Recap of University Senate’s Feb. 18 meeting

Purdue University plans to extend its tuition freeze for the eighth consecutive year, President Mitch Daniels announced at the University’s Senate meeting on Monday (Feb. 18).

Daniels also announced a one-time, $500 appreciation payment to all West Lafayette campus staff who make $75,000 or less. A 2.5 percent merit raise pool is also planned for faculty and staff, to take effect July 1 with the new fiscal year. A full news release can be found here.

Also at the meeting:

Civics education. Senate Chair Natalie Carroll reminded senators that the Senate has been tasked to help find solutions that will help strengthen civics education and understanding among Purdue undergraduates. Carroll asked the group to continue providing and asking for feedback, especially through the open survey that was created last week.

SuccessFactors. During the open question portion of the meeting, several senators asked if some of the issues within SuccessFactors, the new SAP system that allows employees to view pay statements, adjust tax information, edit bank details, request time off, etc., had been resolved, such as not accounting for back pay or overpaying certain employees. Kathy Thomason from the Comptroller’s Office said although many of the issues have been resolved, there are still minor issues to be worked out within the system. Her office, along with HR, IT, and Business Offices are working to have them resolved soon.

Purdue OWL. Also during the open question portion, senators asked for clarification regarding the new partnership between the Purdue Online Writing Lab and Chegg Inc. Harry Denny, director of the writing lab, explained the partnership. Several faculty members expressed concern, saying they were afraid Chegg was being used to copy homework or questions from exams. Denny said the company had committed to help faculty enforce violations of their policies and that the partnership would help bring in revenue, help students improve writing through the development of artificial intelligence technologies, and continue to promote licensed content from the lab.

Vice chair candidates.  The University Senate Nominating Committee proposed two candidates to serve as vice chair for academic 2019-20. Those candidates are Deborah Nichols, associate professor of human development and family studies, and David Sanders, associate professor of biological sciences.

Purdue University Global. Stephen Beaudoin and Nichols, co-chairs of the Purdue Global Select Committee, clarified several of Purdue University Global’s admissions policies. Beaudoin and Nichols explained that contrary to their prior understanding, it is possible for prospective Purdue Global students to enroll in single courses as non-degree seeking students.  The option is extremely rare with just five students having done so, and none from Purdue. 

Beaudoin and Nichols said the only way a Purdue Global credit can be transferred to West Lafayette or a regional campus is for instructors at the receiving campuses to approve the course as equivalent.

Jury duty policy. An item on the agenda regarding a jury duty absence policy was removed and a vote was delayed until the Senate’s next meeting after it was acknowledged that the Educational Policy Committee wanted to finish collecting input before a vote could take place.

Student parenting leave. The Senate voted to support the Purdue Student Government parenting leave policy for students, where students can petition for a leave of absence through the Title IX coordinator in the Office of Institutional Equity. Students who have become a legal guardian or are pregnant, or are caring for a newborn or for a foster child can petition for the absence.

Black Cultural Center.  Renee Thomas, director of the Black Cultural Center, provided an update about the center and its plans for the rest of the year. The center is celebrating 50 years this year, using the theme “Unlocking Excellence.” Thomas said that as part of the celebration, several exhibitions and events are in the works, such as a trip to New York for a research tour during spring break and the June Jubilee: 50th Anniversary Celebration Experience.

COACHE. Associate Vice Provost Jessica Huber provided an overview of the results from the 2018 COACHE faculty survey. She said faculty reported improvements in several areas in the categories of leadership, research and promotion, such as quality of students, support for engaging undergraduates, and the University’s support of work-life balance. She said one of the largest areas for improvement, according to the results, was improving the clarity of messages about promotion and tenure.

The next University Senate meeting is scheduled for March 18.

Writer: Abbey Nickel, 765-496-1325, nickela@purdue.edu