Faculty Senate
Faculty Senate holds final meeting of fall semester
Editor’s note: For more detailed information, including meeting minutes, visit the Faculty Senate website.
8:56 a.m., Dec. 3, 2014--A motion to revise the charge of the University of Delaware Faculty Senate Committee on Graduate Studies was approved during the senate’s final meeting of the fall semester on Monday, Dec. 1, in Gore Hall.
Also at the meeting, senators heard a report from Provost Domenico Grasso and a presentation by representatives of the UDance student philanthropic organization.
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The vote on a proposed revision of the senate’s Committee on Faculty Welfare and Privileges (FWP) termination and complaint procedures -- with specific language surrounding issues of sexual misconduct -- was postponed until January.
The Faculty Constitution charges the Faculty Senate with the right to delegate responsibility to and charge faculty committees.
According to the Faculty Senate Committee Faculty Welfare and Privileges termination and complaint procedures, the FWP “has jurisdiction over all faculty disputes pertaining to faculty termination, reappointment, evaluation, salary adjustment, sabbatical leave, fringe benefits, academic freedom, and other areas of personnel policy and conditions of faculty employment. All faculty are within the jurisdiction of and are subject to the procedures of the Faculty Welfare and Privileges Committee.”
The vote followed an open discussion about a proposal to revise the FWP termination and complaint procedures, moderated by Fred Hofstetter, president of the Faculty Senate and professor in the School of Education.
While the current policy enables any faculty member -- including provosts, deans, department chairs and directors -- to file FWP complaints, the proposed revision specifies that administrators at or above the level of department chair can no longer file such complaints.
The current policy calls for the standard of proof to be “clear and convincing evidence,” while the proposed revision specifies that in cases of sexual misconduct the standard of proof is “preponderance of evidence.”
The proposed revision adds the role of complainant, which is defined as referring to the “student, staff or faculty member who brought a sexual misconduct or other formal complaint of wrongdoing against the respondent prompting the FWP proceeding.”
The senators crafted and approved a motion to postpone voting on the FWP resolution until a special meeting of the Faculty Senate, scheduled at 4 p.m., Monday, Jan. 12, in 104 Gore Hall.
Provost’s report
Grasso presented senators an update on the work of the Responsibility Based Budgeting (RBB) Committee, the recently opened Faculty Commons in Pearson Hall, forums on faculty reporting and evaluation software, campus safety, Title IX committees and the Veterans Day observance.
“The RBB committee, working closely with the budget office, has developed a draft model that will be shared with the deans, with the hope of a roll out in February 2015 and potentially phased in over a number of years,” Grasso said.
Grasso also noted that on-site forums for Faculty180 software are scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 10. He added that UD has renewed its subscription to Academic Analytics, which provides access to the most recently released Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index.
Discussing campus safety, Grasso noted the perception that crime has increased on campus. He emphasized that this perception does not reflect reality. In fact, the incidence of serious crime has decreased significantly over the last six years. Grasso noted that the perception is due in part to the fact that alerts are being posted about crimes committed not just on campus but also farther away from the UD campus.
“Even though the crimes do not take place on campus, they occur in areas where our students live, walk and socialize,” he said. “We feel that a better informed population can make better decisions that affect their safety, and this is why you are receiving more alerts than have otherwise been released.”
Grasso said the Title IX committee headed by Susan Groff, Title IX coordinator and director of institutional equity and inclusion, has been meeting weekly to review and discuss case management issues.
“Two committees for education and training and prevention -- one for students, and one for faculty and staff -- are in the process of assessing what is currently happening on our campus,” Grasso said. “The policy and communications committee is at work looking at our current policies and definitions."
An administrative assistant has been hired and a search is underway for two Title IX investigators, Grasso added.
The Alcohol and Drug Abuse Coalition, chaired by Dawn Thompson, vice president for student life, will present recommendations to UD President Patrick Harker and the provost by the end of the spring 2015 semester, Grasso said.
Grasso noted that the events unfolding in Ferguson, Missouri, represent the most recent, tragic chapter in America’s struggle around fairness, equity and inclusion.
“As we look ahead to 2015 in our new strategic plan, we will, we must, consider how we all can better cultivate an environment in which everyone feels safe, everyone feels included, everyone feels they are treated with dignity, and everyone has an opportunity to realize their dreams,” Grasso said. “Carol Henderson, vice provost for diversity, will be organizing a series of conversational sessions next semester for our community to engage in a dialog on a variety of different issues related to diversity.”
UDance and the fight against childhood cancer
Arya Cohn, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences and campus engagement director for UDance, and Jessica Davis, a senior in the College of Education and Human Development and UDance faculty chair, gave a presentation highlighting the fundraising efforts of the registered student organization.
Last year, UDance raised $850,376.75 for the Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation through a yearlong series of events that culminated in the annual spring dance marathon.
Mr. McDonough died from complications of leukemia on July 14, 2007, at age 14. His blood type and the family's motto was, and continues to be, "Be Positive."
The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Faculty Senate is scheduled for 4 p.m., Monday, Feb. 9, in 104 Gore Hall.
Article by Jerry Rhodes