Faculty Senate

Minutes - April 13, 2020 - 3:05pm - Online through WebEx

CCSU FACULTY SENATE MEETING

Present: Adair, S.; Al-Masoud, N.; Amaya, L.; Anton, M.; Austad, C.; Baratta, C.; Best, F.; Bigelow, L.; Bishop, J.; Blitz, D.; Boscarino, N.; Bray, A.; Broulik, W.; Chakraborty, S.; Chen, S.; Duquette, J.; Fafunwa-Ndibe, S.; Flaherty, S.; Foster, P.; Gamache, J.; Garcia-Bowen, M.; Gardner, P.; Ghiloni-Wage, B.; Givens, E.; Gutierrez, S.; Halkin, S.; Holden, P.; Holt, J.; Hou, X.; Hughes, H.; Jarmoszko, T.; Kapper, M.; Karas, R.; Kean, K.; Kriscenski, J.; Kullgren, A.; Kyem, P.; Langevin, K.; Latour, F.; Leonidas, E.; Mann, B.; Martin, V.; Matzke, B.; Mendez-Mendez, S.; Menoche, C.; Mongillo, M.; Morales, A.; Moreno-Fuentes, G.; Oyewumi, O.; Pancsofar, E.; Paolino, J.; Phillips, E.; Ruhs, T.; Sakaki, H.; Salama, T.; Schenck, S.; Sikorski, J.; Singhal, R.; Skinner, L.; Sohn, Y.M.; Spear, E.; Stickland, A.; Sylvester, C.; Tafrate, L.; Wang, W.; Williams, L.; York, C.

Ex-Officio: Dauwalder, D.; Farhat, J; Kim, J.; Kostelis, K.; Robinson, C.; Toro, Z; Wolff, R.

 

Parliamentarian: Dimmick, C.

President of the Senate: Jackson, M.

Guests: Rusty Barceló (VP Diversity, Inclusion, & Equity); Swamy Basim (Engineering); Isabella Chan (The Recorder); Marianne Fallon (Associate VP, Planning & Resources); Yvonne Kirby (Associate VP, Planning & Institutional Effectiveness); Michael Lambert; Andrew Pilkons (SGA); Erick Ramos (SGA); Roshanay Tahir (SGA); Patrick Tucker (Registrar)

1. Minutes

a. Minutes of April 6, 2020 meeting

2. Announcements:

a. AAUP President (L. Williams)

b. SUOAF-AFSCME President (L. Bigelow)

c. SGA (R. Tahir)

d. FAC to the Board of Regents (D. Blitz)

e. President of the Senate (M. Jackson)

3. Unfinished Business

a. Pass/Fail policy for Spring 2020

  • Proposed motion on Pass/Fail for Spring 2020 (with possible amendments for April 13 meetings and feedback from Registrar)
  • Student e-mails regarding Pass/Fail
  • Latest student e-mails regarding Pass/Fail
  • More of the latest student e-mails regarding Pass/Fail (applause and alerts)
  • Spring 2020 Pass/Fail Form (as amended April 6)
  • Things to Consider regarding Pass/Fail for Spring 2020
    • The Faculty Senate discussed various proposed amendments to the proposal. Unless otherwise indicated, all amendments were moved by President Jackson and seconded by Vice President Bishop. The amendment numbers refer to the above document.
    • Motion to amend (#1): There is no limit on the number of courses that may be placed on pass-fail for the Spring 2020 semester.
      • Amendment #1: Approved 56-2
    • Motion to amend (#2): Motion to amend the Temporary Pass/Fall option: A notation shall be placed on the transcripts for Spring 2020 semester indicating the exceptional circumstances of Pass/Fail grades earned during that semester.
      • Amendment #2: Approved 57-1
    • Motion to amend (#3): The administration shall make every effort to inform students in advance of any adverse effects that opting for P/F may have on financial aid, transfer of credits, professional accreditations, or applications for further higher education. Students electing P/F should sign a statement that they understand the risks.
      • Senators Pancsofar and Burkholder asked how students would sign the statement; electronically? checking a box? The Registrar said that it will be an electronic request form requiring login.
      • Amendment #3: Approved 59-0
    • Motion to amend (#4): The Policy on Withdrawals is amended so that the Spring 2020 semester deadline for withdrawing from a course without instructor's permission is extended to May 10, 2020.
      • SGA Vice President Pilkons asked whether this would still be recorded on a transcript as a "W". The Registrar said yes. President Jackson said that this is required for compliance with regulations.
      • Senator Holt asked whether students seeking withdrawals would be eligible for a tuition refund. President Jackson said that this is not within the purview of the Faculty Senate.
      • Senator Pancsofar asked about the advantage of withdrawing over seeking an incomplete. Senator Latour answered that W is permanent while INC becomes F after some time if the course is not completed, so a student who does not intend to finish the course is better off with a W than an INC.
      • President Jackson said that students currently can withdraw until May 10, 2020 with their instructor's premission. Senator Latour said that this requires extenuating circumstances, but one could presume that these definitely exist in the current situation, although Senator Bray pointed out that these circumstances existed before the withdrawal deadline.
      • Amendment #4: Approved 55-6
    • Motion to amend (#5): The deadline for Undergraduate student to complete grades of Incomplete earned during the Spring 2020 semester shall be automatically extended to the end of the Fall 2020 semester.  Faculty may request extensions to that deadline as needed.
      • Senator Menoche expressed concerns about the impact on sequential classes. What happens when a student gets an INC in a course that is a prerequisite for a future course? The Registrar said that INC does not meet prerequisites, but again this is not different from what happens now, which means it would be handled through a prerequisite override. Also, students are encouraged to finish their incompletes from the spring during the summer.
      • Senator Bray asked what would happen when a student gets an INC in a course taught by retiring faculty or adjuncts not coming back. The registrar said that it would not be different from what currently happens; Senator Mendez-Mendez said that this is something for department chairs to handle.
      • Senator Anton asked whether an INC could be turned into a Pass/Fail grade; Senator Latour said yes - nothing in the policy presents a student from selecting Pass/Fail and the instructor giving an incomplete. The two are handled completely separately, and the instructor would not even know that the student elected Pass/Fail.
      • Amendment #5: Approved 57-4
    • Motion to amend (#6): We reaffirm that the current policy on Grade Change Appeals stands, and that all reasonable consideration shall be made concerning the significant academic changes resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
      • A motion to amend this amendment was made (Chakraborty/Langevin) by adding, at the end of the amendment, "Students will be given until October 1 to file grade appeals for Spring 2020. If the student loses the grade appeal process, they may choose to have the grade changed to Pass/Fail."
        • Senator Latour argued against this, saying that this would swamp the Grade Appeals Committee with numerous requests for grade changes made by students who do not think their grade will be increased, but rather want to convert their grade to a Pass ex post facto.
        • Senator Blitz also argued against this, saying that this is inconsistent with our previous decision to set a deadline of May 10, 2020 for electing Pass/Fail.
        • Senator Bray also argued against this, saying that, even though these are extraordinary circumstances, students need to be held accountable and accept the grade that they receive.
        • Senator Mendez-Mendez also spoke against this, saying that the Grade Appeals process needs to be shielded from abuse.
        • Motion to amend amendment #6: Defeated 8-43
      • Amendment #6: Approved 52-2
    • Motion to amend (#7): For the Spring 2020 Semester, courses taken as Pass/Fail will satisfy requirements for the major, minor, and general education program.
      • Senator Jarmoszko asked whether changing program rules is within the purview of the Senate. Senator Mendez-Mendez expressed concerns about the Senate overstepping its authority. Dean Wolff cited the Preamble to the AAUP Collective Bargaining Agreement as evidence that this is within the purview of the Senate.
      • Senator Latour spoke in opposition to this amendment, saying that it would create different standards for students electing Pass/Fail (need D- or better for courses to count in the major/minor) and for students not electing Pass/Fail (need C- or better for courses to count in the major/minor). He expressed support for #7c as an alternative.
      • Senator Blitz spoke against this amendment, saying that it is too general and contradicts our academic standards for majors and minors. He proposed Amendment #7b as a better option.
      • Senator Pancsofar spoke in favor of Amendment #7, given the extreme conditions present this semester.
      • Senator Chakraborty said that the Chemistry & Biochemistry department supports #7c over this amendment.
      • Senator Gamache spoke of the importance of advising before students selecting Pass/Fail.
      • Senators Phillips and Spear said that we are grading on priviledge.
      • SGA Vice President Pilkons asked the Faculty Senate to clarify the difference between #7 and #7c. Senator Latour said that #7 allows students to count all Pass grades towards major/minor even if the letter grade was a D-, while #7c creates two separate Pass grades, P^ and LP, with P^ (= A through C-) counting towards major/minor, unlike LP (D+ through D-).
      • Some Senators pointed out that SCSU and ECSU passed simple P/F options with P counting towards major/minor. Senator Mongillo said that, while this is true for SCSU, they exempted some courses form the Pass/Fail option (in particular, many Nursing courses).
      • Amendment #7: Defeated 18-36
    • Motion to amend (#7c): For the Spring 2020 semester, an undergraduate grade of C- or higher will be recorded using a P^ notation and will have a numeric value equivalent to “C-“ and shall be sufficient for all courses counted in the major or minor and encumbered general education courses, and shall fulfill the prerequisite requirement for any subsequent courses.  For earned grades of D-, D, or D+, a notation of “LP” shall be used to indicate a low pass.
      • Senators Menoche, Mendez-Mendez, and Latour expressed concern that #7c seems to exclude basic, unencumbered general education classes, and suggested that the word "encumbered" be struck.
        • Motion to amend Amendment #7c: Approved by unanimous consent
      • Senators Blitz and Martin said that, as Chairs of departments in CLASS, they support #7b over #7c, and expressed concerns that #7c is complicated and may not meet the requirements of departments such as Nursing. Senator Givens added that Criminology & Criminal Justice agrees, Senator Morales said that Modern Languages agrees, and Senator Martin said that Journalism agrees.
      • Senators Mongillo and Langevin expressed accreditation/licensure concerns for professional programs that allow Pass/Fail.
      • Senators Phillips, Spear, Matzke, Jalil-Gutierrez, Gichiru, Schmeck, Hughes, and SGA representatives expressed support for this amendment, saying that we should consider students who have internet problems, or who have lost members of their families.
      • Senator Jarmoszko spoke in favor of #7c over #7b, saying that #7b would be difficult to justify to the outside world, and that we should show compassion.
      • SGA Vice President Pilkons asked the Faculty Senate to clarify the difference between #7b and #7c. Senator Latour said that #7c, unlike #7b, allows students to count Pass grades towards the major/minor, provided that the student earns a P^ (which is C- or better). SGA Vice President Pilkons expressed support for Amendment #7c.
      • Someone asked whether we could include the minor but not the major. The Registrar said that, essentially, no.
      • The Registrar suggested that we clarify that P^ counts as a C- for major/prerequisite purposes and may not count towards major/minor/prerequisite requirements if those are higher than C-. Senator Latour recommended the addition of "except when a minimum grade higher than C- is required; if departments have higher requirements than C-, those can be addressed on a case by case basis" after the word "courses" in the penultimate sentence. Senator Langevin believes that this would address the concerns of the Nursing department. He and Senator Jarmoszko recommended the use of something other than "LP" for the Low Pass; Senator Bishop recommended P*.
        • Motion to amend Amendment #7c: Approved 44-4
      • Amendment #7c: Approved 41-9
    • Amendments #7a, 7b, 8 were skipped because the approval of Amendment #7c makes them obsolete.
    • Motion to amend (#9): Motion to amend the Temporary Pass/Fall option: The option of Pass/Fail will be extended to Graduate Students for the Spring 2020 semester, after consultation with and the permission of the students Graduate Advisor.  Graduate courses graded on a Pass/Fail basis will not count towards the limit of no more than 2 grades of C within the planned program. Graduate students will receive a grade of “Pass” for grades of "C" or higher. 
      • President Jackson moved the addition of "A grade of P* will be awarded for letter grades of C- through D-, and F will be awarded for letter grades of F" at the end of the amendment.
      • Senator Leonidas moved the addition of "department chair/program coordinator" after "Graduate Advisor".
      • Senator Latour moved that "Pass" be changed to "P^".
        • All three approved by unanimous consent.
    • Senator Bishop asked if the extension of the withdrawal deadline would also apply to graduate students. The Registar and the AVP for Graduate Studies said that that would be desirable. Senator Latour pointed out that #4 does not specify "undergraduates", but Senator Bray countered that the title of the overall document mentions undergraduates. President Jackson said that we should change the title of the document.
    • Senator Bishop asked if the extension of the INC deadline would also apply to graduate students. Senator Latour said that graduate students already have a year to complete INC grades.
    • Senator Givens is concerned that excluding "P^" grades from the maximum of 2 C grades; this would result in a situation where two students who get a C would receive differential treatment if one takes the P/F option and the other one does not.
      • Amendment #9: Approved 46-4
    • President Jackson moved to change the title of the document to "Policy for Temporary Changes to Academic Policies for Spring 2020 Semester".
      • Approved by unanimous consent.
    • Senator Anton pointed out that there are some issues that this policy does not address (for instance, the requirement that MATH 099 be completed within the first 24 credits).
    • Main Motion - Proposal to temporarily amend CCSU's Academic Policies for Spring 2020: Approved as amended, 46-2
    • President Toro thanked the Faculty Senate for the hard work in approving this temporary policy.

b. Student Opinion Survey Policy for Spring 2020

4. New Business

a. Academic Integrity Policy (M. Mongillo)

5. Adjournment