Faculty Senate Executive Committee Actions
Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Report from the Senate Tri-Chairs.  Faculty Senate Chair William Braham reported on the following matters:

• All faculty are reminded to submit their COVID vaccine and booster status into Workday.
• The May 11, 2022, SEC meeting will be held in-person followed by a reception and will follow all COVID protocols in place at that time.
• The "faculty pledge"  is still accepting individual signatures. The pledge asks faculty members to make individual commitments to addressing the climate emergency.
• On February 26, 3:00pm ET, TIAA will host a 30-minute webinar on personal environmental, social, and governance investing strategies for individual faculty. Advance registration is required.
• A petition from faculty calling upon Penn to mitigate the perceived harms done by the US Department of Justice’s China Initiative has been submitted.  Vice Provost for Research Dawn Bonnell will meet with the lead petitioners to inform them about steps Penn is taking to address these concerns and to assist with related matters.
• The Provost’s recommendation of “online interludes” was commended by the Tri-Chairs as an approach to respond quickly to public safety concerns arising from the ongoing pandemic. The Vice Provost for Faculty Newsletter, distributed on February 8, 2022, states: “Please remember that faculty may take an online interlude if they need to quarantine and are well enough to teach, or if high student absenteeism reduces the merits of in-person instruction. For questions about technology options, instructors should talk to their local IT support provider. The Center for Teaching and Learning offers strategies to help students stay on track if they must miss class and other resources for teaching in this current time. The Provost Office’s FAQs for Instructors for Spring 2022 addresses questions on masks, attendance, and other topics. Refer to Penn Cares to schedule a COVID test or see the latest public health guidance.”

Update from the Office of the Provost.  Interim Provost Beth Winkelstein expressed her appreciation for the Faculty Senate leadership and its partnership in navigating the many and varied challenges to research and teaching resulting from the pandemic.  She briefed SEC members on the latest Spring Semester 2022 guidance, including COVID testing requirements and incentives for continued COVID testing.  Provost Winkelstein spoke about the need for continued communication to and from and support for faculty during the upcoming transitions back to campus and through expected leadership transitions, including that of the President.   She recognized that some faculty members have scholarship and research that have not resumed at full capacity because of travel or other limitations and sought feedback on how the Office of the Provost could support faculty in those situations.

Faculty Senate Seminar: “The Limits of Free Speech, Conduct, and Academic Freedom in a System of Faculty Tenure, Diversity, and Inclusion: A Proposed Framework”.  At 4:00 p.m. ET, a Faculty Senate Seminar was held virtually and open to all Standing Faculty, of which an archived recording is available on the Faculty Senate website.