Author: Admin Evan

2018-2019, Anonymous, Answered

Strategic Priorities for the Board of Governors

January 10, 2019

Questioner: Anonymous

Posed to: David Szymanski, UNF President

The president has said that he is required to present to the Board of Governors a set of strategic priorities and directions for UNF this month.  Will the president share what he presents to the BOG with UNF Faculty?  Does the president expect that this will change the current UNF strategic plan that was adopted last year? 

Response from the Floor by President Szymanski: 

President Szymanski stated he will be presenting information shared with the BOT. Because the President only has five or ten minutes with the BOG, the current strategic plan is pretty general and there is nothing in the presentation that will contradict the current strategic plan. The President will examine the strategic plan moving forward. The strategic plan was not formally approved by the BOG yet.

2018-2019, Anonymous, Answered

Teaching, Research, and Service in Annual Evaluations

January 10, 2019

Questioner: Anonymous

Posed to: Pamela Chally, Provost

Why are Department Chairs not including a faculty member’s proportional assignment in teaching, research and service with their annual evaluations? The union contract requires it, common sense suggests it, and theory and practice recommends it. The university risks grievances for failing to include this information in annual evaluations. Failure to include such information could also be grounds for appeal in tenure cases. Chairs included this information in the past. Anecdotal evidence indicates few are doing so now. Why are chairs not providing this essential information to faculty? Please do so going forward.

Answer from the Floor by Provost Chally: 

If Department Chairs are not being provided information, the Provost Office will provide the information.

2018-2019, Anonymous, Answered

Snakes On Campus

January 10, 2019

Questioner: Anonymous

Posed to: Shari Shuman, Vice President, Administration & Finance

I have recently seen the numerous snake and snake-like creatures on this most lovely campus. I admit that I don’t know which snakes are the poisonous and the lethal – but I am mostly concerned because these snakes are lurking around areas where people are walking and congregating. What can be done to squelch this risky situation? Maybe some lakes should be drained? Or snake predators introduced to this most lovely campus?

Response by Vice President Shuman

Venomous snakes and other poisonous animals are a natural part of the ecosystem. Measures taken to artificially control these animals can have detrimental effects. However, when we are made aware of the presence of these animals on campus, we will investigate and determine if there is a potential threat and take measures to relocate the animal when necessary.

2018-2019, Anonymous, Answered

Chemicals in Dust and Higher Rates of Sickness Across Campus

January 10, 2019

Questioner: Anonymous

Posed to: Shari Shuman, Vice President, Administration & Finance

In the last few years, I have noticed many students, staff, and faculty becoming ill – a much higher incidence than in my previous 15 years at UNF. Has any research been conducted on the composition of indoor dust at UNF? Indoor dust is known to contain toxic chemicals. Some phthalates, fragrance, flame retardants, and phenols are consistently found in 90 percent or more of dust samples across multiple studies (according to the Natural Resources Defense Council). Please forward this concern to the appropriate department.

Response by Vice President Shuman 

We have an indoor air quality investigation protocol that is utilized when we are made aware of an issue with a given building population. There are criteria that triggers the need for an investigation and whether or not air monitoring is appropriate. Many air contaminates have no known threshold for toxicity and this can make interpretation of any data inconclusive. The issue is further exacerbated by the fact that contaminates are present in the home, car and other locations where people can be exposed.

2018-2019, Answered

Cutting Textbook Costs

January 10, 2019

Questioner: Julie Ingersoll

Posed to: Shari Shuman, Vice President, Administration & Finance

In Religious Studies we have long worked to keep student book costs low by using books available used on Amazon.  This works really well for most of my students (last semester none of my classes was more than $40)  but students who rely on Financial Aid can only use their funds at the bookstore.  Who’s rule is that? With new interest on the part of administration to cut textbook costs, can we change it?

Response by Vice President Shuman:

Students on financial aid have the opportunity to purchase their books from any source. Unless, they choose to use the bookstore, the student has to upfront the cost and then they receive a refund from their financial aid. However, we have worked an arrangement with the Bookstore to provide a line of credit to the student to purchase their books prior to the first day of class and before financial aid is distributed. There is a complex technical integration between the University and the bookstore, which allows the bookstore to know which students will be receiving financial aid. The bookstore then provides a line of credit to the student until financial aid is paid. Further, the bookstore assumes the risk for any uncollected funds under the program. The technical integration, line of credit or the guarantee for risk of loss is not available from Amazon or other book sellers.

The University and the bookstore have long endeavored to find ways to reduce the cost of course materials and continue to do so. Bookstore personnel routinely meet with faculty to discuss ways to reduce course materials costs and identify multiple text formats to provide the greatest flexibility for all students. They would welcome the opportunity to visit and explore ways to assist.

2018-2019, Anonymous, Answered, From Floor

Vote of No Confidence on COAS Dean

December 6, 2018

Questioner: Anonymous

Posed to: David Fenner, President, Faculty Association

Of the 29 signatures needed to advance the motion of no confidence for Dean Rainbolt, how many COAS faculty members signatures have you received?

Response from the Floor by David Fenner:

Dr. Fenner stated he received 26 signatures from COAS faculty members from six departments. The deadline for receiving signatures was December 7th (2018).

2018-2019, Anonymous, Answered, From Floor

Administrator/Faculty Bullying Policy

December 6, 2018

Questioner: Anonymous

Posed to: David Fenner, President, Faculty Association

The new “bully” policy was motivated by concerns for protecting against faculty-on-faculty bullying? However, many faculty have witnessed administrator-on-faculty bullying. Does the new policy apply to administrator-on-faculty bullying? What procedures should a faculty member follow if they are the witness or are the victim of administrator-on-faculty bullying?

There is confusion over its application where administrators who are also members of the faculty are involved. Does the policy protect faculty against bullying by a member of the administration?

Response from the Floor by David Fenner:

The new Bullying policy does not protect faculty from administrator bullying. The purpose of the existing Bullying policy is to protect faculty on faculty bullying. Where there is a difference in level, such as cases where there is a difference in level, such as administrators bullying faculty or faculty bullying administrators that fall under the purview of the United Faculty of Florida and the CBA.

Follow up statement:

CBA article 10.4F has broad language that protects faculty from bullying from administrators:

 “Observe the published rules and regulations of the University, provided that the rules and regulations do not contravene academic freedom, which includes the faculty member’s right to responsibly criticize and seek revision of those rules and regulations;”

2018-2019, Anonymous, Answered

Cost of Raising University’s Minimum Wage

December 6, 2018

Questioner: Anonymous

Posed to: Shari Shuman, Vice President, Administration & Finance

  1. How much would it cost UNF to raise the minimum wage of every UNF employee to $10 per hour (which I take to be close to $20k a year)?
  2. To $12.50 an hour?  (around $25k)
  3. To $15 an hour (around $30k)
  4. How many UNF employees currently fall below $10/hour, $12.50/hour, $15/hour?

Response from the Floor by Shari Shuman, Vice President, Administration & Finance

As part of the bargaining agreement, all employee wages are increasing to at least $10 per hour. VP Shuman stated that there were 67 employees that fell below the wage of $10 per hour, which cost about $150,000 to rectify. Depending on vacancies, figures will fluctuate due to market forces. UNF is currently working to raise additional salaries to $12.50, which will impact 234 employees for $1.2 million. To go to an hourly wage of $15 which will cost about $3.5 million and 389 employees. VP Shuman reminded the faculty that the “living wage” has been raised in the past, and UNF hopes to raise wages again in the near future.

Follow Up Question: Were staff that were making $10 per hour, was their salary adjusted to eliminate compression amongst staff?

Response from the Floor by Shari Shuman, Vice President, Administration & Finance

Because most employees impacted were in Physical Facilities and Housing, UNF was able to make some incremental changes to alleviate compression up to 5% between a supervisor and a worker.

2018-2019, Anonymous, Answered, From Floor

2% Faculty Raise

December 6, 2018

Questioner: Anonymous

Posed to: Shari Shuman, Vice President, Administration; Finance

  1.  I have heard that the administration refused to make the 2% faculty raise for last year (2017-2018) retroactive to the beginning of the academic year. Instead, the raise only applies for a portion of the year. Is this correct? If so, why isn’t the faculty raise for 2017-2018 retroactive to the beginning of the academic year? What is the actual date the raise becomes effective?
  2. I received my raise for 2017-2018. I taught in the summer of 2018. When will I receive the additional compensation for that teaching as provided for in the CBA?

Response from the floor by Vice President Shari Shuman

For Part A, retro pay went back to September 23rd. VP Shuman stated that the President did address the first question from the floor regarding summer pay.



2017-2018, Anonymous, Answered

Liberal Arts and the New University President

March 1, 2018

Questioner: Anonymous

Posed to: Radha Pyati, President Faculty Association

Directed to Radha Pyati in her capacity as Faculty Association representative on the Board of Trustees.

First, as you observed in last week’s Board of Trustees meeting at which the new president was selected, there was significant concern expressed by faculty during the campus interviews regarding Dr. Szymanski’s appreciation of the role of the liberal arts in public universities and at UNF in particular. One trustee seemed to dismiss that concern, asserting that faculty, or at least some, don’t understand the difference between a liberal arts institution and a state university. Is it your view that this is indeed the view of our trustees?

Second, some trustees did express discomfort in acknowledging the gap between the views of Szymanski and those of some faculty members. They also advanced the view that Dr. Szymanski would be charged to fix the concerns. What is the standard or metric that faculty and the trustees might employ to verify that Dr. Szymanski has indeed fixed the concerns?

Responses from FA President Pyati on the floor:
I will answer from the floor. It is not my view that the view of our trustees is that faculty don’t understand the difference between a liberal arts institution and a state university.

Regarding Dr. Szymanski, we are all facing a new situation with excitement and some trepidation. I believe that meeting with Dr. Szymanski enables faculty to express to him the importance of the liberal arts at UNF. I think that the metric to verify Dr. Szymanski’s fixing these problems are his actions here at UNF. I would suggest that Dr. Szymanski show with his actions the following:

 

  • A demonstrated commitment to the liberal arts – in terms of scholarship, teaching, and community engagement
  • An understanding that in addition to being a different way of thinking, the liberal arts are
    • An essential part of UNF’s contribution to the cultural and intellectual life of the region. The position description approved by the Trustees states that continuing UNF’s commitment to the arts is a characteristic of the new President.
    • A nexus of UNF’s scholarly excellence on an international scale
    • A central building block of UNF’s public regional comprehensive identity, offering a full range of academic fields of study to our students, many of whom are place-bound
  • Broad support of the work done for students by faculty in all our disciplines and colleges.