January 27, 2022Faculty Assembly Meeting Minutes, December 3, 2021

Faculty Assembly Minutes (draft)
December 1, 2021

 

Presenters: Naseem Choudhury (President, SSHS)

Meeting began at 1:05pm.

Assembly Minutes: 11/03/2012 approved; no corrections.

Guests: President Cindy Jebb, Interim-Provost Susan Gaulden

 

FACULTY ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT’S REPORT

 Welcome: Naseem welcomed the faculty and all guests to the last Faculty Assembly of the semester.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Thank you: President Jebb thanked the faculty for all we have done to support our students and acknowledged the toll it has taken on us and the support we also need. She also thanked Provost Gaulden for her leadership.

Future Series:  These will continue and all are invited.

PROVOST’S REPORT 

Thank you: Interim-Provost Gaulden also thanked the faculty for a successful semester. 

Elections:

• Candidates for the Faculty Assembly representatives for the Space Management and Allocation Committee, Scott Frees (TAS) and Kelly Dolak (CA) made their presentations.
• Jeff Ellsworth (SSHS) has accepted the interim- FA Secretary position. Kim Lorber has stepped down beginning spring 2022 after serving in this role for 3 semesters.
• Ken McMurdy (TAS), Faculty Assembly President candidate, made his presentation.

Meeting Adjourned at 1:35pm.

 

 

 

 

 

Categories: FA RCNJ 2021, Faculty Assembly Minutes 2021

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October 26, 2021Faculty Assembly Meeting Minutes, October 6 2021

Faculty Assembly Minutes (draft)
October 6, 2021
Hybrid ASB & via Webex

 Presenters: President Jebb, Provost Gaulden, Virginia Galdieri (Assistant Vice President, Human Resources and Benefits Administration), Sandra Suárez (Director Upward Bound  Math-Science Program), Michael Bitz (Director, Instructional Design Center), Tammi Redd (Director, Faculty Development Center), Peter Campbell (Dean, CA)

Meeting began at 1:06pm.
Assembly Minutes: September minutes will be approved via Qualtrics.

In attendance: 126 individuals.

Guests: Susan A. Vallario, Chair of the Board of Trustees, Angelina Farallo, SGA representative

FACULTY ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT’S REPORT

FA Meeting Guidelines: Comments or questions will be answered after reports are given. Speakers can comment for 90 seconds. After all have participated, 2nd comments will be possible as time permits.

Shared Governance: Naseem has been meeting with President Jebb about improving shared governance.
Collaboration on Future Vision of the College: Meetings have gone well regarding shared ideas.
Spring 2022 Schedule: Provost Gaulden will speak more about this. The goal is to keep the students in mind and preserve the quality of education at the College.
Collaborations: Meetings have been held with Chris Romano (Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs) and Kirsten Loewrigkeit (C.P.A, Vice President for Administration and Finance) about recruitment, retention, facilities, etc. We need to understand more about changes in policies to know which are temporary versus permanent. Such questions might include the new printer policies.
Outside Spaces: Thank you to Mike Cunningham for providing photos of places for faculty to meet outside with students.
Faculty Handbook: Thank you to our diligent colleagues for all of their efforts and service on our behalf.
Service: Thank you to everyone who contributes, which allows the College to work as smoothly as it does.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Thank you: Dr. Jebb thanked FA President Choudhury for all of the faculty’s collaborative efforts on behalf of the College. Similarly, Dr. Jebb thanked faculty as students have reported they have been very understanding and students feel cared for.
Culture of Dignity and Respect: Many meaningful activities were held on Diversity Day. Is more needed to help foster this climate? The goal is to move the community forward through attentiveness and empathy.
Needs Statement: Angela Cristini (Interim Vice President Institutional Advancement and Executive Director Ramapo College Foundation) will explain this in more detail. The faculty is the source of many creative ideas. Offer ideas and these passions might be shared with donors who wish to invest in areas of similar interest. Centers are also a way to invite interdisciplinary work. We need partners and resources to make these things happen.
Shared Governance:  Can we include more of the stakeholders in decision making? The most recent example is the Career Development Reports. The Provost is already working on this issue.

PROVOST’S REPORT

Thank you: The semester has been going very smoothly. We were thanked for all of our efforts in this regard.
Data and Decisions: Ask questions, visit Provost Gaulden. Data is gathered and decisions are made while rationales are explained.
“Play”: We cannot only work. Try to find something that sounds interesting not necessarily work related.
NJ Lecture Series: This is virtual, in the Daily Digest. Squonk Opera
Squonk Opera: The last performance is today at 3:30pm. Buy a $0 ticket Berry Center ticket.
Tenure Track Faculty Hires: 8 new faculty members will be hired for fall 2022. Decisions were based on program reviews. The full picture of all programs was evaluated.

REPORT: VIRGINIA GALDIERI, AVP for HR

Outstanding Unemployment Claims: This has been a struggle for many due to the volume of applications and fraudulent claims. Recently, Jill Brown attended a conference and found a high level person who was provided with a list of those known to be having issues. Continue to contact ER if you have difficulties. File appeals by indicated deadlines if you have received such a result.
Faculty Handbook: The subgroups are working on revisions. This is a collaborative process. Everyone will have a chance to provide feedback.
Career Development Timeline: Employee relations and AFT met yesterday to extend the deadline to December or January when we return from Winter Break based on feedback about the original deadline. The deadline is being extended. Faculty asked for this to be due in January as December is our busiest month.
COVID-19 Vaccination Rates: 95% of faculty; 81% of staff; 70% adjunct of faculty; 71.25% of students overall; residential students are close to 97% vaccination rates. 96% of students in the classroom are vaccinated.
Contract Tracing Protocols: Ramapo College’s protocols are in line with CDC guidelines. We have not yet had in-class transmissions. Updated protocols from the CDC are being monitored. ER is listening to and addressing our concerns. The contact tracing protocols have been of concern. Virginia can share these with us in a separate meeting if we wish. Federal and State guidelines are being followed. The Bergen County Board of Health also guides us.
COVID-19 Positive Student Reports to Faculty: Have students report to Debra Lukacsko or her designee who will advise the student. If after hours, students can reach out to Public Safety. Student Health Services should be contacted during their operating hours.
Career Development Funds: If unused in 2020, do people have to reapply. Contact the Provost and inform her you were unable to use the funds. CC: Janet Faber.
Registration/Vaccinations: November 8th registration begins. Students will not be able to register for in-person courses if they have not been fully vaccinated so they need to do this now. A standard letter can be shared with the Deans from the Provosts. This will be shared with the faculty to inform our advisees.

Announcements

SANDRA SUÁREZ REPORT: UPWARD BOUND GRANT. For more information, contact Sandra. Eligibility criteria are: neither parent is a first generation higher education or low income. Students must be a Paterson, NJ residents.  They come to Ramapo College for  the summer and certified high school teachers and services are also provided year round. The counselors have room and board. Recreational activities are plentiful. The program’s focus is on math and science. There will be a Qualtrics one question vote; please participate when Naseem sends out the link.

FACULTY DEVELOPMENT DAY: Michael Bitz (Director, Instructional Design Center) & Tammi Redd (Director, Faculty Development Center)
FRC and IDC Combined Faculty Development Day: ITC and FRC will be running these together. Perhaps this will be in-person in the spring semester. The IDC will be moving to the Learning Commons in the next few weeks. Deb O’Connell is a new member. Tammi Redd said there will be 4 sessions. The FRC will eventually move next door to the IDC.

Faculty Assembly Openings for the Next Academic Year. (Self-)nominations are due by March 30th to Kim Lorber, FA Secretary. The February Unit Council Meeting is when decisions will be made. The new President and Secretary must also be elected.

VISUAL ARTS EXHIBITION: Dean Peter Campbell announced this will be opened for 3 weeks.

 Meeting Adjourned at 2:08pm.

 

 

 

 

Categories: FA RCNJ 2021, FACULTY ASSEMBLY MINUTES, Faculty Assembly Minutes 2021

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June 15, 2021Faculty Assembly Minutes, April 28th, 2021

Faculty Assembly Minutes
April 28, 2021

 Presenters: Naseem Choudhury (President, SSHS), Katie Cohen (Library), Mihaela Serban (SSHS), Lysandra Perez-Strumolo 

 Guests: President Peter Mercer; Susan Gaulden (Interim Provost, VP Academic Affairs); Chris Romano, (Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs); Kirsten Loewrigkeit (Vice President for Administration and Finance); Stephen Rice (Academic Review Committee, Chair); Sarah Carberry (GECCo, Chair); Nicole Morgan-Agard (Chief Equity and Diversity Officer); Rob Doster (CIO)

 

Meeting began at 1:02pm.
FA Minutes: April 7, 2021 minutes were approved via Qualtrics.

  

FACULTY ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Faculty Handbook Task Force: This is working well. We expect a revised schedule with a goal of having the revisions completed by the end of the calendar year.

 Nominees for Faculty BoT Positions: Candidates (Prof. Rikki Abzub, Human, Capital and Financial Resources Committee, and Prof. Kathryn Yeaton, Audit Committee) will be voted on in the next FA survey.

FA Bylaw Survey: Please complete it.

 Thank You to President Mercer: Naseem thanked President Mercer for his service. Katie Cohen presented a thank you from the faculty assembly. Unit representatives shared their gratitude and memories, as well.

 Thank you to IDC and FRC: Lysandra presented the gratitude of the faculty for all Michael Bitz, Trish Williams, and Tammi Redd have done to support faculty during these trying times.

 

PRESIDENT’S REPORT
State of The Union Address: President Biden will be announcing a plan for up to two years of free tuition, which will result in a total of 4 years (2 from the federal government with 2 from the Garden State Guarantee). By the end of May we should know where we stand budgetarily. Funding for these programs is of concern.

President Mercer: Shared sentients about his and Jackie’s time at the College.

 

PROVOST’S REPORT

Provost Announcement 4/27: April 21st enrollment in the graduate and undergraduate programs was presented. Registration began on April 12th. First year students have not yet registered which will result in more than half of undergraduate students having some F2F courses. The most enrolled mode at present is: Hybrid In-person-Virtual-Synchronous; online was the least preferred.

Technology Needs for Return to Campus Teaching. Contact your technology-needs unit representative so the proper items can be procured for the fall.

COVID Dashboards: Data information faculty helped develop this. One quarter of all residential students are tested each week. One of 179 student tests was positive for the week ending April 23, 2021.

Faculty Awards: Dr. Ellen Kaiden was awarded a much deserved award for all she has contributed to Ramapo College. This was granted remotely. Dr. Lisa Lutter was also recognized for her wonderful service and choral performances throughout her tenure at Ramapo College. She was presented with her award in person.

 

EMSA REPORT (Chris Romano, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs)

Enrollment Update: Graduate programs have continued to increase in enrollment (13% Spring 2021 versus 2% Spring 2020). Ramapo College is outperforming other institutions in New Jersey.

Fall 2021 Admissions Statistics: Applications are down, as they are nationally. New Jersey is down 22.5%, SUNY enrollment is also down. Transfer and readmission applications come in later in the year. Community college enrollment has been declining 14% year after year. The State and Federal governments are working to help students afford higher education.

Student Deposits: We are 1.1% ahead of where we were a year ago. There are 670 deposits.  

Housing: The target is to 1,250 students in residence.  We are at 63% of our goal.

Continuing Student Deposits:  These total 1,110 of a 700 student goal representing 159% of the goal. Part of this may be due to the reduction of the deposit amount from $500 to $100. Some changes are expected. There is cautious optimism about the incoming class. There are more Presidential Scholarship recipients coming in than ever before; this may be due to having removed the SAT requirement.

Weekly Updates: These are sent to deans; contact them with questions about enrollment in your convening group.

 

 KIRSTEN LOEWRIGKEIT REPORT (Vice President for Administration and Finance)

 FY21 and FY22 Outlook:

Housing Occupancy Fall 2021: This is at 48% occupancy as compared to 16% this academic year.

Grant funding: This is expected to be approximately $19.9 million. This will help with lost revenue and additional expenses due to COVID-19. A 3.8 million deficit was expected; we received $15 million that was unanticipated. Now there is a surplus but it will be needed next year as such additional revenues are not expected next year.

FY20: This started as a stellar year but refunds changed the anticipated income. Net revenue comes from room and board.

Structural Deficit: Why are we focusing on this? In the past, tuition increases could be made to meet the budget needs. Tuition increases are approximately 2%. If anyone receives a COLA/step, the College will have expenses higher than the revenue stream.

How The College Addresses These Issues: Residence Life and Food Services has resulted in financial strain at many other institutions. Despite having $7.4 million in debt services there was still a net profit generated of $3.9 million for the College despite student refunds given. Graduate programs are net revenue generating. 

Takeaway: We are grateful for governmental support but we still have to work towards having a long-term sustainable financial model.

 

Prof. STEPHEN RICE (Academic Review Committee, Chair):

New Program Proposals: ARC is advancing the following with the recommendations that they be approved via a FA Qualtrics Survey:
1) Proposal for a New Major in Neuroscience (SSHS)
2) Proposal for a New Minor in Climate Change, Policy and Action (SSHS)

Thank you: Stephen thanked the committee, which has held 25 meetings this year 

Paperless Submission Procedure: This is the plan for the next academic year.

 

Prof. SARAH CARBERRY (GECCo, Chair)

Submit Gen Ed Syllabi: Please send these to your representative if you will be teaching a course in the fall.

Three Open Positions: The current representatives have agreed to stay on. We will vote in the fall.

 

NICOLE MORGAN AGARD (Chief Equity and Diversity Officer) EDIC Announcements:

Introduced Rachel Sawyer who has been hired to as Associate director for EDIC

Rites of Passage Pre-Commencement Ceremony: This will be on May 12th via Webex from 5:30-6:30pm. The Webex link will be provided in the Daily Digest.

Staff Recognition Awards: Faculty was asked to thank staff who have gone above and beyond. The deadline is May 14th.

Diversity Training: A new training is being planned for next year.

CIO REPORT (Robert Dossert)

Password Changes: the screen has changed and will make us more secure.

 

Meeting Adjourned at 2:27pm.

 

 

 

 

 

Categories: FA RCNJ 2021, FACULTY ASSEMBLY MINUTES, FAEC meeting Minutes 2021

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April 22, 2021Faculty Assembly Meeting, April 7, 2021

Faculty Assembly Minutes April 7, 2021

Presenter: Naseem Choudhury (President, SSHS); Mihaela Serban (SSHS), Ed Shannon (HGS)

 

Meeting began at 1:02pm.

Minutes 

Approved: 2/24/21 minutes were approved.

March 3, 2021 minutes will be approved via Qualtrics.

 

Guests: President Peter Mercer and Interim-Provost Susan Gaulden

 FACULTY ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Transition Team: Naseem was invited to participate by BoT Chair, Susan Vallario, as FA President. The charge of the team is available on the College website for the President Elect: https://www.ramapo.edu/president-elect/transition-team/ The transition team is working with the search consultants to assist with a smooth change.

Faculty Assembly Calender: This has been set up for the next academic year and it has been shared with our next President, Dr. Jebb.

              Survey: To inform the development of the transition year calendar. This information gathered is shared with the Transition Team and Dr. Jebb.  This will be distributed mid-to-late April. The survey will be in an All-College announcement and links distributed via that and the Daily Digest. 

 Health and Safety:  Ongoing conversations with Provost Gaulden about vaccines, safety, etc.,.  There are  many moving parts with regard to CDC and New Jersey’s guidelines, and Ramapo’s own internal needs. The Provost will keep us informed.

 Next Faculty Assembly Meeting: April 28th: We have invited Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs Chris Romano and Vice President for Administration and Finance Kirsten Loewrigkeit to present and discuss concerns.  All College Budget Meeting is on May 11th.

Center for Reading and Writing: The CRW is coming back to Academic Affairs by the end of this AY. Thanks to Provost Gaulden and VP Romano. Thanks to Todd Barnes, Hugh Sheehy and Monika Giacoppe for your work with CRW this year, and for leading the initiative to bring CRW back into Academic Affairs

BoT Committees: Does anyone wish to serve? Current faculty serving have done this for 3+ years and are open to continuing. If you would like to serve, nominate yourself. Professor Larsen and Professor Kim serve on the Human Capital and Resources committee and the Audit committee.

 Campus Leadership Survey: A Qualtrics survey is coming up.  Includes the President, Provost, Deans and all FAEC Unit-representatives and FA President.

 

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

 Budgets: The Governor has made a budget but Ramapo College does not know what it will receive. In the absence of the federal bailouts, we would be in dire shape. Some institutions would not have survived without that support. We are pleased and grateful for the support we received. Questions remain. We have 1,100 signed up to live on campus. This is half of our capacity. We can expect this decision will be based on more in-person course delivery. We all wish to migrate to a model with more face-to-face activities. This will begin with commencement activities in May which will allow more interactions than last year but less than our traditional events and exercises. We will need to do some ceremonies several times due to the number of students being recognized and graduating.

 Dr. Jebb: President Mercer is very pleased with the selection of Dr. Jebb with whom he has spoken several times and will tonight. She deeply supports liberal arts education and shared governance. 

 Faculty Concerns About In-Person Teaching: Many remain uncomfortable with teaching full-time in-person and having split classes half in-person and the others remotely.

 

PROVOST’S REPORT

 Provost Awards:  These will be given to Dr. Ellen Kaiden and Dr. Lisa Lutter for all of their contributions on 4/28.

 Commencement Exercises: These will be held on May 12th with a rain date of May 14th. If it rains both days, certificates and awards will be mailed. Arching Day will be on campus. The Academic Achievement Ceremony (9am) will recognize the Honors Program, the Nursing Pinning Ceremony, and Rites of Passage. Each student who is being recognized can bring 2 guests. This will be livestreamed and recorded.

 Classroom Logistics: Waiting for OSHE guidance for the Fall. Current guidelines remain in effect: 6 ft distances etc.  Governor Murphy has said K-12 will be hybrid or in-person; virtual will not be offered.

Fall 2021 Technology Needs Committee: Michael Bitz will be the chair. Faculty reps will be included as well as IT people. Remote teaching works better for some courses than others. Many of the courses have not yet been roomed in the fall semester as we are waiting to see what the enrollments are in classes and match these to room size. Delivery mode changes can happen. From a planning perspective, it is easier to plan to be on campus and pull back than to tell the Provost in July or August of a plan to move to in-person delivery.

Shuttle Buses: These will be back in service in the fall for students to use for the regular stops. The Road Runner buses have been running.

New State Legislations 

        New Courses and Programs: One has been signed into law: This has to do with the new program approval process and establishing a branch campus. We need to provide a rationale for adding these. The process is to be tied to the institutional mission and provide that type of evidence going forward.
        Substitute teaching; instead of the 60 college level credits previously required, a reduction will be made to 30 credits for K-12 substitute teachers.

 Vaccinations of Students: The vaccines are only approved for emergency use so we cannot require mandatory vaccinations; we must wait for the State’s guidance. The standards for higher education have not been announced. Inquiries have been sent. 

Webex Meetings:  We might be able to use the room kits to facilitate on and off campus participation.

Conference Travel/Virtual: The Provost is working on this regarding possible funding and allowing faculty to attend more than before.

Fall 2021 Courses: FYS are 64% in-person. Susan will run a report. 

Registration: Begins on Monday (April 12th)

FYS Peers: Will they all be working in-person on campus? Some virtual sections will be allowed. If there are faculty who consider themselves at risk, they must be accommodated. First-years are looking for an on-campus experience. Peers are going beyond what they were doing to assist in provided on campus courses, supporting the faculty with whom they work.

AFT Adjunct Concerns: There is concern among adjuncts that they will be expected to teach first year courses. Many courses they teach FYS, CRW courses are being prioritized as in-person and adjuncts teach many of these. If they can and feel comfortable coming to campus, they can or they can be assigned a different section. 

School Field Trips: There are a limited number of trips. If there is funding in your school or the FYS budget, assistance may be provided. Many trips would require students to travel on their own to meet at the destination.

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

SCHOLAR’S WEEK (JOEL WEISSMAN): This begins next week, Monday, April 12, 2021, and there are 4 days of programming. Anyone interested, including family and friends, can attend these Webex live events. Thursday, the deans will offer their recorded comments regarding research. https://www.ramapo.edu/scholarsday/

 

Meeting Adjourned at 1:54pm.

 

 

 

Categories: FA RCNJ 2021, FACULTY ASSEMBLY MINUTES

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February 2, 2021FA Winter Retreat Jan 12 2021

Teaching During the Pandemic

FAEC Summary

The past two semesters have been incredibly difficult for faculty.  Challenges include managing working and homeschooling their own children simultaneously, lack of student engagement, a general lack of a standard student code of conduct in the virtual setting, along with high general levels of stress and fatigue.

Suggestions from faculty on ways to improve teaching experience:

1. Reduce the expectations placed on students, within reason.
2. Increase student engagement by randomly calling on them during virtual class.
3. Allow students time to socialize with one another during breakouts to promote better class dynamics.
4. Use tools such as:
   1. Flip Grid
   2. Miro
   3. Mural
   4. Vocaroo
   5. Slack
   6. Camtasia
   7. Padlet.com
   8. Jamboard

A key problem raised several times is student participation with webcams.  Many faculty are still not sure how to handle the situation, however all agree that without students on camera, instruction and participation is significantly degraded.  ASB forwarded potential wording for syllabi to encourage the use of webcams:

“For your WebEx presence to count for attendance and/or class participation, students are expected to keep their cameras on during virtual synchronous class meetings.  If there is some specific reason that you cannot keep your camera on, please notify the instructor before class.”

A second core issue is the lack of a student code of conduct for virtual instruction.  Faculty find students have inconsistent and incorrect expectations, have trouble using email professionally, and that there is an inappropriate level parental involvement in academic activities and decisions.

Faculty remain interested in learning more from their colleagues.  There are requests for another faculty showcase on instruction similar to what was held last Spring.  Faculty noted several campus groups and programs which have been invaluable, including the library’s Interlibrary Loan program.

Adjunct Instructors at Ramapo

1. Adjuncts appreciated the invitation to join the retreat and welcome further involvement at FA meetings and activities.
2. There is a general feeling that Ramapo can do a better job recognizing the value adjuncts bring to the College, particularly those adjuncts that have been at the College for many years.
3. Ways adjuncts can be recognized:
   1. Creation of an adjunct teaching recognition award
   2. Make adjuncts eligible for the Bischoff Award.
   3. Adjuncts should appear in the faculty profile web pages associated with each school.
   4. A web presence for adjuncts will also help students contact their instructors.

Faculty Concerns

Faculty expressed concerns about the following broad topics:

1. Presidential Search:
   1. What level of commitment will the new President have to liberal arts?
   2. How can we feel confident with a virtual-only interview?
2. Enrollment:
   1. Is Ramapo seeing an influx of local students who would normally be attending universities outside NJ?
   2. How are the Spring ‘21 dorm and enrollment numbers shaping up?
3. Finances:
   1. Faculty continues to hear rumors of mergers, and questions about Ramapo’s financial sustainability.
   2. Is there additional CARES funding expected, and if so, to what amount?  Are there other inflows of funding expected?
4. Students:
   1. Faculty would like to see better coordination with SGA on student issues.
   2. Faculty expressed concern for international students – citing inconsistent reports on how well they are being responded to from the College.

There are several procedural and administrative issues that faculty remains uninformed about, and request additional clarity:

1. Schedule going forward: the course delivery mode and expectations from faculty and students.
2. Faculty Handbook revisions, or lack thereof.
3. Tenure clock, reappointments, and promotion opportunities.  There are disciplines whose core research work and output revolves around access to equipment and labs on campus, professional conference meetings, and other things drastically limited over the past 10 months.  There is concern that issues such as pausing the tenure clock have not been addressed or clarified.  There are concerns regarding the limited promotion opportunities creating bottlenecks in the future.
4. Faculty would like to be more confident setting their own course policies – with a more informed understanding of the Provost’s position, and what other instructors are doing.
5. It would be helpful if faculty (esp. adjuncts & untenured profs) knew that they can schedule additional asynchronous days even if their course is listed as “virtual”.
6. The administration’s encouragement of students participation in the course evaluation in the Fall suggested the use of extra credit, and other grade-related incentives to complete surveys.  Faculty is not comfortable with this language.

Additional non-academic concerns remain:

1. Faculty requests more complete and clear information regarding filing for unemployment while furloughed, and requests more support from the AFT and HR.
2. How will vaccination be handled for faculty?  Will vaccination be mandatory for faculty, staff, and students?
3. What plans are being made for assisting / supporting all campus members after the pandemic, in particular the mental and emotional toll the past year has taken.

Ramapo going forward

There were several suggestions offered relating to changing the way things work at Ramapo in the future, as a result of our pandemic experiences:

1. Many faculty would like to see virtual meetings become the norm.  Virtual participation in meetings would allow more flexible schedules, and allow for a reduction in commuting.  Virtual meetings have been surprisingly efficient and effective.
2. The College should move to a paper-free work environment.  We have switched mainly to electronic PDF forms, and this trend should continue.
3. FA should maintain a shared resource page for faculty.
4. Some faculty expressed a new confidence that alternative teaching strategies – such as hybrid and virtual synchronous learning – have benefits, and should not be dismissed for some courses going forward.

 

The following issues arose during the Winter 2021 Faculty Assembly Retreat:
Summary of the “raw data”

Suggestions for FAEC and Provost Council: 

• Respondus and problems with it, Steve Rice bringing it back to Provost council.
• Organize FA and FF around one item, and discuss in depth.

 

Presidential Search/Administrative Issues

• There was concern that the next president might not be fully committed to the College’s liberal arts mission.
• A likely a concern across the faculty:  Tenure clock, reappointments, and promotion opportunities. Of special concern here, issues such as pausing the tenure clock have not been addressed or clarified.  There are concerns regarding the limited promotion opportunities creating bottlenecks in the future.  We could even have situations where faculty are competing for promotion against faculty who started at Ramapo perhaps afterthe pandemic.
• Many also brought up their confusion on how the last two semesters will be considered during tenure/promotion applications. Can the tenure clock be paused during the Covid crisis?
• There are disciplines whose core research work and output revolves around access to equipment and labs on campus, professional conference meetings, and other things drastically limited over the past 10 months.
• While some faculty have suggested that students have unrealistic expectations of faculty to respond to emails, others note faculty have similarly unrealistic expectations also of administration and staff.
• Faculty expressed concern about the way that the administration “encouraged” student participation in the course evaluation in the Fall. The administration asked faculty to provide incentives (extra credit) for students to participate in the course evaluation. There are real ethical issues here.
• There was concern for clarity around the future of the college: rumors about mergers. How sustainable is it?
• Faculty looked for new information on budget, residence hall/dorming numbers, CARES act and next round of fund.
• Faculty Handbook revisions or lack thereof was discussed.
• Some asked: are we getting all the students from Bergen who would have otherwise gone to national universities?

 

Adjunct Faculty Issues

The following issues related to adjunct faculty were discussed:

• Several adjunct faculty expressed appreciation for being invited to attend the retreat but feel that Ramapo doesn’t value or express appreciation to those who have been teaching there for years.
• It was suggested that adjunct faculty be recognized for their teaching accomplishments. One suggestion wasthe creation of a teaching recognition award, similar to the Bischoff, (or expand eligibility for Bischoff to adjunct faculty).
• Adjunct faculty should be acknowledged more and also included in all school “faculty profiles” pages on the Ramapo site. The fact that the adjunct faculty is not in the college website did create problems; students wanted to contact them but they couldn’t find them anywhere.
• It was suggested that with a new Provost and a new President coming in, we have an opportunity to “train” the new admin about the best way to protect and help our adjunct faculty.

 

Virtual Teaching Issues

• Some faculty found they were less stressed when they adjusted student expectations in the classroom. Recognizing that student engagement would take different forms in Webex and asynchronous sessions, many recommended we embrace new measures for what it means for class participation and discussion under the current circumstances.
• Breakout groups offered various points of view and teaching strategies regarding “Student Screen Engagement.”
• There was a sense faculty can feel more confident setting their own course policies – with a more informed understanding of the Provost’s position and what other instructors are doing.
• Some faculty with young children at home expressed the anxiety they’re feeling because of working and homeschooling simultaneously.
• Faculty experimented with different teaching methods during the fall and shared some of the more successful outcomes.
• Useful online teaching resources suggested included Flip Grid, Miro, Mural, Vocaroo, Slack,Camtasia, Padlet.com, Jamboard. and others.
• The issue of keeping cameras on was raised more than once.
• Most agree that keeping cameras on is preferred for connection between students, faculty and other students.
• Clear recommendations on camera use would be helpful.
• Some language suggested by The Dean of ASB: The Cameras Issue:  here’s some language to use in syllabi takes the tone not of demanding, but allows faculty to but err towards “opt in” rather than “opt out”:
  • “For your WebEx presence to count for attendance and/or class participation, students are expected to keep their cameras on during virtual synchronous class meetings.  If there is some specific reason that you cannot keep your camera on, please notify the instructor before class.”
  • The above, however is not a formal policy statement.
• Also noted was that many students may not have the bandwidth to accommodate keeping cameras going.
• As a way of engaging students, someone suggested allowing time to socialize with each other during breakouts.

 

Students behavior, expectations, experience

• Issues of academic integrity seem to also be exacerbated by the current situation.
• How do we improve student motivation?
• How are international students doing? We have some inconsistent reports on how well they are being responded to from the College.
• Issues about the student code of conduct were brought up. Students need instruction in email etiquette and proper communication. Students have unrealistic expectations around email response times during the pandemic.
• One suggestion was a shared list of “expected or norms of student behavior” (maybe FA take the lead?)
• Some students are expressing a “customer” model of demanding “service” rather than engaging in learning in the classroom. Virtual classes seem to exacerbate this problem.
• Parental involvement in academic activities and decisions was discussed. Are parents and other family members present during Webex classes? How do we deal with privacy issues?
• Many recommended a need for more coordinatation with SGA on student issues.
• Going forward, we need to give students more clarity on course delivery modes and expectations from faculty and students.

 

Furlough/ Unemployment Application

• Faculty shared firsthand experiences, concerns and confusion about the process. It would be good to continue to receive updates from AFT / FAEC on this topic.

 

Wellness

• Faculty expressed concerns about student and faculty fatigue.
• It would be helpful if faculty (esp. adjuncts & untenured profs) knew they could schedule additional asynchronous days to mitigate anxiety on both sides of webex courses.
• What are the covid vaccination policies for faculty, staff and students?
• Will the College mandate covid vaccinations for faculty, staff and students to return to campus?
• Many faculty expressed anxiety and stress regarding returning to campus.
• There was concern about returning post-Covid. How to help one another after this? Will we all have PTSD?

 

Resources

• The library’s robust ILL program was commended and recommended.
• The possibility of using Webex/ etc. for faculty meetings in the future.
• There was a desire for a shared resource page for faculty.

 

FA Planning

• Some suggested FA should please plan ahead so that next Fall, FA can include virtual attendance.
• Likewise, some suggested UNIT COUNCIL meetings also allow for virtual attendance.

 

Sustainability/ Post-Covid

• Will our distance learning experience move us toward abandoning paper processes for good?

 

 

 

Categories: FA RCNJ 2021, RAMAPO FAEC

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