Minutes #597

John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Attendance

Present (28):

Jacob Adler, Schevaletta (Chevy) Alford, Ned Benton, Frank Chen, James DiGiovanna, Artem Domashevskiy, Kendra Doychak, Joy Dunkley, Heath Grant, Sergio Grossi, Veronica Hendrick, Karen Kaplowitz, Jacqueline Katzman, Allison Kavey, Jamie Longazel, Joseph Maldonado, Monica Mattesi, Dustin Meier, Elsa-Sofia Morote, Kumar Ramansenthil, Meriem Rebbani, Amada Santiago, Francis Sheehan, Marie Springer, Manouska Saint Gilles, Charles Stone, Todd Stambaugh, Daniel Yaverbaum

Absent (9):

Elton Beckett, Silvina (Bibi) Calderaro, Jonathan Epstein, Deneia Fairweather, Michelle Holder, Alexandra Moffett-Bateau, Javier Moreno Rivero, Joseph Rebello, Macushla Robinson

Agenda

1. Adoption of the agenda
2. Introduction of the members of the 2026-27 Faculty Senate
3. Approval of Minutes #596 of the May 8, 2026, meeting
4. Review of the Faculty Senate, its role, and its relationship to the College Council and to other college bodies
5. Review and adoption of the Faculty Senate Elections Procedures & Rules
6. Faculty Senate Executive Committee elections
7. Elections of Faculty Senate representatives to College Committees
8. Review of the Faculty Senate proposal about Community Hour
9. New Business

1. Adoption of the Agenda

Approved

2. Introduction of the Members of the 2026-27 Faculty Senate

Noted.

3. Approval of Minutes #596 of the May 8, 2025, Meeting

Approved.

4. Review of the Faculty Senate, Its Role, and Its Relationship to the College Council and to Other College Bodies

President Kaplowitz explained that the Faculty Senate was created as the voice of the John Jay faculty in 1986. It is a deliberative and advisory body and its members are all faculty, full-time and adjunct. On the other hand, College Council is the governance body and has student, administration, staff, and faculty members. Originally and for much of the life of the college, the faculty had only 50% of the seats on the College Council and, so, unless administrators or students or staff or students supported a faculty initiative or position, that initiative or position could not pass. Now, as the result of the work of the Senate, the faculty have 30 of the 50 seats on the College Council. In addition, the Senate created itself in such a way that all the faculty members on the College Council are also on the Faculty Senate. Only JJ faculty may attend Senate meetings. Others may attend but only if the Faculty Senate or its Executive Committee invite them. As for the College Council, its meetings are open to all, including the general public.

The Preamble of the Faculty Senate Constitution defines the purpose and role of the Faculty Senate:

Preamble of the Faculty Senate Constitution

The Faculty of John Jay College of Criminal Justice, having been entrusted by the by-laws of The City University of New York with responsibility for policy relating to admission and retention of students, health and scholarship standards, attendance, curriculum, awarding of college credit, granting of degrees, and the conduct of educational affairs customarily cared for by a college faculty, hereby establishes the John Jay College of Criminal Justice Faculty Senate in order to provide a formal means of representing faculty concerns to the administration of the College and the University and to provide a democratic forum for the deliberation of such matters and other matters upon which deliberation by the academic community may contribute to the well being of the University and the society which sustains it and looks to it for enlightenment.

There are additional important differences between the Faculty Senate and the College Council. First of all, the College Council is subject to the NYS Open Meetings Law as a result of the Perez v CUNY 2007 court decision. The Faculty Senate is not. This court decision means that the College Council members must meet in person and that secret ballots are prohibited. (There is, however, a provision under NYS Law that permits CC members who affirm that they have a true emergency or disability that absolutely prevents them from attending in person to attend and vote by Zoom, as long as a quorum is physically present.) The Faculty Senate, on the other hand, can meet by Zoom and have secret ballots if anyone requests one.

Also, whereas items pass if a majority of Senators present and voting cast an affirmative vote, items at the College Council pass only if a majority of the entire membership vote affirmatively. Both bodies must follow Robert’s Rules of Order.

In addition to these two bodies, there is a Council of Chairs (CoC), which comprises the chairs of the 21 academic departments and the president of the Faculty Senate. The Senate and CoC have often worked closely, at times co-sponsoring initiatives.

President Kaplowitz advised department representatives to keep their chair and department members informed about what the Senate is doing, either by reporting at department meetings, or by forwarding the agenda and minutes, or by doing both.

5. Review and Adoption of the Faculty Senate Elections Procedures & Rules

Approved.

6. Faculty Senate Executive Committee Nominations, and Confidential Voting Using SimplyVoting.

Senator Charles Stone conducted the elections at the request of the Executive Committee, in accordance with the Senate’s Elections Procedures & Rules. The following Senators were elected to the Executive Committee using the secret ballot voting system called SimplyVoting:

• President – Karen Kaplowitz
• Vice President – Heath Grant
• Corresponding Secretary – Francis Sheehan
• Recording Secretar(ies) – Ned Benton, Allison Kavey, Todd Stambaugh
• At-Large Member #1 – Joseph Maldonado
• At-Large Member #2 – Kumar Ramansenthil

7. Elections of Faculty Senate Representatives to College Committees:

• Interim Executive Committee of the College Council: the Faculty Senate President and VP are statutory members.

Francis Sheehan and Joseph Maldonado were elected.

• Budget Planning Committee: The Senate President and VP are statutory members.

Ned Benton and Kumar Ramansenthil were elected.

• Fiscal Planning Subcommittee: The Senate President is a statutory member.

Ned Benton and Heath Grant were elected.

• Strategic Planning Committee: The Senate President and VP are statutory members.

Ned Benton and Joseph Maldonado were elected.

• Town Hall Planning Committee: The Senate President is a statutory member.

Joseph Maldonado was elected.

8. Review of the Faculty Senate Proposal Regarding Community Hour

At its May 8 meeting, the Senate unanimously approved a proposal from its executive committee, to be submitted to the College Council for its action, whereby community hour as it is now formulated, would become college policy. This is important because as more classes are taught in person, the availability of classrooms becomes more challenging; the Senate doesn’t want classes to be scheduled during CH in response to a possible shortage of classrooms. Subsequently to the May 8 Senate meeting, President Kaplowitz and VP Heath Grant met with Provost Pease, who suggested an amendment to the proposal. So one item of business at the first Senate meeting in the fall will be a consideration of the provost’s requested revision.

President Kaplowitz explained that this demonstrates a few things: first, college policy can be made only by the College Council. Second, the Senate’s executive committee develops proposals for the Senate to consider although others may as well. Indeed, any member of the John Jay community may submit an agenda item to the Senate by emailing it to any member of the Senate Executive Committee. For example, the issue of student recording of class sessions was taken up by the Senate after a member of the Anthropology Department wrote to the president of the Senate asking if John Jay has a policy prohibiting such recordings and, if not, could the Senate bring about such a policy, which it did. Then the Senate invited the Council of Chairs to co-sponsor the proposal at the College Council, which it did. Then the College Council approved the proposed policy; as a result, this is now College policy.

9. New Business

No new business was introduced.

The meeting was adjourned at 12:10 PM.

Provided by H. Grant, A. Kavey, and K. Kaplowitz