September 13, 2023 Minutes

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Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes

Leon Johnson 346

September 13, 2023

3:15pm-4:30pm

I.            Call to Order 

a.      Meeting was called to order at 3:15pm

II.            Approval of FS Minutes from August 30, 2023

a.      Hayes Goosey moves to approve. Doug Downs seconds. None opposed. No abstentions. Approved. 

III.            FYI Items 

a.      September is National Suicide Prevention Month. 

i.       MSU Assist 

ii.      Mental Health & Wellness Programming  

iii.     Counseling & Psychological Services

iv.     Kognito Training 

b.      RSVP for Lunch with the President and Provost 

i.      Please forward this email and your ranked preferences to jtobin@montana.edu by this Friday (September 15th).

1.      Wednesday, September 27 - - 12-1pm 

2.      Monday, October 23 - - 12-1pm 

3.      Tuesday, November 28 - - 12-1pm 

c.       Faculty Sabbatical applications October 30, 2023

d.      CIM Training 

i.      The Office of the Provost will be holding two trainings for CIM Proposers and Editors. The two training days will cover the same information, so you do not need to sign up for both.

ii.      This training is appropriate for any staff or faculty new to MSU who will be working in CIM, or any current CIM users who would like a formal training or a refresh. Approvers are encouraged to reach out to Keely Holmes directly if they have any questions.

1.      Please RSVP through the links below:

a.      Option 1: Thursday, September 14th, 2023, 10:00am-12:00pm

b.      Option 2: Friday, September 15th, 2023, 10:00am-12:00pm

e.       Seeking faculty senate member for Assessment & Outcomes Committee  

f.        Bookstore “Course Materials Town Hall” 

i.      Get answers to Bookstore-related questions as well as to share faculty concerns and perspectives. Anyone from your department or unit is welcome. 

1.      2:00 p.m., Sept. 26, in SUB 233:  NACOE, JJBCE

2.      2:00 p.m., Sept. 27, in SUB 233:  L&S, A&A, EHHD

3.      2:00 p.m., Oct. 3, in Romney 201:  Ag, MRJCON

4.      2:00 p.m., Oct. 4, in Romney 201:  Grad School, Honors, Gallatin

g.      Hispanic Heritage Month 2023           

i.      A Moderated Conversation with Author & Poet Javier Zamora September 19th, 7:00pm; doors open at 6:00pm Strand Union Building Ballrooms. Tickets are free. 

h.      Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences Faculty Charrette 09.14.2023

i.      Please RSVP by Friday, Sept. 1

IV.            Information Updates 

a.      Software Procurement 

i.      Brian O’Connor, Director of Procurement & Contract Services

ii.      Kellie Peterson, MSU Legal Counsel  

iii.      Ryan Knutson, Vice President, Information Technology/CIO

1.      Contracts may not be in line with policy. 

2.      Update the policy with a process to education faculty and staff. 

3.      Terms and conditions had been scrutinized over, so when renewed, it’s basically like being brand new. 

a.      Bulk of software is ready to be re-reviewed. 

4.      Procurement process is the same as it has been. 

5.      Low cost our high cost, the process is the same. Either can pose a significant risk to campus.

6.      Our policy follows the state law.

7.      International law may also come into play. 

8.      Indemnification and hold harmless

9.      University insurance 

10.  Questions:

a.      Ballpark number of different software are in use on campus? How long do they take to clear? 

i.      Some don’t take any time at all.

ii.      Some take a long time.

iii.      Majority is run through quickly.

iv.      Still trying to get a handle on what all is out there. 

1.      Things that don’t cost anything that are on individual computers. 

2.      Thousands.

v.      Even if it’s free, you are still agreeing with terms and conditions. 

1.      There are also other requirements. 

b.      Cloud service, access to outside the university. Does that fall under this?

i.      Yes, it does. 

ii.      Where it is stored is all that is different.

c.       Nursing:

i.      Is it possible to have a list of contracts that are approved on the website so that you can choose from them?

1.      Working on creating a clearinghouse of products that already have terms and conditions approved. 

ii.      Smart Sheets being cancelled happened with no communication to campus. Information lost. 

1.      Agree that it did give everyone time to get the data. 

d.      Researchers who don’t have the grant money and want to use MSU’s license for software. 

i.      Have them reach out to IT to ask if there is a site license for the product or suggest a similar product. 

e.      One piece of software that does a certain job with no other options.

i.      There are exceptions

ii.      What is the risk?

iii.      Who is using it?

1.      Not all software is ADA compliant.

iv.      The more people that need to weigh in, the longer it takes. 

1.      It would be helpful to have a flowchart of the process so you can see where you are in the process. 

f.        What if the product is linked to student learning/success?

i.      Sometimes you can work with the company.

ii.      Academic value vs. the risk

g.      What can we do in the future to notify faculty about software licenses that are not being renewed?

i.      If we know the end of the semester before that we will need something, is that enough time?

1.      The earlier the better. 

2.      A company can change terms and conditions at any time, so we have no control over that. 

3.      Never too early.

4.      You can make a purchase and not be able to use the product right away because it has to be reviewed. 

h.      Is there a place to find the steps so faculty know what to expect? 

i.      Handout

ii.      We can do better that that. We’ll work on that. 

i.        This will affect start up packages for faculty. 

i.      If they need 3-6 months lead time, that will affect their contract and start up. 

1.      3-6 months would be the outlier. 

j.        You may hit an impasse and students may not have access to software. We have students to serve. 

i.      Individualized analysis. Does need out weight the risk?

V.            Undergraduate Courses and Programs 

a.      Courses—First Reading 

i.        CSTN 101 : Introduction to Concrete

ii.       HSTR 405 : American Holy Land

iii.      HSTR 469 : Memoir & Biography in History

b.      Courses—Second Reading 

i.        ARTH 343 : Modern Art in Italy

ii.       BIOO 315 : Aquatic Insects

iii.      MUSI 124 : Musical Objects: Knowledge & Fluency

iv.      MUSI 125 : Elements of Large-Scale Musical Design

v.       MUSI 137 : Foundations of Aural Perception

vi.      MUSI 220 : Music Theory of Tonal Music

vii.     MUSI 221 : Theory in 19th-Century Repertoire

viii.    MUSI 222 : Theory in 20th-Century Repertoire

ix.      MUSI 223 : Theory in Popular Music

1.      Meeting students where they are

2.      Diverse genres 

x.      PSCI 448 : The Politics of Climate Change

1.      Sounds like a “woke” course

2.      Do we have politicians trying to insert themselves into curriculum.

a.      There is academic freedom

b.      Don’t judge a course by a title

c.       So far, in Montana, we don’t have laws that limit courses at universities. 

xi.      STAT 456 : Bayesian Statistical Inference

c.       Course Changes — Second Reading 

i.       ESOF 422 : Advanced Software Engineering: Cybersecurity Practices

1.       Title changed from Advanced Software Engineering

d.       Course Inactivation

i.      PHSX 405 : Special Relativity Online

1.      PHSX 405 was intended be replaced by PHSX 579.However, when PHSX 579 was approved in Spring 2023, PHSX 405 remained active.

VI.            Graduate Courses and Programs 

a.      Course Inactivation — Second Reading

i.      EELE 561 : Digital System Design

VII.            Senators’ Open Conversation 

a.      What kinds of things do people bring up during open conversation?

i.      Anything you are concerned about.

b.      Wellness Center

i.      Hope to be up and running by the end of Spring Break, with the exception of the aquatics. 

ii.      Cost will be prorated. 

iii.      Things are expensive. What is our incentive to use the facilities?

1.      Feel like they are trying to recoup the cost of the construction.

2.      Can’t we pay the membership taken out of paychecks, pre-taxed?

3.      There is more information on the website. 

c.       Course content being attacked by conservative politicians.

i.      About 30 years ago they did come for some of the liberal faculty.

d.      Found a woman living in their building and taking food from the student pantry.

e.      CFAC process is a good place to start the software review process. 

VIII.            Public Comment 

a.      Provost Mokwa

i.      Followed up with HR and the 12 month pay. They are escalating that. There is more to come on that. January of 2024.

b.      Temporary traffic light on Kagy and 7th? 

IX.            Adjourn 

a.      Michael Walach moves to approve. Scott McCalla seconds. None apposed. Meeting adjourned at 4:28pm.