FAEC Meeting Minutes, Feb 17th, 2021

FAEC MINUTES 2/17/21

Present: Naseem Choudhury (President, SSHS), Bonnie Blake (Councilor-at-Large over 11, CA), Katie Cohen (Library), Donna Flynn (Councilor-at-Large under 11, TAS), Scott Frees (Vice President, TAS), Kim Lorber (Secretary), Lisa Lutter, (CA), Thierry Rakotbe-Joel (ASB), Mihaela Serban (SSHS), Ed Shannon (HGS)

Guests: Virginia Galdieri (Assistant Vice President of Human Resources), Janet Faber (Assistant Director/Deputy ELO)

Vote to bring meeting to order at 10:02am. 

Minutes Approval: The 2/3/21 and 2/10/21 minutes were approved. 

FA PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Teaching Faculty List: has been received so announcements can be shared with adjuncts and full-time faculty.

Presidential Candidates: Today we will meet the 3rd candidate.

Course Delivery Plans for Fall: Deans should have all fall plan information. Students will know their scheduled fall format by the time registration starts. Room utilization for 50/50 hybrid courses will depend on enrollment. Twice weekly courses require faculty selection of which day they wish to teach in-person so another can split the in-person timeslot.

Cleaning: The state follows the CDC guidelines. If someone is concerned about their studio spaces or other rooms, contact Lauren Tibbetts, Associate Director of Facilities.

HUMAN RESOURCES’ REPORT (Virginia Galdieri and Janet Faber)

Faculty Handbook: Virginia has reconvened the task force for 2/24 and will create subcommittees to work on different sections. This will be a collaborative effort and is a big project. Changes recommended by the committee will be approved by the legal department, Provost, faculty and other College constituencies. This may not be ready this semester. An agenda and a project management plan will be established and shared. Virginia will share the schedule with faculty at Faculty Assembly.

Faculty Promotion/Sabbatical/Tenure Committees: Members will be trained in advance of participating to ensure best practices.

COVID-19 Vaccinations & Testing on Campus:

Testing: How quickly can we move to full in-person course delivery without requiring vaccinations? The Pandemic Assessment Team makes these decisions. Students living in campus housing are tested based on CDC best practices for communal living. We currently have approximately 178 courses with some in-person components in spring 2021. What will be the plan if there are 500+ courses offered? Additional testing options for the fall will be explored based on who will be on campus in the fall.

Vaccinations:FAEC posed questions about on-campus testing and the possibilities of providing vaccinations on campus to best prepare us for the fall with more in-person courses and people on campus. HR reports that RCNJ follows EEOC guidelines.

Flu Clinics: FAEC informed HR that more faculty may be able to participate in flu clinics if they are held on Wednesdays in the future.

Unemployment: Difficulties with unemployment filings were discussed. AFT has been providing the guidelines about unemployment despite the fact that it is not the union’s responsibility. HR reports that there is information on the HR website. Virginia will strategize with Johnie Burton. A dedicated email address is being considered to receive all unemployment questions.

Meeting adjourned at 12:08pm.

Categories: FAEC meeting Minutes 2021, RAMAPO FAEC