FAEC MINUTES 04/01/2020

DRAFT FAEC Minutes 4/1/2020

Faculty Assembly Executive Council [FAEC] Meeting Minutes

Date: Wednesday, April  1, 2020 | Location: ONLINE/REMOTE  | Time: 10:30 am to 12:00 pm

Attendees: Tae Kwak, Donna Flynn, Kathy Zeno, Christina Connor, Scott Frees, Roark Atkinson, Naseem Choudhury, Ashwani Vashihth (Interim SSHS Representative), Pinar Kayaalp (interim HGS Representative),  Lisa Lutter

Secretary: Nakia Matthias

Guests: President Mercer and Provost Gaulden

I.  FAEC Minutes Approved 

II. RCNJ Library

The library can no longer purchase online materials for remote learning but online books are available for free from publishers.

The National Emergency Library is available until June:  https://archive.org/details/nationalemergencylibrary

Students and faculty can use the Library’s Remote Access Page Link:  https://libguides.ramapo.edu/remote-access

III. Funding and Budgetary Issues

President Mercer explained that the State government may not grant RCNJ bailout funding and that it is possible that RCNJ must prepare for a much smaller enrollment in the fall semester. 

FAEC noted some savings due to COVID cancellation but  also identified revenue stream losses including the rental of  dorm and classroom space during the summer term.  

IV. Faculty Concerns with Online Instruction

The provost confirmed remote course delivery will resume through the summer, all in-person classes will be canceled for the Summer,  and that Online /remote Instruction will be the sole method of course delivery during this period. 

Adjunct instructors are concerned about class size and potential changes in student capacities for online courses.  Normally, the maximum is twenty-four students and FAEC believes that this is the acceptable maximum number of students per class section. Provost Gaulden mentioned that online class capacity limits may be increased going forward as a way to compensate for lost revenue due to COVID-19 restructuring. 

There are mixed reports regarding the  $1000 incentive for creating online courses but it is confirmed that this is no longer being offered going forward.

The FAEC contends that there needs to be a serious conversation about online and hybrid pedagogy in the near future.  It is assumed that at some point summer in-person class instruction will be completely canceled.  

There are security concerns regarding online education,  information privacy, the protection of intellectual property, as well as testing and exam proctoring, and determining who has access to the online course interface.

Online courses must be developed with faculty and students that have disabilities in mind.

V. AFT Executive Board Update

• The tenure clock cannot be delayed due to the disruption in academic activities but specific tenure requirements can be addressed.
• During a meeting with the Interim provost it has been decided that student evaluations will not be administered this semester.
• The Faculty Handbook Revision Task Force has not met yet but a draft of the revised document was proposed on April 1st and the Task Force will meet on April 8th to discuss it.

VI. Pass/Fail Grade Policy

Clarification on the announcement of Pass/Fail option will be announced today.  Provost announcement to faculty and students. Powerpoint for students www.ramapo.edu/policies

https://www.ramapo.edu/provost/policy/emergency-spring-2020-pass-fail-grading-option/

Students will have up to one week after final grades are posted to determine whether they wish to consider  the pass/fail grade option. If students opt to receive Pass/Fail grading they should be informed of the implications for maintaining their student financial aid status, as well as how it may impact international students’ visa status, their acceptance into graduate programs, and its overall impact on their semester and cumulativeGPA.

Provost Gaulden informed the FAEC about the introduction of a GPA calculator for students that enabled the calculation of the semester and cumulative GPA.

VII. FA Meeting Concerns

FAEC is planning to conduct a virtual FA for April 29th which is the last scheduled FA meeting for the school year. Considerations for a Webex meeting and facilitation of faculty interaction during the meeting are being examined with the hopes that participation can be maximized.

VIII. Provost Gaulden

• Timelines for tenure and reappointment can be modified accordingly.  
• Deans and faculty can authorize independent study virtually to ensure that students meet graduation requirements.
• Some classes requiring intensive lab resources may be canceled as  faculty will not be able to deliver content without certain instruments or access to spaces Ex. Black and White Photography.
• The provost is searching for ways to address faculty concern about online exam proctoring.
• Final grades are due on Monday, May18th by 9am sharp.  The provost stressed that it is essential to submit grades by the deadline in order to give students reasonable time [1 day] to opt for a Pass/Fail grade.

IX. RCNJ Commencement and Arching Ceremonies

President Mercer has determined that the RCNJ commencement will be postponed and not canceled.   An Arching Day in the Fall 2020 may be possible for graduates. FAEC proposed that changes could include the hosting of a campus commencement ceremony that closely resembles the arching ceremony.  A decision on commencement will be furnished by President Mercer at a later date.

Meeting Adjourned 12 pm

Categories: FAEC MEETING MINUTES 2020, RAMAPO FAEC, RCNJ Faculty Assembly Minutes 2019