The University Senate took up the issue of academic continuity during the GTFF strike and passed several changes to the student code of conduct at the senate’s final meeting of the fall term.
Interim President Scott Coltrane, in his university update, told the senate that the Graduate Teaching Fellows walkout is a challenging time for campus.
“I think it is fair to say the GTFF strike is hard on everyone, and no one wanted things to get to this point. Acting Provost Frances Bronet and I, and our whole team, certainly hoped to reach agreement, and we have worked day and night to do so,” said Coltrane. “I believe that our offer provides the flexibility and security to our graduate teaching fellows that they have asked for, and moreover offers non-GTF graduate students, who don’t receive tuition waivers and health benefits, a safety net as well.”
Coltrane expressed hope that an agreement could be reached in negotiations that resume Thursday. He noted that majority of classes are continuing without interruption.
The senate had passed a motion seeking more involvement in academic continuity planning. In response, Coltrane said that Academic Affairs, the Provost's Office, and faculty members who are deans, department heads and program directors worked to create an academic plan to allow students to receive the grades they’ve earned.
“Given the unique circumstances leading up to strike, the academic continuity plan called for extending options to faculty to allow them to conduct and conclude their classes in ways that meet their academic standards. I hope all faculty will help us maintain their academic standards,” said Coltrane.
Professor Michael Dreiling proposed a new motion to convene an emergency joint meeting of the Undergraduate Council, Graduate Council and the Committee on Courses to evaluate the Academic Continuity Plan.
“It is my hope that the senate can be viewed as a body that has capacity to initiate a thoughtful, creative, proactive solution to an academic contingency and still maintain clear academic integrity in the process,” Dreiling said.
The senate debated whether information shared by the administration about entering X grades or other methods of putting off grading until GTFs return from the strike was accurate, and whether financial aid would be impacted if grades were not entered on time.
Administrators said they met with the registrar, financial aid experts and others to create the plan about how best to ensure students experience the least harm by the strike.
“In this room, we are speculating and looking at websites trying to figure this out,” said Lisa Freinkel, vice provost for undergraduate studies. “Not one of us has all the information for all of the pieces, so we have to work through this and give it time.”
The senate passed the motion, but several people acknowledged there may not be time to put it into action during this strike.
The other major issue of the meeting was addressing sexual assault. Coltrane announced he will fund two climate surveys related to sexual misconduct -- the AAU survey and a local survey -- and is seeking expertise from campus to administer the research.
The senate also debated and passed several motions to change the student code of conduct to conform to national standards and best practices.
—Jennifer Winters, Public Affairs Communications