February 10, 2023
FSU Executive Committee Meeting Minutes
February 10, 2023 (Zoom)
Executive Committee Members Present: Caroline Coscia (President); Jeff Melnick (Vice President); Chris Barcelos; Lynne Benson; Dana Commesso; Jessica Holden; Linda Liu; Brian White
Others Present: Lorenzo Nencioli (FSU Senior Staff Member); Katie D’Urso (MTA rep); Natalia Scarpetti (FSU member)
1. Approval of Agenda: Motion to approve the agenda. Motion seconded. Motion passes.
2. Approval of Minutes: Motion to approve draft Executive Committee minutes of the January 31, 2023 meeting. Motion seconded. Motion passes.
3. Elections Committee Update: Caroline volunteers to join Travis on the Elections Committee. Motion to add Caroline to the Elections Committee. Motion seconded. Motion passes. Lorenzo: Nominations are open through the end of the day on Monday.
4. United Web Services: Should we form a FSU tech team? Caroline and Lorenzo met with Doug from UWS.
5. MTA Petition: FSU is low on signatures. Please forward the MTA petition to your departments. Signatures will be delivered to Governor Healey on February 28 at the Higher Ed Advocacy Day at the State House.
6. Healey Library: Jessica will schedule an Archives open house for FSU members for after spring break. Discussion of library temperature issues (fluctuated between 51-89 degrees this week in librarians’ offices).
7. Labor Management: Meetings are held on the first Monday of each month and include Joe Berger, Anita Miller, Marie Bowen, Mickey Gallagher, Caroline Coscia, Jeff Melnick, Lorenzo Nencioli, and Katie D’Urso. Caroline provides updates and overview of topics discussed in Labor Management meetings, including:
a. Academic reorganization. Gerontology is moving from MGS to Nursing. Provost is forming a committee of faculty to continue the discussion between CLA and MGS – committee must finish their work by May 5.
b. Graduate Program Directors: GPDs are on nine-month contracts but often work through the summer. We will bargain on this. DCU bargained about summer work: when chairs’ terms are done, they get an additional two CLRs to use at their discretion.
c. Academic Support Programs: They haven’t had governance documents. We’re reviewing this with them.
d. Senior Lecturer IIs: New courseloads of 3/4 and 4/3. Anita Miller created a form to assist chairs and SLIIs to determine what extra service will be. Form includes fields for dean and provost signatures.
e. Teaching modalities: We have no modalities listed in our contract and will address this in bargaining. Faculty can apply for accommodations to teach remotely if they have health concerns.
f. Ross Center: Sometimes students get accommodations to record classes. What happens to those recordings? Who owns those recordings? Discussion of ethics and consent.
8. Annual Meeting: Tuesday, April 25, 3:30-5:00. We need to send an email to the membership with a reminder about the meeting and a call for new business by March 27. We need to send an agenda to the membership by April 11. At the February 21 Executive Committee meeting we will spend a half hour on the budget. Brian is helping with the budget.
9. Joint Coordinating Committee: The JCC is the governing board of MSP and FSU. The JCC budget includes our portion of the cost for our bookkeeper. We have to pay for a full audit every three years.
10. Core Bargaining Team: The CBT had an initial meeting with Mickey Gallagher this Wednesday (not a bargaining session). Discussion of expanded bargaining and potential strategies. CBT must submit all proposals to the Administration and vice versa on or before March 20 (teams can make counters after that). The first main table bargaining session is scheduled for March 29.
11. Contract Action Team: We have an amazing CAT put together, which includes nine or ten people. The CAT will support the CBT.
12. NTT Hiring: We’ve been fighting on this issue since the 14-17 contract. Discussion of NTT faculty being hired as Associate Lecturers and related concerns regarding salary and retention. Two departments have reached out to FSU with concerns about hiring NTTs.
13. Faculty Council: Caroline is an ex officio member on the Faculty Council. Discussion of the most recent Faculty Council meeting where the Chancellor spoke to faculty about the university’s communications regarding the police murder of UMass Boston student Arif Sayed Faisal.
MEETING ADJOURNS