Meeting: Berklee Faculty Union Executive Committee

Date: July 2, 2020 at 1:00p, via teleconference

In Attendance: Will Silvio, David Scott, Andrew Shryock, Elizabeth Seitz, Wendy Rolfe, Prince Charles Alexander, Michael Abraham, Dennis Cecere, Peg Codding, Marti Epstein, Paul Masters, Denise Pons-Leone, Utar Artun, Alicia Bower, Michael Johnson, Stephanie Reich, Nicholas Urie, Vanessa Morris, Mike Scott, Roger Brown, Jay Kennedy, Eileen Alviti, Betsy Newman

Call to order 1:02p.

1. Roger Introduction

BROWN thanked committee for amendment to Faculty Contract Agreement; summarized President’s Council efforts with respect to anti-racism sessions, education, and training; summarized DJ Henry Social Change Scholarship.

2. Faculty Return-to-Work Conditions

BROWN summarized re-opening activities; 100 accepted invitation to return, 123 declined, and just under 100 have been approved; discussed increased costs and lost revenue.

SILVIO asked about “next steps.” KENNEDY said course schedule will be drafted by July 13, adjusted by July 16, with scheduling to take place July 20–27, resulting in a good image of fall enrollment. KENNEDY summarized further scheduling efforts: avoiding online teaching and on- campus teaching on the same day, separating activities that occur in the same space by 30 minutes; renting additional physical space; nightly cleaning (but not between classes), and revised, one-way traffic patterns in some buildings.

BROWN summarized student responsibilities, emphasizing mask wearing as the single most significant consideration. NEWMAN summarized expectation of compliance and a set of community expectations combined with pledge / social compact. BROWN summarized likely testing circumstances for faculty: testing on Day 1, Day 3, and Day 7.

NEWMAN discussed dorm conditions: students will be tested on arrival, dining will be largely “scheduled take-out,” dorm rooms will be double occupancy (max). NEWMAN acknowledged inevitability of sick students despite “comparatively aggressive” approach to controlling spread. Currently, enrollment for Fall 2020 is comparable to last year’s figures for Fall 2019.

BROWN summarized entirely remote option: we might lose more students, we would certainly lose more tuition, and chances of continuing without furloughs or layoffs are almost zero.

ROLFE discussed use of Berklee Online faculty in remote teaching; SHRYOCK discussed extending to faculty the same “freedom of choice” options offered to students; REICH discussed liability waivers, stressing anxiety and mental health of faculty; ALEXANDER discussed increased remote instruction in MP&E; M. SCOTT asked about liability waivers, to which BROWN noted this hadn’t been discussed explicitly although he was not certain; CECERE discussed Thanksgiving break, to which NEWMAN noted that no final decision has been made and BROWN noted a mid-October deadline; JOHNSON asked about faculty willing to teach on- campus, to which BROWN said ALVITI may conduct several rounds of faculty discussions and surveys; ROLFE discussed publishing a timeline activities and decision deadlines related to re- opening; MORRIS asked about commuting; CODDING asked about faculty mental health, to which ALVITI discussed Employee Assistance Program; SHRYOCK discussed current state quarantine orders and College-subsidized testing options; D. SCOTT discussed classroom and teaching policies; CECERE discussed “fully remote” scenarios for Fall 2020.

BROWN summarized absence of information signals lingering uncertainty among administration, not an effort to withhold information or mislead community.

Meeting adjourned 2:44p.