TAMU Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes

June 10, 2019

3:15pm Rudder 601

http://facultysenate.tamu.edu

 

CALL TO ORDER

2018-2019 Speaker Julie Harlin called the meeting to order at 3:15pm. She then passed the gavel to new Speaker Andrew Klein. Speaker Klein then presented former Speaker Harlin with a ceremonial gavel.

 

CERTIFICATES OF APPRECIATION

Speaker Klein presented certificates recognizing three Texas A&M University staff members who assist in making the Faculty Senate meetings successful:
 
Kevin Walker, Provost IT
Donnie Bazy, University Center Events
Fritz Kocher, University Center Events (Mr. Kocher was absent and will receive his certificate at the August meeting)

 

GUEST SPEAKERS

Speaker Klein introduced the team of guest speakers from TAMU Office for Diversity.
Dr. Robin Means Coleman, Vice President and Associate Provost for Diversity
Dr. Jennifer Reyes, Director for Assessment and Diversity Initiatives
Dr. Carlos Bolaños-Guzmán, Assistant Provost for Diversity
Dr. Means Coleman outlined the mission of the Office for Diversity and the 2010 University Diversity Plan’s three main thrusts: accountability, climate, and equity. For each of these three areas, she addressed challenges, goals, and next steps, including actions and solutions. She closed with details of the strategic vision for fully integrated diversity, equity, and inclusion. (See attached presentation for greater detail.)
 
Dr. Means Coleman then fielded questions from the following Senators: Laura McElfresh, Galveston
Joan Wolf, College of Liberal Arts Jorge Alvarado, College of Engineering Rebecca Burns, College of Nursing
 
Speaker Klein thanked Dr. Means Coleman for speaking to the Senate. He then welcomed Tim Lomax to the podium.
 
Dr. Tim Lomax, Texas A&M Transportation Institute
Dr. Tim Lomax presented information on the upcoming “Football Thursday” on August 29, 2019 (see presentation at end of minutes). For more information: footballthursday.tamu.edu.1
 
 
Dr. Lomax then opened the floor to a question from the following Senator: Rajesh Miranda, College of Medicine
 
Speaker Klein thanked Dr. Lomax for speaking to the Senate.
 
ANNOUNCEMENTS
No announcements.
 
SPEAKER COMMENTS
Speaker Klein had brief comments, eliminating some items due to the time:

• He thanked Dr. Harlin for her hard work on the MyEvive health assessment issue, securing a second option for the health assessment within Blue Cross Blue Shield.
• He thanked Parliamentarian Walter Daugherity for his work on tax issues over the years, who will report on pre-tax parking payments during the Committee of the Whole.
• The Senate has continued its efforts at better understanding the implications of the CHI-Texas A&M Brazos Valley Partnership on faculty in an effort to enable faculty to make better informed healthcare decisions. Speaker Klein thanked Patrick Burkart, Alva Ferdinand, Matt Hoffman, Shelley Holliday, Angie Hill Price and Heather Ramsey for their work on this important issue. This group compiled and sent questions to the Chief Medical Officers at CHI St. Joseph Health and Baylor Scott and White, as well as leadership at the Texas A&M Health Science Center. The Senate requested responses by June 30th, and will share those responses in the future.
• Speaker Klein commented on the threatening behavior recently experienced by several Texas A&M faculty members, brought to the Senate’s attention at the May meeting. He encouraged Senators to approve the resolution in response to students engaging in threatening behavior that is antithetical to our institution’s core values.
• He reminded Senators to complete the online form indicating committee preferences as soon as possible, to make speaker recommendations to the Faculty Senate office, and that the Senate will NOT be meeting in July, with the next Senate meeting on August 12.
• Lastly, Speaker Klein encouraged faculty to volunteer for “Move-in Assistance Day.” Senator Clint Magill spoke briefly on his years of experience volunteering on this day.

 
 
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
The motion passed to approve the May 13, 2019 minutes as distributed. Attachment A – Passed
 
 
CONSENT AGENDA
The motion passed to approve the Consent Agenda. Attachments A-K – Passed
(Consent Agenda with FS #’s can be found below Adjournment.)
 
 
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
No unfinished business was conducted.2
 COMMITTEE REPORTS
Core Curriculum Council Course Report – Attachment L (no course documents) – Passed – FS.37.011
The motion passed to approve the Core Curriculum Course Report. (Core Curriculum Course Report can be found after Consent Agenda below.)
 
Other Committee Reports
SEBAC Report – Attachment M – Passed – FS.37.012
SEBAC representative Greg Heim presented his report found in Attachment M.
 
OLD BUSINESS
No old business was conducted.
 
NEW BUSINESS
 
Resolution on Civil Discourse – Attachment N – Passed – FS.37.013
In response to the experiences Senator Claire Katz’s recounted in last month’s Committee of the Whole, the EC drafted a resolution in support of faculty who have, and will undoubtedly in the future, face harassment for engaging in dialogues on difficult topics.
 
After several wording changes, the motion passed in support of the resolution found in Attachment N.
 
Proposed Revisions to Student Rule
Rule 12             Scholastic Deficiency/Probation – Attachment O – Passed – FS.37.014
After discussion and a one-word grammatical change, Rule 12 was approved.
 
Rule 24.7          Amnesty – Attachment P – Tabled
After discussion concerning the overly complicated language of the rule, it was moved and approved by Senators to remove the rule from the agenda until the August 12, 2019 meeting when Dr. Anne Reber could be in attendance to address concerns.
 
 
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
Speaker-Elect John Stallone convened the Committee of the Whole.
 
Walter Daugherity, Parliamentarian, College of Engineering
Dr. Daugherity summarized the pre-tax parking deduction developments, ultimately sharing he was “cautiously optimistic” that parking deductions will be pre-tax in September. A question from Senator Angie Hill price prompted Dr. Daugherity to state that the University of Texas is in accord with this stance.
 
Speaker-Elect Stallone turned the meeting back over to Speaker Klein.
 
 
ADJOURN
 
The meeting was adjourned at 5:18pm.
 
 
ATTACHMENTS BELOW: Approved Consent Agenda, Speaker Harlin’s State of the Senate Address
 
CONSENT AGENDA
 
GRADUATE COUNCIL
New Courses – Attachment B – FS.37.001
ECEN 713     Data Sciences and Applications for Modern Power
 
Change in Courses – Attachment C – FS.37.002
CPSY 636     Psychological Consultation to Organizations CSCE 611 Operating Systems
CSCE 613     Advanced Operating Systems
DDDS 604     Human Defenses and Responses to Infectious Disease
SPSY 627      Culturally Responsive Interventions-Models for Making Cultural Adaptations to Interventions
 
 
UNDERGRADUATE CURRICULUM COMMITTEE
New Courses – Attachment D – FS.37.003
STAT 484       Internship
 
Change in Courses – Attachment E – FS.37.004 CYBR 201       Fundamentals of Cybersecurity ECON 203 Principles of Economics
ECON 452      International Trade Theory and Policy
HISP 204        Spanish and Spanish American Literature in Translation HIST 419       Intellectual History, 500-1600
MATH 142      Business Calculus
OCEN 405      Finite Element Analysis in Engineering Design POLS 347 Politics of Energy and the Environment
POLS 424       Comparative Governmental Institutions SOCI 430       Contemporary Sociological Theory SPAN 101    Beginning Spanish I
SPAN 102      Beginning Spanish II
 
Change in Courses – TAMU Galveston – Attachment F – FS.37.005
MARB 445      Marine Fisheries Management MARE 451   Senior Design Project I
MARR 451      Senior Capstone Project I
MARS 281      Sophomore Seminar in Marine Sciences
 
Change in Courses – Inactivation Proposal – Attachment G – FS.37.006
TAMU Galveston
Department of Marine Biology
MARB 345          Introduction to Scientific Diving
 
Change in Courses – Inactivation Proposal – Attachment H – FS.37.007
TAMU Galveston
 
 
Department of Marine Biology
MARB 350         Methods in Research Diving
 
Change in Programs – Attachment I – FS.37.008
College of Liberal Arts
Department of International Studies MINOR-JAPN     Japanese - Minor
 
Change in Programs – Attachment J – FS.37.009
College of Liberal Arts
Department of Liberal Arts
MINOR-LMAS    Latino-a and Mexican-American Studies - Minor
 
 
W&C COURSES
 
Courses Submitted for W Certification – Attachment K – FS.37.010
AGSC 302-W       Teaching School-Based Agricultural Education & Clinical Professional Experience BIOL 351-W  Fundamentals of Microbiology
COMM 425-W      Rhetoric of the Civil Rights Movement CSCE 315-W  Programming Studio
INST 362-W         English as a Second Language Methods I MATH 489-W     Special Topics in...
MSEN 380-W       Communicating Materials Science and Engineering SCEN 489-W            Special Topics in...
WFSC 484-W       Internship
 
                                                          End of Consent Agenda                                                                       
 
 
 
CORE CURRICULUM COUNCIL COURSE REPORT – Attachment L (no course documents) – FS.37.012
 
Courses Submitted for Recertification in Foundational Component Area: Lang, Phil, Culture – TAMU Galveston
ANTH 210     Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology