Charge:

Work with constituents and stakeholders within the University community to evaluate and potentially propose a path forward for the Anti-Black Racism (ABR) course as part of the undergraduate curriculum, as an alternative to the May 2023 Senate Resolution. Options the taskforce may consider include the following, already discussed by the SEC and Standing Committee Chairs:

• Establish a requirement for all undergraduate students to complete a one-credit S/U course (similar to the May 2023 Senate resolution) but with a choice from a set of related courses, including perhaps others that originated as pop-up courses - for example, those that focus on anti-Asian racism, anti-Muslim racism, and anti-Semitism. If deemed appropriate, set parameters for such a requirement, and recommend guidelines for future courses to be developed for inclusion; or,
• Establish a pathway for ABR and similar courses (for example, including those listed in the previous bullet) to be developed as Topic of Inquiry (TOI) courses. A one-credit course would not satisfy a three-credit TOI requirement, so a viable suite of options should be considered.

The Taskforce shall not be limited to these suggested options and may consider amendments or additional options. Per accreditation standards, courses for TOI credit must be delivered on a graded basis, which may require further development of the ABR or other courses, should the second option be pursued. If the first option is chosen, requiring one or more classes as S/U, the course(s) would not be part of the Common Curriculum. The Taskforce shall coordinate with the SEC and Provost's Office to ensure that the University administration is committed to providing appropriate resources to support the final proposal.

Timeline:

The Taskforce shall issue a report to the Senate Executive Committee by February 12, 2026, with specific recommendations that could be discussed in the March 2026 Senate meeting and voted on in the April 2026 Senate meeting.

Committee Membership & Terms:

The membership of this Taskforce is to be seated by the Senate Nominating Committee in consultation with the SEC.

Committee Membership 

• TBD

Charge:

The University Senate Safe Environment Ad Hoc committee will explore current and identify possible University policies and State Law safeguards that are available to enhance UConn Community Safety.  The committee shall provide a report to the Senate Executive Committee as outlined below which provides policy recommendation and/or recommendations for further research.

This Ad Hoc Committee shall be empaneled by the end of the Spring 2024 semester and shall report on its progress to the Senate Executive Committee in the Fall 2024 semester with preliminary reports in December 2024 and February 2025.

Background:

Members of the UConn Community, faculty, staff, and students have experienced personal harassment. Further, there is unfortunately a national epidemic of physical violence on university campuses, and members of the UConn Community and members of other academic institutions throughout the country are being intimidated and their work interfered with by the misuse of state open information laws.

Objectives:

The SEC recognizes the following objectives, but the group may also identify additional objectives not mentioned here:

1. Meet with leading members of the UConn Administration, who oversee online harassment, physical safety, and personal information disclosure policies;
2. Survey, research, or interview experts, who can discuss state policies regarding harassment and/or information disclosure as well as the safety policies of educational institutions;
3. Engage in or review existing outreach to the UConn Community regarding issues of faculty, staff, and student harassment;
4. Research and discuss methods in which the number and characterization of incidents of harassment or misuse of disclosure policies are collected and studied by the UConn Administration.
5. Evaluate jurisdictional gaps, if any, among the current UConn organizations that respond to harassment reports;
6. The Ad hoc Committee can recognize that faculty, staff, and student populations may have different levels of current response and may choose to concentrate its attention on a subset of those populations as it deems appropriate.

For each of these objectives, the committee may provide data or other evidence of the challenges, recommend new initiatives or policy changes to be addressed by the Senate, or send recommendations to other standing committees or administrative offices.

Committee Membership & Terms:

Members of the University Senate Safe Environment Ad hoc Committee shall be appointed by the Senate Nominating Committee including recommendations by Campus Deans, Academic Leadership, and other constituencies. Members shall be added for the duration of the charge of this Ad Hoc Committee and members may be added or removed based on recommendations from the group or other parties.

Committee Membership:

*Joseph MacDougald (Co-Chair), School of Law
*Micah Heumann (Co-Chair), ISS, Student Services
*David Embrick, Sociology, Africana Studies Institute, CLAS
*Sandy Grande, Political Science, CLAS
*Justin Rogowski, Law Library, School of Law
*Lorien Touponse, Undergraduate Student
John Armstrong, Associate Dean of Students, Dean of Students Office
Danielle Bernard, Undergraduate Student
Justin Gilbert, Deputy Chief, Office of Public Safety
Sachin Pandya, School of Law
Jonelle Reynolds, Director of Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives, ODI
Kathy Segerson, Economics, CLAS

*Denotes 2024/2025 Senate Member

Background:

During a Special Meeting of the University Senate on May 20, 2024 the University Senate passed a resolution which included a motion to establish an ad hoc committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the student encampment in April 2024, as described below. The full motion can be found here.

Objectives:

To form an ad hoc committee that will investigate and report back to the University Senate by the third Senate meeting of the 2024-2025 academic year, on:

• the terms and mechanisms by which the police were authorized to arrest students at the encampment
• the processes by which police are deployed into university spaces (including meetings of the University Senate) and at what cost; and
• a potential process for gaining greater transparency around the University's and the UConn Foundation's investments in the interest of faculty governance and feasibility of divestment.

Committee Membership & Terms:

Members of this Ad hoc Committee shall be appointed by the Senate Nominating Committee including recommendations from multiple constituencies. A call for interested Members was made at the September and October 2024 Regular Meetings of the University Senate. Members shall be added for the duration of the charge of this Ad Hoc Committee.

Committee Membership:

• Ahmad Al Zouabi, Undergraduate Student (Co-Chair)
• *Maureen Armstrong, Associate Dean of Students, Dean of Students Office (Co-Chair)
• Katerina Seligman, Associate Professor, LCL & El Instituto, CLAS (Co-Chair)
• *Karen Bresciano, Assistant Dean, The Graduate School
• *Alexis Boylan, Professor, Art + Art History Department and Africana Studies Institute, School of Fine Arts
• *Jeffrey McCutcheon, Professor, Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering
• *Ingrid Semaan, Associate Professor in Residence, Sociology, CLAS, Stamford Campus
• *Lawrence Walsh, Associate Director, Operations & Transfer Admissions, Office of Admissions
• Isaac Barber, Director, Student Union and Event Services
• Lindsay DiStefano, Associate Vice President for Research & Development, OVPR
• Yazeed Hassan, Undergraduate Student
• Kathleen Holgerson, Interim Assistant Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion, ODI
• Joanna Rivers Davis, Director of Student Success, Equity & Inclusion, Hartford Campus
• Alaa Selim, Graduate Student
• James Walker, Student Welfare Specialist, Residential Life

*indicates University Senate Member AY 2024-2025