SenEx Minutes March 1, 2022

University Senate Executive Committee – SenEx March 1, 2022

Approved: March 22, 2022

Present: Teri Chambers, Nate Brunsell, Patricia Gaston, Rémy Lequesne, Nick Syrett, Tim Spencer, Chambers, Corey Maley, Hossein Saiedian, Jessica Chilcoat, Kyle Velte, Andrew Moore, Ethan Roark, Hollie Hall, Ani Kokobobo

Guests: Casey Wallace, Matt Melvin, Jeff Chasen, Susan Klusmeier, Jen Roberts, Chris Brown

Also Present: Kathy Reed, Tessa Maclean

Discussion of Incompletes (see below)

Matt Melvin, Vice Provost, Enrollment Management

Covid meant we had to make some decisions on the fly, and now we are reviewing the unintended consequences of those decisions.
We want to be student-centric and faculty-centric
We have seen that there are issues, particularly with financial aid and total hours that they need for enrollment
Issues with safety of classes being over enrolled

Casey Wallace, Associate University Registrar

We don’t want to dictate when an I/Incomplete can be assigned. We want to avoid students retaking the entire class without paying for it, and being enrolled
The email that was sent out, appears to have come off the wrong way, we [the Registrar’s Office] really don’t want to be involved in the process of assigning incompletes.
About 22% of the incompletes that we reviewed over the summer, were situations where the student needed to retake the entire class, which is problematic for many reasons.
- This large number is why we wanted to clarify that incompletes are only given out when it is truly an incomplete warranted situation

Comment:

There us a range in what a student needs from an incomplete, and we feel that the registrar’s office was too restrictive, and the FERPA interpretation was incorrect.

Comment:

We were confused about why a student couldn’t sit in for one lab without enrolling all over again.

Reply Melvin: Our biggest concern is where the student is advised to sit into the class for the entire semester, the odd lab or lecture is an agreement that the faculty has with the student.

Question:

Is there a way we could identify where the threshold is for how much work is too much work for an incomplete vs retaking the entire class?

Reply Melvin:

That should be up to the faculty… it might be best to pursue doing a fee petition and having them retaking the course.

Question:

Would they receive a W?

Reply Wallace:

Yes, it would need to be a W. Compassionate withdrawal only allows for incompletes or W’s (no cancellation).

Question:

It’s not really in faculty’s interest to give incompletes, it adds extra work that isn’t reflected in teaching hours. Is this still this much of a problem or is it a 2020 thing?

Reply Wallace:

I tried to pull those numbers, it is a lot fewer, we are understanding of the times, we just don’t want it to continue to be an issue.

Question:

Should we look into code language? Is this a temporary issue and how large?

Reply Melvin:

Although the volume is going down, each case is still a significant problem.

Reply Wallace:

We are changing the way we notify faculty and students about incompletes, and we are reviewing the spreadsheet and meeting with faculty to see what is in the best interest of the student.

I will review the information we are planning on sending out and make sure our message is in line with what we mean. I can run our new message by someone here to make sure it is within what we have discussed.

Lequesne offered to review the message.

Question:

How many I’s have been converted to an F.

Reply Wallace:

We would have to look into the data.

Comment:

I just wanted to know for if there are too many, we could extend the year deadline.

Reply:

Extending it further might make it more complicated.

Comment:

Students with disabilities might need extra accommodations, like longer time. Especially as a graduate student.

After much discussion, there was agreement that entirely retaking the class is not what incompletes are for, and that student’s sitting in for the odd lab or lecture to fulfill an incomplete was not a violation of FERPA.

Approval of minutes from February 15, 2022

Motion made by Chambers, seconded by Kokobobo

No objections, approved unanimously.

Standing Reports (see down below):

Student Senate Vice President Ethan Roark
Staff Senate President Tim Spencer
Faculty Senate President
University Senate President Hossein Saiedian
1. Mask mandate, it is possible that when the Douglas County mandate lapses, KU will likely wait until summer to remove them (in some spaces it will be removed, but not in classroom yet).
2. Search committee for VP DEIB
3. David Cook is coming to the next meeting

Amendment to USRR – Sexual Assault (see down below)

Emma (FRPR chair) is in support of this

Question:

Is there a concern about the lack of any timeframe?

Reply:

That was intentional so that it leaves it open to allow for all situations to be included.

Question:

Does this include times before they were at KU?

Reply:

I would think this would apply, as those situations still have the potential to affect a student’s ability to perform course work.

Question:

Should this be limited to sexual assault and IPV or could this be applied to other traumatic events? Or should we worry about that when that comes up?

Reply:

We do have language for other traumatic events, the focus is on this for right now.

Motion to approve and move to full senate made by Chambers, seconded by Kokobobo

No objections passed unanimously.

Question:

Can we give everyone a heads up in an email before that meeting that we will me having two votes - one to suspend the rule and another on the substantive measure?

It was decided that an email explicitly stating that people needed to come prepared as there is the possibility of the rules being waived via a 2/3 vote.

Unfinished Business

Update: Ad-Hoc Program Discontinuance Committee

No update

Statement regarding plagiarism and administrative positions-Tim Spencer

Will send a request to Julie Thornton and Jeff Chasen on what currently exists with HR

And then circle back based on their response

New Business

None

Meeting adjourned

Incompletes Discussion

Dear AP&P, University Governance,

The Executive Leadership of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Dean’s office has recently been informed that long-standing business practices and interpretations of University Senate Rules and Regulations – Article II, Section 2.2.3 – 2.2.3.4 – Academic Work and Its Evaluation, The Grading System - have changed without notice or recognition of the inconsistency this creates for faculty, students, and staff.

The section of the policy states:

2.2.3 The letters W and I may be given. The letter I shall indicate incomplete work, such as may be completed without re-enrollment in the course. The letter W shall indicate withdrawal for which no credit or grade point is assigned.

2.2.3.1 The letter I should not be used when a definite grade can be assigned for the work done. It shall not be given for the work of a student in any course except to indicate that some part of the work has, for reasons beyond the student’s control, not been done, while the rest has been satisfactorily completed. At the time an I is reported on the electronic roster, the character and amount of work needed, as well as the date required for completion and lapse grade if further work is not completed by this date, should be indicated.

2.2.3.2 A student who has an I posted for a course must make up the work by the date determined by the instructor, in consultation with the student, which may not exceed one calendar year from the original grade due date for the semester in which the course is taken, or the last day of the term of graduation, whichever comes first. An I not removed according to this rule shall automatically convert to a grade of F or U, or the lapse grade assigned by the course instructor, and shall be indicated on the student’s record.

2.2.3.3 Changes beyond a year or extensions to the time limit may be granted by the dean’s representative upon submission of a petition from the student containing the endorsement of the course instructor who assigned the I grade, or the department chairperson if the instructor is unavailable. After the I grade is converted to a grade of F or U, the grade may only be changed in accordance with USRR Article II, Section 3.

2.2.3.4 No graduate student will be allowed to take oral comprehensive exams if an I grade is currently listed on the student’s transcript.

Recently, the Registrar’s Office has instituted an interpretation of the policy that violates a long-standing practice of allowing discretion to faculty in how an incomplete may be resolved. According to recent guidance, for example, the practice of allowing a student to attend a missed lab or a critical lecture in another section of the class is now considered a violation of FERPA. More generally, they are providing specific examples or scenarios of when an incomplete arrangement is appropriate vs. when it is not. This type of detailed oversight has never been applied before, and we do not believe this is supported by the existing policy.

We request that the Academic Policies and Procedures committee review the current incomplete policy, the given interpretation of the policy by the Registrar’s office, and provide university-wide guidance affirming longstanding interpretation and practice of the incomplete policy. The inconsistent interpretation of this policy is already causing confusion and mixed messages between student services, faculty, and students which creates a frustrating experience and erodes trust among colleagues and students.

Sincerely,

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Executive Team

Cycle Ten (10) Joint Officer Report (Student Senate)

Policy Director

This cycle I am focused on arranging meetings for the new Campus Fee Advisory Board now that Fee Review has finished. I am looking to engage this group in meaningful ways in order to make the following fee process as effective as possible. I am also working on establishing an accessible way for KU Student Housing employees to voice their opinions and testimonies in order to bring these issues to light.

Graduate President

Oriented new GSAB members to GSAB and had one on one meetings with them to answer any questions that they had.
GSAB met on 1/7 and then we met with the Provost on 1/11 and discussed issues such as equitable 3G pay and insurance implications and updates.
Met with the 2 other graduate student fee review members and oriented them to the process before deliberations started.
Last week, I attended fee review hearings and deliberations as a voting member for graduate students. As this is a lengthy process, my week was dedicated to researching fee entities, attending their hearings and making sure to be an active member in the process.

Associate Treasurer

This week has been a very busy week in the Treasurer's office.

I spent the week working on Fee Review and also working with Andrew regarding the Education Opportunity Fund.
Special shout out to Hammad, Sadie, the chair of block allocations Sahar, the chair of line allocations Geoffrey, Sarah Bowman, Kaci, our Fee managers, advisors, and everyone who helped out with Fee. There are many more people to shout out but this group of people ensured a solid and smooth Fee Review and we'd be lost without them.
Next, if my bill passes tonight (please pass it), the Associate Treasurer position will become the Fund Development Director which means I will continue working on ways to fundraise for various EOF accounts. This week I will also be a part of the EOF portion of Fee Review. Stay warm and stay cool friends

President

Was invited to the Fort Hays State SGA to speak about Black History Month and how to support Black campus communities on and off campus.

Met with Dr. Durham and the Chancellor to discuss issues in housing, cases of student discrimination, discuss the student fee and feedback from the student survey, and discuss Chancellors vision for KU and student involvement in higher education.
Chancellor and COS Julie Murray said that a section for sexual assault and Title IX/Civil Rights resources will be added to students Canvas pages; this was based on student suggestions.
Meetings with several students over student rights on campus; working with Wesley on how student senate can support these students.
Attending fee review; proud of all the work and student consideration that the committee is putting in on the current proposal, esp. based off the student survey that Sadie Williams was able to get distributed to students.
Will be doing outreach to students about a new health and wellness committee for Jayhawks Rising; if anyone is interested please email/text me so I can forward your name.
Continuing the work on planning the Women and Femme Leadership Conference with the advisory board; we have been able to present and secure funding from the DEI fund and Pepsi funding.
Working with Gov Rel Director to finish plans for Big 12; Next fireside chat with Policy Director after Cycle 10.

Internal Affairs Director

Mentorship program applications still open. Deadline: March 1st.

Vice President

SenEx and University Senate Updates:
1. The University Senate Executive Committee Meeting on 15 February 2022 approved a comment period for a Resolution on Shared Governance at KU. The resolution details a history of disrespect and lack of consultation of shared governance at the University of Kansas. This constitutes an issue in the Faculty, Staff, and Student Senate. SenEx will be revisiting this Resolution on 01 March 2022.
2. A few policy change votes are upcoming to amend the University Senate Rules & Regulations (USSR), these should be in your email if you would like to read the new policy language:
  1. Updates to the Compassionate Withdrawal Policy.
  2. Updates to the Standards of Committee Members in Grad. Student Oral Exams.
  3. Updates to English Proficiency Documentation for Undergrad. Students.
3. The Next University Senate Meeting is scheduled for 03 March 2022.
I have recently joined a University Senate working group that is seeking to develop a University Code Amendment to support students who have been affected by Sexual Assault during their time at KU and provide faculty members a formal process for assisting students whose coursework might be affected.
I attended some of the Campus Fee Review Hearings throughout last week to hear the fee proposals being brought to the Student Senate. Subsequently, I attended fee deliberations on 18 and 19 February 2022. I will also be attending the deliberations being held later tonight.
I am continuing to work with our joint student/advisor Student Senate Constitutional Review working group to make pertinent amendments that must be made for the document to remove discriminatory policy from the document and better organize it.
Niya and I connected with Chancellor Girod, Julie Murray, and Dr. Durham for our monthly meeting. We discussed the following things:
1. The history of how Student Fees have been approved at KU. In particular, the establishment of the Recycling Fee as a Student-Exclusive Initiative and the massive increase of fees like the student health fee, the recreation fee, and the transportation fee.
2. Issues in KU Student Housing:
  1. Assistant Director Aramis Watson told students that whatever was said at a meeting with Student Housing Staff could not be relayed to reporters or made public record.
  2. Reporters who are also residents are being harassed by Student Conduct and Student Housing for trying to report on stories related to KU Student Housing.
3. Sexual Assault Town Hall with Chancellor and Provost.
  1. We relayed appreciation for this Town Hall to the Chancellor. I attended this Town Hall and thought a lot of good information was presented and that student questions were answered thoughtfully and critically.
I will be hosting the Cycle Ten (10) Student’s Assembly Meeting in a hybrid format, this means that there will be an in-person attendance option this Wednesday, in Alderson Auditorium.

Social Justice Director

On Sunday 2/20 I was invited to serve as a panelist for University Honor's Planning Your Honors Path Webinar where I talked to Freshman and Sophomore Honors Students about my role in Student Senate and what our organization does on campus as a whole.

EOF Applications have all been submitted and we are in the process of reviewing them. Board members' questions are due tomorrow (Tuesday) and deliberations are scheduled to take place on Thursday.

I've spent the rest of my time meeting with Teach For America and planning the DEI Retreat which I am so excited to share information about with you all.

The DEI Retreat is going to take place on Tuesday, April 12th, 2022. It will be held on Ascher Plaza outside the Kansas Memorial Union. As of now, I am planning on there being three to four food trucks as well as campus organizations tabling and a very special performance/speaker. I can't tell you who it is just yet, but I've been chatting with them back and forth this last week and I am REALLY excited about them. Anyways, having all the basics planned out means that I can start petitioning for funding! So, this week I'm going to be finishing up Pepsi Funding and DEI Fund applications so that I can present those. Then, once those are taken care of I'll be taking the amount to DEIB and asking them to match it. Anything that isn't covered by those means, Teach For America has graciously offered to cover those costs.
Lastly, I finally heard back from the Interim Provosts Office, and we're working on getting a meeting date that works for us all to meet. So, hopefully, that will take place soon and I'll have updates to share from them.

Government Relations

This week I conducted multiple meetings regarding our trip in April to DC.
I was able to gather the responses and will be reviewing them throughout the week as well as contacting some folks.
This week I hope to be able to make contact with some of our administrators regarding the trip.
I am also finishing registration for big 12 on the hill that will take place the first week of April. I will send out an interest form tonight.
As always, please let me know if you need anything.

Chief of Staff

Student Senate Courts are officially up and running after years of being very silent or almost unactive. First case of the year was heard last week. Court ruled in favor of the KU African Drum Ensemble to fund an honorarium even though they had not submitted paperwork on time. I want to give a huge round of applause and shout out to the Chief Magistrate and the Justices of the Court since we got overall great feedback in regards to how the hearings were conducted. Very professional and a pleasant experience overall.
The Chief Magistrate and the Justices of the Constitutional Court have made some suggestions for language changes in the constitution to be more flexible in some aspects. I am working on these changes to introduce them next cycle.
Next cycle we will also have a bill coming to ask for funding to pay for the judicial branch.
Although other officer reports already mentioned Fee Review, I want to add that this has been the smoothest and most collaborative Fee Review session in the last several years. Firstly, I want to acknowledge that this is the first time we have received such a massive input from students in regards to what services they think we should prioritize on campus. Over 1,000 students answered a survey put together by Sadie Williams, Fee Chair, which was extremely helpful revealing what students prioritize. Thank you to all the officers and members who took their responsibility of allocating around 25 million dollars in student fees so seriously. From what I heard from our advisors, the questions being asked were great, and folks contributions were full of insight. Finally stress levels were on the minimal. Making this one of the most successful fee review sessions!
Sadie, Hammad, Mary, Advisors, and Fee members, thank you all so much.
Working on a handful of amendments that will be coming through next week.

Treasurer

DEI Line Item and Line-Item process is officially completed
Block was completed last week
Shout out the Chairs: Geoffry, Sahar, and Thanh for leading those meetings
The Fee Review committee did hearings the week of the 14th-18th. The students sat through 15 hours' worth of hearing and had deliberations over Friday, Saturday and Monday evening.
This cycle, we have over thirteen thousand dollars in requests from student groups
If you know student groups who are interested in senate funding please visit the studentsenate.ku.edu/apply

CCO Executive & Managing Director

University of Kansas – Staff Senate President Report – March 2022

February 1, SENEX meeting

• Reference report from Kathy Reed, Governance office

• Standard monthly reports provided by Presidents

• Discussion of program discontinuance and staff miscount surrounding plagiarism o Tim to follow up with Jeff Chasen and Julie Thornton regarding plagiarism misconduct

o Depending on response, Tim will seek volunteer interest from Staff Senate to look into

February 2, Staff Senate Executive Committee meeting

• Cancelled due to snow storm, campus closure

February 3, University Senate meeting

• Reference report from Kathy Reed, Governance office

• Guest Speakers: Provost Bichelmeyer and Athletic Director Jeff Goff o Provost discussion regarding current searches, dependent tuition assistance, program discontinuance, high turnover, Jayhawk Global

o AD discussion regarding strategic planning process, future of the Big 12 and NCAA, donors

• Standard monthly reports provided by Presidents

February 8, Staff Senate leadership meeting with Provost

• With the remote workforce policy now in effect for six months, what is the status of reviewing and evaluating the equitable application of this policy? o Some of that is ongoing with collecting concerns, don’t have full answer as didn’t have time to discuss with Mike Rounds prior to meeting

o Updates on reviewing and making recommendations has not been discussed but only situationally (Adhoc) as issues have been raised

o So far, no inequities uncovered, have been able to accommodate and adapt to what staff need

o Some of the deans (Engineering, Pharmacy, and Business) that were hold outs on limited remote work have provided sound justification based on education, safety and student support

• What is the status of conducting a market study to evaluate new and current staff salaries? o Market study is active, internal work to gather data and information from other higher ed groups (CACUBO or NACUBO-HR)

o Plan is to as to build into FY2023 budget both cost of living and merit in two separate pools, amounts are dependent on governors’ recommendations and other state funding factors

o Even so, our state sources of revenue are 18%, so whatever the state determines to support we have to carve out the remainder

o Provost continues to reiterate that the first priority is doing something to improve wages

o Compensation Analyst positions are posted for hiring, will help to analyze this and other HRM data, long-term positions

• What is the status of the campus communications revamp? Have discussions addressed how information is to be prioritized and are there options for standalone emails? o Jill Hummels and David Cook working on reframing communication, very much in a planning and exploration phase

o David Cook is willing to let Jill review messages from Governance to go out to various audiences they serve, and then blanket approval from individuals in charge of distribution lists

o Jill has mixed feelings about this approach, if reviewing then sets up weird dynamic with Provost, want instead to see this as a weekly if not daily email to all segments of campus, which provide an embedded a link to a message from Governance bodies and would remove the oversight function

o David Day investigating ESP that Student Affairs uses for communicating with parents of students, the ESP allows offices to submit items for publication, campus ESP coordinates information into platform, and Student Affairs officers review for submission

o Beyond Governance bodies, these message would include information from IT, DEIB, faculty development and possibly research

o Idea would be to have contributors post a summary paragraph with a linked communication, but this is still in the planning phase

o Need to start reaching out to those who currently manage communications across campus and develop a consolidation plan, as well as develop how to expand the use of the communication platform, all while being able to archive communication as appropriate

o Regarding time-sensitive communication and turnaround times, may not be able to move as quickly in the beginning if not set up to communicate daily, but once daily would be able to provide next day communication on time-sensitive information

o Consolidating and expanding input will require expectations and guiding principles on communication, looking at what K-State has in place, terms of engagement on their K-State Today site, includes author and contact information for accountability

o By clarifying communications, allowing leaders of groups to have their voice, and by professionalizing communications, will hope to move towards a trusted communication resource on the Lawrence and Edwards campuses

• The AD recently spoke of future partnerships between KU Athletics and KU proper in regard to donors. Who from the KU side would be involved in those endeavors? o Doug Girod is the primary official and link between the university and KUEA

o There is a balance between encouraging donors to contribute to certain area and where the donors want to contribute to, the university can create compelling cases to inspire giving

o Would recommend that Staff Senate bring this up with the Chancellor at their next meeting

February 9, Staff Senate meeting

• Reference report from Jena Gunter, Staff Senate Secretary

• Guest Speakers: Workplace Improvement Team (WIT) panel o WIT panel discussion of each of their roles, offices, and how those support the team objectives

• Standard monthly reports provided by President, committee chairs and ex-officio reps

February 10, SENEX Discontinuance Update meeting

• Discussion of next steps regarding Chancellor’s decision to discontinue programs supported by Governance

February 15, UPS/USS Joint Council Meeting

• Reference report from Brian Moss, UPS rep

• Standard monthly reports provided by Presidents

• Discussion of satisfaction survey, set for distribution to KBOR institutions April 5-6

• Discussion of inclement weather policies, how they are implemented across KBOR institutions

February 15, SENEX meeting

• Reference report from Kathy Reed, Governance office

• Guest Speaker: Chief Financial Officer Jeff Dewitt o 5.5% raise for state employees from governor (planned), but only covers 25% of the cost for us (from the state), cover the other 75% from our own funds

o Will present draft financial plan to chancellor and provost in next few weeks, with campus presentation on March 14

o +, State and Federal support is higher than anticipated

o -, Inflation level is higher than anticipated, additional costs for employees and KU employer

o -, KBoR deferred maintenance contribution is higher than anticipated, and we’re planning on approaching those infrastructure issues (Watson library, football stadium, Strong hall, etc.)

o -, can’t raise tuition based on governors’ proposal (tied to raises for employees)

o Preliminary, if governor budget holds, no unexpected expenses (covid, inflation), look like we’ll be okay for FY2023 with no cuts, but will then burn through all cash on hand and covid $ support, will have to make cuts in FY2024

o Layout for FY2024, two paths to take, do nothing and take cuts in FY2024 (similar to FY2022), or implement strategic initiatives for enrollment management, online enrollment, on campus events and conventions, how we leverage all dollars (including KUEA and course fees), efficient spending, reduce duplicative effort, and if all implemented successfully can eliminate the structural deficit for FY2024

o Quarterly reports are now being produced and data can be provided

o Q: Where are those financial reports located? § A: This is in AIRE, data will be in the presentation, there are reports to see in there

o Q: How can we get past constant staff cuts and turnover? § A: Need to address pay raises, as no raises is demoralizing, and then people leave and more work for remainder. Need a competitive pay study completed so that we support and be competitive with the markets. Need to reduce redundancies in positions

o Q: Graduate students support? § A: 5% pool of money for pay increases across campus for all employees, how that’s applied and where that goes has not been sorted out yet, running scenarios on how to approach this in the budget, salaries are the priority

o Q: 2% Merit Raise? § Whatever you call it, this could be part of the 5% or different, these are all being looked at, his charge is to find a pool of money and then determine how to deploy out (merit, raises, both, still not determined)

o Q: Dependent tuition assistance status? § Was asked about by the Provost this morning, have not completed the competitive pay study yet, not off the radar, will be continually considered, have other competing priorities, Tim responded that staff will continue to bring this up until it is addressed and added in the annual budget

o Q: Events and conferences? § Currently only schedule one semester out, and most major planning for facilities has to be done three years out, need to coordinate multiple offices and parties to be successful, so much effort currently that we are missing out on opportunities, have to change the culture, and Events Lawrence is partnering with KU to work on getting in events and using our space

o Q: KUEA support for structural deficits? § KUEA gives 170-180M a year in scholarships and salaries, one initiative is to work towards less restrictive KUEA funds for salary use, KUEA will work with donors towards that goal, and this also includes startup fund support for new initiatives that may not see ROI by FY2024, as well as some fundraising for buildings.

o Q: Jayhawks Global announcement?

§ An evolving process, will see big aggressive projects, understand you feel like you’re not involved but believe him that administration is open to the feedback and want a culture of where we work together, however Governance doesn’t see that occurring, CFO says watch the March 14 presentation and ask him back, if you don’t like what we’re doing then give us some alternatives, not just that you don’t want to do it

• Standard monthly reports provided by Presidents

February 22, Governance Leadership meeting with Andrew Foster

• COVID situation is improving, omicron was much more infectious than delta o BA2 variant of omicron is more contagious, however so many people were infected with the original that many have the immunity

o LMH has nine patients, with none on ventilators, warning index still has us at a high level in Douglas county

o Within the next week or two will decline then plateau (long tail), next 10-12 months anticipate mitigation efforts will be removed

o When summer hits, if numbers continue down, starting in fall can anticipate a non-masked campus

• Pfizer has requested a pause to FDA approval for under 5, research was geared towards delta, will need new baseline for omicron o FDA agreed to pause, expect that within a month or so will see data being published, with anticipated three shot regimen

• Fully vaccinated definition is currently two doses, but most organizations are changing to up to date (two vaccinations and one booster)

• There are vaccines that you must have to be a student at KU, however legislature is looking at bills that would remove any vaccine requirements

• When county indoor mask mandate expires, KU may also follow with large venue spaces (Allen Fieldhouse, but not the Lied Center) o Communication would be effective as of now, as forecasting sees those acting as soon as the announcement is distributed

o Even after masking is lifted, will still have quarantine restrictions in place

February 22, Travel Steering Committee meeting

• Updates o Basic Economy • Don’t have this option currently due to additional fees, cancellation restrictions, etc., instead advising to purchase Main Cabin (Economy)

• Working with CTP on additional notification options (top banner, pop up, warning icon, travel rule trigger) if this was opened up for use

• Discussion amongst group that if pop up messaging can’t be added, would need to modify top banner travel policy statement

o Virtual Travel Card • “Ghost” card, not a physical card, tied to employee ID number, configured in the current system, but only partially working (issue)

• In process of changing banks, have put this on hold, in late spring or early summer will then pick this back up

• Will be a great tool for airfare, but not for lodging or rental cars (need physical card)

• Other option would be a single use declining balance PCard, easy to obtain, quick turnaround time, only available with UKANS, possible that KURES can be added but that is dependent on the bank KU chooses to do business with

o Concur • Concur announced discontinuation of Airbnb after this month, very little notice

• Used a lot for research side on long-term housing needs

• For Airbnb, looking into using Booking.com via Concur for this option

o CTP • Due to covid, mass layoffs in travel industry, this includes CTP

• Now rehiring, but dealing with employment shortages

• Have experienced longer than normal service level call holds and email return times, doing the best they can

• In the process of changing their name to Collegiate Travel Planners, only higher ed clients, looking to reshape and restructure to facilitate better service

• New CTP account manager Evette, previous account manager (Lauren) was recruited elsewhere

• Moving all clients to GDS (global distribution system), holds all booking information, Concur designed for this and will standardize/streamline their training, will be moved over in the next few weeks

• Reporting: o Exception reporting • How to pinpoint who is and who is not using the Concur travel system?

• By end of February, there is a warning flag that is being turned on by FMS to match travel bookings in system and to T&E reports, those not booked in the system will be flagged in the T&E report

• Want to see not only by traveler but also by department, may be using VLOOKUP, working on message to send to T&E processors and approvers

• By next year, we’ll need justification as to why they are not using the system

• Question on training, will not be needed, just a comment added and prompted by the SSC staff when processing the T&E report

• No dashboard yet created in OAC to display this information, Lori can look into this for feasibility, definitely would be beneficial from a monitoring and compliance standpoint

o Travel program usage reporting • Laurie receives from CTP, and she can access this data on their dashboard as well

• Reference displayed information during presentation

o Other reporting needs? • Question on Level 3-4 travel restriction reporting, Laurie doesn’t know, errs on the side of caution, and advises all traveling to Level 3-4 travel restriction locations that they follow the proper reporting channels prior to travel, information is sent to International Affairs (Charlie Bankart) and Global Operations (Carl Taylor Jr) is copied

• Savings reporting will be beneficial to show what our ROI is on using this platform as opposed to directly booking through air carriers

• Travel update email to campus, target distribution by 3/4/22. Will include: o Reminder that TR & Booking in Concur is live, ready, and highly encouraged

o New functionality

o Future enhancement

Faculty Senate President’s Report to SenEx and the University Senate

Early March 2022

The governance office is accepting nominations for the Faculty Senate. Please nominate interested individuals and consider nominating yourself for leadership roles. Elections will be held later this spring for the Faculty Senate Executive Committee (FacEx). Please contact govern@ku.edu if you have questions.

The following is a partial list of ongoing issues, with brief status updates on each:

1. Program discontinuance: a. The Chancellor has decided to discontinue 40 of the 42 programs recommended for discontinuance, including 12 that the University Senate voted to continue. The Provost has yet to make a recommendation on the two Visual Arts Education programs that the University Senate voted to continue.

2. Financial Situation a. The CFO will soon send a video describing the financial situation and plans for moving forward. CFO also spoke with SenEx on February 15. A few notes from the meeting: i. The Governor’s proposed budget included several items that are good news for KU; we hope the legislature is supportive of the proposals.

ii. Among the Governor’s proposals is a 5% raise for all state-funded salaries. While this is welcome, many KU salaries are not state funded. To give all KU employees a 5% raise would require that KU find additional funds to provide raises for employee salaries not supported with state funds. This effort is underway.

iii. Despite the good news, KU continues to carry a structural deficit that will require further cuts or growth, or a combination thereof.

3. Policies and Procedures a. Policies/Procedures Previously Approved by Faculty Senate i. Academic workload policy: 1. Policy has been sent to the Chancellor for approval.

b. Faculty Senate Policies/Procedures i. FRB Procedures for Dismissal of Tenured faculty: 1. The Office of the General Council provided substantial commentary on the latest draft of the procedures, which is being reviewed by ad-hoc chair Mulligan and Lequesne. It is clear this will not be ready for a vote of the Faculty Senate this academic year.

ii. FSRR 2.5 – KBOR redefinition of a baccalaureate degree (so-called “credit cap”) 1. AP&P is reviewing proposed changes to FSRR 2.5 prompted by KBOR’s redefinition of a Baccalaureate degree.

c. University Senate Policies/Procedures i. USRR 2.1.1 – Excused absence policy: 1. A task group substantially revised a draft amendment that would expand the list of events that qualify a student for an excused absence from class/exams. FacEx discussed the draft and will ask FRPR to review the updated text.

ii. USRR 2.3.3 – Medical or compassionate retroactive withdrawals: 1. Proposed amendment will be on an upcoming University Senate agenda.

iii. USRR Article VIII – Program discontinuance 1. No update.

iv. USRR XX – Accommodations for students victimized by sexual assault 1. A task group, led by Kokobobo, drafted an amendment requiring that faculty provide supportive measures for students affected by sexual assault and domestic violence. FacEx considered the proposal and will move it forward to FRPR and SenEx, with the aim of having the University Senate vote this term.

d. Other/Misc. i. Policy Development 1. Governance leaders have proposed changes to the procedures (https://policy.ku.edu/policy-development-process) that would give the Governance Office authority to determine whether University Governance is involved with a draft policy. Currently the authority to determine whether governance must review a draft lies with the Policy Office.

2. Governance leaders will meet with Chief Audit Executive Curran to discuss the proposal.

4. KBOR a. AP Cut-scores review i. As part of the statewide review required every five years, department chairs at KU were contacted about the minimum AP scores (“cut-scores”) required to earn college credit. The English departments at KU and several other Kansas universities wish to increase the cut-scores for English exams, and the process is moving forward. All other AP cut-scores will remain unchanged this cycle.

b. KBOR General education policy i. No update.

c. KBOR-mandated program review i. KBOR is poised to hire rpk GROUP to lead a KBOR system review to assess and optimize program offerings, reduce redundancies, and better meet market demands.

5. Optional summer pay disbursement for faculty a. KU implemented a pilot program this academic year that allows faculty to elect to have a portion of academic-year pay withheld and disbursed during the summer, allowing faculty on academic-year appointments to receive consistent pay throughout the calendar year.

b. This is an option available to faculty at many universities and governance leaders have advocated for this over several years.

c. KU will survey faculty involved in the program sometime this year as part of a review of whether to continue this benefit for a second year.

6. COVID a. KU Emergency Management Coordinator Foster reports that COVID case counts have substantially decreased locally and nationally. If Douglas County lifts the county-wide mask mandate, and depending on local case counts and hospitalizations, KU might lift the indoor mask mandate on campus (it is a possibility, but no plans are in place yet).

7. COACHE Survey a. KU Faculty Development has partnered with Harvard-based researchers to administer the COACHE survey this spring. The intent is to “improve outcomes in faculty recruitment, development, and retention” (https://coache.gse.harvard.edu/).

b. I encourage you to participate.

8. Jayhawk Global a. Provost announced a new online learning initiative on 2022.02.04 branded as Jayhawk Global, which will be led by new VP Carney. Governance leaders have not been involved with this.

9. Data analytics on campus a. It is my position that the Provost’s Office needs to be more open and inclusive of faculty input regarding how quantitative data and metrics are used to inform decision making on campus. I proposed creating a Task Force to discuss this during the spring term, but discussions with the Provost’s Office are ongoing.

10. Email communications from governance leaders a. VC Cook will attend an upcoming SenEx meeting.

11. DEIB VP Search a. A search committee is being formed.

12. CLAS Dean Search a. No update.

Supportive Measures for Students Impacted by Sexual Assault and Intimate Partner Violence

USRR Article II. Academic Work and Its Evaluation

Section 1. Recorded Evaluation of Student Performance.

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2.1.6 Students impacted by sexual assault or intimate partner violence may request supportive measures from faculty. In order to request these measures, students may enlist the assistance of a third party of the student’s choosing (potential third party entities include Student Affairs and the Care Coordinator). If a mutually satisfactory agreement cannot be reached, a third party shall mediate (potential mediators include the Ombuds office).

USRR Article I. Section 3. Final Examination Schedules

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1.3.11 Students impacted by sexual assault or intimate partner violence may be excused from being present for the final examination. The instructor and student shall come to a mutually agreeable method of making up the missed examination. Students should initiate discussion with the instructor prior to the examination/test, and they may request assistance for supportive measures from a third party (potential third party entities include Student Affairs and the Care Coordinator).

USRR Article I. Section 4. Examinations, Quizzes, and Tests Other Than Final Examinations

1.4.8 Students impacted by sexual assault or intimate partner violence may be excused from being present for scheduled examinations and tests. The instructor and student shall come to a mutually agreeable method of making up the missed examination. Students should initiate discussion with the instructor prior to the examination/test, and they may request assistance for supportive measures from a third party (potential third party entities include Student Affairs and the Care Coordinator).