Minutes
Steering Committee Meeting
January 5, 2021 3:30 p.m.
Zoom Meeting

Present: Don Mulvaney (Chair), Greg Schmidt (Secretary), Nedret Billor (Immediate Past Chair), Todd Steury (Chair elect), Ralph Kingston (Secretary elect) Bob Norton, Bob Cochran, Emmett Winn, Michael Tillson
Absent: Cheryl Seals

Chair Mulvaney called the meeting to order at 3:30 p.m.

Approval of Steering Committee Minutes, 11/3/2020: Approved by voice vote; 10 Aye, 0 Nay

Information Item: Report on the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) Survey
Presenter, A.J. Good, AU Data Integration Specialist, Office of Institutional Research

Good presented the most recent COACHE Survey for Auburn University. The presentation included comparison of results over time, against peer institutions, and against the national cohort. Good identified areas for improvement and discussed next steps for addressing survey results. Steering members inquired on participation rates, peer selection, and COACHE result trends.
Approved for presentation to Senate meeting by unanimous consent.

Information Item: Resources Available for COVID Fatigue
Presenters, Patrick Johnston, Manager, HR Administration and Ann Shore. Executive Director, Payroll and Employee Benefits.
Johnston and Shore presented on the wellness resources available to Auburn Faculty and Staff who are coping with the stress of the COVID era. Shore discussed AU’s Employee Assistance Program and changes made to programs since the start of COVID protocols. Changes include an increase in the number of allowed EAP calls for full-time employees, the creation of a resource web page and the availability of therapy sessions to faculty and staff. Shore closed by asking steering committee members for suggestions.  Discussion centered around exploring new services and garnering greater participation.
Approved for presentation to Senate Meeting by Unanimous consent.

Pending Action Item:  Faculty Handbook Committee - Language Clarifications to Chapter 3 of the Faculty Handbook.
Dr. Kamden Strunk, Chair of the Faculty handbook Revision Committee deferred consideration at the November meeting of the Senate some of the recommendations the committee had made to language in Chapter 3 of the Faculty Handbook.  He has indicated that needed revisions have been made.
Approved for presentation to Senate Meeting by Unanimous consent

Steering Discussion on Senate Agenda
The Steering Committee began general discussions with the topic of invited remarks. Invitations for remarks will be extended to President Gogue, Provost Hardgrave, Medical Director Fred Kam, and Executive VP Ron Burgess.  The Did You Know Corner potential presenter has not yet been selected.

Steering General Discussion on COVID Safety Issues at AU
Steering members discussed classroom capacity safety issues exposed by the Facilities report (particularly acute in large, fixed-seat classrooms), the plan to add hall monitors to classroom buildings, the need for clear signage,  compliance with mask-wearing mandates across campus, quarantining protocols, contact tracing, and the need for AU leadership to take a clear vocal lead in reinforcing COVID safety awareness on campus for Spring 2021.

Steering Discussion on the Agenda for the Called Faculty Special Session Scheduled for 1/12/2021
Action Item – Motion of No Confidence in Provost Bill Hardgrave
Steering members discussed the potential agenda as it sprang from the November Special Meeting. While a motion of no-confidence was moved against the Chair, it was not included in the petitions that called for the current Special Meeting under discussion. Therefore, that motion will wait until the Spring General Meeting.
Approved as the sole action item for the Special Meeting by unanimous consent

Steering Discussion on Voting Process
Chair Mulvaney recommended the use of the Campus Web Solutions voting interface for the action item. He argued that authentication will allow for a secure anonymous ballot available only to those eligible to vote. Steering considered this and noted that an amendment to the motion may be required to both establish CWS as the voting method and to set a time period for the voting to be open. Discussions centered around the requirements set forth in Robert’s Rules of Order for amending motions and for voting.  The Steering Committee determined to be as prepared as possible for unexpected motions from the floor but to prepare a motion to amend that would allow for an extended voting period of 48 hours through the CWS system.

New Business - Proposal from Susan Youngblood to review Faculty Harassment document prepared by faculty in the College of Liberal Arts
Dr. Youngblood requested that Steering consider the document for inclusion on a 2021 Senate agenda. The Steering Committee decided to first run the proposed internal policy past the University legal department for input before making any decisions.

Adjournment
Following Steering Committee approval of the senate meeting agenda and the special meeting agenda, a motion was made to adjourn the meeting. The motion was seconded and approved. Chair Mulvaney adjourned the meeting at 5:14 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted,
Greg Schmidt
Secretary, University Senate