Dionte Berry
News Editor
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Emery Wainscott
Features Editor
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The final Faculty Senate meeting of the spring 2021 semester was held on Zoom on Tuesday, May 4. The meeting started by welcoming new senate members that will be serving for the 2021-22 academic year.

After being welcomed by Faculty Senate President David Roach, the senate went on to confirm their returning senators as well as their outgoing senators. The senators that were not returning were presented with certificates of appreciation for the work they have done.

“I am excited for those that have joined the faculty senate, and to the returning senators I am glad you are coming back for another tour of duty,” said Faculty Regent and Journalism Professor Melony Shemberger. “I look forward to working with you. To the leaving senators, thank you for all the work you have done.”

For the new senators, Roach went on to share some of the tasks of the Faculty Senate.

“We create resolutions, motions and handbook revisions. Those are our three main items,” Roach said. 

Motions are actions within the senate that don’t require any administrative approval. Resolutions are actions or statements that require administrative approval. Lastly, handbook revisions and these are policy changes that go in the faculty handbook and have to be approved by the Board of Regents. 

There is a new category of actions called special senate resolutions, which are formal statements that don’t require administrative approval. 

Next on the agenda was a recap of the 2020-21 fiscal year.    

Faculty Senate Resolution 19-20-5, a structure built for non-tenure track faculty to receive promotions, expired because there was no formal discussion held to update it. Roach said the administration is not opposed to this resolution, however, it is difficult to implement.

“Even though it’s expired and it’s disappointing, I think it needs more studying,” Roach said. “I think on our part, we need to do better to sell it… I think if we put forward a really strong concept that’s been looked at from a fiscal and an academic perspective from chairs and deans and so forth, I think we can do better here.”

Faculty Senate Resolution 20-21-8, which is faculty caregivers’ accommodation, was returned by the Board of Regents.

Roach said the administration doesn’t disagree with the resolution, but instead, it needs further study and is not ready for approval.

The senators had some frustration with this decision. Vice President Heidi Ortega said this reaction was because the senators were asked to address faculty caregivers’ accommodation but the resolution was ultimately rejected.

Faculty Senate Handbook Revision 20-21-7, a set of guidelines for evaluations of teaching; Faculty Senate Resolution 20-21-10, which is support for retired Head Coach Tevester Anderson sent to the Murray State Hall of Fame; Faculty Senate Resolution 20-21-11, an extension of the COVID-19 Faculty Protection Act and Faculty Senate Motion 20-21-12, a recommendation for a tiered Cost-of-Living-Adjustment system, have all been approved and completed. 

Faculty Senate Handbook Revision 20-21-5, which is special session compensation, was sent back as it needs further study. Roach said there are budget issues and communication issues with chairs and deans that may have caused this decision.

Faculty Senate Resolution 20-21-1, which is to encourage digital meetings, has been approved and Faculty Senate Resolution 20-21-4, which is the relocation of the Confederate monument, has been passed and sent to the fiscal court.

Faculty Senate Handbook Revision 20-21-6, which would add the faculty senate president as an ex officio member to the Budget Advisory Committee, was approved. Faculty Senate Handbook Revision 20-21-2, which protects electronic intellectual property, is going to the Board of Regents and will be discussed in June.

To address bills that were still drafts or that needed to be voted on, Roach re-introduced Faculty Senate Resolution 20-21-14, which was a statement against race-based violence.

The statement was introduced on April 21. It was passed in unanimity and addressed the violence seen towards the Asian community in the U.S. during the pandemic and specifically the spa shooting in Atlanta.

Beyond recognizing the issue, the senate said it was a part of the Faculty Senate’s responsibility to promote respect for human dignity and rights. 

After the vote the senate moved to creating a new senate and electing members to positions that needed to be filled in various subcommittees. 

Roach and Ortega ran for reelection unopposed.

Secretary Priscilla Maghrab was among those not returning to the senate. Senator Sarah Martin ran for the position unopposed.

For the subcommittee positions, the Executive Committee sets that agenda as well as manages an advisory board for the president. Those elected serve a one-year term. Senators Michael Bordieri and Brenda Reeves were elected to the positions and there is one remaining spot in the committee.

The Academic Council reviews all academic materials such as policies and makes recommendations to the senate about policy regarding academic excellence. Those elected serve two-year terms. 

Filling these positions are Senators Sarah Martin and Bassil El Masri; the committee still has an open position. 

Senators David Pizzo and Samer Khalil both ran for a position on the University Budget Advisory Committee. Pizzo won the vote.

The University Assessment Committee gives feedback for plans of assessment for Murray State and from those assessments they suggest institutional changes.

Senator Brenda Reeves volunteered for this position and the committee still has two remaining positions.

The Accessibility Universal Design Committee serves to look into all the different ways classes are being taught, such as in-person, Zoom and asynchronous.   

Senator Marquese Carter volunteered for the position.

Last was the Coalition of Faculty Senate Leadership position, which was taken by Senator Todd Herzburg.  

After going through the line-up of committees, the senate went into breakout rooms to create subcommittees. There were the Handbook and Personnel, Academic Policies, Finance, Government Affairs and the Rules, Elections and Bylaws Committee. 

Senators chose the committee they wanted to be part of and discussed who would be chairs for each committee. After the groups were finished discussing, then the meeting was adjourned.