December 10, 2024

FSU Executive Committee Meeting Minutes

December 10, 3:30pm (Zoom)

Executive Committee Members Present: Caroline Coscia (President); Sana Haroon (Vice President); Lynne Benson; Andrew Elder; Monique Fuguet; Karen Grayson; Patricia Krueger-Henney; Jared Poole; Alejandro Reuss; Rania Said;

Others Present: Lorenzo Nencioli (FSU Senior Staff Member)

 

1. Approval of Minutes: Motion to approve the minutes of the November 26 Executive Committee meeting. Motion seconded. Motion passes.
   
    
2. Elections Committee:
   
   1. Need to reconstitute committee for next round of elections.
      
      1. Travis informally indicated a willingness to stay.
      2. Monique and Caroline volunteer.
      3. Lyne will not join committee as she is standing for election in the Spring.
      4. The upcoming election will be announced in the Dec 16^th Nuts & Bolts
   2. Vote will be immediately prior to Spring Break.
3. Spring ExCom Meetings:
   
   1. Caroline provides ExCom members with everyone’s teaching schedules to decide upon a time to meet in the Spring.
   2. Consensus developed among ExCom members to hold meetings on Wednesdays from 4-5:30p.
4. Fall 2024 Antiracism Grants:
   
   1. Discussion of antiracism grant criteria and awards for the 24-25 grant cycle.
   2. Background on the funds
      
      1. The funds were obtained through a recent contract. An FSU priority is to develop a process for optimally using these funds and avoiding appearance of conflicts of interest, etc.
   3. Antiracism committee members describe their process for making decisions including avoidance of conflicts of interest and the importance of nourishing relationships in antiracist work.
      
      1. Additional history: The funds were not first proposed with the intent of being spread around through a competitive grant but rather being given to support people who had undergone a particular antiracism training program to support their future work on racial equality, etc.
   4. Lynne and Andrew volunteered to complete the review for the 2024 cycle.
5. Information Technology policy (Alejandro): Update and discussion
   
   1. During labor-management meeting, this issue was raised and Berger revealed that they are getting legal consultation on the policy. So, administration seems to have backed off somewhat, but at the meeting he continued to defend it.
   2. Members highlight that the issue is problematic on multiple levels
      
      1. The invasion of privacy which has received the most attention
      2. The blurring of work-life boundaries which shows up in a range of other issues we’ve been facing (e.g., the outsourcing of our medical leave)
   3. ExCom members agree upon the need to continue to apply pressure on this issue. Some options that are discussed:
      
      1. Work to rule. Important to think about this very strategically (e.g., how it affects members of different rank, power, etc.) and include impacts on students.
      2. At Faculty Council, it was raised that we could consult MTA legal to see if that helps us develop more effective arguments. Caroline will follow up with Maria to ask whether this has already been done.
      3. Should think about how we can leverage this issue to make progress on other issues. This can be an opportunity to unite members on a range of issues that we care about.
6. Updates:
   
   1.  Reminder: Please do stop by the UDC on Tuesday for our last Coffee, Tea and Cookies event of the semester. Adding pizza too.
   2. Stop the Steal!  Pass the Social Security Fairness Act (Dec 9th Nuts & Bolts)
      
      1. If you know anyone who has worked under both social security (40 credits) and as a government employee, then the person may be impacted and not receive their fully earned social security benefits. Do reach out to them to pass the Social Security Fairness Act.
      2. For the record, I [Caroline] am impacted, and I am aware of about three other NTTs who worked in the private sector for a time before coming to UMB
   3. NTT Promotion Materials Workshop, December 17th 12PM Zoom
      
      1. Past years the NTT reps along with Caroline have led a workshop to provide information on what materials are required. Also includes tips on how to organize the materials.
   4. UDC and Spring re-opening
      
      1. The FSU has pushed hard along with our UDC committee member Lynne to reopen the dining room as a dining room.  Please review the email from Kathleen K. and think about joining.

MEETING ADJOURNS