Meeting Minutes: January 30, 2025

Faculty Senate
January 30, 2025
MINUTES
The Faculty Senate met on Thursday January 30, 2025, in French Admin Graduate Studies Conference room 324F and via Zoom. Sixty-four (64) senators were present, four (4) vacancies with twenty-five (25) absent, and twenty three (23) non-voting members. The meeting was called to order by Tracy Klein, Senate Chair at 3:53 pm.
Guest Presentation (30 minutes): WSU Extensions Update – Vicki McCracken, Associate Dean and Director of Extensions and Michael Gaffney, Director of Extensions – Extension Faculty Senate Presentation

1. Call to Order: 3:53 PM
2. Approval of minutes from January 16, 2025, faculty senate meeting (PDF).
   1. Approved by unanimous consent
3. Additions or changes to the agenda
   1. None
4. Announcements
   1. Provost Riley-Tillman update – Federal Administration Transition Team
      1. Provost Riley-Tillman spoke to Faculty Senate regarding the WSU Federal Administration Transition Team. It became clear that we needed a quick response team that will provide communication. Team members selected with specific responsibilities for areas on campuses. Initial focus will be on to Office of Research and the status of federal funding and grants. Three categories to be reviewed:
         • Entire grant funding stopped
         • Subset of a grant told to be stopped based on certain criteria
         • Grants/funding that will not be impacted
      2. There is unique attention to Native American Affairs/Relations grants being clustered into the DEI arena.
      3. There will be communication forthcoming to provide information on immigration access and processes to handle if they arrive on campus.
      4. Using time zone advantage to monitor what is happening on the east coast for information and communications.
      5. J.S. McEwen – Can you share with us what is going on with frozen grants, grants still in the application phase, or are awaiting funding?
      6. C.R-T. – We do not have a lot of information yet, but the “frozen grants” are grants that use a portal for billing for award funds and the portal that is used for that billing is closed (or frozen).
      7. A. Meridith – I am glad information for students is coming out. How do we be allies for these students? Students are afraid to attend class.
         C.R-T. – We will be sending communications through email to students as well as important networks on campus. Suggest that students do not transition to class alone. A lot will be handled at the unit level
      8. D. Grigar – Do we have campus representatives on the Task Force?
      9. C.R-T. – Yes, there are people on the committee to ensure there is support on the other campuses as well as Pullman.
      10. Will probably look at flexibility to take classes online, but we will have to explore that further and do not want to do anything that would put the university in a position to be a target in ANY space. Somethings may have to be handled at the institution level, and some may be handled at the campus level.
   2. Legislative affairs – It has been a busy few first weeks. It will be a very challenging fiscal period, but faculty compensation remains the #1 priority.
   3. Reports
      1. Remarks by Faculty Senate Chair –
         • Main focus has been completing and getting the MOU signed.
         • Fielding many emails regarding the political climate.
         • Campus visits – we will work to schedule Vancouver and Spokane campus visits this spring with a visit in Pullman later in the year.
         • Budget Hearing participation – There is a desire to have a level of consistency in the process (to include next year’s participants as Chair and Past Chair) so it has been determined that Ken Roberts and I will attend the Budget hearings as Faculty Senate representatives.
           1. Remarks by Faculty Senate Executive Team
              • E. Shelden, Immediate Past Chair – Nothing to report
                
              • K. Roberts, Chair Elect
                1. Committee openings and updates (COC) – Committee chairs will receive an email with the committee members who will be terming off their committee and will identify if they are eligible to run another term. Please consult with your committee members to either be appointed for another term or make recommendations for replacement should they not be available for another term.
                2. Both new committee work groups have been diligently working on committee charge and membership makeup.
              • M. Hudelson, Executive Secretary
                1. Upcoming Faculty Senate Executive elections – Reminder that the Chair Elect applications are due by 5:00 pm on Tuesday February 4, 2025.
5. Information Items
   1. (Item #2025.01.30_485_GSC) Reactivation of Masters of Nursing Degree (Exhibit 485A) – G. Crouch
   2. (Item #2025.01.16_475_Steering) Proposed MOU specifying conditions to mitigate issues ensuring students are in compliance with Academic Rule 60 (Exhibit 475A) – T. Klein
6. Agenda Items
   1. Action Items
      1. (Item #2024.12.12_466_Steering) Proposal to create a Master of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies degree (Exhibits 466A, 466B, 466C, 466D, 466E)
         • Motion passed; 58 Approve, 0 Reject
      2. (Item #2024.12.12_467_PHSC) Proposal to revise College of Medicine Future Academic Calendar dates 2024-2028 (Exhibits 467A, 467B, 467C)
         • Motion passed; 60 Approve, 0 Reject
      3. (Item #2024.12.20_471_CRP) Undergraduate and Professional Major Change Bulletin No. 5, Courses (Exhibit 471A)
         • Motion passed; 58 Approve, 0 Reject
      4. (Item #2024.12.20_472_CRP) UCORE Renewals and Changes approved by the UCORE Committee Bulletin No. 3 (Exhibit 472A)
         • Motion passed; 57 Approve, 0 Reject
      5. (Item #2025.01.16_474_Steering) Proposal for new EPPM 31 Policy – Determination of Student Location (Exhibit 474A)
         • Motion passed; 58 Approve, 1 Reject
      6. (Item #2025.01.16_478_CoC) Recommended approval of the faculty senate committee appointments for vacancy on the Graduate Studies Committee (GSC) and the Library Committee (Exhibit 478A)
         • Motion passed; 57 Approve, 0 Reject
      7. (Item #2025.01.16_479_GSC) Recommended approval of a policy for a new 4+1 policy request Certificate (Exhibits 479A, 479B)
         • Motion passed; 58 Approve, 0 Reject
      8. (Item #2025.01.16_482_AAC) Undergraduate and Professional Major Change Bulletin No. 5, Requirements (Exhibit 482A)
         • Motion passed; 60 Approve, 0 Reject
   2. Discussion Items
      1. (Item #2025.01.30_483_GSC) Recommended Approval of Two New Plans under the Master of Nursing Degree: Nurse Educator and Systems Leadership (Exhibits 483A, 483B, 483C)
         • No discussion, move to Senate agenda action item
      2. (Item #2025.01.30_486_CRP) Graduate Major Change Bulletin No. 6, Courses (Exhibit 486A)
         • No discussion, move to Senate agenda action item
      3. (Item #2025.01.30_487_CRP) Undergraduate and Professional Major Change Bulletin No. 6, Courses (Exhibit 487A)
         • No discussion, move to Senate agenda action item
      4. (Item #2025.01.16_484_Steering) Proposed revisions to EPPM Section 22 – New and Revised Courses and Requirements (Exhibits 484A, 484B)
         • M. Hudelson – This revision provides information on how to navigate the course revision process.
         • J. Miller – not changing the process, just giving contextual information on how the process is navigated.
         • Move to Senate agenda action item
7. Constituent Concerns:
   1. J.S. McEwan – Constituents concerned about parking permit increase in Pullman. Increase is not proportioned to salary increases.
      
   2. J. Miller – Parking very expensive in Spokane as well.
   3. A. Dimitrov – Constituent in Vancouver is worried about possible upcoming parking fee increases in Vancouver. Wants to make sure the increase in fees is not disproportionate to the cost-of-living raise. A. Dimitrov will draft a memo to bring to Senate.
   4. A. Dimitrov – Constituent indicated they want to institute more merit-based pay and less across the board adjustments. Recommended that the provost follows recommendations provided by the Senate Compensation committee when the committee is established and begins work.
   5. L. Fournier – IRB reviews are taking too long, and delays make faculty miss deadlines and is slowing the process. Issues more with amendments and/or where revisions are requested. Proposed having someone from IRB to come to Senate to explain the process.
   6. J. Roll – IRB implementing an electronic submission process and this should speed things up a bit.
   7. A. Ahmed – Submission for exempt application submission is open.
8. Adjournment: 4:40 PM