Faculty Senate

February 10, 2021

FACULTY SENATE MINUTES
February 10, 2021
Zoom Meeting 

Present: Henri Akono, David Barrett, David Batuski, Erik Blomberg, Amy Booth, Debbie Bouchard, Alice Bruce, Stephanie Burnett, Sandra Butler, Kristina Cammen, Mauricio da Cunha, Phil Dunn, Per Garder, Allison Gardner, Michael Grillo, Mark Haggerty, Emily Haigh, Heather Hamlin, Sam Hanes, Andre Khlil, Jessica Leahy for Anil Raj Kizha, Colt Knight, Sara Lello, Margo Lukens, Natalie Machamer, Ivan Manev, Dmitri Markovitch, Jim McConnon, Renae Moran, William Nichols, Harlan Onsrud, Elizabeth Payne, Robert Rice, Deborah Rogers, Deborah Saber, Michael Scott, Mary “MJ” Sedlock, Asli Sezen-Barrie, Kathryn Slott, Andrew Thomas, David Townsend, Peter Van Walsum, Mark Wells, Todd Zoroya, President Joan Ferrini-Mundy, John Volin Provost, VP Research Kody Varahramyan, Robert Dana, Rebecca Bragg (UMM), Jen Bonnet (PEAC), Peter Altmann (CEAC), Kylie Trawick (Undergrad Rep)

Absent: Donald Beith, Susan Bennett-Armistead, Nuri Emanetoglu, Jacquelyn Gill, Amanda Klemmer, Derek Michaud, Sid Mitchell, Mohsen Shahinpoor, Sean Smith, Ken Ralph, Chris Lindstrom, Karina Iskandaro (Grad Rep)

I.  Welcome, Announcements and Comments
Senate President William Dee Nichols gave an update on the UMaine System Faculty Governance Council he is on. The council was listed in the NECHE report for Unified Accreditation. Meetings are twice a month and they are currently working on a description and role for the council. The new proposal: have Vice President, an elected member and past president from each Faculty Senate/Assembly sit on the council. Each campus, currently, will have one vote.

Q.  You said, President or Assembly Chair but the group would like to add vice presidents, an elected member and past presidents and each campus would still have only one vote.
A.  Yes. Another goal is to have better written minutes in the future. 

II.  Approval of Minutes
December 16, 2020
Approved

III.  Announcements and Updates from the Administration
Provost Volin stated one update, from the twice a week updates, was regarding graduate student numbers being up by 1-2%. Completion rates are being examined, right now things are looking good. The four dean searches were advertised last week and he asked that faculty reach out to colleagues to get a large applicant pool for the positions. Flash surveys have begun and getting good responses from students so far. Last semester’s surveys showed where changes were needed, that was helpful. The Provost asked if something like this would be beneficial to faculty as well. There was a survey that went to faculty last semester and they could do that again. Applications seem to be down compared to last year, but Enrollment Management is working hard to change that. They are getting packages out an average of two months earlier than in the past so acceptances have increased over last year.

Dr. Dana discussed Covid-19 testing that is underway. There are approximately 1,400 people tested a day and positives are less than 1%. Privacy concerns with the faculty/staff site have been resolved, technology issues have also been resolved and testing time is down to about 8 minutes.

IV.  Questions of the Administration
Q.  Regarding enrollments, have spreadsheets been done of the DFWL’s and how does it look? Also, with increased grading data are there curves that academic affairs is seeing?
A.  Provost Volin said they are looking at all of that. It is too early to see trends, so he had nothing to report. Once the data is cleaned it will be shared.

Q.  With financial crisis to financial crisis, and with tuition dollars and fewer faculty hires, does this put the campus in a better financial situation?
A.  The budget was shared, E&G and Auxiliary numbers have taken a hit. It will depend some on what federal dollars come in. President Ferrini-Mundy said, the budget issues are serious and not only from the pandemic but issues that have been around for years. Things are being looked at from how MEIF is spent, how indirect cost recovery is returned, etc. Federal relief will help some but will not take care of all problems. Close work with leaders and faculty is needed to look at what must remain and for new revenue opportunities.

Q.  There was a news report recently how DNA is being gathered from COVID-19 tests. Does the university know that Shield T3 is not keeping DNA info on students and faculty?
A.  Dr. Dana said he would check but the answer should be no “and probably is.” President Ferrini-Mundy said the concerns about the “variants of this disease,” UMaine has not been able to do testing to check for the variant yet, that would require additional permissions. Also, President Ferrini-Mundy said she is unclear how the wastewater testing technology works but she will get answers on that.

Q.  Regarding COVID-19 testing, the results came within 48 hours last week but this week the test was Monday and no results yet. What can be expected on how soon the results come?
A.  Average return time is 56 hours. There are more people being tested and tests are still being shipped to Kentucky so weather could be an issue.

Q.  The Undergraduate Student Rep said there are student concerns about P/F not being an option now, students are worried and still struggling.
A.  Dee said Faculty Senate had discussed this issue at length. Different university policies have been reviewed, along with other areas being examined. He said the decision was not made lightly. Some students could have licensing difficulty if P/F continued.

Provost Volin said the decision to not do P/F was not done lightly. Continuing P/F could affect students wanting to go on with advanced studies also. He said most universities went back to grading in the fall semester. Faculty Senate did their own research and found that a majority went back to grading.

Q.  Regarding the COVID-19 vaccine for faculty and staff, what is the status or news?
A.  President Ferrini-Mundy said the newspaper and Maine CDC site is a good resource for information as well as the different groups for vaccinations. It is not anticipated clinics will be held on campus.

Q.  Regarding vaccines, will there be a tier system within the university for high-risk people along with researchers who have research in international locations being vaccinated sooner than later?
A. The university will follow the state tiers. Dr. Dana said the phases are clearly outlined by the Maine CDC, currently moving into Phase 1B but still people being vaccinated in the Phase 1A group. Dr. Shah has said, with availability of the vaccine, things may change.

Q.  Listening to Dr. Shah on the MEA site it sounded like educators will be a while and doubt if higher education would be part of the educator group. What will the vaccine mean for the fall semester? Some have declined the vaccine (faculty and students), what about interaction on campus with those that refuse the vaccine, are there guidelines for that?
A.  President Ferrini-Mundy said there is no clear answer, it is too early. One topic the Science Advisory Board has discussed is what the fall semester will look like, even summer, and what can be done. There are no good answers right now, but COVID-19 is here and will be for a long time. Everyone is continuing to learn how to be together. Hoping for fall to have broader in person but with public health features in place as they are now.

Q.  What about TA’s and Graduate students being included in higher ed?
A.  Dee has asked the AFUM reps to continue advocating for higher education including TA’s and Graduate students.

Q.  Are childcare workers considered part of the K12 group and for fall, how are classrooms being scheduled? Are they being scheduled to allow for social distancing?
A.  Fall has not been developed at this time, it will depend on the vaccine, herd immunity, etc. Things are changing in the right direction, but it is still unclear.

Comment: An article quoting a Federal CDC spokesperson states higher education is part of the 1B phase for vaccines. Apparently, this is up to each state. Ivan said he would like to encourage the administration and union to keep advocating.

Q.  Fall status, registration begins soon, it appears projections need to be made with many scenarios involved.
A. The Provost said there will need to be many scenarios. It is assumed things can move forward normally but with flexibility.

President Ferrini-Mundy said she is willing to do a more detailed update for items of interest such as the Alfond grant. It is a way to see connections and make it easier for those writing grant proposals. There is a visit in May as part of the Unified Accreditation and more budget work continuing for FY22. The State of the University presentation is tomorrow at 10:00 am.

Comment: Mauricio said he is writing two proposals so the Alfond update would be helpful. President Ferrini-Mundy said she would send a copy of the rough draft in the next day.

V.  Old Business
Harlan Onsrud said that in 2007 UMaine announced campus would achieve Zero Carbon Emissions by 2040. On the 10-year anniversary of that announcement Faculty Senate passed a motion to support the Zero Carbon Emissions by 2040. There was a concern, at that time, with a major technology policy being considered for electricity, heating, etc. so Faculty Senate passed the motion that strongly supported infrastructure investments that allowed the goal to be achieved by 2040.

UMaine having the Climate Change Institute, Wind Energy Program, Mitchell Sustainability Center means there is good representation right on campus that would understand the documentation. Can the goal be achieved earlier, maybe. One of the questions to the BOT was regarding a proposal for a bond issue, yet faculty had not been informed. There are many engineers here for the technical aspects and details.

Provost Volin said when asked about this issue in December he was not aware of the 2040 goal, so he looked into it and had discussions with Dan Dixon and Stewart Harvey. He has invited Dan to share the UMaine Energy Project today. The Provost also said he did his PhD in Global Change, so this is a topic he cares about.

One page handout.

UMaine Climate Action Plan Update_2021

Campus square footage has increased, headcount has increased yet energy use and emissions from 2008 to 2018 was flat.

Q.  From the 2017 motion, have substantial changes or upgrades to the heating systems been planned or accomplished?
A.  An RFP for proposals to rebuild energy infrastructures went out in 2016 (steam and electricity lines). Work was started with Honeywell but then put on hold due to COVID-19, conceptual design has started back up. The project will probably include demand energy projects, demand side and supply side are important. An electrical infrastructure study was done, and the steam system studied. The costs could be tens of millions of dollars so moving ahead carefully.

Q.  Does new construction increase or decrease the carbon emissions and by how much?
A.  In 2017 the Machine Tool Lab was torn down (13,000 sq ft, replaced by 4,000+ sq. ft so an 8,000 sq ft reduction). The new Engineering building will add 110,000 sq ft but will be LEEDS certified. Emissions can only be estimated after the building is up and running for a year.

Q.  For proposed buildings on campus, will they increase or decrease carbon emissions, how much and if increased, what is the investment in wind/solar to offset carbon emissions?
A.  Investing in solar changes over time. For instance, a Life Sciences Building is being designed as net zero carbon construction and net zero energy, but it still needs energy. Net zero requires a carbon offset be purchased and that cannot be estimated until the building has been completed for a year.

Q.  Are buildings taken offline offsetting increases in carbon of construction of new facilities, estimate of offsets?
A.  There is no list currently but always looking to take old buildings offline and replace with new construction.

Q.  What investment in wind, solar, etc., will help campus meet its commitment by 2040? What is the financial plan to achieve the commitment?
A.  UMaine Energy Project (UMEP) is the tool to achieve net zero. There are implications with cost, physical and emissions.
Financially based on capital construction and types of fuel burned. Several scenarios are being analyzed now.

There is a 20-year net renewable energy billing, 27 million kwh per year out of the 42 million used now. Some energy from hydro dams, it will probably be 2-3 years before solar energy will add to the grid.

Q.  What other issues are being addressed or followed to eliminate the campus carbon footprint?
A.  UMEP, demand side improvements, net energy billing energy commitment, committed to consume 27 million kwh. The commitment provides for many solar installations.

Climate Plan update on Scope 3 emissions and how to deal with them. The America East Conference Sustainability Administrators from each American East campus just formed. There will be two representatives from each campus, a sustainability professional and an athletics representative.

Q.  What should faculty and students do to help achieve the campus commitment?
A.  Keep supporting the mission and carbon commitment.

Q.  There is a wait list on campus for electric vehicle permits, what about charging stations being increased? It is $200 for a permit.
A.  As many parking spaces as possible have been installed. The stations need to be next to buildings and are only 120 volts which will not add much to a vehicle (3-4 miles per hour of charge). Efficiency Maine will be adding four more level 2 stations. To get more level 1 stations installed it needs to be thought of when doing construction projects and things are already dug up.

Q.  If there is already a 10% reduction, how much will the reduction be with electrical purchases? Also, by what percentage does the UMEP reduce it?
A.  Emissions are broken into Scopes: Scope 1 (fuel used) no reduction since 2008, Scope 2 was reduced 42% because the New England grid has become greener even using more or same amount of power. Scope 3 reduced zero because it is estimated.

Q.  Scope 3 and what is included, does it include travel, air, etc.?
A.  Yes. A report was done using parking permit data to calculate the one-way distance to Orono for each permit. Concur was also used for other data for 2017 and 2018. Concur has air travel, mileage for personal vehicles, etc. Some assumptions had to be made to convert dollars spent to miles traveled. The largest Scope 3 is commuting to campus.

Q.  Looking at electrical energy on campus, will that be covered entirely by solar and wind?
A.  Currently, twenty-seven million KWH because plans are to do demand side work as part of UMEP. It wasn’t overestimated so that there is an incentive to reduce emissions. Wind is expensive compared to solar so going with solar. Would like to see a large drop in campus consumption once those are up and running.

Q.  Will the Steam Plant continue to use fossil fuel?
A.  The UMEP is based on four goals: reliability (steam plant needs to run), carbon neutral (low carbon fuel), cheap price and stable price.

VI.  New Business
No report.

VII.  Committee Reports
BOT – Harlan Onsrud
There will be four new appointments by Governor Mills and a new BOT President.

Academic Affairs – Michael Grillo
No report. 

Gen Ed – Subcommittee of Academic Affairs – Sam Hanes
No report.

Constitution & Bylaws – Debbie Saber & Kathryn Slott
The survey being worked on was sent to the Executive Committee for review. Dee commented that Debbie and the committee have all worked hard on making necessary changes. 

Research & Scholarship – Sean Smith & Nuri Emanetoglu
The committee worked on the survey regarding impact of the pandemic on research and scholarship. Feedback received has been integrated. The committee is looking to other universities doing pilot data for any changes needed. Once IRB approval comes the survey will be sent out. The committee met with the VPR and one thing discussed was across department topics. There are many resources across campus, for instance climate change is being worked on in many different departments. The pandemic was another topic discussed.

Finance & Institutional Planning – Mauricio da Cunha & Mike Scott
The committee met last Monday to prioritize an agenda for a meeting with administrators next week. One thing discussed will be the survey to faculty for input on budgets. Mike said there is an upcoming Define Tomorrow meeting.

Q.  Amanda Klemmer said the director of her unit said UMaine and UMaine Machis have moved ahead as one budget. Has this been discussed or are there any updates?
A.  Mike said that was discussed in the last budget meeting.

Amanda said she would go watch that video.

University Environment – Erik Blomberg & Amanda Klemmer
No report.

Service & Outreach – Colt Knight
No report.

Committee on Committees – Heather Hamlin
No report.

Program Creation & Reorganization Review – Margo Lukens
No report.

Library Committee – Deborah Rogers & Robert Rice

1. New committee members
   Two new members were suggested and later confirmed. Julia Van Steenberghe will join us as a graduate student representative and Tim Reagan will join us as a faculty representative.

2. Library budget, current and anticipated funding
   There have been no additional cuts in the budget after those reported in Fall semester, 2020. Dean Rumery will give an update on the current budget and funding needs to the new vice president and chief business officer this week.

3. Continued use of UNSUB.
As previously reported, UNSUB is a software program that scans databases for usage statistics. The objective is to find little-used database holdings and to drop them from our subscription. The goal would be to use the savings to purchase additional materials for the collections that will benefit faculty and students. In scanning the existing databases, UNSUB also has the ability to identify database offerings that may be duplicate holdings or holdings provided elsewhere, possibly free of charge. The identified duplicates or potentially free resources may be dropped from existing databases for additional savings. The Wiley and Springer databases have been scanned to date. We will also fine-tune our Elsevier package when our current contract expires.

4. Library personnel
   a. Status of reference librarians and other current searches
   As previously reported, several reference librarians and other support staff are desperately needed to support both students and faculty. The administration has responded, and we are appreciative of their efforts. Two searches are underway: one for a Business reference librarian and one for a Science and Technology reference librarian. Those searches are expected to be completed by April.
   b. Additional personnel needs.
   Additional personnel, some critical, that are needed include an additional Science and Engineering reference librarian; an on-site IT support person; a reference desk person; a Scholarly Communications person; an accounting support specialist and an administrative assistant. Several of these are replacements due to retirements and other factors. We will not be replacing our Canadian bibliographer, who has retired.  We request that the administration be attentive to personnel needs as each person fills an important role within the library.

5. Efforts to work with donors
   Dean Rumery reports some success with donors including a $46k donation for collection digitization and some funding for the Maine women’s history collection. Dean Rumery is working closely with Paige Holmes of the Foundation to secure additional support. Separately, a Fogler advisory board composed of members outside of campus is also being formed.

6. Fogler’s efforts about “One Accreditation” by NECHE
   All library directors from UMS are working collectively on a strategic plan. The goal is a closer working relationship among members. It is understood that One University does not mean one budget. The NECHE single accreditation document that no one understands, is due in two years.

7. Future plans and initiatives for Spring 2021
   Fogler’s access will remain the same in the Spring semester as it was during the fall. Access to the public remains restricted and will be eased as other libraries in the state, including municipal public libraries open.

8. Other issues from committee members
   No additional issues were raised.

Faculty Information Technology Committee – Todd Zoroya & Michael Scott
There are two new subcommittees and a new website up for faculty resources.

Comment: The UMaine System Instructional Modes; Faculty Senate did not develop the modes; senate was informed of the modes.

Ad Hoc System Shared Governance – Renae Moran
No report.

Ad Hoc Diversity, Equity and Inclusion – Margo Lukens
No report.

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

There are a couple ongoing searches being conducted. Mike Scott said he is on a UMaine System committee that will begin soon and go through spring.

 

Adjourned 4:40 pm

Respectfully submitted,
Kathryn Slott

Prepared by Kim Junkins