The UFS Plenary was held December 7th:
EVC Sapienza gave an overview of CUNY's budget request for next fiscal year and took questions. Among the questions were:
Are improved bathrooms in the request? AND: Yes, in the capital request are many pages of details
Has SUNY finished its request, are they similar? ANS: SUNY was not know to have approved a request
Can we discuss the Fund Allocation Model? ANS: CHancellor convened; comprised of some presidents and VPs of Finance; will include faculty consultation after decisions made; before anything is brought to the board.
The request called for 1075 new lines, what is the actual needed number? There are 500 lecuturer lines, will they be distinguished lecture lines or regular or conversion? ANS: up to campuses
Omicron – monitoring the sitution
Faculty vaccination – no change in policy (despite recent city mandate for some employees)
Search committee has completed their work for EVC of advancement
University Provost search has finalists
Enrollment: the UFS is not receiving details on enrollment
Modality: Resolutions from subcommittees are being drafted
(Attached) Passed unanimously. Many questions about the lecturer lines (500 are planned).
Two SUNY Faculty Governance leaders spoke on conditions at SUNY. There were many similarities (enrollment at CCs also down continuing a long trend – 6% down this year, 30% down over time; university centers have uptick in enrollment;
Lot of high level searches were ongoing.
A report on the University Chancellor's precarious position (he resigned recently) due to inappropriate text messages.
The Faculty Governance Leaders met December 10.
A discussion about the infamous Lemon's memo of early September laying out a requirement for 70% of classes to be held in person ensued. Several campuses relayed their feelings:
the CCs by and large noticed that online classes were filling; in-person classes not filling (QCC, BMCC, BCC). There were serious concerns expressed about enrollment. (Last year CC enrollment dropped 14%! This Fall was another severe drop.)
QCC representatives called this a dramatic process violation (a mandate on modality) reminding everyone of the historical understanding that these decisions are the prerogative of the department chairs. The QCC representative is also involved with a resolution moving through UFS subcommittees (Academic Affairs and Academic Freedom)
York interpreted the 70% as based on past practice, so has some 50% in person.
LGCC met mandate with much grumbling.
Lehman had reservations about the process and implementation (they still have many closed buildings)
Hunter's Faculty Senate has passed a document on modes of instruction and the Hunter representative spoke highly of the practice at UC Berkeley.
The Journalism Schools will be almost exclusively in-person
The UFS FGLs will vote on a resolution at its first meeting in the spring. The temporary authorities granted the Chancellory by governor Cuomo has long since passed and the universal sentiment is that a return to the regular order is due.
A resolution in support of the CUNY and SUNY budget requests was discussed. It had already passed the UFS. Some plans to have faculty lobby were made.
Ned Benton, UFS Budget Advisory Committee Chair, discussed a Fund Allocation Model working group to review the allocation model for the campuses. This group has no faculty representation. It was suggested that such representation be sought. (The CUNY Budget model is primarily a roll-over budget; this group may significantly shake this up.)
Some campuses expressed concern that newly announced uniform grading policies were in conflict with their governance approved grading policies.