November 6, 2024 Minutes

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Faculty Senate Meeting

Harrison 123

November 6, 2024

3:15pm-4:30pm

I.            Call to Order

a.      Meeting called to order at 3:16pm.

II.            Approval of FS Minutes from October 23, 2024

a.      Doug Downs moves to approve. Clemente Izurieta seconds. None opposed. No abstentions. Approved.

III.            FYI Items

a.      Founders day awards nomination deadline is November 15

i.      https://www.montana.edu/provost/faculty/awards/index.html

b.      Finalists for CLS Dean’s search are visiting campus this week

i.      https://www.montana.edu/calendar/events/52212

ii.      Nov 5-8 in NAH Inspiration Hall 4:15-5:00 pm

iii.      Survey feedback is due by 9 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 12.

c.       Faculty Advising Working Group needed for advising assessment.

i.      Questions

1.      When do you need names by? As soon as possible.

2.      Email Rob Maher if you have questions or names.

3.      Graduate or undergraduate advising?

a.      Undergrad focused.

4.      Will this group be meeting this semester?

a.      Starting this year, not necessarily this semester.

IV.            Icebreaker and Discussion

a.      What is your strategy for surviving the last month of the semester?

i.      Give yourself grace.

ii.      Chocolate.

V.            Information Updates

a.      Committee updates

i.      Graduate Council

ii.      University Council

b.      Jeannette Grey Gilbert, Chief Human Resources Officer of MSU and Mary Lachenbruch, MUS Benefits Director (Helena, MT)

i.      Questions

1.      Who makes the determination if there are conflicts/out of compliance?

a.      HR, Legal Counsel, Commissioner’s office

ii.      Dental Plan

1.      Self-funded plan

2.      Delta third party administrator

3.      We have a fee schedule

a.      We don’t utilize a network model

b.      Max reimbursement is the same no matter what dentist a person goes to.

c.       Providers that are leaving Delta are leaving insurance all together. They want to do it their own way, get paid the way they want to. 

4.      What are we doing for those who are impacted? Bozeman is in a high impact area. 

a.      Care about members and want to help.

b.      Doing deep dive into Delta. What is an appropriate reimbursement based on providers fees? 

i.      Looking at the data

ii.      Do we need to change the fee schedule?

c.       Don’t have enough dentists in Montana to serve everyone. Many not taking new patients. 

d.      Delta has been able to get a few providers back and are looking at new providers. 

5.      Questions

a.      Timeline for reevaluation of cost/reimbursement?

i.      Working on FY26 (July 1, 2025)

ii.      Meeting first week of March. Will be completed by then. 

b.      Providers say that Delta hasn’t raised amounts of benefits in many years. Is that true?

i.      Did have a recent increase, but do not know what it was. 

c.       Third party that manages our retirement benefits. Has there been progress?

i.      There has been no change. 

d.      Is there any info on the Roth IRA?

i.      Added an option that started this FY. Info on the Choices website. 

ii.      TIAA financial consultants are available. Coming to campus more often. 

e.      Data on average income of local dentists in Montana?

i.      I’m sure there is somewhere. 

ii.      Delta looks at regional data. We review Montana data annually. 

1.      May need to be narrowed to Bozeman, Helena, and Missoula.

a.      Can look at site specific information and will share that with the committee. 

VI.            Old Business

a.      Institute for National Security Research and Education (INSRE) proposal – second reading

i.      Kevin Amende moves to vote today. Doug Downs seconds. 

1.      How will different entities work together?

a.      Entities will be reporting to INSRE. Others are affiliated but do not report. 

b.      Trying to create a structure so we don’t cause extra work for faculty reporting and can meet the needs of the campus. 

2.      Where does the funding come from?

a.      Awards and grants. Lab revenue. 

3.      None opposed. One abstention. Approved. 

VII.            Undergraduate Courses and Programs 

a.      Courses – First Reading

i.      AGTE 422 : Data Analysis and Management for Digital Agriculture

ii.      ARCH 113: Introduction to Architecture Professional Practice & Career

iii.      ARCH 161 : Introduction to Architectural Graphics

iv.      ERTH 462 : Advanced Geomorphology

v.      FILM 353: Advanced Television Production

vi.      HTR 350: Hospitality Purchasing & Cost Control

vii.      HTR 365 : Entrepreneurship & Innovation in the Hospitality Industry

viii.      SOCI 444: Sociology of Trafficking and Erotic Labor

ix.      TE 303: Circuit Construction and Troubleshooting

b.      Courses—Second Reading 

i.      CSCI 118: School of Computing Introduction

ii.      GEO 401: Phylogenetics

VIII.            Graduate Courses and Programs 

a.      Courses – Second Reading

i.      AMST 575: Professional Paper

ii.       GPHY 571: Data Science for Climate and Sustainability Analysis

iii.       HDFS 525: Family Finance and Resource Management: Teaching & Outreach

iv.       HDFS 530: Culinary and Nutrition Instruction in Family and Consumer Sciences

b.      Course Changes – First Reading

i.      AMST 590 : Master's Thesis

1.      Credit range changed from 1-10 to 1-9

IX.            Senators’ Open Conversation 

a.      Share presidential search information with your colleagues. 

b.      Can we visit the option of having a fall break? Students are willing to start earlier so we could have a fall break. 

i.      Where does one go to start the conversation of changing the academic calendar? 

1.      Faculty do not have input on the calendar. 

2.      We have it figured down to the minutes, so we would need to add another week to the schedule. 

3.      Could have the registrar, Tony Campeau come to speak. 

ii.      Attendance in class has plummeted. If they aren’t showing up, why are we here?

c.       Policy for missed exam. Told that allowing students to drop one exam is allowable. 

i.      Is not an appropriate practice for those who miss an exam or may be in a protected class.

ii.      Policy is being drafted. One faculty member is on committee. Would like to see that ratio changed. 

iii.      Can we be held accountable for policies that don’t exist yet?

d.      Why are our undergraduate only allowed to take 9 graduate credits as part of their undergraduate degree.

i.      Grad School Policy: https://www.montana.edu/gradschool/accelerated_guidelines.html 

X.            Public Comment

a.      Provost Mokwa: there is a group working on a policy for ADA students in class. Short term or long-term ADA. Assure you that I’ll do what I can to make sure the faculty senate has input on any policy.

XI.            Adjourn

a.      Scott McCalla moves to adjourn. Karie Orendorff seconds. Meeting adjourned at 4:31.