Faculty Meeting Minutes
September 27, 2024
Murray Aikins Dining Hall/Zoom
Marc C. Conner, President of the College, called the meeting to order at 3:35 p.m.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
President Conner asked if there were any corrections to, or comments regarding, the minutes of the Faculty Meeting held September 6, 2024. Hearing none, he called for an acclamation to approve the minutes and they were approved unanimously.
TITLE IX REPORTING RESPONSIBILITIES
Joel Aure, Title IX Coordinator, reminded everyone of their reporting responsibilities under Title IX in the event a disclosure is made to them about a report of sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, or any form of sexual or gender-based misconduct (SGBM), including discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity (see attached for complete details). Mr. Aure also noted that there were new Title IX regulations introduced this past April, and that employee policies have been updated accordingly. There may be additional changes to the regulations due to a number of suits filed by States attempting to block the new rules, but ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ was able to implement them as is. Mr. Aure then reminded the faculty about the annual training modules, which can be found at the . He encouraged anyone with questions or needing assistance to contact him or to stop by his office.
PRESIDENT'S REPORT AND Q&A
President Conner began his report by highlighting the ongoing election programming, pointing faculty to the weekly newsletter with upcoming election related events. He commented that we have effectively created on our campus a semester-long seminar on this fraught and fascinating election; reminding faculty that this will be the first opportunity to vote for many ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ students. President Conner likened the robust election programming to the continuing work of the faculty to share information on the Middle East and the ongoing conflict there to students and to the College as a whole. He highlighted the recent Greenberg Lecture about Islam in Israel, giving thanks to Assistant Professor Murat Yildiz and Auden Thomas, Director of Special Programs, for their work to bring the event to fruition. President Conner said that there were fantastic questions from the students, there were no disruptions, and it was a great example of the kind of energetic engagement we seek to promote at ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ.
He expressed his appreciation to Professor Pushkala Prasad for her work as point person on organizing academic programming on this topic, along with Dean of Student Affairs Adrian Bautista and an informal working group consisting of Director of Religious and Spiritual Life Parker Diggory, Professor Yildiz, Associate Professor Nurcan Atalan-Helicke, and Teaching Professor Greg Spinner, among others. They have also recently held a film event on the Middle East, and Professor Prasad is also the engine behind the upcoming annual Zankel Research Colloquium, which will be focused on global election fever. Another event highlight was the standing-room-only Environmental Studies and Sciences Keynote Lecture from Maggie Thomas, Special Assistant to the President for Climate held at the Tang Teaching Museum.
The kick-off event for In It 9 was the unveiling of Trustee Linda Jackson-Chalmers’ portrait in the Wyckoff Center. Ms. Jackson-Chalmers was in the first class of the Opportunity Program, and is a long-serving trustee, educator, and major figure in Albany. President Conner expressed how great it was to have so many students present, to learn about Ms. Jackson-Chalmers’ legacy and how she has shaped the College. The In it 9 programming, he continued, was fantastic and well-attended. Mariel Martin, Director of the Wyckoff Center, and VP of Institutional Diversity and Strategic Planning Joshua Woodfork did an excellent job putting together the program of events fostering transformational conversation, dialogue across differences, and celebrating difference and diversity. This appreciation was greeted by the faculty with a round of applause for their work.
President Conner noted that October 7th was fast approaching, and that Wilson Chapel will be open for drop-ins from 12pm-5pm, as well as a semi-formal, non-partisan, ecumenical gathering at 12:30 led by Parker Diggory. The 7th is a study day, so there will be neither classes nor any formal programming. The President said that there will not be a statement from his office about the date; his commitment to academic freedom and open engagement remains steadfast, and he voiced his appreciation for the overall campus commitment to supporting these values. President Conner did share that his office has received some student complaints about faculty members’ participation in petitions or other similar activities involving them expressing their views on the Middle East conflict. President Conner stated that the response from his office is uniform: this is the exercise of academic freedom, to which they are entitled and the College fully supports, and he is completely confident in the faculty’s ability to remain fair and unbiased teachers. In most cases, students have accepted this and continued on in the class.
Moving on to this year’s Strategic Action Agenda, President Conner explained that the aim is to bring into relief four or five top priorities or goals that are consonant with the Strategic Plan and reflective of our current needs. This is drafted over the summer with Cabinet, submitted to IPPC in the fall, and approved by the Board at their October meeting. This year, the SAA has four priorities: the racial justice initiative, speech and expression, strategic planning, and strategic resources. With regard to the strategic planning process, we continue in the outreach and input stage over the next several weeks. VP Woodfork and Professor Smriti Tiwari have solicited white papers from faculty and staff to submit concepts or ideas for the strategic plan. This stage will continue through late November or early December, at which point the input will be reviewed in advance of the February Board meeting.
President Conner announced to the faculty: the first community budget update meeting taking place next Friday, a new President’s Working Group on AI vice-chaired by Harder Chair Matt Lucas, the October 11th workshop on affirming trans and non-binary identities at the Wyckoff Center, the new Queer Faculty and Staff Affinity Group led by Assistant Professor June Paul, and the upcoming Sustainability Tracking Assessment and Rating System (STARS) outreach from Associate Professor Kurt Smemo and Director of Sustainability Tarah Rowse. He then invited Professor Beck Krefting to the podium to provide information on the work being done by the AI Working Group, including supports for faculty in terms of AI policy language for syllabi and opportunities to learn about ways to use AI generatively in their courses. Professor Krefting noted that AI is already widely used on campus and that it therefore behooves faculty to learn about the tool as soon and as deeply as they can. Professor Paul was also invited to share the details of the first mixer for the Queer Faculty and Staff affinity group at the Wyckoff Center on Monday, September 30th.
President Conner began the Q&A portion of his report with a question from a faculty member about AI resources available at ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ, stating that most AI platforms have a very limited free trial. Professor Krefting answered that the cost is prohibitive currently, but that research on available platforms and their costs continues as the working group seeks options that will service the campus community while using our resources as strategically as possible. In the interim, individual departments can purchase licenses for interested faculty or for their department as a whole if they so choose.
Another faculty member asked the President about last year’s push by the Student Coalition for Palestine to remove Sabra products from campus. Vice President of Finance and Administration Dan Konstalid explained that the decision ultimately was to supply multiple hummus brands on campus from which people can make their own choice; Sabra is still being purchased, but students will have an alternative if they so choose.
A faculty member asked about the Pepsi umbrellas, and the College’s choice to provide free advertising for a multi-national corporation. VP Konstalid explained that the umbrellas were provided as a perk of the College’s standard contract with Pepsi.
A faculty member asked about the College’s decision to stop providing free COVID tests. Associate Dean of Health and Wellness Julia Routbort-Baskin explained that COVID tests are available at cost at the ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ Shop and the Health Center, and that students with financial aid have access to COVID testing as part of their aid packages, which is in keeping with our peer institutions.
There being no further questions, the President concluded his report.
OLD BUSINESS
On behalf of the Faculty Executive Committee, Associate Professor Dominique Vuvan read the following Motion (see attached) that was introduced at the last Faculty Meeting.
- MOTION: The Faculty Executive Committee moves that the 2024-2025 Faculty Handbook be adopted. The following link takes you to the 2024-2025 Faculty Handbook (showing tracked changes) as well as handbooks from previous years: /dof-vpaa/handbooks/faculty_handbooks/facultyhandbooks.php
Professor Vuvan stated that the changes approved in the last faculty meeting are incorporated into the version of the Faculty Handbook being voted on. There being no questions or comments, the motion was voted on and approved by the faculty.
NEW BUSINESS
On behalf of the Committee for Educational Policies and Planning, Associate Professor Nick Junkerman introduced a motion to approve the recording policy (see attached) which was first submitted to the faculty as a whole in May. Professor Junkerman invited questions from the faculty. A faculty member stated that their understanding of New York State copyright law is that the individual recording is the copyright owner of that recording, and asked how CEPP anticipated handling this issue.
³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ General Counsel Sarah Vero replied that the College interprets the legislation as stating that the lecturer is the owner of the content created by a recording. She suggested that the best practice would be to have the person giving the lecture also be the person making the recording. Professor Junkerman said that CEPP will discuss the copyright aspect of the policy at their next meeting, and that there is unfortunately not a perfect solution to cover every individual faculty member’s preference.
Another faculty member asked if there is suggested language for syllabi. Professor Junkerman said that CEPP will put together some options, but that they are working to avoid creating the illusion of there being a statement that will cover everyone’s needs and preferences with regard to recordings, and that any suggested language will not be part of the motion to approve the recording policy. A faculty member stated that the copyright for a recording can belong to the recorder while the intellectual property of the material can belong to the producer of that material. There being no further questions, the motion will hold over until the next Faculty Meeting.
There being no further business, President Conner asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting. The motion was seconded and the meeting was adjourned at 4:36pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Nora E. Graubard
Senior Administrative Coordinator