Meeting Minutes
December 6, 2024

I. Opening Protocol

A.    Mele Honouliuli – Ke`alohi Perry

B.    Land Acknowledgement – Distance Education Committee, Sen. Carrie Larger

II. Approval of Faculty Senate Minutes

November 1, 2024 Faculty Senate Meeting – Approved

III. Administrative Reports

1. Administrative Reports
   1. Office of the Chancellor (Chancellor Maenette Benham)
      1. Announcements about Graduation, Convocation and Start of Classes
      2. New UH System President Wendy Hensel will be visiting UH West O`ahu (first campus to visit) — Tuesday, January 14, 2025. Plans for this visit.
      3. First BOR meeting of 2025, hosted at UH West O`ahu.
      4. Preparations for the next legislative session and the changes there.
      5. Hawai`i News Now reported that one of the sites for an O`ahu landfill was near UH West O`ahu. In fact, it is on UH West O`ahu land. Administration is dealing with this, and Chancellor will be issuing a “Letter of Concern” to the Mayor of City and County of Honolulu. Confident that this site will not be chosen.
      6. Acknowledgement of Makahiki season.
   2. Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Administration (Vice-Chancellor David McDonald)
      1. On January 9, 2025, there is a systemwide pre-session briefing with the Legislature Senate Ways and Means and Higher Education Committee, giving a full-scale report on the budget request.
         1. Establishing a student legislative advocacy group that will be active in representing UH West O`ahu at the legislature. Working to establish this body of students. Please recommend suitable students to Ken Inouye or VCA McDonald. Students will be prepped and accompanied to all meetings, and followed up. Note that student voices are the most impactful.
            1. Question regarding alumni inclusions. Yes, alumni names can be submitted.
   3. Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Student Affairs (Vice-Chancellor Dee Uwono)
      1. Seeking feedback from students and alumni about enrollment pipeline.  Email VCSA Uwono.
      2. Update on Outreach Events
      3. Food Vault
         1. Very appreciated by students and community.
         2. Two students have been hired for the Food Vault.
   4. Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs (Vice-Chancellor Harald Barkhoff)
      1. Faculty Review ongoing. Mahalo to everyone who has been serving. 13 candidates for tenure and protion; 8 candidates for promotion to full.
      2. Workload Task Force met this week, selected Chair Orland Garcia-Santiago and Vice-Chair Thomas Scheiding.
      3. Gratitude for acting-AVCAA Michael Furuto, Scheduler Becky ____, and others.
      4. Working on low-enrollment process and streamlining it.

IV. ASUHWO Update (President Sydney Whitley)

1. Helped promote the legislative training session; six senate members attended.
2. From Campus Message Boxes, students want more in-person classes
3. Events Hosted
   1. November 21, there was a Social Sciences Summit, with desire expressed to include faculty in future events
   2. Night Owl Study Session — about 20 students particpated.
4. Bills passed:
   1. Spring into Success Bill, to welcome students back in Spring 2025
   2. Appropriated funds for cap-and-gown program
   3. Funding end-of-year celebrations of all ASUHWO entities.
   4. Voted updates to By-Laws

V. Faculty Senate Chair Reports

1. ACCFSC Update
   1. General Education updates. Systemwide initiative for GenEd updates with a lot of effort and investment; UH System has now pulled back from that initiative and are not pursuing General Education revision. BOR requested that all campuses effect some kind of GenED reforms. UHWO FSC Orr asked about the parameters and guardrails for GenEd revisions. Response was that it was “carte blanche” — that we could implement the revisions that seemed appropriate.
   2. Project-based Learning Special Committee has been suspended while Dr. Garcia-Santiago heads the Workload Task Force.
   3. There was an informal work-group associated with ACCFSC, consisted of representatives from UH Mānoa  and community colleges. They characterized themselves as an “independent caucus” but not directly associated with ACCFSC. This group has now invited UHH and UHWO to join this effort. Megan Ross attended last ACCFSC meeting and will be one person representing at the independent caucus meeting. UHWO can have up to 3 more representatives. If interested, please contact FSC Orr. Not yet clear what the initiative is for the independent caucus.  NOTE it is not mandatory to follow this groupʻs recommendation.
      1. Megan Ross:
         1. Endorses overview.
         2. UHWO GenEd Committee will meet and decide about representation. Concern is that this is the third time something has come up.
         3. Goal is for the process of transfer to be seamless for students.
         4. Report back in January.
      2. Questions invited with Q&A.
         1. Plans for meetings? Unknown at this time. Number of representatives per campus? Approximately 3-4 per campus. Note – WI and HAP are meeting in groups as well.
2. Report on Microcredentials – David San Jose
   1. Presenting proposal about Microcredential Effort and Initiative
      1. Initial process of approving credit and non-credit microcredential
      2. First Proposal for non-credit APEC: Academic Preparation English Course for International Students, so that they are eligible to enroll and poised to succeed in 2+2 programs with UHWO (BUSA and CM). Eight-month program with an entry-level requirement.
      3. Faculty Senate approval will be required and addressed.
         1. Discussion
            1. FSC proposes to form a Special Senate Committee to review things like the APEC proposal. Invites David San Jose to be part of this special work group.
            2. further support for the idea of a committee.
            3. what is the plan for staffing and  compensation for this program
            4. Workload Committee should also be addressing this issue
            5. Response from Dr. San Jose: Using a Business model submitted by VCA McDonald to Chancellor Benham, which addresses some of these issues. Looking to learn from the pilot program.
               1. Question: Will this program be an assessment of the program? Do you have a link to the Business Plan from VCA McDonald?
               2. Response from Dr. San Jose:
                  1. Assessment definitely with learning outcomes attached, especially for credit microcredential; for non-credit microcredential will have something similar that focuses more on the formative side of things as well as assessment and learning outcomes. Students will earn a digital badge that can be offered to industry or business.
                  2. Business proposal — Dr. San Jose will seek approval to share that with Faculty Senate.
               3. From chat: Academic Affairs Committee Chair Landgraf noted that Academic Affairs Committee can take this up. FSC Orr will reflect on this.
               4. FSC Orr: per Faculty Senate Resolution 2013-5, there is a procedure for reviewing and approving continuing education courses. Each campus is licensed to come up with its own programs without UH System approval. This may be a bit of a crossroads.

VI. UBAC Update (Sen. Thomas Scheiding and Aldayne Adlam)

1. Recent UBAC meeting had presentation of research showed how fiscal decisions are made. Highlights include
   1. 1. General Funds are mainly used to fund university expenses
      2. Long-term debt is $52million, a little more than other campuses. Note – this is first budget without COVID support. There is also a need to build a contingency fund for campus repairs and such.
      3. 45% of faculy at UH West O`ahu is full time; this is low based on the research.
      4. Retention was 77.9% in 2024, which is good.
      5. Graduates from UH West O`ahu $39,000 per year
      6. Enrollment: All campuses are still recovering, but UH West O`ahu is doing well because of Early College.
      7. UBAC may meet in December and may receive an update on the biennium budgetary request

VII. Committee Reports

1. Academic Affairs and Planning – (Sen. Katie Landgraf) – no report
2. Budget and Resources – (Sen. Thomas Scheiding) no report 
   1. Second round in Spring semester. Start thinking about and preparing applications for conferences. Still about $50,000 budget remaining.
   2. Please fill out application correctly and consult with BRC members if needed.
3. Curriculum Committee –  (Sen. Carina Chernisky) 
   1. See course proposal approval list in report.
   2. September 12, 2025 deadline for new course proposals, program or concentration modifications effective for 2026-27 AY and beyond. Proposals can be worked on in Draft Form over the summer
   3. Modify existing experimental course proposal into a new proposed course. This keeps a paper trail and streamlines work for the committee.
   4. Recommendation that approvals be adopted.
      1. No debate or objection
      2. Approved.
4. Distance Education – (Sen. Katherine Aumer)
   1. See report for course approvals and other items.
   2. Applications for DE Summer and Fall 2025, request that Kuali forms be submitted by April 4, 2025. Keep in mind that the DE Committee does not receive it until the Division Chair approves it.
   3. DE Committee discussed microcredentials issue.
   4. Recommendation that approvals be adopted.
      1. No debate or objection
      2. Approved.
5. General Education – (Sen. Megan Ross)
   1. See report for course approvals and other items.
   2. Recommendation that approvals be adopted.
      1. No debate or objection
      2. Approved.
6. Program Review – (Sen.Joy Mahiko) 
   1. See committee report for drafts of ongoing program reviews for 2 of the 3 programs under review.
7. Student Affairs (Sen. Keʻalohi Perry)– no report
   1. Subcommittees are working with ASHUHW on conducting survey and focus group research on course modality. Seeking administrative support fro Institutional Research Office at UH West O`ahu, with anticipated research being conducted in Spring 2025.
   2. Partnering with IPPC West O`ahu Committee for developiong an academic forgiveness policy.
8. Sustainability – (Sen. Rouel Velasco) 
   1. Sustainaiblity Competition winners:
      1. Community Oasis Project – Sarah Murakami
      2. Kai to Campus – Kawena Lorenzo and Jordan Ichibera
   2.  Recommendation that approvals be adopted.

1. 1. 1. 1. No debate or objection
         2. Approved.
2. Special committee on Charter Review (Sen. Monique Mironesco) 
   1. Update on the process.
      1. Committee has finished revision of the Charter, following up on the previous committeeʻs work.
      2. There is a representative from every constituency except Humanities, although FSC Orr is advised of all committee
         actions.
      3. No substantive feedback has been provided so far. Committee Chair Monique will be presenting to the Academic Leadership Council and receive feedback that will be discussed by the committee.
      4. Plan for providing revised version of charter attached to a resolution to approve the new charter to go into effect AY2025-26. Tentatively February FS meeting.
         1. FSC Orr offers opportunity for discussion of charter revision.
            1. Lecturers are currently a constituency, but feel that the lecturers have not been well-represented on this committee. View that there is a disservice to lecturers if they do not have a voice, especially since they are over 50% of the faculty.
               Response: Lecturer Constituency has been invited to serve on the Charter Review Committee. UHPA noted that “lecturers” cannot be a constituency based on rank. However, the plan is to include lecturers within divisions and an update from 6cr to 7cr and eligibility for BU7.
               Comment: Concern that the division faculty will not really nominate lecturers to represent the division? Note that some divisions do not include lecturers at all. Lecturers are not included in activities of divisions.
            2. Question: How many lecturers are involved in Division meetings? How many are allowed to vote in those meetings? If counted in the number but not allowed to vote, as in the US Constitutional Convention (slaves were 3/5 counted but not eligible to vote), how does that work? Are we going to count lecturers at the division level but not involve them? This could be a reward for poor treatment of lecturers.
               Question 2: Is this a solution looking for a problem? Is this an issue about the lecturers voting for something that is concerning to other faculty?
            3. Question: Need to discuss lecturer issue further. Relationship between UHPA and FS, UHPA rules do not govern FS membership. What are the options if a constituency representative cannot attend regular meetings? Request for Student Affairs to send a representative to the Division Chairs meeting in December.
               RESPONSE: Did not receive reply from SA representativeafter multiple tries before setting a meeting.
               Divisoin Chairs meeting is not under Charter Review Chairʻs purview, and SA should already be represented on it.
               COMMENT: UHPA – only condition is senator needs to be in BU7.
               Idea is that representation is from division (constituency). Admitting there are two different worlds — lecturers representing rank and everyone else division or constituency, and that is not aligned.
            4. QUESTION: When did UHPA concerns result?
               RESPONSE: Committee reached out to UHPA for advice on this issue. Members of BU7 have certain rights. (See Ch.89 Hawaii Revised Statutes) Can the BU7 eligibility criteria be stripped? (See reference 20 in the CBA — faculty need to be represented by BU7).
            5. QUESTION: did UHPA say lecturers could not have their own constituency?
               RESPONSE: UHPA had no recommendation about this. However, committee has been discussing for 2 years. Review of issues: Temporary faculty members voting on permanent issues; eliminate lecturers, but committee decided to include lecturers in some way.There was not unanimous agreement but this compromise was passed by a vote (after much discussion).
            6. COMMENT: Part of this assumes lecturers have same level of power in this conversation. Almost all lecturers are afraid to offer opinions because jobs are at the mercy of the faculty. Lecturers are concerned about this.
            7. COMMENT: Service is not part of lecturerʻs contract. This could be seen as exploitation of underpaid lecturers. But committee opted to find a way to keep the lecturers represented by making them part of constituencies not a different kind of group. NOTE: lecturers serve voluntarily.
            8. FSC Orr recommends that
               1. Humanities send a representative to the Charter Review Committee.
               2. Lecturer representative was submitted to the new/current version of the committee
               3. All constituencies should be represented on the CRC.
               4. Reminder that only tenured and tenure-track faculty are responsible to do service.
            9. COMMENT: Lecturers who *volunteer* to serve, even though temporary, are showing their commitment to the university (despite being “temporary” employees).
            10. COMMENT: Support for our Lecturers, especially those who are willing to serve on faculty senate. Recognize the imbalance between full-time and part-time faculty, and to consider bringing this to the Legisature.

VIII. Adjourned:

1:38pm