University Senate - September 12, 2022 Minutes

UNIVERSITY SENATE
Meeting Minutes
September 12, 2022

The University Senate was called to order at 3:35 p.m., in 111 Harrison Hall on Monday, September 12, 2022. Members absent: Durell Callier, Debbie Coleman, Jennifer Fox, Spencer Izor, Martin Johnson, Shashi Lalvani, Carrie Powell, Eric Rapos, Ganiva Reyes and Cheryl Young.

Call to Order and Announcements

  1. Provost Liz Mullenix, Chair of University Senate, made announcements.
  • Tom Poetter, Chair of University Senate Executive Committee, made announcements and remarks.

    • First Senate working session is Monday, Sept. 19, 3:30pm: Undergraduate Research and Employment. Senators will be sent notice and link to the Zoom meeting. All are invited, not just Senators.
    • Miami is one of 14 other state wide universities that make up the Ohio Faculty Council. Tom serves on the council. They meet once a month on Friday afternoons to discuss topics that are related to faculty and students. (E.g. Senate Bill 135)
Approval of Senate Minutes
  1. A motion was received, seconded, and carried to approve the August 29, 2022 minutes of the University Senate. (45-Yes, 0-No, 1-Abstain)

Consent Calendar

3. The following items were removed from the consent calendar for further discussion:

  • LEC Meeting Minutes_08.23.22
  • LEC Meeting Minutes_08.30.22

The following items were received and accepted on the Consent Calendar:

  • Curricular items_09.12.22
  • Graduate Council Meeting Minutes_08.25.22
  • Graduate Council Meeting Minutes_09.06.22

Special Reports

  1. A Focus on Mental Health and Emotional Well-being presentation - Jayne Brownell,   Vice President for Student Life

    • Things shifted during the pandemic. Conversation about the state of mental health of students was brought to light. Mental Health is about diagnosable situations.
    • Brownell shared a stepped care model - low to high Program/Intervention Intensity:
      • Online programming
      • Peer education
      • Peer involvement & advocacy
      • Self-help psychoeducation
      • In-person psychoeducation
      • Therapeutic consultation
      • Group therapy individual
      • Off-Campus referral
    • Student Counseling Services: Individual counseling appointments - this year the number of appointments have doubled.
    • In February, a proposal for a $50/semester mental health fee for students was approved. It provides prevention education, ongoing treatment and support, response needs and technology financial support for low-income students.
    • The 2022 report is the first acknowledgement that staff need support too.
    • The Institutional Task Force on Student, Faculty and Staff Mental Health and Well-being was created this year. Its purpose is to look at existing systems and how to make them better. The Task Force has 3 work groups:
      • Student emotional health and well-being
      • Faculty and Staff emotional health and well-being (as employees)
      • Community well-being
    • There are approx. 60 faculty, staff and students who make up the task force with representation from Oxford and regional campuses.
    • DOS Referral Sources webpage
    • The following questions/comments came from the floor:
      • Senator asked if students in UNV 101 are provided this information. Response: Not yet, but they will think about doing that. A new resource, the Wellness Navigator, is about mental health and it was shared with students during orientation.
      • Senator asked if students who study abroad have been provided this information. Response: Not yet, but will be.
      • Senator requested that the stressless cards be shared with students.
      • Senators asked if there is a breakdown of percentages as to how Miami Univ. falls on the model. Response: It was created in 2020, so there hasn’t been time to gather information. She will pass along the breakdown idea.
      • Senator asked if there are updates on addiction numbers. Response: Conduct numbers are down 50%, student concern numbers are up 50%.
    • Health Plan Performance. Costs increased in 2021 and are expected to increase in the future. In 2021, Employee Premium contribution went down 10.8%; Benchmark is 15%, but we are down to 13.8%.
    • Discussions with Anthem/IngenioRx/Horan to reduce cost. There are only three mechanisms to contain health plan costs:
      • Price: The cost of care provided (e.g. physicians, hospitals, medications)
      • Service/Drug Mix: Reducing use of low value, high cost services with high value lower cost options (e.g. using an urgent care instead of an emergency room)
      • Utilization: Engage in wellness and prevention to avoid future serious health conditions.
    • 2023 Health Plan Premiums adopted for 2023 - Summary of changes:
      • The HDHP premium equivalent will increase to reflect health plan cost increases.
      • The PPO premium equivalent will increase to reflect health plan cost increases and partially adjusted to account for having a different premium equivalent for the HDHP and PPO plans. The full adjustment for the PPO base rate will be completed in 2024.
      • The employee contribution as a % of salary and PPO base rates will be adjusted.
    • 2023 Health Plan Premium Projections
      • Senator asked for clarification on the amounts noted on the slide. Response: The amounts are projected increases based on the employee's salary.
      • Senator asked, in general, if employees are still covering about 15% of their expenses with MU paying 85%. Response: Yes, this is the goal, though there may be differences from year to year.
      • Looking at historical projections and projected health care costs, this plan is better than what’s offered nationally.
      • Senator asked to clarify if someone is making $100K, what their increase would be. Response: $8 is the increase.
    • 2023 Health Plan Design Changes for 2023
      • Change 1: Increase in Out-of-Pocket maximums - The out-of-pocket maximum will increase by $250 for individuals and $500 for families.
      • Change 2: Convert PPO Prescription Drug to Coinsurance with Maximum Cap -Currently, copayments are a fixed dollar amount depending on drug tier. In 2023, members in the PPO will pay a percentage of the cost of the drug with a maximum cap depending on the drug tier.
      • Change 3: Reset prior authorization for non-formulary drugs.
      • Change 4: Adoption of Specialty Pharmacy “Cost Relief Program”.
      • Change 5: Adoption of IngenioRx’s Clinical Care Management Solution.
      • Change 6: Adoption of Retail-90 Network for Prescription Drugs

        University Senate Benefits Committee Update presentation - John Bowblis, Professor, Economics

    • Roth 457 Option Added for 2023. Starting in late-December, Miami employees can start Roth contributions in 2023.
    • Benefit Committee tasks for 2024:
      • Starting in November, examine employee contributions for 2024. Plan is to present to Senate projections by mid-Spring semester.
      • Evaluate additional recommendations by consultants regarding health plan.
      • Conduct evaluation of parental leave policy.
  2. Remote Proctoring Committee Update presentation - Amy Bergerson, Associate Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education & Brenda Quaye, Assistant Director of Academic Integrity

    • In March 2021, the University Senate passed a resolution charging the CTE Committee to review the use of proctoring in general, and use of Proctorio, specifically, at Miami and to provide recommendations for whether to renew with Proctorio or investigate another proctoring option or, if proctoring is not recommended, to suggest resources to support teaching and learning.
    • The CTE sub-committee began meeting in April 2021, with faculty, staff, and students as members. Faculty and students were surveyed regarding proctoring, relevant literature was reviewed and discussed. The sub-committee recognized that there was a need for proctoring, and that many faculty members were using it, and had been using it prior to the onset of remote learning.
    • In August 2021, the CTE sub-committee provided recommendations to the University Senate, which included not to renew the contract with Proctorio, and to investigate other proctoring services through an RFP. The committee provided criteria for inclusion in the RFP.
    • The committee also provided recommendations regarding the additional need for resources and training for faculty around teaching and learning, assessment, and use of proctoring products as well as recommendations concerning data privacy and use.
    • In anticipation of the Senate Resolution last fall, Provost Osborne approached Amy, Brenda, and Greg Brainard from Miami Online to form a committee and open an RFP process for an online proctoring software. Committee members:
      • Amy Bergerson, Associate Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education
      • Brenda Quaye, Assistant Director of Academic Integrity
      • Greg Brainard, Miami Online
      • Cyndi Govreau, Miami Online
      • Jeff Toaddy, University IT Services
      • Sean Poley, University IT Services
      • Stephanie Dawson, Miller Center
      • Helanie Alessio, Oxford faculty EHS
      • Leah Hansen, Regional faculty
      • Jill Page, Oxford faculty CAS
      • Eric Rapos, Oxford faculty CEC
      • Prosper Raynold, Oxford faculty, FSB
      • Robyn Brown, Regional Online
      • Tony Kinne, University IT Services
      • Dan Bosworth, Student

     

    • Four of the RFP committee members were part of the original Senate working group.
    • Committee met in November and December to work through the development of the RFP questionnaire. The questionnaire was finalized early January and the RFP opened at the end of January.
    • The committee worked on preparing the RFP questionnaire, utilizing the following recommendations of the Senate working group as they developed the questionnaire: academic oversight, evidence-based practice, explicit evidence on effectiveness after scaling up software, explicit evidence of effectiveness in a wide variety of contexts with a diverse variety of students, extensive accessibility considerations, data security, and explicit statements about and evidence of anti-discrimination, particularly against students of color. Additionally, they incorporated information from the Association for Computing Machinery’s US Technology Policy Committee, which in August of 2021 developed a list of essential items to consider when evaluating online proctoring solutions in the following categories: equity, privacy, security, and accessibility. The RFP questionnaire contained nearly 60 items related to these concerns.
    • In February 2022, the committee received completed RFPs from 10 vendors: Honorlock, PSI, Proctor360, ULearn, Territorium, Meazure, Smarter Services, Examity, Verificent, and Proctorio. The RFP committee carefully reviewed each of the proposals and determined that they wanted to see demonstrations of the following: Meazure, Examity, Honorlock, Proctor 360, PSI, Proctorio, and Verificent. Demonstrations were during March and April.
    • The committee then narrowed it down to two vendors that met the requirements and had a reasonable price point – Honorlock and Proctorio.
    • With the expiration of the Proctorio contract looming, they still needed to engage in another phase of testing (accessibility testing and use testing of the two products), so they were faced with a difficult choice:
      • Extend the Proctorio contract for one year; or
      • End the Proctorio contract, leaving the University without any online proctoring service, which would also rush the use and accessibility testing process.
    • The committee knew that both choices would be unpopular with some campus stakeholders, but with over 10,700 active users taking over 241,000 exams in the 2021-22 academic year, they could not justify turning off online proctoring while they completed the testing and selected a product.
    • Weighing the options, they determined that the best solution would be to extend the Proctorio contract for one year, take the time to carefully test the two products that remained in the RFP process, and work to ensure a smooth transition to the selected solution, including extensive opportunities for faculty to learn how to best use online proctoring. Ultimately, given the sensitive nature of this decision, they felt it was best to move carefully and deliberately to ensure the best solution is selected.
    • The committee is currently in the process of setting up the accessibility and user testing for both products. Proctorio has new features coming online in the next few months that they want to test, and they need to do extensive testing on Honorlock as well. The timeline is to have this testing complete by the end of the semester, select the vendor and begin the transition process.
    • The committee is currently determining: who will oversee online proctoring going forward; how to roll out training for faculty; and strategies for communicating information to the students.
    • The following questions/comments came from the floor:
      • Senator asked if they have access to Proctorio. Response: Yes - the committee has asked Proctorio to turn off the option for room scanning. If it is on, make a copy of everything and refresh.
      • Senator asked if the decision was between Honorlock and Proctorio and whether there would be training regardless of which product is selected. Response: Yes - they will begin the training process afresh no matter which company–to ensure good training for all. This is a priority the committee expressed to the vendors. The training will be provided by the vendors. Faculty workshops will also be offered to build better assessment practices at Miami.
      • Senator mentioned that she learned today that the video has been turned off. Their department has exams online and they don’t have the guidance on what to do because some exams have already been done via video. They feel the communication has been bad and they don’t see how this will be helpful to faculty or students. Response: Legal Counsel recommended that video be disabled. They have communicated this through Canvas and an email was sent out via email.
      • Senator asked about the timeline. Response: This has taken longer than expected due to a lot of initial proposals that needed to be reviewed. They wanted to be careful and not rush things through.
      • Senator expressed disappointment in the process. They don’t think this is how we should be doing business. They requested seeing the RFP before money is spent on a product.
      • Senator expressed surprise that Proctorio is a candidate again due to past issues.

Old Business

7. SR 23-01 - Curriculum & Instruction, Master of Education

  • The motion was received and seconded without discussion. (45-Yes, ) 0-No, 1-Abstain).

BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED that University Senate endorse the proposed program, Curriculum & Instruction, Master of Education, College of Education, Health, and Society.

AND FURTHERMORE, that the endorsement by University Senate of the proposed program will be forwarded to the Miami University Board of Trustees for consideration.

Provost Update

  1. Chair of University Senate, Provost Liz Mullenix, provided an update.
  • Information about the Freedom of Speech Bill 135 was shared. This summer, the bill was passed that provided an expanded definition of what free speech was and required a complaint process. Complaints will be submitted through the ethics point process then there will be a hearing by the legal counsel’s office. Student Life has been working with RAs on how to deal with issues in the residence halls. View Freedom of Expression webpage.
  • The Howe Center for Writing Excellence Advisory Board are on campus this week.
  • The Board of Trustees and Foundation Board meet next week.
  • Program and Reception at OCAC CollegeatElm on Wednesday, September 14 at 6:00pm.
  • David Saylor presented Rodney Coates with the MAC Outstanding Faculty Award for Student Success.

 

Adjournment

  1.  The regular meeting of University Senate was adjourned at 4:50 p.m.

Reconvene and Approval of Abbreviated Minutes

  1. The abbreviated minutes for the September 12, 2022, meeting were approved. The full minutes will appear on the Consent Calendar at the next scheduled meeting of University Senate