Faculty Senate

October 20, 2021

FACULTY SENATE MINUTES
October 20, 2021  

Present: Henri Akono, Elizabeth Armstrong, David Barrett, Catharine Biddle, Carla Billitteri, Debbie Bouchard, Tim Bowden, Alice Bruce, Stephanie Burnett, Mauricio da Cunha, Paula Drewniany, Nuri Emanetoglu, Allison Gardner, Michael Grillo, Mark Haggerty, Heather Hamlin, Andre Khalil, Amanda Klemmer, Sara Lello, Sarah Lindahl, Natalie Machamer, Ivan Manev, Dmitri Markovitch, Derek Michaud, William Nichols, Harlan Onsrud, Robert Rice, Deborah Rogers, Elizabeth Rooks-Ellis, Deborah Saber, Michael Scott, Mary “MJ” Sedlock, Kathryn Slott, Rosemary Smith, Sean Smith, David Townsend, Matthew Wallhead, Peter Van Walsum, Todd Zoroya, President Joan Ferrini-Mundy, John Volin Provost, VP Research Kody Varahramyan, Robert Dana, Joanne Yestramski, Chris Lindstrom, Emily Haddad, Jamie Moreira (Machais), Jen Bonnet (PEAC) 

Absent: David Batuski, Donald Beith, Susan Bennett-Armistead, Amy Booth, Kristina Cammen, Ana Chatenever, Phil Dunn, Emily Haigh, Sam Hanes, Anil Raj Kizha, Eric Landis, Margo Lukens (sabbatical), Sid Mitchell, Renae Moran, Elizabeth Payne, Amber Roth, Mohsen Shahinpoor, Tim Waring, Ken Ralph, Peter Altmann (CEAC), Karina Iskandaro (Grad Rep), Jacob Chaplin (Undergrad Rep) 

William “Dee” Nichols (Dee) Statement: I’d like to open our meeting today, by acknowledging our presence on Marsh Island, which is the traditional homeland of the Penobscot Nation, where issues of water and territorial rights, and encroachment upon sacred sites, are ongoing. This Penobscot homeland is connected to the other Wabanaki Tribal Nations—the Passamaquoddy, Maliseet, and Micmac—through kinship, alliances, and diplomacy, and the University of Maine recognizes that the Penobscot Nation and the other Wabanaki Tribal Nations are distinct, sovereign, legal and political entities with their own powers of self-governance and self-determination. As we conduct our business this afternoon, I invite us all to consider how we live and work on this land, and to attend carefully to the roles we play as elected faculty senators in shaping future relationships with the land and among people. 

I.  Welcome, Announcements and Comments
William “Dee” Nichols started to welcome President Ferrini-Mundy’s new Chief of Staff Meredith Whitfield, but someone said she should be at the meeting shortly. Dee said, before she arrived, that they’ve followed a similar educational path with both attending Appalachian State University and Western Carolina University. 

Mike Scott acknowledged the recent passing of faculty:
Michael Lewis – Department of Art
Owen Smith – Intermedia Program
Marcia Joy Douglas – Theatre Department
John F. Mahon – Maine Business School
William Yellow Robe, Jr. – English Department  

President Ferrini-Mundy introduced her new Chief of Staff, Meredith Whitfield. Meredith said, as far as her background goes, she’s apparently followed Dee’s path. She said she attended Appalachian State for her undergraduate and graduate studies and was most recently the Director of External Relations and Deputy Chief of Staff at Western Carolina University.  

Emily Haddad was also introduced as the new Dean’s Council Representative.   

II.  Approval of Minutes
September 22, 2021 
Approved  

III. Announcements and Updates from the Administration 
President Ferrini-Mundy stated that there is a lot happening with funding matters as well as the UMaine budget. There are two opportunities for funding for UMaine and the UMaine System. One funding opportunity, previously called Earmarks, is now called Congressionally Directed Spending. It’s a similar process where members of Congress can bring forward ideas to funding agencies. Last spring there was a short window for ideas to be sent for Congressionally Directed Spending but several of those projects that went forward were from UMaine and projects that had been underway for a while. It was in the press today that Senator Collins moved several of those ideas to the Senate Appropriations Bill. There’s no guarantee, but it’s a “key next step.” If anyone is interested, information can be shared about the ideas moved forward. One is the Green Engineering and Materials of the Future that is getting so a lot of attention. We’re now into next year’s process but there is time to pull things together, let President Ferrini-Mundy’s office know if you have interest. The office can look at those ideas and match them to agencies with money available. There are also American Rescue Plan funds to Maine through the Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan. There is more than $1 billion coming to the state and will be distributed to municipalities, projects at universities and more. The UMaine System has been allocated $35 million. Many projects for that money have been predetermined but there will be opportunity for other ideas through competition. Any ideas for projects need to be based on pandemic recovery. There may be some resources available and, again, any interest should be directed to President Ferrini-Mundy’s office.  

Q.  Will there be a call for proposals for the Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan dollars?
A.  The call will go to smaller campuses and then they can partner with anyone including UMaine. Dedicated funding through UMaine will include some opportunity for engagement. This is still preliminary and we are waiting for clarification on how the money can be spent.

Provost Volin said one project is the Rural Career Pathway Center geared toward internships. It’s a proposed $1.5 million going mostly to internships. The co-chairs of the Pathways to Careers, under the Alfond Grant, are Renee Kelly VP for Innovation and Economic Development and Eric Brown VP for Academic Affairs UMaine Farmington. Brian Olsen, Associate Provost for Student Success and Strategic Initiatives, is also working with them. The state has set strict guidelines but, if funded, there will be more opportunities available.  

President Ferrini-Mundy said the $35 million is to the UMaine System but there will be other dollars available. MTI will run the Innovations Funding piece with calls to the community for partnerships. There will be other opportunities when things come out soon. 

Provost Volin gave an update on the October 15th census. Undergraduate numbers are up 2% over last year, graduate student numbers are up 12%, UMaine Machias is up 1%. This is the highest enrollment since 1992 with just under 12,000 students. Retention is down slightly for first-time full-time students.  

Through the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment data, there have been three assessment workshops; another one will be held November 17th. They are offering assessment mini grants; the deadline was extended to the end of October. 

Faculty Development update: partnered with the Vice President for Research Office, the Empower Program was rolled out with Jessica Miller as lead. There were 14 pairs starting in August, and the second will also have 14 pairs starting in the spring. Applications will open again in February. UMaine became members of the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity; everyone as well as graduate students can participate, and so far 205 are participating. Also, we’re sponsoring the Faculty Success Program in collaboration with all deans. There are ten spots available: seven woman and three men will be participating starting in the spring for 12 weeks.   

The Research Learning Experience (RLE) had 31 active sessions with 250 students. Retention is two times as high for students enrolled in the RLE’s as for those that were not.  

Q.  Are there updates on the Cluster Hire Program you can share?
A.  The RFP was delayed a little but there were 30 submissions reviewed and the provost met with the deans yesterday. The deans have added priorities that are identified as key cluster hires. They are identifying key areas now and will be looking at those next week.   

IV.  Questions of the Administration
Q.  With the external funding coming in, will this alter internal funding?
A.  No, the funds are the same as grants, one-time funds. With Cluster Hires, we could be thinking about some external funds for a year or two but would then need to go on base funding after that.

Joanne Yestramski said they are looking at the 2023 budget now. October 26 is a Town Hall with the Chancellor and that’s an opportunity to hear him address hear updates on the budget. There will be a strategic approach with the budget process.  

Q.  With the American Rescue Plan, could something like that help with tuition for students? Some students dropped out of online programs during the Covid period due to job loss and cost.
A.  President Ferrini-Mundy thought it could and possibly be a fit with the Workforce Development/Town Development. It’s still early but she thought Harlan had a great suggestion.

Q.  Where do things stand with the vaccine compliance deadline?
A. There are close to 100 people that are not accounted for with a verified vaccination or exemption. The number is down from approximately 2400. Students have done well with close to 100% of resident students accounted for.  

Regarding testing, asymptomatic testing has been done on campus but now those that are symptomatic can get tested. Go to the PointnClick System and register for a test. President Ferrini-Mundy said she was just in Estabrooke and the testing center was empty, except for those doing the testing. Register at umaineportal.pointnclick.com 

Q.  Where do the number of religious exemptions stand?
A.  Systemwide there are approximately 1050 or 1100 exemptions, a majority are religious. UMaine has approximately 300. 

Q.  There was a workplace survey done last spring, can we get a report, or preliminary, on that?
A.  President Ferrini-Mundy said results came back and they’ve been looking at comments but yes, it can be shared.

Q.  Regarding EPIC, is that a pathway at the system level?
A.  Many universities have different units to provide students with experiential learning. UMaine has the same: CUGR, Foster Center, etc. The idea of EPIC is an opportunity for students to get experiential learning early on. It is not to create new courses but is limited to what’s available. The first course will be the only new one.

Q.  Base funding was mentioned, and faculty hire needs identified by colleges. Is there a plan to grow faculty beyond base funding that’s tied to tuition or is it always going to be tied to tuition?
A.  There are several faculty paid from other sources, not base funding: MEIF, grants and some one-time funds. Could we use a strategy to grow our faculty? Yes, in a strategic way. We need to think creatively about the funding strategies over time. There is no other source beyond ENG budgets.

Joanne Yestramski said from multiyear planning, as enrollment grows, they look at student/faculty ratio. Looking over the last 10 years there was a ratio of 15-16 students per faculty. When looking to grow enrollment, faculty would also grow based on enrollment. 

Comment: Curious about displaced money but also concerned how outside dollars may affect future courses based on priorities. Where are these priorities identified, what are the incentives, etc.?   

V.  New Business
Regarding the Constitution, there will be a friendly amendment. UMaine Machias was included but have asked not to be included at this time.  

Motion to Change the Bylaws for Article IV STANDING COMMITTEES; Section 9: SERVICE and OUTREACH COMMITTEE 

Preamble
On August 3, 2021, elected members of the senate were sent a letter from the Faculty Senate President that included the task of comparing the Bylaws and Constitution revisions to our current Constitution and Bylaws posted on our Faculty Senate website. The Constitution and Bylaws Committee diligently worked over the past two academic years on needed revisions to our Constitution and Bylaws. The Service and Outreach Committee recognized the need for revisions to the committee Bylaws. The Current Bylaws for ARTICLE IV: STANDING COMMITTEES; Section 9. SERVICE and OUTREACH COMMITTEE are: 

1. Function.  The Committee on Service and Outreach reviews and makes recommendations to the Senate regarding service and outreach issues and opportunities that affect the university and its communities.
   B. Membership.  The members of the Committee on Service and Outreach are, as much as possible, at least one member from each of the colleges and Cooperative Extension.

Motion
The Service and Outreach Committee motions to make the following changes to the Bylaws for  

ARTICLE IV: STANDING COMMITTEES; Section 9. SERVICE and OUTREACH COMMITTEE: 

ARTICLE VII: STANDING COMMITTEES  

Section 10. SERVICE and OUTREACH COMMITTEE 

1. Function. The Committee on Service and Outreach reviews and makes recommendations to the Senate regarding service and outreach issues and opportunities that affect the university and its communities.
2. Membership. The members of the Committee on Service and Outreach are represented as much as possible by at least one faculty senator from each college and Cooperative Extension. An additional ex-officio member of the committee includes one student government representative.

Vote: Approved  

Faculty Senate
Motion to Incorporate Committee Charter for the Library Advisory Committee
October 6, 2021 

Preamble
The charter for the Faculty Senate Library Advisory Committee is incorporated into Article IV, Section 10 of the current Senate by-laws. The by-laws of the senate are under revision and the charter needs to be re-affirmed.   

Motion:
The Library Advisory Committee requests that the Senate approve the following description and charter for the Library Advisory committee and incorporate the description and charter into the revised by-laws:    

LIBRARY ADVISORY COMMITTEE
A. Function: The Library Advisory Committee reviews and makes recommendations to the Senate in matters relating to the functions of the library including physical plant needs, staffing levels, financial­ support, service to the academic community and the adoption of new technology. The committee shall provide a communication s link with the campus as well as a policy forum on library issues.
B. Membership: The members of the Library Advisory Committee are the Dean of Libraries, ten faculty members representing a variety of disciplines, an undergraduate student and a graduate student. The Chair of the Committee shall be chosen by the Senate President.

Q.  Is the Library Committee a committee to Faculty Senate or UMaine?
A. Senate. 

Vote: Approved  

Motion to Ratify Final Draft of FGC Charge 06-28-2021 – All Campus Feedback Considered
10-6-2021: University of Maine   

Rationale:
The University of Maine System (UMS) Faculty Governance Council (FGC) was created by the assembly of the Faculty Senate/Assembly Presidents/Chairs by Chancellor Malloy in late January 2020. This was a watershed moment in the governance history of the System and was a rare convening of all of the System’s Faculty Senate/Assembly leaders to provide council for the system.  

The Council was formed to address System-wide faculty governance issues and provide guidance on matters of new multi-university program proposals or initiatives that relate to the support of System-wide academic programming and unification.  

Motion:
Therefore, the President of the University of Maine’s Faculty Senate presents the motion to ratify the composition and charge for the University of Maine System’s Faculty Governance Council as described below.  

Composition of the Faculty Governance Council
Membership of the Faculty Governance Council is composed of a delegation from each of the following campuses: UMA, UMF, UMFK, UMM, UM, UMPI, USM, and the UM School of Law. 

Each campus delegation will consist of one to four members to include 

• The Chair/President of the campus faculty governance body,  

and the following optional members as determined by the individual campuses:  

1. the Vice Chair/President of the campus faculty governance body; if a Vice Chair/President is unable or unwilling to serve, a campus may, if they so wish, substitute another representative by appointment of the campus faculty governance body, 
2. an FGC Representative provided by election or by faculty governance body appointment and serving a term of three years, 
3. a past Chair/President of the campus faculty governance body who a) previously served on the FGC, and b) continues to hold a faculty position at their respective campus; in the event that the past Chair/President is either unable or unwilling to serve, a campus may, if they so wish, fill a one-year term by election from the faculty at-large.  

On all matters determined by vote each campus delegation will cast a single vote. 

The Council will also include the following non-voting ex-officio members: 

• An AFUM Executive Board member 
• A member of the UMS VCAA office 
  

Charge of the Faculty Governance Council
The Council shall concern itself with System-wide faculty governance and shall provide guidance on matters of new multi-university programs[1] proposals or initiatives that relate to the support or creation of System-wide academic programming. In a facilitative, rather than directive, nature, the Council’s primary functions are to:  

• Consider the broad issues of productive system-wide shared academic governance.  
• Serve as conduits to share information with, and from, local faculty governance bodies with the UMS system administration.   
• As part of the UMS Administrative Practice Letters (APL) review workflow diagram, the FGC will receive timely communication from the VCAA regarding proposed new or revised academic policies with institutional impact. Council members will review materials, inform respective university faculty, and gather campus level feedback for consideration.  
• In consultation with each other and their respective faculties, contribute constructive critiques of the policy proposals brought by the VCAA. The System leadership will notify the Council in writing of all decisions subsequently reached regarding the proposed policy changes.  

• Discuss issues of concern that individual council members may bring to the council which have been raised by the faculty on their respective campuses. The council will consult and bring issues of merit with system-wide impact to the UMS administration for response.  
•  Establish specialized subcommittees as warranted.  
• Multi-university program governance. 

1. Ensure faculty involvement in the formulation of policies and standards concerning multi-university programming and initiatives prior to UMS or Board approval and implementation. 

b) Review and constructively critique multi-campus proposals received from the VCAA’s Office, in accordance with APL X-P.1. The process for new or modified multi-university academic programs normally initiates with the participating programs from the collaborating universities. Individual university level processes will be followed for individual university approval. The quality of curricular components of multi-university programs has been, and will continue to be, reviewed by the university-level curriculum committees and the faculty senate/assembly of the home universities of the collaborating departments. Participating universities will then work together to complete a single collaborative multi-university proposal submission.  The VCAA will notify the FGC of all multi-campus program intent-to-plan submissions. The FGC may, if warranted, offer suggestions regarding issues needing to be addressed in the final program proposal submission. To ensure institutional-level consistency in the review of the curricular suitability of new multi-university programs, the Faculty Governance Council will provide a final overall review of the collaborative program proposals. The Council will offer feedback on final program proposals received between Sept 1 and April 1 to the participating campuses within 30 days, and, if necessary, continue to work with proposal sponsors to clarify any questions. Upon completion of the proposal review, the Council will forward a recommendation of action to the VCAA.

c) For review of on-going program quality, the Council, or a sub-committee, will act as the receiving body for assessment reports from multi-university programs. The Faculty Governance Council recognizes the need for a multi-university assessment committee in the future which will, when formed, assume the responsibility of reviewing the multi-university assessment reports. 

8. In accordance with APL X-P.1, the VCAA will notify the Faculty Governance Council of single-university program proposals. The notification is for informational purposes only, no action is required of the Council.
9. Discuss and provide recommendations to the VCAA Office on issues relating to multi-university collaborations.
   

Multi-University Program Criteria and Characteristics 
Multi-university programming is characterized by, but not limited to, the following: 

1. Pertains to new collaborative programs between and among universities. 

• Is fully accessible to students at all collaborating universities.
  

Multi-University Program Policies 

• Universities can also continue to partner via memorandums of understanding (MOUs) for collaborations involving less than a full program or credential. 
• Complement current MOUs, but could take precedence over revising those MOUs depending on agreement among current university partners (e.g., adding a new partner or significantly changing the curriculum may require moving through the multi-university program approval process, renewing the MOU without major changes may not) 
• Students will matriculate at and be identified as having graduated from one university. 
• Students must meet the residency requirement of their identified home institution. 

• The multi-university credential may be considered a program offering by one or more universities collaborating.
  

Comments: The statement: “On all matters determined by vote each campus delegation will cast a single vote.”  

It’s concerning that the largest campus has one vote. Also, the way it’s written, there’s no clear understanding what the Faculty Governance Council will be voting on. It should state “…that all matters as outlined in the charge of Faculty Governance Council.” That makes it about what the Council is instructed to do. Michael Scott offered this friendly amendment.  

Q.  Is just one change being offered, not the one vote?
A.  Michael Scott said he’d like to change the one vote but isn’t sure how to address it.

Q.  If we don’t accept this what happens?
A.  Dee said he doesn’t know; he’d probably bring it back to senate. He does think others in the council would appreciate the language Michael offered. 

Comments: Ivan Manev said it was “one interesting meeting.” He couldn’t get any information, or an agenda, prior to the meeting. Dee emailed twice but still no information came. There was discussion about having an organization and two co-chairs and whether chairs should rotate between the campuses, and whether they can be reelected etc. It was decided to keep it an informal group. The seven votes were interesting, and the voting was strange. There will be a support person from the UMaine System, but faculty will compile the minutes; no recordings will be made of the meetings. 

There was an APL change to be approved which came from the UMaine System. Ivan moved to table that because there was no information given. Ivan said, as an elected member, he shouldn’t just fill a seat. If this is an important governance body, there needs to be better management.  

Michael Grillo offered an amendment. He asked if it is possible to give the council a conditional two years and then assess whether to keep it or not. 

William Nichols asked if the amendment could be sent to him as stated by Michael Scott and Michael Grillo. Dee, if senate trusts him to do so, can take the amendments and present those. 

President Ferrini-Mundy said she wasn’t aware of the things being stated today. Since we are now accredited as a unified entity there will be a chance to talk to the accreditors this summer. She thought that there should be a faculty governance at the UMaine System level. This topic will return no matter what is decided but didn’t want to see anything be given away. 

Q.  What is the timeline to get something accomplished?
A.  Dee Nichols didn’t know the answer but assumed it would be on the agenda for the December meeting. 

Mike Scott said he was concerned and feels like this should have been developed thoughtfully before NECHE comes in the spring. There needs to be proper construction for faculty governance, not something rushed into. 

Comments: Alice Bruce said, the charge is very broad, they could vote on anything. Dee said the intention of the Faculty Governance Council is not to vote on anything but to redirect information back to campuses, so each campus is involved. It’s how we work as a system.  

Harlan: Moved to table the motion.
Seconded  

Discussion: The charge has been ratified by the six other campuses. 

Q.  Can we have something done by the next meeting?
A.  Ivan Manev suggested that UMaine continues even though there’s no mandate from Faculty Senate.  

Vote: Tabled  

Comments: Why doesn’t the Charge resemble the Intention? Dee said he didn’t know. Who wrote this? Dee said it was written at meetings over time. The UMaine System Office helped but did not write it, just participated. It might be good to invite the Vice Chancellor to present the rationale. There’s not a lot of understanding of what is being done. It may be time to redo this. 

Q.  How often does the FGC meet?
A.  Once a month. 

Q.  Can this be discussed with the Chancellor at the next meeting?
A.  Dee said he’d discuss it with President Ferrini-Mundy.

Faculty Senate
Motion Requesting Increased Commitment and Communication
Regarding Work-Restricted Religious Holidays 

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee
September 30, 2021 

Preamble
The University of Maine Office of Equal Opportunity has a stated policy on Religious Observances and Practices which reads as follows:  

Our faculty, staff, and students are from varied religious and cultural backgrounds which serve to enrich and strengthen our community. Any event scheduled on a major religious or cultural holiday can send a message of insensitivity or exclusivity to staff and students who cannot participate that day due to their religious beliefs. Therefore, please avoid scheduling important meetings, exams, or other essential events on such dates whenever possible and to accommodate the observance of religious traditions for those staff and students who need to be absent for religious holidays throughout the year. Some information about major religious holidays may be found at the University of Maine System Human Resources page.  An extensive listing is online at the Interfaith Calendar web site. 

The university is required by state and federal law to make reasonable accommodations to the religious observances and practices of employees or prospective employees provided those accommodations do not result in an undue hardship. See, e.g., 41 C.F.R. §6-50.3 and MHRC Ch. 94-348, § 3.10(C)(DOC). Such accommodations might include a schedule change for an employee who regularly observes a particular Sabbath or religious holidays and who is conscientiously opposed to performing work or engaging in similar activity on such days. The resolution of these issues depends on the particular factual circumstances and involves a delicate balancing of an applicant or employee’s religious needs with the degree of disruption imposed on the institution.    

The University of Maine System website states, “For planning purposes, please note the following important religious holidays” and provides the following incomplete list:

Fiscal Year 2022 

Holiday	Religion	Date
Eid al Adha*	Islam	July 19 – 20, 2021
Rosh Hashanah*	Jewish	September 7 – 8, 2021
Yom Kippur*	Jewish	September 15 – 16, 2021
Diwali – Deepavali**	Hindu/Sikh/Jain	November 4 – 8, 2021
Good Friday	Christian	April 15, 2022
Ramadan begins*	Islam	April 2, 2022
Eid al Fitr*	Islam	May 2 – 3, 2022

*Premium holiday pay; refer to collective bargaining agreements or employee handbooks (found on Human Resources front page under Employee Handbooks). 

**Employees represented by collective bargaining agents will be governed by the provisions of their collective bargaining agreements.
   

Important holidays with traditional work restrictions include, but are not limited to: Eid al Adha (Islam), Rosh Hashanah (Judaism), Yom Kippur (Judaism), Sukkot (Judaism), Diwali/Deepavali (Hinduism, Sikhism, and Jainism), Passover (Judaism), Shavuot (Judaism), start of Ramadan (Islam), Eid al Fitr (Islam). It may be warranted to expand the list of holidays recognized in the table provided by the UMaine system. If so, that issue will be addressed in a separate motion.  

Despite the policy and list of holidays being publicly available, there has been a consistent trend of major events and meetings being scheduled on these important religious dates. The Faculty Senate passed a motion in March 2018 requesting additional required syllabus language ensuring no academic penalty for religious observances. This required syllabus language has mitigated the number of exams or major course requirements that occur on these dates, but the problem continues to persist in some way each year regarding meetings and events intended for faculty and staff. The DEI Committee also acknowledges that this issue has disproportionately affected our Jewish faculty/staff in our community, due to the fact that the High Holy Days fall so close to the start of the fall semester, when there is an eagerness to get many things scheduled. 

A second Faculty Senate motion was also passed in March 2018 requesting that important religious holidays be added to the University of Maine System calendars. 

Despite these motions and the actions which followed them, it is clear that more communication and amplification is needed to ensure that the policy is remembered and followed by all entities on this campus. 

The DEI Committee proposes that this should be accomplished with the following actions: 

• A recommitment from uppermost administration to lead by example in the scheduling of campus-wide events and meetings. 

• A letter highlighting the policy should be sent from the President’s Office 1-2 times a year, during times of increased planning/scheduling, such as the end of each semester. This practice should begin no later than the end of the 21-22 academic year. 
• Inclusion of important religious holidays as a second page of the UMaine Campus Academic Calendar document, distributed from the Office of Student Records, beginning with the 22-23 academic year. 
• Creation of a downloadable and/or subscribe-able Google Calendar for important religious holidays, which is made available and publicized to the campus community, beginning with the 22-23 academic year.
  

Motion:
So that all members of the University of Maine faculty and staff may fully participate in important meetings and events while also observing the work-restricted holidays of their varied religious and cultural backgrounds, the Faculty Senate moves that the University’s administration provide increased attention to and communication on the Religious Observances and Practices policy, as stated on the website of the Office of Equal Opportunity and regarding the holidays listed on the University of Maine System Human Resources page. In service of this goal, the Faculty Senate further requests the following action on this issue: 

• A recommitment from uppermost administration to lead by example in the scheduling of campus-wide events and meetings. 

• A letter highlighting the policy should be sent from the President’s Office 1-2 times a year, during times of increased planning/scheduling, such as the end of each semester. This practice should begin no later than the end of the 21-22 academic year. 
• Inclusion of important religious holidays as a second page of the UMaine Campus Academic Calendar document, distributed from the Office of Student Records, beginning with the 22-23 academic year. 

Creation of a downloadable and/or subscribe-able Google Calendar for important religious holidays, which is made available and publicized to the campus community, beginning with the 22-23 academic year.  

Vote: Approved  

Discussion: Regarding this motion and the Faculty Senate Calendar, the meeting schedule for 2022-2023 will need to be discussed at the Executive Committee meeting next week. To avoid some holidays this will require a December with no meetings. 

Regarding the vote on the Constitution at the last meeting. In a meeting with UMaine Machias they thought they’d like to be removed from the document for now. William “Dee” Nichols asked that there be a Friendly Amendment to remove UMaine Machias from the constitution. William “Dee” Nichols will send an email to campus faculty explaining the Constitution amendments. 

Vote: Approved 

The administration developed a report on the relationship with Machias. It would be great if that report were shared with Senate. President Ferrini-Mundy said that was a great idea.  

VI.  Committee Reports
BOT – Mike Scott
There are two meetings coming up: Academic and Student Affairs Committee and the Finance, Facility and Technology Committee. There was a request for tenure at the time of hire for faculty at the Orono Campus. Those will go in front of the committee on Monday. A week from Wednesday there are a couple of issues being discussed to make Senate aware of. There was authorization of a parking garage at USM for $23 million and an Arts Center for $4.2 million. 

Also discussed was the reuse of Holmes Hall and Coburn Hall to a public/private partnership. This is to develop a hotel on this campus. They’re also looking at adding another structure between Holmes and Alumni Hall as part of that development. Maybe the administration can discuss that at a future meeting. 

Town Research Innovation for Maine, Maine Jobs Recovery Program, $35 million investment. 

Review of IT projects – there is some repaving of ME Street. The price is $16.8 million, looking at a 2026 completion. Classrooms of the Future, web conferencing and wireless infrastructure are major projects that are 99 % complete. The Fernald Engineering Education Design Center and The Darling Marine Center waterfront infrastructure projects will be discussed next Wednesday. 

Academic Affairs – Michael Grillo
The committee met and identified, from the previous areas discussed, areas to focus on. First will be students’ majors and allowing a broader education they can receive. This will link to Gen Ed. One area is to look at case studies to see how majors were selected, how long they stay with that major and if they transfer and where. Another area is Predictive Analytics and its role in decision making on campus. Michael will be meeting with Jessica Miller regarding that. The committee also plans on discussing Cluster Hires versus departmental needs. Is there a funding opportunity for the university to look for external funding? The committee will also look at the effectiveness of RLE’s, how are they accessed and how can they be made effective by getting students in their first year.   

All material are listed in the Google Drive folder.  

Gen Ed – Subcommittee of Academic Affairs – Sam Hanes 
Provost Volin said there is an Ad Hoc committee co-chaired by Sam Hanes and Brian Olsen.   

Q.  Is the intent to look at Gen Ed overall?
A.  The intent is to look at overall Gen Ed and see how RLE can be added. There is a timeline but prefer a committee member comment on that. 

Provost Volin said after checking his notes, there will be a survey that will be distributed to all faculty soon. Results will help draft a Gen Ed model that will be presented to campus in forums. 

Constitution & Bylaws – Amanda Klemmer & Kathryn Slott
The university faculty approved the changes to the Constitution. No other report. 

Research & Scholarship – Sean Smith   
There are three items on the top of the list to be discussed. One item was already mentioned here today, the IT issue. Second is the inefficiency of technical staff hires and delays; and third is needing continued support of technical staff, research faculty and postdocs in line with wanting high productivity, RLE’s, having more students and labs, and needing field work safety. This has been a focus of the committee, to advocate for those recourses. Fourth is the pandemic survey and work Asli is putting in on it. There were 408 respondents, 78% responded reduced productivity during the pandemic, 30% listed increased workload and 29% mentioned mental health issues with the work/home balance. A publication is being worked on now. There’s a lot of information, more than mentioned here today.  

Finance & Institutional Planning – Mauricio da Cunha & Mike Scott
There was a meeting last month. The next meeting will be with the administration, and an agenda is being finalized now. The input from the faculty survey is done, and a report is being written now. 

University Environment – Amanda Klemmer & Harlan Onsrud
The last meeting was October 15th. Dan Dixon, Director of Sustainability, gave a presentation about moving toward the campus goal of zero carbon emissions by 2040. There was a video taken during the meeting and is available if people would like it. There are faculty that would like to join the committee but aren’t senators. Paul Mayewski, Director of the Climate Change Center, asked to address Faculty Senate regarding the Climate Challenge Consortium to engage faculty across campus and the UMaine System. Harlan said he is also co-chair of the committee now. 

Comment: University Environment may be interested in a meeting FIPC is setting up for a presentation by President Ferrini-Mundy’s group regarding the Master Plan. Mike Scott said he’d schedule a joint committee meeting.  

Service & Outreach – Debbie Saber
Debbie said she mentioned in a meeting that there is a need to better inform the public about Service and Outreach at UMaine. The committee reached out to Deb Allen but there’s no list of outreach activities on campus. There is a public tool to look for research areas. She talked to Renae Kelly, Office of Innovation and Economic Development, who said there is no centralized place, but she has an industry contract worklist but can’t share it due to confidentiality. Jason Charland mentioned the Maine Department of Education as another place to find information. It became clear, there is no central place for all this information. It would be helpful to have one for outreach as well as for grant writing. 

Committee on Committees – Heather Hamlin
Two new requests for committees to be filled. One is Dean Fay Gilbert’s Review Committee; Heather will be sending out information regarding these committees. Second is the Visiting Libra Diversity Professorship Review Committee. If you think of someone who may be interested, please have them contact Heather. The two NECHE committees still need nominees. 

Program Creation & Reorganization Review – Sid Mitchell
No report. 

Library Committee – Deborah Rogers & Robert Rice 
The last report mentioned notes on Google Drive, and those notes have been amended to show the committee has looked at the Library Strategic Plan and forwarded comments along. Cuts so far are due to inflation not budgets. The messages going to department heads will be clarified to be clear: cuts listed are pending cuts. There have also been instances where people thought journals had been cut when they had not. Talk to one of the library specialists if you have questions about cuts or about the location of items. Enrollment numbers up since 1992 and the number of graduate students using research materials is up 12%. There are still spots available on the committee for anyone wanting to join the best committee. 

Comment: It was brought up at another meeting that unit leaders were not aware they should forward messages to faculty. Bob Rice said that notification will be clarified. 

Faculty Information Technology Committee – Todd Zoroya
IT has developed a new process for purchases; one for research and one for everyday purchases. They’ve already had feedback from faculty but will be getting more. There was also a subcommittee meeting regarding the new IT Governance structure. There is a plan being developed on how to deal with that. 

Q.  Regarding research computing and constraints which IT has put on the use of technology, what oversight is there to have conversations with IT prior to policy development? IT needs to involve researchers in decisions. The situation with the IT Governance Council is like that of the FGC, and the Orono campus only has one vote. Can that be an issue? Orono has a lot more use for technology on campus especially researchers.
A.  President Ferrini-Mundy said she agrees there is a need for that representation. One possible role of her job as Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation is to bring that research perspective to the UMaine System. She said if she had a memo from Faculty Senate, she could bring that up. She said this is the first she’s heard of this concern. 

Elected Members Committee – Ad Hoc System Shared Governance – Ivan Manev
No report.  

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion – M.J. Sedlock 

The committee will bring a Bylaws motion to the next elected meeting. The committee will assess items to be worked on in the future.  

Reports of Faculty Members on Committees of the Administration – Heather Hamlin
No report. 

Mike Scott mentioned there used to be faculty forums. Will there be any in the future? Provost Volin said there will be one in December.  

VII. Old Business
No report. 

Adjourned 5:00 pm 

Respectfully submitted,
Kathryn Slott 

 Prepared by Kim Junkins