Meeting Minutes
ACADEMIC SENATE
November 6, 2017
Call to Order
The regular meeting of the Academic Senate, held on November 6, 2017, was called to order at
3:02 pm by Senate President Margaret Clayton. The meeting was held in the Moot Courtroom of
the College of Law.
Present: Robert Allen, Elena Asparouhova, Nitin Bakshi, Shmuel Baruch, Brian
Cadman, Annie Fukushima, Alberta Comer, James Winkler, John Funk,
Chuck Dorval, Sudeep Kanungo, Hanseup Kim, Ken Monson, John
Regehr, James Sutherland, Denny Berry, Laurel Caryn, Michael Chikinda,
Melonie Murray, Bo Foreman, Stacy Manwaring, Jim Martin, Susan
Naidu, Nelson Roy, Alex Terrill, Katharine Coles, Gema Guevara, Patricia
Hanna, Anne Lair, Lex Newman, Randy Dryer, Tom Lund, John Bramble,
Luke Leither, Brandon Patterson, Julie Barkmeier–Kraemer, Nadia Cobb,
Julio Facelli, Ken Johnson, Antoinette Laskey, Nicole L. Mihalopoulos,
Amnon Schlegel, Debra Simmons, Thomas Winter, Ravi Chandran, Diego
Fernandez, Lauren Clark, Susanna Cohen, Donald Blumenthal, Ann
Engar, Sarah Bush, Tommaso de Fernex, Yekaterina Epshteyn, Richard
Ernst, David Goldenberg, Dragan Milicic, Dmytro Pesin, Pearl Sandick,
Adrienne Cachelin, Sheila Crowell, Sharon Mastracci, Jason Castillo,
Mary Beth Vogel–Ferguson, Joanne Yaffe, Micah Smith, Chandler Dean,
Valerie Guerrero, Chase Peterson, Jacob Lopez, Elizabeth Pohl, Carley
Herrick, Trevor Annis, Nathan Ong, Ailien Luu, Michael Stapley,
Summer Mikkelsen, Kaitlin McLean, Abigail Stover, India Kozlowski,
Zach Berger, Ananya Roy
Absent: Sarah Hinners, Brenda Scheer, Shundana Yusaf, Jeff Nielsen, Todd
Zenger, Darryl Butt, Mark Durham, Leticia Alvarez, Rajeev
Balasubramonian, Frank Sachse, Winston Kyan, Ning Lu, Eric
Hinderaker, Sean Lawson, Maureen Mathison, Pinar Bayrak–Toydemir,
Kalani Raphael, Brad Rockwell, Shaji Menon, Andrea Bild, Linda Tyler,
Joel Brownstein, Kim Korinek, Baodong Liu, Duncan Metcalfe, Zhou Yu,
Melanie Barber, Emina Tatarevic
Ex Officio: David Pershing, Mardie Clayton, Tom Richmond, Xan Johnson, Paul
Mogren, Bob Flores, Amy Wildermuth, Bob Fujinami
Excused with proxy: Terry Kogan, Per Gesteland, Jessica Wempen, Sara Simonsen, Jon Seger,
Jennifer Shumaker–Parry, Gunseli Berik, Korkut Erturk, Kathleen Nicoll
Excused: Jim Anderson, Olga Baker, Lauren Liang, Lorris Betz, Ruth Watkins, Mia
Hashibe
Others: Linda Smith, Chris Miller, Pratt Rogers, Lisa Taylor–Swanson, David
Carrier, Valeria Molinero, Tom Maloney, Richard Fowles, George
Hepner, Emily Beard
Approval of Minutes:
The minutes dated October 2, 2017 were approved with a motion from Joanne Yaffe and a
second from Patricia Hanna.
Consent Calendar:
The current list of appointments and resignations dated November 6, 2017 was approved with a motion
by Joanne Yaffe and second by Patricia Hanna. Motion passed unanimously.
Executive Committee Report
Tom Richmond gave an update on the activities of the Executive Committee. The only item that
the EC reviewed that the Senate will not see today is a proposed name change for the
Department of Biology. Due to scheduling conflicts, representatives will present this proposal at
the following Senate meeting.
Request for New Business
College of Mines and Earth Sciences senator Ravi Chandran will bring forward a resolution of
condolence in honor of the late Dean Frank Brown.
Report from Administration:
President David Pershing gave an update on the activities of the U administration. He first spoke
of the tragic loss of ChenWei Guo, the student who was tragically killed in a carjacking last
week. He said this was a senseless murder, and the university community is grieving deeply. He
also noted that the groundbreaking for the new rehabilitation hospital was last week. This
building has been made possible by a $50 million donation from the Craig H. Nielson
Foundation in California, and will be a 75–bed hospital. This week, President Pershing will be
joined by Senior Vice President Ruth Watkins in a meeting with the Building Board to advocate
for a new, 1,000–bed residential freshman living center, to be located where the soccer field is
currently. Finally, he is working on the legislative session request, and is cautiously optimistic
for a good session.
Report from ASUU
Zach Berger gave an update on the recent activities of ASUU. He asked faculty to encourage
students to run for executive or legislative office in ASUU. The deadline to file is November 17
for executive branch positions, and December 15 for legislative branch positions. He noted that
ASUU participation has historically lacked diversity, and ASUU is looking for greater faculty
encouragement of students to increase the diversity of students serving in ASUU. He also noted
that there is an event this week, called Elect Her, held in partnership with the Hinckley Institute
for Politics. It is a workshop and training session to prepare women to run for student body and
community elected positions.
Carrier, Valeria Molinero, Tom Maloney, Richard Fowles, George
Hepner, Emily Beard
Approval of Minutes:
The minutes dated October 2, 2017 were approved with a motion from Joanne Yaffe and a
second from Patricia Hanna.
Consent Calendar:
The current list of appointments and resignations dated November 6, 2017 was approved with a motion
by Joanne Yaffe and second by Patricia Hanna. Motion passed unanimously.
Executive Committee Report
Tom Richmond gave an update on the activities of the Executive Committee. The only item that
the EC reviewed that the Senate will not see today is a proposed name change for the
Department of Biology. Due to scheduling conflicts, representatives will present this proposal at
the following Senate meeting.
Request for New Business
College of Mines and Earth Sciences senator Ravi Chandran will bring forward a resolution of
condolence in honor of the late Dean Frank Brown.
Report from Administration:
President David Pershing gave an update on the activities of the U administration. He first spoke
of the tragic loss of ChenWei Guo, the student who was tragically killed in a carjacking last
week. He said this was a senseless murder, and the university community is grieving deeply. He
also noted that the groundbreaking for the new rehabilitation hospital was last week. This
building has been made possible by a $50 million donation from the Craig H. Nielson
Foundation in California, and will be a 75–bed hospital. This week, President Pershing will be
joined by Senior Vice President Ruth Watkins in a meeting with the Building Board to advocate
for a new, 1,000–bed residential freshman living center, to be located where the soccer field is
currently. Finally, he is working on the legislative session request, and is cautiously optimistic
for a good session.
Report from ASUU
Zach Berger gave an update on the recent activities of ASUU. He asked faculty to encourage
students to run for executive or legislative office in ASUU. The deadline to file is November 17
for executive branch positions, and December 15 for legislative branch positions. He noted that
ASUU participation has historically lacked diversity, and ASUU is looking for greater faculty
encouragement of students to increase the diversity of students serving in ASUU. He also noted
that there is an event this week, called Elect Her, held in partnership with the Hinckley Institute
for Politics. It is a workshop and training session to prepare women to run for student body and
community elected positions.
Notice of Intent
No items of intent
Debate Calendar
George Hepner presented a proposal for a new BS in Geographic Information Science. The
department has had various emphases and certificates in GIS for several years, and is the campus
home to several course sequences and faculty expertise in this area. An external review
conducted last year asked why the department did not offer a Bachelor’s degree in this area. The
department has engaged with employers and the university community to shape the proposal.
Motion was made by Joanne Yaffe to approve the proposal and forward to the Board of Trustees.
Motion seconded by Julio Facelli. Motion passed unanimously.
Jason Castillo presented a proposal for a new graduate certificate in Leadership, Justice, and
Community Practice in the College of Social Work. Many students have inquired about the
opportunity to learn more leadership and management skills to complement their counseling
training. This knowledge and skill set is important, which was partially determined by looking at
retirees in the field and the types of positions they held throughout their careers. The certificate
program will partner with the U’s Master of Public Administration and Public Policy programs,
as well as the Family & Consumer Studies department. It will be a 15–credit–hour certificate,
with three required courses and several electives. Motion was made by Joanne Yaffe to approve
the proposal and forward to the Board of Trustees. Motion seconded by Katharine Coles. Motion
passed unanimously.
Sarah Projansky presented a proposal for a new minor in Digital Photography in the College of
Fine Arts. The program is designed to serve students in the Department of Art & Art History, as
well as students across campus. It is one of the areas in which interest is most expressed by
students. The program will comprise courses already offered, with the exception of one new
course. Motion was made by Randy Dryer to approve the proposal and forward to the Board of
Trustees. Motion seconded by Joanne Yaffe. Motion passed unanimously.
Information and Recommendations Calendar
The following items were presented for the information and recommendations of the Academic
Senate:
Tom Richmond presented the proposal for the new undergraduate emphasis in
atmospheric and environmental chemistry for the BA/BS in Chemistry. It comprises 15
credit hours, and is the result of significant student interest in this area. It provides
another way for students to complete the chemistry major. The proposal takes advantage
of resources outside of the department, and has the full support from the departments that
will take on some extra students in some courses.
Kate Charipar gave a report on the activities of the Athletics Compliance Office, which is
charged with ensuring compliance with all NCAA and Pac–12 rules. The U is in a very
normal range in terms of violations, waivers, and investigations. She noted that the
number of violations appears to have spiked in the 2016–2017 year, but that is because
No items of intent
Debate Calendar
George Hepner presented a proposal for a new BS in Geographic Information Science. The
department has had various emphases and certificates in GIS for several years, and is the campus
home to several course sequences and faculty expertise in this area. An external review
conducted last year asked why the department did not offer a Bachelor’s degree in this area. The
department has engaged with employers and the university community to shape the proposal.
Motion was made by Joanne Yaffe to approve the proposal and forward to the Board of Trustees.
Motion seconded by Julio Facelli. Motion passed unanimously.
Jason Castillo presented a proposal for a new graduate certificate in Leadership, Justice, and
Community Practice in the College of Social Work. Many students have inquired about the
opportunity to learn more leadership and management skills to complement their counseling
training. This knowledge and skill set is important, which was partially determined by looking at
retirees in the field and the types of positions they held throughout their careers. The certificate
program will partner with the U’s Master of Public Administration and Public Policy programs,
as well as the Family & Consumer Studies department. It will be a 15–credit–hour certificate,
with three required courses and several electives. Motion was made by Joanne Yaffe to approve
the proposal and forward to the Board of Trustees. Motion seconded by Katharine Coles. Motion
passed unanimously.
Sarah Projansky presented a proposal for a new minor in Digital Photography in the College of
Fine Arts. The program is designed to serve students in the Department of Art & Art History, as
well as students across campus. It is one of the areas in which interest is most expressed by
students. The program will comprise courses already offered, with the exception of one new
course. Motion was made by Randy Dryer to approve the proposal and forward to the Board of
Trustees. Motion seconded by Joanne Yaffe. Motion passed unanimously.
Information and Recommendations Calendar
The following items were presented for the information and recommendations of the Academic
Senate:
Tom Richmond presented the proposal for the new undergraduate emphasis in
atmospheric and environmental chemistry for the BA/BS in Chemistry. It comprises 15
credit hours, and is the result of significant student interest in this area. It provides
another way for students to complete the chemistry major. The proposal takes advantage
of resources outside of the department, and has the full support from the departments that
will take on some extra students in some courses.
Kate Charipar gave a report on the activities of the Athletics Compliance Office, which is
charged with ensuring compliance with all NCAA and Pac–12 rules. The U is in a very
normal range in terms of violations, waivers, and investigations. She noted that the
number of violations appears to have spiked in the 2016–2017 year, but that is because
there were five violations at the end of the 2015–2016 year that were not resolved until
the following academic year. The office is also undertaking educational efforts to show
proactive efforts in compliance. The office held 115 rules education sessions last year,
which was a significant increase from the prior year. This is partially a result of the
NCAA academic misconduct rule change last year. As a result of the office’s academic
focus last year, it has made improvements to its academic unit, including developing a
new policies and procedures manual, training manuals for staff and tutors, and
implementing restrictions on student–athletes completing online quizzes and tests in any
athletics facility, including the academic athletics facility. Kate also addressed recent
media coverage on scandals in collegiate men’s basketball nationally; the U is not part of
that investigation, and nobody from the U has been named, but the NCAA is asking all
D1 schools to conduct men’s basketball reviews on their campuses. As such, the U is
reviewing amateurism of all student–athletes, interviewing all men’s basketball staff and
coaches, and conducting phone and email review of all staff members. The office wants
to ensure that there are no issues in which student–athletes have received inducements or
extra benefits, and that coaches have not been involved in bribery or other illegal
activities. Kate answered questions about waivers, in which there are extenuating
circumstances that would make it difficult to comply with certain rules, and in which the
U requests relief from NCAA. These are often submitted on behalf of students.
Amy Wildermuth gave an update on the activities of the Office for Sustainability. The U
belongs to an organization called AASHE, which has a rating system called STARS,
which gives ratings to schools based on their participation in various sustainability–
related activities. The U has a high silver rating, and is working toward a gold rating. All
Pac–12 peer institutions have gold ratings. The two areas in which the U can improve
most are academics and operations. As such, the Office of Sustainability needs help
identifying places where there is a sustainability focus that is not being captured for
reporting. Two ways in which this can occur are through course attributes and
departmental/learning outcomes. Amy also said that faculty should be sure to check the
box for sustainability–related research on their Faculty Activity Reports if they do
research in this area. Amy also discussed sustainability projects on campus. Greenhouse
gas emissions have been increasing on campus, due to increases in the size of the
University (increased building area, increased numbers of students and faculty, and more
research activities). The U’s goal is to be carbon neutral by 2050. To achieve this, the
sustainability office has been looking at different energy models. There are substantial
geothermal resources in Utah, and much research interest in geothermal energy at the U.
As such, the U has put together a project for 20 megawatts of offsite geothermal energy
complemented by 10 megawatts of solar energy. This will produce 50 percent of the U’s
electricity, which represents a 25 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions at the U.
If approved, the project will be the largest long–term renewable power purchase for a
university in the US, and the U would be the first entity in the state to go under a green
tariff. Other projects include a PV canopy above the Merrill Engineering parking lot,
which would produce two to three megawatts of solar power. At most, these changes
the following academic year. The office is also undertaking educational efforts to show
proactive efforts in compliance. The office held 115 rules education sessions last year,
which was a significant increase from the prior year. This is partially a result of the
NCAA academic misconduct rule change last year. As a result of the office’s academic
focus last year, it has made improvements to its academic unit, including developing a
new policies and procedures manual, training manuals for staff and tutors, and
implementing restrictions on student–athletes completing online quizzes and tests in any
athletics facility, including the academic athletics facility. Kate also addressed recent
media coverage on scandals in collegiate men’s basketball nationally; the U is not part of
that investigation, and nobody from the U has been named, but the NCAA is asking all
D1 schools to conduct men’s basketball reviews on their campuses. As such, the U is
reviewing amateurism of all student–athletes, interviewing all men’s basketball staff and
coaches, and conducting phone and email review of all staff members. The office wants
to ensure that there are no issues in which student–athletes have received inducements or
extra benefits, and that coaches have not been involved in bribery or other illegal
activities. Kate answered questions about waivers, in which there are extenuating
circumstances that would make it difficult to comply with certain rules, and in which the
U requests relief from NCAA. These are often submitted on behalf of students.
Amy Wildermuth gave an update on the activities of the Office for Sustainability. The U
belongs to an organization called AASHE, which has a rating system called STARS,
which gives ratings to schools based on their participation in various sustainability–
related activities. The U has a high silver rating, and is working toward a gold rating. All
Pac–12 peer institutions have gold ratings. The two areas in which the U can improve
most are academics and operations. As such, the Office of Sustainability needs help
identifying places where there is a sustainability focus that is not being captured for
reporting. Two ways in which this can occur are through course attributes and
departmental/learning outcomes. Amy also said that faculty should be sure to check the
box for sustainability–related research on their Faculty Activity Reports if they do
research in this area. Amy also discussed sustainability projects on campus. Greenhouse
gas emissions have been increasing on campus, due to increases in the size of the
University (increased building area, increased numbers of students and faculty, and more
research activities). The U’s goal is to be carbon neutral by 2050. To achieve this, the
sustainability office has been looking at different energy models. There are substantial
geothermal resources in Utah, and much research interest in geothermal energy at the U.
As such, the U has put together a project for 20 megawatts of offsite geothermal energy
complemented by 10 megawatts of solar energy. This will produce 50 percent of the U’s
electricity, which represents a 25 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions at the U.
If approved, the project will be the largest long–term renewable power purchase for a
university in the US, and the U would be the first entity in the state to go under a green
tariff. Other projects include a PV canopy above the Merrill Engineering parking lot,
which would produce two to three megawatts of solar power. At most, these changes
would result in a 5 percent increase in electricity budget, based on very conservative
proposals, but could easily be break–even or be a reduction in the U’s power bill.
Mardie Clayton gave an update on the progress of the Senate ad hoc committee on
centers, institutes, and bureaus (CIB2). The Executive Committee convened a task force
to clarify the charge, and at the next EC meeting, the EC will finalize this charge and
populate the committee.
August/September President’s Report
New Business
Ravi Chandran, Jessica Wempen, and Diego Fernandez, senators from the College of Mines and
Earth Sciences, put forth a resolution to honor emeritus dean and professor Francis Brown, who
recently passed away. Dr. Brown was an exemplary researcher, teacher, and administrator; he
served as dean of the College of Mines and Earth Sciences, for 25 years. Motion from Ravi,
second from Joanne Yaffe, adopted unanimously. A copy of the resolution is attached to these
minutes.
Open Discussion
This was the second occurrence of a new feature of Senate meetings, reserving time on the
agenda with an ‘open–mic’ for addressing any topic of interest to members (begun at the October
2017 meeting). The following remarks were made during the Open Discussion portion of the
meeting.
Nadia Cobb, Medicine– Nadia brought up the policy on gun possession on campus (a
policy dictated directly by Utah statutory law), including the fact that weapons may be
carried at all on campus, and asked that this be revisited in light of the recent shooting on
the U’s campus. She also referred to deficits in security in buildings off main campus,
such as building that houses the department of Family and Preventive Medicine.
James Sutherland, Engineering– James addressed student mental health challenges, noting
that there was a student suicide a few years ago, and another graduate student suicide in
the past few weeks. He works with many graduate students and wants to draw attention to
the intense pressure that many students, particularly graduate students, face. He proposed
improving awareness of existing resources and exploring creating new resources to help
students relieve pressure prior to reaching a crisis level. He believes we can do better to
serve our students.
Sheila Crowell, Psychology– Sheila noted that the U has excellent crisis resources, and
suggested working together to compile a list to be distributed to different departments
that would include the crisis number, mobile crisis outreach team, receiving center, Dean
of Students, Counseling Center, and other resources.
Adjournment
Meeting adjourned at 3:55 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Maddy Oritt
proposals, but could easily be break–even or be a reduction in the U’s power bill.
Mardie Clayton gave an update on the progress of the Senate ad hoc committee on
centers, institutes, and bureaus (CIB2). The Executive Committee convened a task force
to clarify the charge, and at the next EC meeting, the EC will finalize this charge and
populate the committee.
August/September President’s Report
New Business
Ravi Chandran, Jessica Wempen, and Diego Fernandez, senators from the College of Mines and
Earth Sciences, put forth a resolution to honor emeritus dean and professor Francis Brown, who
recently passed away. Dr. Brown was an exemplary researcher, teacher, and administrator; he
served as dean of the College of Mines and Earth Sciences, for 25 years. Motion from Ravi,
second from Joanne Yaffe, adopted unanimously. A copy of the resolution is attached to these
minutes.
Open Discussion
This was the second occurrence of a new feature of Senate meetings, reserving time on the
agenda with an ‘open–mic’ for addressing any topic of interest to members (begun at the October
2017 meeting). The following remarks were made during the Open Discussion portion of the
meeting.
Nadia Cobb, Medicine– Nadia brought up the policy on gun possession on campus (a
policy dictated directly by Utah statutory law), including the fact that weapons may be
carried at all on campus, and asked that this be revisited in light of the recent shooting on
the U’s campus. She also referred to deficits in security in buildings off main campus,
such as building that houses the department of Family and Preventive Medicine.
James Sutherland, Engineering– James addressed student mental health challenges, noting
that there was a student suicide a few years ago, and another graduate student suicide in
the past few weeks. He works with many graduate students and wants to draw attention to
the intense pressure that many students, particularly graduate students, face. He proposed
improving awareness of existing resources and exploring creating new resources to help
students relieve pressure prior to reaching a crisis level. He believes we can do better to
serve our students.
Sheila Crowell, Psychology– Sheila noted that the U has excellent crisis resources, and
suggested working together to compile a list to be distributed to different departments
that would include the crisis number, mobile crisis outreach team, receiving center, Dean
of Students, Counseling Center, and other resources.
Adjournment
Meeting adjourned at 3:55 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Maddy Oritt