Terminology and Feedback Policies
The group discussed revising terminology around grading
policies, agreeing to replace "standardized" with "common"
or "typical grading practices" to address concerns about academic
freedom. Kelli explained that the aim is to showcase various grading approaches
while ensuring students receive timely and active feedback, sharing her
program's example of strict timelines and prompt grading. The discussion
concluded with a brief mention of an email from Dr. Fisher requesting feedback
on the Student Code of Conduct wording.
AI Policy and Senate Goals
Kelli discussed an email about AI policy that was sent to
Academic Affairs and department chairs, noting that some recipients did not
receive it. She agreed to share the information within Senate teams and add
AI-related content to a goal to encourage interdisciplinary discussions. The
group reviewed other goals, with minimal proposed revisions, and Kelli
mentioned updating a blog with historical Senate information. They also briefly
discussed the need for better institutional communication and the flexibility
of the goals, which could be adjusted as needed.
Strategic Senate Goals and Alignment
Kelli discussed the need for the Senate to align with the
institution's changing strategic plan while maintaining its original purpose.
She highlighted the importance of supporting tech-based programs and evaluating
the impact of large division reorganizations on faculty representation. Kelli
also shared positive news about a student-created mural project initiated by
the Operations Council. The Senate goals were reviewed, and Kelli requested
input on proposed changes by Wednesday. She emphasized the need for
collaboration and support to achieve these goals. The conversation ended with
an update on the shared governance review process, which is expected to be
implemented by Fall 2026.
CWI Status and Program Updates
Kelli and Debra discussed the status of a CWI that Debra
submitted several months ago, which seemed to be in limbo. Kelli agreed to
follow up on the matter herself, as the process had been paused by Dr. Fisher
as he was brand new to the college. They also touched on shared governance and
the importance of communication through a Teams chat. The conversation ended
with a brief mention of new programs, including a Vet Tech program and a
genocide certificate, for which Mike and Eddie were asked to provide updates.
Genocide and Pre-Vet Program Updates
Eddie discussed the development of a genocide certificate
program, which aims to educate history majors, future educators, and existing
educators. The program has received support from local schools and donors to
the Holocaust Center, with funding available for at least one student per year
to pursue the certificate. Michael presented updates on a pre-veterinary
pathway within the Life Sciences program, which is scheduled for votes in
November and December. Kelli encouraged support for both programs and mentioned
upcoming workshops and sessions.
Navigate System and Meeting Updates
Shared updates about using the Navigate system, including
how to view student assignments by changing roles and using progress reports. A
senator raised a question about caseload updates, which was explained as a
system glitch and should be handled by the advising department. The group also
touched on subgroup meetings for accessibility and bylaws, with Sandy absent
and no volunteer to lead the accessibility group.
ADS Tutoring Service Adjustments
The group discussed changes to tutoring services for ADS
students, with Sharon explaining that while additional tutoring hours had been
informally provided for years, the college needs to be mindful of bandwidth and
equity across all students. The discussion also covered upcoming training for
tutors next Monday and the need for representation from tutoring and writing
center areas in the Senate.. The conversation ended with a senator inquiring
about online tutoring services for fully online students, which Sharon
clarified are available through BrainFuse, though with limited resources and
specific constraints.
Action Steps
- David:
Take down names of senators present to confirm quorum
- Kelli:
Combine goals 2.1 and 2.2 in the staffing and workload section
- Kelli:
Add ADS , wraparound services to combined goal 2.1/2.2
- Kelli:
Remove "standardized" from goal 3.1 and replace with
"common" or "typical" grading practices
- Kelli:
Add AI policy discussion/development to goal 3
- Kelli
and By-law group: Work on codifying collaboration with Student Senate as
part of Senate President's role definition
- Kelli:
Send out revised Senate goals after Wednesday Discovery Day for final
review
- Kelli:
Pull and follow up on CWI regarding
assistant professor emeritus that has been in limbo
- Kelli:
Reach out to accessibility subgroup members to schedule meeting and
coordinate activities
- Kelli:
Connect with Sharon regarding tutoring issues and ADS student
accommodations for accessibility subgroup discussion
- Kelli:
Follow up with Sharon on online tutoring hours and BrainFuse usage for
fully online students
- Carolyn:
Collect items from senators to bring to December ALT meeting
