Faculty Senate Minutes | April 22, 2020

COVID-19 University Update (Kersh); Medical Update (Clinch); Policy regarding malicious emails (Albrecht, Mitra); Ombudsperson Process (Caron); Review of Senate resolutions (Knudson); Report from Compensation Committee (Phillips); Election of new Senate Officers (Knudson)

Wake Forest University Faculty Senate

Regularly Scheduled Meeting
April 22, 2020
Zoom Meeting

Attendees: Jane Albrecht, Graca Almeida, Margaret Bender, Steve Boyd, Simone Caron, Arjun Chatterjee, Stew Carter, Anna Cianci, Joanne Clinch, Tracey Coan, Christine Coughlin, Gail Curtis, Lisa Dragoni, Omaar Hena, Natalie Holzwarth, Hugh Howards, Charles Iacovou, Ana Iltis, Mark Jensen, Carrie Johnston, Steve Kelley, Ralph Kennedy, Rogan Kersh, Mark Knudson, Pat Lord, Ananda Mitra, Wison Parker, Matthew Phillips, Tim Pyatt, Jimmy Ruiz, Wayne Silver, Michelle Steward, Erica Still, Barry Trachtenberg, and Julie Wayne

 

I. Call to order: President Mark Knudson

• Matthew Phillips will be managing the meeting and calling on speakers to keep the process orderly.

II. Approval of minutes from March 25^th meeting

• The motion to approve the minutes of the March 25, 2020 meeting was made, seconded, and passed.

III. COVID-19 University Update: Provost Kersh

• Approximately 310 students remaining on campus, with only one positive case on campus and no students in isolation for at least a week
• Soliciting stories from faculty and colleagues about ongoing research, discovery, and performance
• Financial update: projecting a $23-$24 million deficit for the fiscal year; able to recoup approximately $13 million through measures such as suspension of travel, administrative hiring freeze, and administrator pay cuts; anticipate $10 million withdrawal from Reserves; important to refrain from drawing extensively or frequently on the Reserves because of the effect on credit rating
• Faculty hiring will generally continue in order to enable what is critical to the academic mission
• Upcoming Announcements and Events:
  • April 30: plan for Summer Session II
  • May 18: virtual conferral of degrees
• Establishing process and announcement about the removal of student belongings
• Charles Iacovou is leading a scenario planning committee to investigate possibilities for opening in the Fall
• Questions from the floor:
  • Will the decision about Fall opening include the whole University?
    • Plan for opening will take into account the needs of the individual schools but will cover the entire institution
  • Will the plan for the Fall be announced on April 30?
    • No, as there is not yet enough information; hope to announce the date by which the Fall plans will be made and shared
  • How many faculty have tested positive?
    • Unaware of any positive faculty cases on Reynolda campus
  • Will WFU receive money from CARES Act?
    • Yes; when it is received, ½ of the money must go to supporting students’ financial needs

IV. Medical Update: Joanne Clinch, MD (Clinical Director, Wake Forest Student Health)

• Mitigation methods such as single room accommodations and meal delivery have helped keep on-campus cases low; likewise, Forsyth County is currently doing okay due to mitigation efforts; as the curve flattens, can expect to see a gradual loosening of restrictions
• Moving forward, the University will continue to follow the CDC and public health guidelines; must allow for flexibility in planning, as events will likely not unfold linearly
• Developing plans for increased testing and contact tracing
• Questions from the floor:
  • Will faculty at increased risk be able to teach remotely?
    • This question falls under HR, but the policies will be developed in consultation with health care providers and public health guidelines
  • Will student privacy be maintained in the push for public health safety?
    • Yes, health services will continue to maintain patient confidentiality
  • Isn’t testing necessary for a return to campus?
    • There will be more robust testing, but it is not currently best practice to test asymptomatic individuals

V. Policy Regarding Malicious Emails: Jane Albrecht and Ananda Mitra

• Suggestion will be made for a few edits: addition of an appendix outlining safety guidelines and a flow chart explaining the process for faculty, staff, and students – These edits are to make the policy more accessible, and nothing is being added or removed from the policy as proposed.

VI. Update on Ombudsperson Process: Simone Caron

• Will proceed with an organizational model that includes two ombudspersons, one internal and one external to the institution
• Provost Office funding for the position is secured
• The Ombudsperson serves as a neutral resource in the resolution of conflicts for faculty and staff
• The Senate Executive Committee is currently consulting multiple models and will provide a report to Provost Kersh on May 6 outlining a process for drawing up a position description and selection process

VII. Review of Senate Resolutions: Knudson

• The Senate Executive Committee now has 5 years of data; over the summer it will create a spreadsheet and report to present to the Senate in the Fall

VIII. Report from the Compensation Committee: Matthew Phillips

• Overall, Wake Forest compares favorably with peers for associate and full professors; unfavorably for assistant professors, which is an ongoing problem
• These data reflect only the Reynolda Campus faculty salaries
• Question from the floor:
  • Did the Compensation Committee meet this year?
    • Matthew requested the report, but there was no appointed chair of the committee for this year.

IX. Election of new Senate Officers: Mark Knudson

• No additional nominations received; nominations closed
• An election ballot [Appendix A] will be sent out via Qualtrics immediately following the close of this meeting; it will be available for 24 hours

X. Adjournment

APPENDIX A: Ballot for Election of Officers

President:

Simone Caron

Abstain/no vote

Vice President:

Matthew Phillips

Abstain/no vote

Secretary:

Ananda Mitra

Abstain/no vote

Member at Large:

Barry Trachtenberg

Abstain/no vote