Illinois State Senate Executive Committee met Nov. 8.
Here are the minutes provided by the committee:
Present: Chair Rob Kar, Vice-Chair John Dallesasse, Nicole Arnold, Mike Bohlmann, Nicholas Burbules, Richard Gegg, Shawn Gilmore, Kim Graber, Prasanta Kalita, Gay Miller, Linda Moorhouse, JJ Pionke, Chaya Sandler, Helga Varden, Dana Yun
Ex officio: Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost Andreas Cangellaris on behalf of the Chancellor
Guests: William Bernhard (Executive Vice Provost for Academic Affairs), Michael DeLorenzo (Vice Chancellor for Administration and Operations), Chris Harris (Senior Director of Strategic Communications, Public Affairs), Robin Kaler (Associate Chancellor for Public Affairs), Stacey Lowery Bretz (Fellow, American Council on Education), Angela Lyons (Chair, Faculty & Academic Staff Benefits), Sharon Reynolds (Associate Provost for Faculty Employee Relations), Bruce Rosenstock (faculty senator, LAS), August Schiess (Director of Social Media, Public Affairs), Christopher Span (Chief of Staff & Associate Chancellor for Administration and PreK-12 Initiatives), Allison Vance (Content Strategy Director, Public Affairs)
I. CALL TO ORDER
A regular meeting of the Senate Executive Committee (SEC) was called to order at 3:10 pm with Chair Kar presiding.
II. PUBLIC COMMENT
No requests received.
III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
The minutes of the October 11, 2021 meeting were approved as distributed by roll call vote.
Yes: Kar, Arnold, Bohlmann, Burbules, Gegg, Gilmore, Graber, Kalita, Miller, Moorhouse, Sandler, Varden, Yun
No: None
Abstain: None
IV. APPROVAL OF FLOOR PRIVILEGES
Floor privileges were granted to Bruce Rosenstock (LAS) as the author of RS.22.02 via roll call vote.
Yes: Kar, Arnold, Bohlmann, Burbules, Gegg, Gilmore, Graber, Kalita, Miller, Moorhouse, Sandler, Varden, Yun
No: None
Abstain: None
V. CHAIR’S REMARKS
Chair Kar thank everyone for service in these extraordinary times. Today is the penultimate SEC meeting for the calendar year and the November 15 Senate meeting is the penultimate Senate meeting for the calendar year. Kar mentioned this because there are outstanding recommendations from the governance audit that have implementation dates of January 1, 2022. SEC and the Senate should be able to address almost all the audit recommendations within the next couple of Senate meetings.
Kar noted that there has been a post-Halloween uptick in positive COVID cases. This is an important issue and Provost Cangellaris will address this issue in his remarks.
VI. CHANCELLOR’S REMARKS
Provost Cangellaris gave remarks on behalf of the Chancellor. Cangellaris confirmed that there has been an increase in COVID cases in the last ten days. The SHIELD Team has bee in close contact with the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD). The bump in cases was expected by the SHIELD Team and CUPHD due to the increase in indoor activities along with Halloween and Dad’s Weekend. The cases reported have had mild symptoms and have not been serious enough to require hospitalization. The high vaccination rate of the University community along with testing and face covering compliance has helped to limit outbreaks. The majority of cases are undergraduate students and are tied to a variety of shared housing. The targeted testing in areas where there are spikes in cases helps mitigate the spread.
Cangellaris reported that CUPHD is offering booster vaccinations and are available to those that are 6 months out from their second dose. Vaccinations for 5–12-year-old children are now available by appointment only through CUPHD. It is important to get individuals vaccinated as quickly and as many as possible.
Communications have been shared with the University community regarding fall break. The communication contains recommendations and requirements for traveling during and returning after fall break.
December Commencement events are coming up. Please check the Commencement website, https://commencement.illinois.edu, for more information about recommendations and requirements for attending commencements activities. Face coverings must be worn indoors.
Provost Cangellaris noted that concern has been expressed by some faculty members about departments/units stating a collective view on political or geopolitical issues. The faculty members’ concern about issuing a collective statement comes as the price of interfering with the academic freedom of members of the department/unit. There are members who may disagree with the collective statement. The faculty members have asked the Chancellor and Provost to create a policy that prohibits department/unit collective statements. Chancellor Jones and Provost Cangellaris will engage the campus on this topic by creating an ad hoc committee. Several Senate committees, including General University Policy (GP) and Academic Freedom and Tenure (AF), will be some of the stakeholders engaged with the formation, charge, and membership of the ad hoc committee.
Burbules reported that GP has already begun preliminary discussions about the issue of collective department/unit statements. Gilmore pointed out that the academic freedom model in the Statutes is based on individuals and not necessarily for a department/unit.
Kalita asked if the University of Illinois is planning to apply for any of the funding that is part of the infrastructure bill (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act). Cangellaris replied that the University is already looking into some of the opportunity areas of the infrastructure bill. Cangellaris plans to ask Susan Martinis, Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation, to send out a communication to the University community about some of the opportunity areas.
Pionke inquired about accessible parking, specifically at the new building where the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is located and at the new Campus Instructional Facility (CIF). Cangellaris replied that parking for CIF was to utilize existing University parking lots adjacent to the building. Cangellaris will inquire further with Facilities and Services for a more detailed response. Dallesasse noted that the Senate Committee on Campus Operations (CO) and the Parking Advisory Committee would both be appropriate places to additionally address the issue of accessible parking.
Miller asked about COVID statistics related to undergraduate students and why undergraduate students tend to be highlighted when discussing COVID cases. Cangellaris noted that undergraduate students tend to live in communal housing and socialize in larger groups, so they are often the subject of statistics that are highlighted. Undergraduate students also tend to be where intervention is most needed.
VII. OLD BUSINESS
SC.21.05, Review of Senate Committees in Response to the 2018 Governance Audit Chair Kar noted that there are three outstanding issues that the auditors would like to close or be addressed by the January deadline. First was a lack of annual reports from each Senate committee. Staff from the Office of the Senate along with Vice-Chair Dallesasse have assisted with ensuring committees complete an annual report more consistently.
Secondly, in past iterations of Senate Review Commissions the implementation process was not clear. It is not necessarily that every recommendation be implemented, but each recommendation should at least be responded to or addressed. SC.22.06 was drafted as a starting point to add clarity to the governing documents that SEC would be responsible for addressing any Review Commission recommendations.
The third recommendation is regarding the Senate Committee on Educational Policy (EP) Bylaws and Senate Standing Rule 13. This proposal has been worked on for a few years and will hopefully be before the Senate in the spring. Gilmore noted that this proposal is currently before the Senate Committee on University Statutes and Senate Procedures (SP).
Kar shared his screen to show the spreadsheet (SC.21.05) created to track SEC action in response to recommendations made by the ad hoc SEC committee. Kar read recommendation #2 regarding the General Education Board (GEB) and possible evaluation of the general education system. Graber suggested that a review of GEB might be more appropriate if initiated by EP or the campus level. Moorhouse and Cangellaris agreed that EP and members of the Office of the Provost should work together to start a discussion on this issue. Gilmore added that GEB seems to have become disconnected from the Senate over the years and that the issues need to first be identified.
Kar made a motion that EP and the Office of the Provost work together to discuss the GEB, identify any issues or problems, and consider charging an ad hoc committee. The motion was seconded and approved by roll call vote.
Yes: Kar, Dallesasse, Arnold, Bohlmann, Burbules, Gegg, Gilmore, Graber, Kalita, Moorhouse, Pionke, Varden, Yun
No: None
Abstain: None
Kar moved onto recommendation #3 that suggests changing the current EP to a curriculum committee and creating a new committee that addresses educational policy issues. Moorhouse reported that this suggestion has been discussed with the EP subcommittee chairs and will take it to the full committee at the end of the academic year. The EP subcommittee chairs were not overly supportive of creating another committee.
Recommendation #4 suggests adding Title VI and IX issues be addressed by adding duties to the existing Senate Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (EQ). Pionke was concerned that Title VI and IX compliance may not be under the purview of the Senate. Gilmore suggested that language be added to the EQ Bylaws about Title VI and IX issues similar to language used in the GP Bylaws regarding monitoring issues.
Kar made a motion that Pionke and Gilmore work to draft Bylaw language to add a duty to the EQ Bylaws that addresses Title VI and IX issues. The motion was seconded and approved by roll call vote.
Yes: Kar, Dallesasse, Arnold, Bohlmann, Burbules, Gegg, Gilmore, Graber, Kalita, Moorhouse, Pionke, Sandler, Varden, Yun
No: None
Abstain: None
Recommendation #5 is completed.
Recommendation #6 is related to student affairs committees working together rather than independently of each other. These Senate Committees include Student Discipline (SD) and University Student Life (SL), and the Conference on Conduct Governance (CG). A small group (Kar, Dallesasse, Gilmore, Clerk of the Senate Jenny Roether, and SP member George Friedman) have begun discussion on CG and SD working more closely. SL has not been added to the conversation at this point. Gilmore added that CG requested a name change, but SP has suggested additional changes to CG duties.
Kar made a motion that the small group act as an ad hoc committee to address the broader issues in recommendations #6. The motion was seconded and approved by roll call vote.
Yes: Kar, Dallesasse, Arnold, Bohlmann, Burbules, Gegg, Gilmore, Graber, Kalita, Moorhouse, Pionke, Sandler, Varden, Yun
No: None
Abstain: None
Gilmore recommended that to address recommendation #7, language be added to the CG Bylaws that CG reports to SEC each semester. Kar made a motion to add the reporting duty to the language changes that are already being drafted for the CG Bylaws. The motion was seconded and approved by roll call vote.
Yes: Kar, Dallesasse, Arnold, Bohlmann, Burbules, Gegg, Gilmore, Graber, Kalita, Moorhouse, Pionke, Sandler, Varden, Yun
No: None
Abstain: None
SC.22.03, Election of a Graduate Student Member to the 2021-2022 Committee on Committees
No new discussion.
VIII. NEW BUSINESS
SC.22.05 Discussion of the Student Electorate (Part-time Students)
Graber received a request from Gies College of Business Dean Brown to consider adding online and part-time students to the Senate student electorate. The Illinois Open Meetings Act (OMA) only allows attending meetings electronically in three very specific instances. Those three exceptions are: (i) personal illness or disability; (ii) employment purposes or the business of the public body; or (iii) a family or other emergency.
SEC members continued discussion or how online student could possibly participate in the Senate in the future since the online student population will continue to grow. SEC members also discussed possible part-time student participation in the Senate. SEC came to the consensus that the Senate should be representative of the campus and proportionate.
SC.22.06, Proposed Revisions to the Constitution, Article VI, Section 9 (Senate review) and Bylaws Part D.1.a – Senate Executive Committee Duties
Kar made a motion to send SC.22.06 to SP with a note that not all review commission recommendations need to be implemented but should be addressed. The motion was seconded and approved by roll call vote.
Yes: Kar, Dallesasse, Arnold, Bohlmann, Burbules, Gegg, Gilmore, Graber, Kalita, Moorhouse, Pionke, Varden, Yun
No: None
Abstain: None
RS.22.02, Resolution Regarding Notification of University Personnel in Cases of Students with Highly Infectious Diseases
SEC members expressed concern about HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) or FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) implications. SEC suggested getting advice from the Office of University Counsel and to refer this item to an appropriate Senate committee.
Kar made a motion to send RS.22.02 to GP, EQ, and request the Office of the Provost engage the Office of University Counsel. The motion was seconded and approved by roll call vote.
Yes: Kar, Dallesasse, Arnold, Bohlmann, Burbules, Gegg, Gilmore, Graber, Kalita, Moorhouse, Pionke, Varden
No: None
Abstain: None
Setting of the November 15, 2021 Senate Meeting Agenda
The November 15 Senate agenda was approved as amended by roll call vote.
Yes: Kar, Dallesasse, Arnold, Bohlmann, Burbules, Gegg, Gilmore, Graber, Kalita, Moorhouse, Pionke, Varden
No: None
Abstain: None
Discussion of the Revised Provost’s Communication #9: Promotion and Tenure Kar made a motion to include a discussion on the November 15 Senate agenda so the Senate can discuss the most recent version of PC #9, and comments can also be sent to EP and GP for transmittal to the Office of the Provost. The motion was seconded and approved by roll call vote.
Yes: Kar, Dallesasse, Arnold, Bohlmann, Burbules, Graber, Kalita, Moorhouse, Pionke, Varden
No: None
Abstain: None
IX. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 5:15 pm.
https://uofi.app.box.com/v/SenateExecutiveCommittee/file/891089615667
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