The following is published in accordance with the Faculty Senate Rules. Among other purposes, the publication of SEC actions is intended to stimulate discussion among the constituencies and their representatives. Please communicate your comments to Patrick Walsh, executive assistant to the Senate Office, either by telephone at (215) 898-6943 or by email at senate@pobox.upenn.edu

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Actions

Wednesday, September 12, 2018

Chair’s Report. After introductions, Faculty Senate Chair Jennifer Pinto-Martin welcomed the members of the Senate Executive Committee (SEC) and offered a brief review of the Senate and its structure. She indicated that the responsibility of SEC is to be the central mechanism for input and feedback between faculty and Penn leaders. She encouraged SEC members to serve as conduits for communication between the Standing Faculty and the Senate leadership. A full roster of SEC members is available on the Senate’s website: www.upenn.edu/faculty_senate/sec_members.html

Past Chair’s Report. Faculty Senate Past Chair Santosh Venkatesh reported that the Campaign for Community (C4C) is now accepting applications as it begins its fourth year. C4C provides funding for organizations that hold campus-based events aligned with C4C’s goals of promoting understanding of and respect for multiple points of view on important topics related to the University community, encouraging dialogue and discussion among members of the community about issues with the potential for difference and disagreement, and creating opportunities for all members of the University’s community to participate in conversations about important topics. Applications are sought on a rolling basis from faculty, students and staff for both novel programming and events already in the planning process via the C4C website: https://provost.upenn.edu/initiatives/campaign/grants

Announcements. Development and Alumni Relations (DAR) asks all faculty to complete an online survey that will help DAR better understand faculty willingness to participate in alumni programming. The survey closes September 25 and takes less than five minutes to complete. Faculty are invited to complete the survey at: https://tinyurl.com/yaconykh On October 15, Penn will host the Philadelphia Symposium on Research Credibility and Excellence. The event is open to all researchers in the greater Philadelphia region. More information can be found at the event’s website: http://symposia.research.upenn.edu

Sexual Misconduct Policies and Procedures. Senior Vice President for Institutional Affairs and Chief Diversity Officer Joann Mitchell and Senior Vice President and General Counsel Wendy White shared a draft overview of proposed sexual misconduct policy and protocols with SEC members. The proposed policy revision consolidates all forms of sexual misconduct (e.g., sexual harassment, sexual violence, relationship violence and stalking) under one umbrella policy; creates a new Assistant or Associate Vice President and Title IX Officer position to serve as a single point of contact for all complaints of sexual misconduct made against enrolled students, faculty and staff; and maintains all existing Confidential Resources. The policy revision is subject to further refinement based upon proposed regulations from the US Department of Education, which are still in draft stage. Penn’s draft policy will be made available for public comment prior to its finalization.

Discussion and Vote of Draft Committee Charges. The specific charges of the Faculty Senate committees were reviewed and approved. Discussion topics for future SEC meetings were proposed.