May 10, 2024
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Darden & ZOOM WEBINAR
Senators Present or on Zoom: Peter Abramenko, Kim Acquaviva, Lanice Avery, Alan Beckenstein, Andy Block, Aaron Bloomfield, Aniko Bodroghkozy, Matthew Bolton, Cathy Campbell, Ming-Jer Chen, Lisa Colosi-Peterson, Stephen Culp, Eve Danziger, Todd DeLong, Katia Dianina, John Dillery, Jason Druzgal, Maxim Engers, Rob Garrod, Vanessa Gregg, Douglas Grissom, Bryon Gustafson, Peter Hallowell, Natoya Haskins, Juliet Hatchett, Matt Hedstrom, Gustav Heldt, Nizar Hermes, Robert Hirosky, Rich Hynes, Tish Jennings, Jamie Jirout, Michael Kennedy, Jason Kerrigan, Brad Kesser, Michelle Kisliuk, Jim Lambert, Matthew Lazzara, Ted Lendon, Alicia Lopez Opere, Stephen Macko, Charlotte Matthews, Kathryn Neeley, Amy Ogden, Charlotte Patterson, Andrew Pennock, Paul Perrin, Brian Pusser, Eric Ramirez-Weaver, Michael Rasbury, Sara Riggs, Anne Rotich, Sue Saliba, Patrik Sandas, Jeri Seidman, Maria Luisa Sequeira Lopez, Jessica Sewell, Jaclyn Shepard, Dan Spitzner, Christopher Thom, David Vander Meulen, Robert Vinson, June West, Mark Whittle, Brian Williams, Barbara Wilson, Brian Wright, Kenan Yount
Ex-Officio & Guests Present or on Zoom: Jim Ryan, Ian Baucom, JJ Davis, Chief Longo, Kennon Bonner, Matie Brandt Pearce, Brie Gertler, Amanda Flora, university and community members.
Michael Kennedy called the meeting to order at 2:00 PM.
Review and Approval of Minutes
Chair requests approval of meeting minutes from April 19, 2024
First: Tish Jennings
Second: Aniko Bodroghkozy
Vote: All Approve
Result: Motion passes
Michael thanked Tish and Kelly.
Announced that graduation cords have been purchased for each faculty senator to wear at graduation.
New Business
President Ryan, Provost Baucom, Vice President Davis, Chief Longo listened and answered questions from senators followed by questions from the audience.
Jeri Seidman and Brian Wright presented a Motion to Establish External Review of the Events of May 4th, 2024 that was passed by EXCO on May 9, 2024.
WHEREAS a university is more than an educational institution, it is a space in which to prepare for civic life, and in which we learn through inquiry and debate, collaboration, as well as the recognition and validation of differences;
WHEREAS we educate our students through open discussion and by our actions modeling the virtue of respect through tempered disagreement, affirming the safety and wellbeing of all individuals;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Faculty Senate condemns the use of asymmetrical force against members of our community;
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Faculty Senate recognizes that the actions perpetrated against members of our university community have violated our shared university space, harmed both bodies and spirits, and undermined the values of union and trust in shared governance;
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Faculty Senate calls upon our university administration to immediately arrange for an independent and external, university-wide institutional review of the events which preceded and transpired on May 4; we also demand that University policies be changed or enacted to prohibit the use of force against peaceful protests, and to hold the university responsible for the cultivation of transparent policies protecting free speech and safety.
Jennifer Greeson made a motion to amend by removing the words independent and external. 29 yes, 38 no, 6 abstain. Motion defeated.
Richard Hynes made a motion to amend by removing asymmetrical force and additional paragraphs. 45 yes, 30 no, 0 abstain. Motion passes.
Final Motion
Resolution for an independent and external, university-wide institutional review
WHEREAS a university is more than an educational institution, it is a space in which to prepare for civic life, and in which we learn through inquiry and debate, collaboration, as well as the recognition and validation of differences;
WHEREAS we educate our students through open discussion and by our actions modeling the virtue of respect through tempered disagreement, affirming the safety and wellbeing of all individuals;
BE IT RESOLVED that the Faculty Senate calls upon our University administration to immediately arrange for an independent and external, university-wide institutional review of the events which preceded and transpired on May 4 and the results of such review be made public; we also demand that University policies be changed or enacted to identify under what circumstances the University will engage state police, and to hold the university responsible for the cultivation of transparent policies protecting free speech and safety.
Vote to approve the newly written Motion. 58 yes, 22 no, 0 abstain. Motion passes.
Eric Ramirez–Weaver presented a Motion Condemning the Violence of May 4, 2024,
We, the members of the Faculty Senate, denounce the events of May 4, 2024, when the University of Virginia senior administration deployed armed Virginia State Police in full body armor to remove a small, unarmed group of peaceful protestors that largely consisted of members of the University community on our Grounds, thereby risking the most unimaginable catastrophe, and this police force, using pepper spray and vastly asymmetric displays of force, aggressively arrested 27 individuals including students and current/former employees.
Vote to approve the Motion: 30 yes, 46 no, 2 abstain, motion defeated.
RESOLUTION OF SOLIDARITY will be voted on through Qualtrics
RATIONALE:
WHEREAS Section 3.1 of the University of Virginia Faculty Handbook affirms the importance of academic freedom to the proper functioning of the university, citing the American Association of University Professors’ 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure, wherein, “Teachers are entitled to full freedom in research and in the publication of the results,” “Teachers are entitled to freedom in the classroom in discussing their subject,” and “Controversy is at the heart of the free academic inquiry;”
WHEREAS the Faculty Senate affirmed in April 2022 the University of Virginia Board of Visitors’ UVA Statement on Free Expression and Free Inquiry, adopted in June 2021, including these principles: “The University must not stifle protected expression, permit others to obstruct or shut down such expression, or regulate the tone or content of responses that stop short of interfering with others’ speech or violating the law;"
WHEREAS the Faculty Senate passed the Resolution on Support of Academic Freedom, April 22, 2022, confirming: “faculty have chief responsibility for the University curriculum;” and “teaching about systemic barriers to the realization of a multiracial, gender-equal democracy is central to any active pursuit of knowledge in the 21st century that aims to produce engaged and informed citizens;”
WHEREAS faculty, students, and members of the university community have reported threats to their academic freedom and personal safety after expressing themselves, in full compliance with the principles outlined above, on recent matters pertaining to the ongoing suffering and horrific loss of Israeli and Palestinian lives related to the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel and Israel’s military offensive into Gaza;
WHEREAS harassment of members of the University community, whether online or by any other method, and the dissemination of personal information through any method, violate the principles of the UVA Statement on Free Expression and Free Inquiry cited above; and
WHEREAS the lack of clear and specific information about incidents that challenge freedom of WHEREAS the lack of clear and specific information about incidents that challenge freedom of speech, professional autonomy, and the right to safety on Grounds contribute to uncertainty and insecurity and thereby to a stifling of free expression within the University community;
RESOLUTION:
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate affirms the faculty's role as professional scholars and educators to increase understanding of the ongoing complexities of current and historical subjects–including the tragedy and conflicts involving the Israeli and Palestinian peoples–while encouraging a diverse, inclusive, and equitable community at the University: our role is not to flatten these subjects into binary and polarizing oppositions even when they almost invariably raise ideas and positions that are objectionable to some if not many;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Senate calls on all University leaders publicly to reassert their support of academic freedom and their condemnation of all harassment that aims to stifle academic freedom, knowing that such statements carry protective force and help to alleviate the chilling effect created both by actual harassment and by the fear of harassment;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Senate calls on the University's administrative leadership to adhere to the 2021 Statement cited above and actively counter any attempt at stifling or distorting protected expression, to publish clear and specific information about University efforts to protect academic freedom, and to further develop and supply information about all resources available to support faculty who experience any incidents and activities–on Grounds, in classrooms, online, and in other venues–that impinge on academic freedom and the rights of faculty under that freedom;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a flourishing democracy in the 21st century demands university faculty exercise their academic freedom as scholars and teachers, both in their classrooms and in the public sphere, where they may openly debate, challenge, and speak freely about contentious issues; and that unrestricted academic freedom must remain the cornerstone of a 21st-century university fully invested in the work of fostering democratic engagement.
Michael passed the gavel to Jim Lambert. Andy motioned to dismiss. Seconded. All in favor.