January 11, 2022 Minutes

Council of Department Chairs

In attendance: Curtis Bennett, Barbara Taylor, Margaret Karteron, Andreas Bill, Dessie Underwood, Allie Puz, Lijuan Li, Will Murray, Lora Stevens, Henry Wu, Maryanne Horton, Lisa Martin, Babette Benken, Carole Duffis, Valerie Bagley, Vanessa Hernandez, Kris Slowinski.     

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 (10:00)
  2. Approve Minutes from Dec. 14th
  3. Announcements
    1. ASM
      1. HEERF money can be spent on students (ISAs) until April 30th.
        1. Give Henry a very rough estimate of how much you’ll use from now until April; large purchase orders are subject to delays.
      2. No COVID-related leave is available for 2022. All COVID-related leave ended on 12/31/21.
    2. Operations Update
      1. Syllabus information from the college office will go out to faculty this week.
      2. Commencement
        1. Still under negotiation; do not share any information about Commencement including dates.
          1. A detailed announcement is expected at the end of January.
        2. Calls for nominations for various awards and honors will go out soon.
      3. RSCA applications are currently under review by the college committee.
      4. Scholarships open for application to students on January 20.
        1. Application period is from January 20 to the first week of March.
        2. Soliciting additional names for the college committee.
      5. Difference in pay leave InterFolio deadline is February 8, 2022.
    3. Dean’s Report
      1. Keck Grant - $2.5 million from the Keck Foundation for integrating authentic research experiences into courses for freshmen and sophomores.
      2. Per Provost: There are to be no on-campus interviews during AMI.
  4. Associate Deans
    1. Academic Programs
      1. Reminder for chairs to read written comments on SPOT forms (per SPOT Policy); these comments can signal potential problems.
      2. Carefully review the withdrawal policy.
    2. Research
      1. N/A
    3. Grad Programs
      1. N/A
  5. Repopulation in Spring
    1. Information on doors/Handouts (Time Certain: 10:30, Val Bagley, Carole Duffis, Vanessa Hernandez)
      1. Advising
        1. All advising services will be remote through February 4th.
        2. Online and in-person services will resume February 7th.
        3. Drop-In advising will start on January 20th; drop-in hours expand starting January 26th.
      2. Spring 2022 CNSM Q&A will be up on the website for easy access to answers to common questions.
        1. Feedback and updates on provided documents to Carole via email.
      3. Signage on SAS Center doors/walls.
        1. Feedback and updates on provided documents to Valerie via email.
    2. How are we getting information to students now?
      1. Currently, students are primarily contacted via email.
      2. May need to use social media as a means of more rapid student communication.
      3. Reminder to take care to make sure our messaging to students is responsible and consistent.
    3. Masks
      1. Cal-OSHA and LB Public Health states that we need well-fitting KN95, N95, or surgical masks.
        1. The University and the Safety Office will provide masks to employees as requested; there may be some delay.
        2. N95 masks require university-approved training.
    4. Staff Availability for the Start of Classes
      1. Based on operational need.
      2. Department Offices
        1. May need someone in offices at the end of next week to help students.
        2. QR codes will be set up.
        3. Office doors can be closed; use signage instructing students to knock for assistance.
    5. Updated Booster and Vaccination Certification
      1. The University has not yet announced how this will look; pending meetings with unions.
        1. No information yet on the student side of booster certification.
      2. Booster certification will likely not begin until the end of January, but faculty and staff who have already gotten a booster can upload that information onto the COVID vaccination site from SSO.  Warning, you will need to delete the old upload file and upload a new file.
    6. Fall 2022 Scheduling
      1. Coordinators should be adding rooms to classes before the Phase II deadline.
      2. Any modifications to our front page of the catalog (text changes) will now be made via DocuSign.
      3. Facilitating Permits and Contact Information Process
        1. Encourage Department Coordinators to be accessible via Teams.
    7. Discussion
      1. Should the surge continue, consider which labs/classes should stay in-person or AMI.
  6. AT Forms
    1. General
      1. We must keep the form that Faculty Affairs created in the past but we can use filters on the form and alter it to simplify.
        1. Duties should be listed out on the form so that all duties can be in one place.
        2. One form per faculty member who receives assigned time and faculty will be required to sign one document per semester.
        3. Departments can set up DocuSign for signatures.
    2. Advising Expectations
      1. Advisors can see what they’re agreeing to on the AT form.
  7. New Business
    1. N/A

Upcoming Dates:

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
May 16-20: University Graduation (College date TBD)

Meeting Minutes were APPROVED on Tuesday, January 18, 2022

*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.