September Faculty/GSO Meeting Minutes

September Faculty/GSO Meeting Minutes September 23rd, 2021 GSO Attending Members: Fox Foley, Aaron Trigg, Tyler Ellis Faculty Members: Jeff Blackmon, Kip Matthews, Catherine Deibel Total meeting time: 37 minutes

1. Updates from August:

a. Any updates on the rescheduling of the All Department Meeting?

i. ETA for Title IX Training course on Moodle?

b. Still no HEPA air filter in the Grad Student Office

c. Incorrect info on GSO website? (see Dana’s email)

i. Self-enrollment problems with incoming students

ii. Outside hustles: legality of tutoring and asking Paige to add to list of tutors

All Dept meeting will be on Thursday October 14th 3:30PM. Moodle course not official yet but very soon believe and required for everyone even if you’ve done it before. Jeff has been TRYING for more filters but the vendor for the filters rec by facility services and vendors not approved by LSU, got them approved, submitted purchase order, then any equipment have to get facility services approved….. Gotta love bureaucracy. Purchase has been made, be here soon hopefully. Not the same as what they’ve already put in but sold out. Concern expressed over dept. pushing private tutors. Dept decided didn’t want to do it bc too much for Paige and responsibilities so dept. wouldn’t maintain a list. “GSO can help you find tutor positions” not supposed to tutor for class you’re TAing, not supposed to tutor on campus or use LSU facilities; Jeff says he’ll talk to Dana

1. This month’s discussion:

a. COVID

i. Received an anonymous complaint that Dana and Amir unplugged a HEPA air filter during one of the TA meetings because it was too loud to talk over…. Unacceptable

ii. Students are being unenrolled from classes and now there’s a law-suit against LSU for it, how does this affect LSU’s policies?

Impressed to see LSU actually unenrolled (~80) people, worked hard to get students in compliance. Vax or testing program (3 or 4 not vaccinated, more than faculty but they’re required by Oct. 15th, less wiggle room.

1. Faculty search updates

a. How’s Hanyu’s visa issues?

b. When is Mark Wilde leaving?

c. Hearne search and any search approval from Academic Affairs?

Hanyu still having visa issues. Have meeting with Dean of AA on Tuesday to discuss faculty searches. Wilde leaves next summer. Hearne search ongoing.

1. Departmental stuff

a. No more colloquia, so can we start maybe having meetings between students and faculty, like a new and improved pizza lunch, now with less colloquium speakers and more interaction between faculty and students

Jeff supports things like that with caveat that there are rules for using the money. Aaron: would be mostly between newer students and maybe newer faculty who need students. No grad seminar in Fall…. Maybe making a class or something like that, regular activities

1. Outreach committee: do we know how much/if it pays?

Yeah, like $100 a month

1. Have we gotten the minutes from the faculty meetings?

Jeff *just* sent them

1. Qual (wouldn’t be a gso/fac meeting without it)

a. Any updates from GCC? Are they still going through test bank at all?

Nothing from Jeff

1. Updates from the GSO:

a. Plans for a picnic in the works

b. Finalizing our mentoring survey stuff to pair older students up with newer ones; not many 1st years participated though, maybe ¼

2. Faculty questions/updates?

In Faculty meeting minutes: search committee for Hortensia’s position (IT director) have found candidates, may converge on a top candidate and make an offer for that position. May be possible changes for the better. Keep waiting for outdoor event in a while, hopefully COVID calms down more.

DEI Committee: survey to dept to adopt the statement of principles - sent out over summer and didn’t get many responses (35) most said yes, like 2 said no, several abstained. Going to resend out the survey to get more responses. Open on Monday have 2 week response period and reminder halfway thru. Will present at all-hands meeting. TL;DR:

• Go to the All Department Meeting on Thursday, October 14th at 3:30 PM, will have important Title IX info and other updates from dept. Committees

• LSU is *trying* to take COVID seriously and Jeff has jumped through many bureaucratic hoops to get us extra HEPA filters SOON!

• Join the outreach committee and get an extra $100 a month

• Still searching for faculty to fill our department back up, is ongoing. Found good candidate to fill the IT Head position of Hortensia, hopefully will bring new bright IT changes to our dept.