Meeting of the CCAS Faculty Senate
Approved Minutes
January 30, 2024
The meeting was called to order at approximately 12:45 p.m., with CCAS Faculty Senate President Robert Emmons presiding. There are 30 Senators, including 2 officers and 2 senators-at-large. Of the 30 voting members, 17 were present. A quorum was met.
- A motion to approve the minutes of November 28, 2023, was made. The motion to approve the minutes was approved.
Voting record: 17 ayes, 0 opposed, 0 abstention.
- Courses and Programs presented by Alex Roche, Chair of the APC, for approval by the Faculty Senate:
|
Courses presented for discussion and approval by APC to Faculty Senate |
Voting Record |
||||||
|
Department |
Course # |
Course Title |
Credit Value |
New/ Revision |
Aye |
Nay |
Abstention |
|
Biology |
50:120:200 |
Exploring Research in Biology |
3 |
NEW |
17 |
0 |
0 |
|
Social Work |
50:910:491 |
Spec Field Practicum |
BA |
NEW |
17 |
0 |
0 |
|
Social Work |
50:910:493 |
Spec Practicum II |
BA |
NEW |
17 |
0 |
0 |
|
Programs presented for discussion and approval by APC Committee to Faculty Senate |
Voting Record |
||||||
|
Department |
Minor |
Date when program will begin |
Aye |
Nay |
Abstention |
||
|
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
||
I. Continued Business
a. Timeline for bylaws completion
Before the winter break, the Senate President shared the current Committee’s bylaws and asked the committees to discuss and provide any feedback regarding changes by the first Senate meeting in Spring 2024. Only one committee reached out to the President with changes. As a result, two more weeks is being allotted for the other committees to discuss the bylaws and provide any feedback to the Senate President. The goal is to be completed with committee revisions by February so that the bylaws can then be shared with the Senate for review during February and March. The Dean would like to share the bylaws with the full faculty in April.
b. Follow-up with CCAS Committee bylaws updates
Discussed above.
c. Update on Library Faculty inclusion in Faculty Senate
Library Senators have had a long-standing relationship with the Faculty Senate and have been attending Senate meetings, as suggested by Rules and Procedures. When Julie Still volunteered to take on the role as Senate President this academic year, it was denied on the grounds that Librarians cannot be part of the Senate because they are not part of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FASC). Librarians would like a continued relationship with the Senate. The hard stance of the Dean and the University is that only members of FASC can be voting members of the Faculty Senate. Some possibilities were briefly discussed for how Librarians can have a continued voice and part of Faculty Senate.
Julie Still: The understanding is that the FASC includes a sentence that says the Librarians are considered part of it, so it’s not that Librarians are being expunged from the Senate but rather Librarians are being removed form Arts & Sciences all together. All of the Librarians consider themselves part of Rutgers-Camden, primarily, and secondarily part of Rutgers University Libraries (RUL). If Librarians were solely RUL, then they would be RU Librarians with an office in Camden. All the Librarians in Camden have made efforts to be involved in the community and on campus through many various ways. Arts and Sciences is the primary tie to campus for the Librarians. This issue is not just about whether Librarians have a vote in the Senate. It’s about whether the campus wants Librarians who have a strong tie to campus. If Librarians are primarily RUL faculty, as opposed to RU-Camden, it will affect daily jobs of Librarians.
Jim Brown: While alignment is necessary, there is a balancing act between the letter of the law and the culture of a place. What would library faculty be open to as far as an acceptable solution to this issue? Is there some sort of other status that preserves the length but doesn’t run counter to the bylaws?
Robert Emmons: The Dean will be invited to the next Senate meeting in February to continue the discussion.
II. New Business
Not discussed in the interest of time.
III. Announcements
Not discussed in the interest of time.
IV. Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 1:45 p.m.
Present: Craig Agule, Ross Allen, Paul Bernstein, Jim Brown, Iman Dehzangi, Sean Duffy, Robert Emmons, Rafey Habib, Osama Hamed, Hunter King, Ana Laguna, Randy Mershon, Adam Okulicz-Kozaryn, Alex Roche, Stass Shpanin, Zara Wilkinson
Absent (Senators): Margery Amdur, Margaret Betz, Michelle Carlin, Brian Corbett, Jamie Dunaev, Anthony Grasso, Kayla Preito-Hodge, Xingyun Qi, Jovanna Rosen, Amy Savage, Anthony Wright, Nathaniel Wright
Excused Absent (Senators):
Present Senators-at-Large: Bart Everts
Absent Senators-at-Large: Nathan Fried
Excused Senators-at-Large:
Present (Invited Guests): Kwangwon Lee, Julie Still
Drafted by Melinda Aviles, 2/21/24