Friday, December 5, 2025 10:00 AM Zoom
Present (29): Chevy (Schevaletta) Alford, Cristina Lozano Arguelles, Elton Beckett, Ned Benton, Bibi (Silvina) Calderaro, Kathleen Collins, Artem Domashevskiy, Joy Dunkley, Jennifer Dysart, Jonathan Epstein, Diana Falkenbach, Sergio Gallegos, Heath Grant, Sergio Grossi, Veronica Hendrick, Karen Kaplowitz, Jamie Longazel, Alejandro Garcia Lozano, Joseph Maldonado, Brian Maule, David Munns, Ray Patton, Kumar Ramansenthil, Macushla Robinson, Amada Santiago, Francis Sheehan, Todd Stambaugh, Charles Stone, Violet (Sung- Suk) Yu
Absent (8): Jacob Adler, Michelle Holder, Allison Kavey, Anru Lee, Kyoo Lee, Josh Mason, Marie Springer, Shilpa Viswanath
Invited Guests: Professor Nathan Lents, President Karol Mason
Agenda
1. Adoption of the agenda
2. Approval of Minutes #589 of the November xx, 2025, meeting
3. Report from the Chair
4. Consideration of candidates for an Honorary Degree: Invited Guest: Professor Nathan
Lents, Chair, Faculty Senate Committee on Honorary Degrees
5. Invited Guest: President Karol Mason
6. Proposal to propose a policy prohibiting students from recording/photographing
class sessions without the instructor’s permission: Executive Committee
7. New business
1. Adoption of the Agenda. Approved.
2. Approval of Minutes #588 of the November 5 2025 meeting. Approved.
3. Report from the Chair
President Kaplowitz reported that the search for the vice president of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs resulted in two finalists, but yesterday one withdrew because he accepted a position elsewhere. President Mason will be deciding within the next day or so whether to invite the one finalist to spend a day on campus meeting with the entire community or to declare this a failed search and start again. If the one finalist is invited to campus, it is important that faculty meet with him and complete the anonymous online assessment form.
With regard to questions raised at our last meeting about a poster labeled UGFoundation, it turns out that the four courses featured on that poster were actually created 7 years ago under a Title IV grant. The provost agrees that the poster should not have been labelled UGFoundation; these are sophomore courses and UGF is for only first-year students. Senator David Munns then asked why these four courses are now on the UGF website and asked for information at our next meeting as to what the criteria are for a course to be designated a "signature course" as these four have been.
Senator Ned Benton reported the results of each CUNY college's efforts to raise money on "Giving Tuesday," explaining that an email from the Chancellor sent to all students, faculty, donors invited them to donate not to the University but rather to the individual colleges. JJ had fewer donors than almost all the other colleges. Our pitch was to ask for donations to our Student Emergency Fund and, so, we're pitching not to our strengths, but to our values. Other campuses are pitching to their strengths. One can see each college's pitch by going to https://www.cunytuesday.org/ Clicking on Baruch, for example, shows that as of this morning, Baruch has 764 donors raising $1,453,590 toward a goal of $1,500,000. The following are some of the results (the number of donors and the number of dollars) as of this morning:
- Baruch 764/$1.45 M
- BMCC 69/$61K
- Brooklyn 643/$522K
- CCNY 65/$21K
- CSI 236/$224K with a goal of $190K
- CUNY Law 128/$294K
- Hostos 85/$59K
- Hunter 437/$159K
- JJCCJ 52/$35K
- Kingsborough 416/$52
- Queens 280/$166K
- York 253/$115
President Kaplowitz reported that the PSC Academic Freedom Committee has sent a very strong letter to the Chancellor about the 2024 federal Settlement Agreement, in which the question is raised as to whether aggregated data or specific names of people against whom complaints have been made have been sent to the federal government. She said she would forward the letter to the Senate later today.
Senator Jamie Longazel said at his department's meeting the previous day, President Mason said we shouldn't panic if a complaint is made against us through the CUNY portal; an inquiry needs to be done but we shouldn't be overly concerned. He pointed out, however, that if every person who was complained about through the CUNY portal were to be identified as such to the federal government, that reassurance is not meaningful.
President Kaplowitz reported that in the spring the Senate would take up the issue of Artificial Intelligence and how it should be treated at the College. The survey that we have all just received about AI was created by a group of faculty and administrators headed by Gina Rae Foster. She said the Senate's Tech Committee, which has also been working on AI, will be reporting to us about this. Senator BiBi Calderero said she is deeply concerned about AI. As students use it more and more, they learn to disguise their use of it and so it becomes much more difficult to communicate with them about it. She is also concerned about the way these platforms are being crudely and brutally put forward without regard to their environmental or social impacts.
Senator Francis Sheehan said Senators should know that the college does not have an Environmental Health and Safety Officer (EHSO). Actually, after a long and thorough search the college did hire an excellent person who, however, had to resign after a few weeks because of a personal emergency. He said it is critical for our physical safety as well as for our operations that this position be filled. The search is being restarted and he will advise us about this.
4. Consideration of candidates for an Honorary Degree: Invited Guest: Professor Nathan Lents, Chair, Faculty Senate Committee on Honorary Degrees
President Kaplowitz reviewed the history and process of selecting honorary degree recipients at the college. Our process was proposed by the Faculty Senate in 1989 and approved by the College Council that same year. The current Committee on Honorary Degrees is chaired by Professor Nathan Lents (Sciences). The other members are Professors George Andreopoulos (Political Science), Janice Bockmeyer (Political Science), Katarzyna Celinska (Law, PS, CJA), Enrique Chavez-Arvizo (Philosophy), Jerry Markowitz (History/ISD), and Mangai Natarajan (Criminal Justice).
The Senate went into a closed, off-the-record session to consider 6 candidates recommended by the Committee on Honorary Degrees; secret balloting took place using SimplyVoting.
5. Invited Guest: President Karol Mason
President Mason thanked the faculty for all they do; she senses a different energy around and throughout the college; the students seem happier, they seem to be hanging out on campus longer hours. She said this semester she is having lunch meetings with faculty and also lunch meetings with staff, none of whom she would have the opportunity to meet given that these are people not at the meetings she attends. Furthermore, although our charter calls for a single meeting with faculty and staff each term, she’s having separate meetings with each group this semester.
President Kaplowitz spoke about the letter from the CUNY Alliance in Defense of Higher Education [CADHE] to the Chancellery which was cc'd to the college presidents and which raises concerns and unhappiness with CUNY's Mandatory Title VI Brightspace Training. She asked if the president would comment. President Mason said it is a well-written and informative letter. She said the NYS law requiring Title VI training was passed in September so CUNY is ahead of the game in providing the training but CUNY is open to feedback and modification of the video. As for the concern raised about Policy 5.20 - the Student Complaint About Faculty Policy - she explained that if any complaints are made through the portal regarding anything covered by Policy 5.20, then the matter is referred to our Office of Academic Affairs.
President Mason reported that she had just signed a letter hiring a new person as our Chief Diversity Office. This person is both a lawyer and a pastor, having graduated with a divinity degree, and who has also done independent work on Jewish and Muslim issues. She will be our Title VI Officer because of her background. She will also work with Dean of Students Dominic Stellini on our Campus Climate work. The person will probably begin in January. She is not revealing the person's name because the person has yet to give notice where she is currently employed.
Senator Benton asked about the amounts of money raised during CUNY's "Tuesday's Giving." President Mason said we should keep in mind that the giving continues throughout the entire year and that we are being strategic about our asks - we are focusing on our Student Emergency Needs Fund. Our goal of raising $2.5 million in three years is a multi-pronged strategy and not a traditional campaign. Potential donors have been identified. Until now, we have had to raise $6.5 million to $8 million every year to support the student success programs we have at JJ; furthermore, the loss of the federal MSI and HSI monies means we will need an additional $3 million more each year. But an endowment of $250 million would sustain a drawdown of $10 million each year. She said she's less worried about CUNY Tuesday. We would like to have fewer restrictions from donors so that these funds can be used for tuition; the monies raised in the through the CUNY Tuesday campaign supplements these restrictions. Unfortunately our tax levy budget is in deficit.
She reported that the 4-year graduation rate for our first-year students who started in 2021 is 43.9%, which means we continue to be second in CUNY to only Baruch (47%) in our 4-year graduation rate and the graduation rate drops substantially after John Jay. She said she focuses on our 4-year graduation rate because students receive only 4 years of financial aid. When she began as president, our 4-year graduation rate was only 26%; in 2021 we were at 41%; and now we're at 43.9%.
President Kaplowitz asked whether the president knows if under CUNY's 2024 federal Settlement Agreement with the Biden administration CUNY must report the names of those against whom complaints are made under Title VI or just aggregate data. President Mason said she seriously doubts names are required. Senator Longazel asked if she could ascertain if names are being sent. President Mason said she will ask CUNY's Center for Inclusivity and Equal Opportunity and will let Karen know the answer.
Senator Sheehan spoke about the dire situation the college is in because we don't have an Environmental Heath and Safety Officer. Senator Calderon added her concern because the EHSO is a crucial member of our Sustainability Council and without an EHSO the Council cannot progress toward meeting its goals. The EHSO is the liaison between the faculty and operations.
Senator David Munns said we need to bitterly resist the movement of AI into our classrooms and research. President Mason replied that each individual faculty member will make their own decision. She added that what faculty do in their classrooms is their choice. Indeed, the college is buying more blue books for in-class exams in response to the fact that many faculty are responding to the situation with more in-class student work. The draft Strategic Plan calls for students to learn how to critique AI.
Senator Todd Stambaugh noted the technologies are only three years old and he doesn't think we know what the technology is now or will be when our students graduate, adding that he doesn't use the term artificial intelligence because it isn't intelligence at all and, so, he calls it what it is, which is generative algorithms or generative software. He expressed his appreciation that this decision will be left to faculty but wants to advocate caution. President Mason said we want our students to think critically, to question what comes from any source. We need to decide what the basic skills our students need to learn and also whether there are opportunities from an operations perspective to relieve the burden of some of the work that our staff and administrators do. There's no monolithic universe as to how we use AI. Surely we will not end in same place, but to not explore and analyze would be a mistake, she said.
Senator Violet Yu said she wishes to echo what President Mason just said. She went to the CUNY AI Conference thinking that we shouldn't be teaching AI but the keynote speaker changed her mind: he said recent graduates report that if they had been taught these skills, they would have been better equipped for their jobs.
6. Proposal to propose a policy prohibiting students from recording/photographing class session without the instructor's permission: Executive Committee
The proposed policy, which will be sent to the College Council for vote, was discussed and approved by unanimous vote of the Senate:
The Proposed Policy:
The recording, photographing, or videotaping of all or parts of classes is prohibited unless written permission is given by the course instructor(s). This includes undisclosed or surreptitious recordings of any kind, including photos, audio, and video recordings by students or class visitors without written permission of the instructor(s). Students in violation of this policy may be subject to disciplinary action by the College, and visitors in violation of this policy may be subject to removal from the classroom and/or campus.
A student or visitor who is granted permission to record or photograph/videotape a class session is not permitted to copy, download, disseminate, or sell such authorized recordings and photographs/videotapes to others. Students in violation of this policy may be subject to disciplinary action, and visitors in violation of this policy may be subject to removal from the classroom and/or campus.
Rationale:
This policy is designed to help protect the privacy of both students and instructors, safeguard intellectual property, and provide a safe and open learning environment. Students and instructors have a right to privacy in the classroom. Recordings, especially because they can be shared online, can violate personal and legal privacy expectations, which is especially important for students or instructors who might have safety concerns, such as personal abusive situations. Furthermore, an open exchange of ideas requires an atmosphere of trust: if students worry about their comments being posted on social media, they may be less likely to participate in questions or share their viewpoints openly, which can negatively impact the learning experience for all. In addition, laws such as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protect student education records, including personally identifiable information that can be revealed in recordings and photographs/videotaping. John Jay, like other educational institutions, must follow these regulations, and unauthorized recordings can lead to violations of such laws. Yet another reason for this policy is to protect the instructor's intellectual rights. Class lectures and materials often constitute the intellectual property of the instructor. Without being able to decide whether to grant permission, the instructor has no control over the unauthorized use of their materials, which could lead to copyright infringement and intellectual property theft. And, finally, unauthorized recordings can be selectively edited, taken out of context, or distorted in order to engage in malicious actions, mislead others, or engage in cyberbullying.
The CUNY School of Law and Queens College/CUNY both prohibit the audio and visual recordings of classes without the written permission of the course instructor(s).
7. New Business
There being none the meeting was adjourned at 3:30 PM.