Early Bird

Faculty Senate recap

Safer Spaces Resolution follow-up and voting, leadership and committee elections, Teaching Excellence Award winners at final meeting of the academic year.

By Cory Phare

The final meeting of the Metropolitan State University of Denver Faculty Senate for the 2020-21 academic year spent considerable time clarifying procedure, providing continued discussion of and voting on the Safer Spaces Resolution.

Faculty Senate President Katia Campbell, Ph.D. (Communication Studies), addressed the issue that arose on voting integrity during the Senate’s special session, noting the need to operate from a sense of trust and reliance on processes.

The Rules Committee’s Kelly Evans, Ph.D. (Human Performance and Sport), then outlined the updated MS Forms-based voting to ensure that only senators were eligible to participate.

Campbell announced that Faculty Senate meetings for the fall semester would resume meeting in person, in line with the larger University plan to return to campus.

After an approved motion to limit floor debate to two minutes per person, senators voiced support for and opposition to the resolution as written, parsing out individual items along with the spirit of the measure. Detailed points of discussion can be found in the May 4 Faculty Senate minutes.

The Faculty Senate support for the Safer Spaces Resolution passed with 52 voting yes, 40 no and seven abstentions.

Additional second reads and votes included:

• Richard Russell, Ph.D. (Accounting), providing an overview of the Academic Policy Committee’s Emergency Procedures Bylaws Amendment, which outlined processes for decision-making when the Faculty Senate is out of session during University breaks. The measure passed with 82 voting yes, three no and three abstentions.
• Summer Trentin, Ph.D. (Art and Art History), providing an unchanged update to the language in the undergraduate curriculum manual to outline independent-study process and set enrollment caps, along with a similar change to the graduate curriculum manual (excepting the maximum number of independent-study courses that students are able to take). The measures passed with votes of 76 yes, four no and three abstained and 79 yes, three no and two abstained, respectively.

During an interim session, Sens. Evans and Lincoln Davie, Ph.D. (Hospitality), presided over elections for the 2021-22 Faculty Senate. Campbell, Vice President Liz Goodnick, Ph.D. (Philosophy), and Bill Carnes, D.M. (Management), were all reelected to leadership positions by acclamation.

At-large committee elections followed, with results including:

• Academic Policy Committee: Jeff Parker, MFA (Theatre)
• Budget Committee: Tony Lopez, MBA (Accounting)
• Curriculum Committee: Paula McGuire, Ph.D. (Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences)
• Faculty Diversity Committee: Kate Schmidt, Ph.D. (Philosophy), and Daphne Simmonds (Computer Information Systems)
• General Studies Committee: Kelly Conroy, Ph.D. (Modern Languages), Parker and Pam Troyer, Ph.D. (English)
• Professional Leave Committee: Cynthia Krentz, DNP (Nursing)
• Revenue, Tenure and Promotion Committee: Trentin
• Rules Committee: Adriann Wycoff, Ph.D. (Chicana/o Studies)
• Faculty Welfare Committee: Faculty Trustee Bethany Fleck Dillen, Ph.D. (Psychological Sciences)

Davie indicated there are a number of committee vacancies that still need to be filled; those interested should contact respective caucus chairs.

Other items of business included:

• The announcement of Teaching Excellence Award winners for this year: Joy Pieper, Ph.D. (Nutrition – affiliate category), Alycia Palmer, Ph.D. (Chemistry and Biochemistry – Cat II category), Leslie Boyd, MFA (Art – tenure-track category), and Carla Aguilar, Ph.D (Music – tenured category).
• Campbell clarifying that the Handbook language regarding tenure for administrators voted on at the April 21 meeting did not pass, with a vote of 39 in favor, 30 against and 10 abstentions.
• The announcement that undergraduate teaching assistants will again be available for the fall semester. Further information will be delivered via email.
• The announcement that this year’s Professional Development Conference will be held virtually May 24-27.
• Trentin providing an update on the new and modified courses and certificates approved by the Curriculum Committee.