Meeting Minutes 6/18/2020

Task Force for the Future of Baruch
Thursday, June 18, 2020
1:00 PM
ZOOM Video Conference

Meeting Convened: 1:02 PM

1. The spokesperson for each subcommittee of the Task Force continued to provide their suggestions and contributions towards Baruch’s overall reopening plan. The subcommittees expanded upon their previous suggestions and provided more detailed explanations regarding their contributions to the overall reopening plan.

Subcommittee #4 (Student Support): Compassion is one of the main areas of focus during this time. It’s important to make sure that students know that Baruch cares about not only their knowledge, but their safety, health, and well-being. Another focus during this time is communication with students. This is a core function and not part of a larger function. The idea of a Student Success Center was discussed. The Student Success Center would be a place for students to go to get the different kinds of information and resources that they need. These resources include technology assistance, mental health support, financial assistance, and informational support. The Student Success Center would provide students with increased investment in advisement, student support, and learning tools. The center’s core mission would be the reaffirmation of student learning and success. The subcommittee wants to acknowledge the geography of different students as well because not being physically present on campus may present implications for some students. Some students may need access to workspaces, Baruch technology, or the library. The Student Success Center would provide all students with similar opportunities to those who participate in the honors program or SEEK.
Subcommittee #3 (Technical): The third subcommittee laid out the following bullet points when discussing their contributions to Baruch’s overall reopening plan:
- Classrooms must be equipped so that classes can take place in person with some students attending remotely.
- Faculty must be provided with instructional design and technology assistance before and during the semester.
- Faculty without the necessary minimum hardware must be issued Baruch laptops ASAP.
- Cloud-based software and remotely accessed software must be a priority so that faculty and students can use it remotely.
- New faculty (both adjunct and full-time) need to be given access to Baruch resources ASAP.
- Faculty must adjust their expectations of workload to the needs of online teaching.
- The accessibility policy is a concern that must be addressed by the college.
  - We need to think about how we can make the necessary changes to documents, services, etc. to make sure they are accessible for students who require accommodations.
- The college should also develop a clear communication plan regarding how to borrow equipment, what software is available, student privacy policies, and expectations around accessibility.
- Students must be provided with technological support (e.g., 24/7 support, Blackboard support, etc.).
- Students and faculty must be informed ahead of time what the technology requirements of the course will be (computing hardware, network bandwidth issues, and how to use certain software that’s necessary for the course).
- We need to think about having someone in an instructional design role at the college.
Subcommittee #2 (Faculty Development): Subcommittee two has been reaching out to faculty to identify where there are needs for remediation. Members of the subcommittee have also been looking at the resources available to the college through the various publishers that are invested in our faculty through book sales. Additionally, the subcommittee is looking at ways for faculty to improve the quality of the internet they receive at home. The subcommittee created a one-sheet document that outlines faculty expectations regarding teaching in an online environment. The subcommittee will also create a similar document to outline what students should think about while participating in an online learning environment. It’s important to recognize that faculty may be struggling in an online learning environment and we cannot forget to understand their needs as well. It would be beneficial to enhance the support services available to faculty because they are struggling also.

Subcommittee #1 (How do we start?): There were no significant changes made to the subcommittee’s recommendations from our last meeting. The overwhelming sentiment seems to be a concern for Baruch students. Faculty members don’t want students to feel uncomfortable or unsafe attending class, so online courses may be our best option. The online plus alternative option that was thought of by the members of subcommittee one seems to appeal to some of the faculty that members of the subcommittee have spoken to. If there are some hybrid courses offered at Baruch, these courses should be limited.

2. Next Steps:

Each subcommittee should prepare their report so that they can present the draft next week.

Meeting Ended: 2:04 PM