December 7, 2021 Minutes

Council of Department Chairs

In attendance: Curtis Bennett, Barbara Taylor, Margaret Karteron, Andreas Bill, Dessie Underwood, Krzystof Slowinski, Allie Puz, Lijuan Li, Will Murray, Lora Stevens, Christine Whitcraft, Henry Wu, Maryanne Horton, Lisa Martin, Babette Benken, David Goulet.    

NOTE: THESE MINUTES REFLECT DISCUSSIONS THAT HAPPENED ON THE DATE OF THESE MINUTES.  DUE TO THE COVID-19 SITUATION, THINGS ARE RAPIDLY CHANGING.  FOR OFFICIAL POLICY PLEASE WAIT FOR DOCUMENTS FROM THE APPROPRIATE OFFICES. 

 

  1. Approve agenda (9:00)
  2. Approve Minutes from November 16th
  3. Announcements
    1. ASM
      1. Extension of 20/21 FSG (faculty small grant) funds due to COVID.
        1. FSGs don’t typically extend – use in place of startup.
        2. Extended deadline is June 30, 2022.
      2. HEERF Money
        1. Starting to process large orders for classroom technology.
      3. Other
        1. All GA/TSAs will receive a 2% general increase retroactive to July 1, 2021.
        2. Per the Department of Education, any payment to students must be reported to Financial Aid office. Keep in mind that any monetary gift or payment may affect their financial aid.
        3. California minimum wage goes up to $15/hour on January 1, 2022.
        4. Per the Chancellor’s Office and President’s Memo: Any in-state travel for up to $2,000 can be approved by the Dean. Any out-of-state travel or in-state travel with costs higher than $2,000 must be approved by the Provost. International travel must be approved by the President.
          1. Travel requests should be submitted at least 10 business days beforehand – the earlier the better.
        5. Staff cannot be forced to display photos and bios.
        6. Payroll will stop accepting remote sign-in December 31, 2021. Sign-ins must happen on campus, in person.
    2. Operations Update
      1. Friday end-of-semester party
        1.  
    3. Development Update
      1. $1.5 million chair in Environmental Chemistry; will take 5 years to fund/complete.
      2. New undergraduate scholarship endowment in Chemistry in honor of Dot Goldish, funded by Margaret Merryfield.
    4. Technology (Time Certain 9:20, David Goulet)
      1. Purchasing
        1. Purchasing Compliance Review required for no-cost software.
      2. Device Management
        1. All Macs must go into Apple School Manager.
        2. All Windows must go into EndPoint Manager.
      3. Computer Setups
        1. PCR/ATI Request responsible for informing us via ticket that devices are in and require setup.
        2. Setup must be complete prior to employees using devices.
      4. Computer Maintenance
        1. Tech Team required to inspect devices yearly and keep operating systems and software up to date.
        2. Towers should be checked by tech team prior to use on campus.
        3. Towers off campus should not be used and should return for maintenance.
        4. Only laptops should go off campus.
      5. Network Changes
        1. All network requests must go through the Tech Team.
        2. Architecture being implemented to restrict personal and unmanaged devices on our network.
    5. Dean’s report
      1. Academic Senate announced that they are looking for members of the Intersegmental Committee of the Academic Senates (ICAS see https://icas-ca.org/transfer/)
        1. This is the committee that discusses how we deal with the next GE change.
      2. WASC and Online Program Certification
        1. WASC determined that GE courses count toward the number of courses that could be online to make a program online.
          1. Please send standard course outlines to Kris by the end of the Fall semester/as soon as possible to avoid clashing with the winter shutdown.
      3. Green Lecture
        1. Departmental breakdowns of seminar speaker diversity to Curt.
      4. Thursday Start to Spring Semester
        1. Remind faculty and staff of unusual Thursday start.
  4. Associate Deans
    1. Academic Programs
      1. SOAR Advising for incoming transfers is on track.
        1. Chairs should look at enrollment on 12/16 and 12/17 to see if there are any areas that require attention.
      2. Standard Course Outlines (Item 2.a.i. above)
      3. Enrollment Services
        1. Faculty need to be made aware of various academic actions related to exceptions to academic policies per email forwarded from Kris.
          1. Follow up with ES to get faculty a reference guide.
    2. Research
      1. Keys
        1. BBS approves proposal to increase key returns by having students drop off keys at department offices.
          1. Students should return keys in an envelope with their name on the front.
          2. Per BBS: Each department will have to identify the drop-off location or person. Many students have reported that walking down to key issue is a chore too easily postponed – and often postponed so long that it never happens. CNSM departments will now invite students to return their keys to department offices. We envision this happening at the end of the semesters. Students who are ready to return keys should put them in a sealed envelope with their name and ID# and put the envelope in a drop box or similar collection point (defined by the department). A staff person can then turn in all the collected keys to BBS.
    3. Grad Programs
      1. 4+1/3+2 blended programs: there is a request for students to be able to double count up to 12 units toward the master’s degree; necessitates a change to Title 5.
        1. Will move toward final approval in the Spring.
      2. GRF announcement is not out yet but 7 are still guaranteed (1 per college); extras may be set aside for very specific parameters.
  5. Repopulation in Spring
    1. Staff: 4+1 vs. On-Campus Full Time
      1. Discussion:
        1. 97% of CNSM classes for Spring 2022 are planned face-to-face.
        2. COVID-related leave from Chancellor’s Office ends on January 1, 2022.
      2. 4+1 standard with option to change due to operational need with Dean’s approval.
  6. Part-Time Hiring
    1. Oversight through AD
    2. Onboard training
      1. Creation of the committee with Will Murray, Dessie Underwood, and Kris Slowinski.
      2. Outlining clear expectations for lecturers.
  7. Retreat
    1. Timing
      1. January 25, 2022 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
      2. In-person meeting, location TBD.
    2. Topics:
      1. What processes do you need a “How To” handout for?
      2. AT discussion to come
      3. Syllabus template
      4. Send in other topic suggestions.
  8. New Business
    1. Finding TA/GAs for Spring and Fall 2022

 

Upcoming Dates:

Dec. 10th (2:00-4:00): End-of-Semester Party
Jan. 20th: First Day of Classes Spring 2022. It’s a Thursday!!
Feb. 21st: 2022 Summer Student Research Assistantship Application Deadline
Feb. 25th: 2022 ORED Multidisciplinary Grant Application Deadline
Apr. 4th:  Nobel Prize Lecture: Dr. Strickland

Meeting Minutes were APPROVED on Tuesday, December 14, 2021

*Note: This reflects discussion on the date of the CDC meeting about policies, not actual policy. Faculty and staff should wait for official communication on each subject before acting.