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The Arts and Sciences Faculty Senate (ASFS), 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm, Zoom

Representatives Present: Robert Rupert (PHIL), Julie Lundquist (ATOC), Sebastian Casalaina (MATH), Elspeth Dusinberre (CLAS), Paul Romatschke (PHYS), Mike Zerella (RAPS), Joe Bryan (GEOG), Andrew Cowell (LING), Annje Wiese (HUMN), William Taylor (ANTH), Juan Pablo Dabove (SPAN), Stephanie Su (AAH), Shelley Copley (MCDB), Matt Jones (PSYC), Liam Downey (SOCY), Kieran Murphy (FRIT), Cecilia Pang (THDN), David Paradis (HIST), Lorraine Bayard de Volo (WGST), Christina Meyers (SLHS), Christopher Osborn (CINE), Robert Parson (CHEM), John Stevenson (ENGL), Rebecca Flowers (GEOL), Svetoslav Derderyan (PSCI), Jennifer Schwartz (HONR), Doug Seals (IPHY)

Representatives not present: Zachary Kilpatrick (APPM), Rebecca Wartell (JWST), Nichole Barger (EBIO), Anthony Abiragi (PWR), Anastasiya Osipova (GSLL), Daniel Kaffine (ECON), Matthias Richter (ALC), Angelica Lawson (ETHN), Matthew Burgess (ENVS), Deborah Whitehead (RLST), John Keller (APS), Robert Kuchta (BCHM)

Also in attendance: James White (Acting Dean), Anna Jensen (Dean’s Office), Bud Coleman (Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs and Initiatives), Patrick Tally (Assistant Dean of Academic and Curricular Affairs), Amy Lavens (Vice Dean of Finance and Administration), Patricia Gonzalez (Assistant Dean for Inclusive Practice)

The meeting is called to order at 3:33 pm.

Dean’s Remarks

The Arts & Sciences Community was impacted by the Marshall Fire that took place on December 30^th, 2021. On Friday, January 7^th, Acting Dean White received a list of homes destroyed in the fires and reached out to everyone on the list. They now know that 15 faculty, staff, or graduate students lost their home in the fire. Utilities are still out in the area and some areas are still affected by smoke damage. It could take up to a month to get people in to clean homes. A&S has been working to ensure that all have access to services. The point person for those in A&S affected by the fire is Bernadette Stewart, Assistant Dean of Administration. ��������Ƶ is providing up to 160 hours of administrative relief time for those affected. Teaching Assistants can get up to 80 hours since they are half-time. Rebuilding lives takes time and White encourages all to continue to be flexible when and if asked for help.

Those impacted by the fire have pointed out that the remote start was a huge plus for them and gives them time to get back on their feet. Those impacted have responded with resilience and thankfulness. At this time, all A&S victims who have lost homes have received temporary housing but need continued help.

It is clear that the Omicron variant of COVID-19 is highly infectious, but it is also less likely to cause serious illness or death, particularly if you’re vaccinated. Over 95% of faculty, staff and students are vaccinated. This makes the campus a very safe place to be in regards to COVID. They expect very few hospitalizations or deaths.

A federal vaccine mandate went into effect on January 1^st, 2022. Those who do not submit proof of vaccination or request religious exemption will be placed on leave without pay. ��������Ƶ Boulder announced a booster mandate today. The deadline for compliance is February 24^th or five months after the second shot, whichever is later. Upload your proof as soon as possible. If someone has claimed an exemption, that will be carried over.

Classes are remote for the first two weeks of this semester in response to surging COVID numbers and the impact of the fires. In-person classes will start January 24^th. Class modes cannot be changed from what they were originally set to be. Building access is currently restricted until January 24^th.  Your Buff One card may not be correctly coded to let you into your building. If this is the case, contact Access Services. Classes will be in person starting January 24^th and that decision will not be walked back.

There is water damage in the MATH building. If you use the MATH library, there are access issues there. Some faculty have been left without an office and they are working to provide them with temporary offices.

Reorganization of the college continues. White says they have instated budgets for each division and the divisional deans have been given authority to make decisions for their division. Divisional Deans are now in the decision loop on everything affecting their division, including personnel.

The strategic budget realignment is still going through as well. The college no longer has an expectation of getting last year’s budget allocation. The budget could be more or less. It is dependent on student credit hours, graduation rates and second fall retention rates. The concept of continuing dollars will cease to exist. It is not clear yet when/where subvention decisions will be made.

The search for the dean of the college is going forward. They are still in the process of interviewing. This is going to be a semester of fairly large changes for the college.

A&S remains in a tight budget situation due to the fact that we have fewer enrolled students. Everyone’s help in recruiting is appreciated and needed.

White has been working with the deans of Engineering, Leeds, and Undergraduate Education to submit a list of recommended changes to the Alternative College Option, which the BUS-LIT team is reviewing now for rapid action. They hope to get action on this by this semester.

White is also working on the common application. He has requested changes to make it more in-line with competitors (state AAU, public universities).

Raises as a result of the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act will come into effect in the January paycheck for faculty and staff who are getting them. Compensation notifications will be going out last week of January. There will be a separate notification for the 3% base building and 1% bonus.

ANTH’s representative asks if the relief for the fires from the University covers replacements for faculty or TAs actively teaching. White says if someone has requested administrative leave, the college is covering teaching costs associated with that and the graduate school is covering teaching costs for TAs.

The same representative asks if there are plans of extending remote teaching. White says there are no plans for this and while we do not know what Omicron is going to do, we do know that ��������Ƶ is a very vaccinated community. The desire for in-person classes has been driven largely by the students.

GEOG’s representative asks if the COVID testing program from last year will be revived. White says no, the science team does not think testing is as effective at dealing with COVID as it was before vaccinations were widely available. There are 100 PCR tests per day available and sign-up is at My ��������Ƶ Health.

A representative from RAPS says that under the new budget model, the college needs to retain students year over year to maintain the budget. RAPS helps with that retention of students, but the A&S RAP in Stearns West Hall is not receiving enough support to be maintained. Can the college help keep that RAP going? White says the college’s budget is going to depend on retaining students. RAPS plays an extremely important role in recruiting and retaining students. He is working with Eric Stade on trying to get clarity on a few issues surrounding RAPS. Jim has a meeting with Akirah Bradley-Armstrong, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, and others on Friday to discuss this further.

Chair’s Remarks

Rupert extends his condolences to those affected by both the fires and COVID-19. He welcomes everyone to the inaugural meeting of the ASFS. There are two new members: Doug Seals (IPHY) and Ben Brown (APS).

New faculty governance structures are being put into place. ASFS is mostly an extension of the ASC but there are some changes to the mission of the committees and Rupert wants to work on more robust, effective communication. There is room for further changes and as this semester proceeds, the ASFS will start talking about potential revisions to the bylaws.

They are still working on getting divisional councils up and running. All three divisions are on their way to having fully functioning divisional councils.

A representative from CINE asks how they will know when divisions are scheduling meetings. Rupert says that Irene Blair is the provisional chair for the natural sciences’ divisional council and Dimitri Nakassis for arts & humanities. Social sciences does not yet have a chair. Rupert suggests asking your department chair for updates on this.

SPAN’s representative asks if there is a requirement that chairs create reports of activities of the divisional council. Rupert says this is an item on the current list of potential revisions to the bylaws. Currently, there is no requirement on the taking of minutes. The members of divisional councils should distribute updates from those meetings to their colleagues.

Rupert says there has been a bit of a negotiation surrounding how involved ASFS will be with the divisional councils. Divisional councils are an expression of the divisions’ desire to be autonomous. Faculty are encouraged to give their feedback to department chairs.

Motion on petitions from RAPS and HNRS

Rupert explains that the old bylaws were liberal about membership in the ASC. The new bylaws make clearer rules. The ASFS bylaws state that units that do not qualify (because they don’t house a major, minor or certificate) can submit an application to be a member of the ASFS. By accepting the two petitions for ASFS membership that follow, the ASFS would be essentially keeping status quo as these two programs were members of the ASC.

Rob reads aloud the petition from the Honors Program.¹ A representative from CLAS expresses that their participation on ASFS is particularly valuable because they cross the divisional boundaries and that is a strong plus for the ASFS to have.

A poll is launched with the following language: “Approve the petition for ASFS membership submitted by HONR. Yes/No/Abstain.” The motion passes with 23 votes for Yes, zero for No, and two abstentions.

Rob reads aloud the petition from RAPS. A poll is launched with the following language: “Approve the petition for ASFS membership submitted by RAPS. Yes/No/Abstain.” The motion passes with 21 votes for Yes, zero for No, and three abstentions.

Rupert says this is a reaffirmation of the importance of both of these units.

Dr. Patricia Gonzalez

Dr. Patricia Gonzalez, Assistant Dean for Inclusive Practice, thanks everyone for the work they do and encourages all to use the chat box if they have questions during her presentation. She shares her screen with a PowerPoint presentation.

As the liberal arts core of ��������Ƶ Boulder, A&S’s core mission is to develop students as future leaders in the diverse global community of the 21^st century. The college seeks to realize this mission by establishing and supporting diversity, addressing social climate problems, and collaborating with key partners across the college, campus and region.

Gonzalez says the college cannot separate students, staff and faculty. Instead, Gonzalez says we must center the student, with faculty and staff surrounding while thinking about how community partners fit into the picture. Student JEDI-centered initiatives include student peer-mentoring programs, building community partnerships, student development on topics of inclusivity, cultural celebrations, common ground series, and more.

How can the faculty of A&S participate in DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion)? There are programs and lectures being offered that celebrate various cultures on campus. On February 21^st, there will be a Jazz and Civil Rights Movement lecture to celebrate Black History Month. More programming to come in March for International Women’s Month and September/October for Hispanic Heritage Month.

There are also developmental opportunities available to all faculty and staff. These include workshops on Inclusive Language, Macro/Microaggressions, Addressing Anti-Blackness, Intersecting Identities and Antiracism.

Inspired by the IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity and Excellence in Academics) Plan and endorsed by the IDEA Council, DEI goals for the college include providing additional specification to apply to a range of units/functions, creating a common direction for all campus units, elevating the work of the IDEA Council and capturing the spirit of the IDEA Plan.

Sonia DeLuca Fernández, Senior Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is asking for three things: units advancing DEI by focusing on employee skills/development, addressing inequities in student achievement outcomes and supporting community building initiatives to communicate the importance of DEI.

Rupert says he has sent out an email to ASFS that Gonzalez sent to him that has information on the various workshops coming up. Rupert asks if these events will be in-person. Gonzalez says they decided to do it online to open it up for access and it is free.

Rupert asks as Gonzalez moves forward with this work, what does she see as a channel for communication with faculty? Gonzalez says she included her email in the chat for any direct support. Anna Jensen in the dean’s office has been instrumental to keeping people updated with DEI opportunities. Once the website and social media are updated, there will be other outlets like a listserv.

New Business

Rupert asks if there are any ideas on what the ASFS or individual committees should be working on this semester. One of his projects is to work on a re-vamped website. It is not entirely clear where this is headed but if anyone has ideas on how to pursue that, he would love to hear them.

The ASFS executive committee is aiming for a robust discussion of the budget redesign at the next meeting and they are planning on continuing to work on instructor task force issues.

¹ Petitions can be read on the Motions page.