Editor's note: This story makes reference to an Oct. 24 event that was ultimately cancelled by University Police and Public Safety due to safety concerns. Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi has issued a statement on the cancelation of the event.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — At its Oct. 18 meeting, the Penn State Faculty Senate heard remarks from University leadership denouncing a pair of upcoming speakers and providing updates on student conduct and conflict resolution processes. The senate also passed a package of interrelated updates to the University’s general education policies and undertook two items of business intended to make the senate’s governing documents and meetings more accessible and easily understood.  

University leadership updates 

Penn State Interim Executive Vice President and Provost Justin Schwartz, as well Faculty Senate Chair Michele Stine, both denounced an event originally planned on Oct. 24 featuring speakers they characterized as promoting vile and hateful ideology. While they acknowledged that Penn State has a constitutional obligation to uphold free speech of the speakers, invited by a student organization, both Schwartz and Stine encouraged all members of the Penn State community to attend the alterative events planned to celebrate the diversity of the Penn State community and build a greater understanding of political provocateurs. 

“There is no question these speakers spread repugnant, denigrating and hateful rhetoric. This event is not an endorsement of the speakers’ views in any way, but rather an endorsement of the first amendment and the freedom of speech,” Schwartz said, adding that the best response to hateful speech is speech that promotes and celebrates diversity, such as the “Together We Are” event planned for the same evening. “As difficult as it can often be, we need to stay true to the principle of open dialogue, which is a fundamental part of academic freedom and the Faculty Senate.” 

President Neeli Bendapudi shared updates about some of her strategic goals for the University. She encouraged all members of the Penn State community to participate in Advocate Penn State, which is an important effort to support the University’s requests to the Pennsylvania Legislature to provide the same level of funding on a per-student basis that is provided to other state-related institutions. Bendapudi also noted she is finishing her initial visits to all of Penn State’s Commonwealth Campuses this week, and identified closing gaps in student graduation rates at certain campuses as a key focus of the University’s leadership. 

Bendapudi identified the strategic and intentional recruiting of diverse faculty members at all ranks, attracting high-quality and diverse staff members while providing professional development opportunities, and evaluating the University’s policies and procedures to find opportunities to make Penn State nimbler as an institution as key areas of focus where she is working with leaders and stakeholders across the University. 

The senate also participated in a discussion with Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Danny Shaha; Vice President for Student Affairs Damon Sims; and Katy Larkin, senior director for the Office of Student Accountability and Conflict Response, about the outcomes of a series of recent listening sessions with faculty based on concerns with student misconduct inside and outside the classroom. In those listening sessions faculty shared their experiences reporting issues of harassment or safety concerns to the University.  Larkin said this faculty input has been used to update the  Student Code of Conduct, clarifying that the code applies to both in-person and virtual spaces. The updated code also includes a new section detailing the jurisdiction related to virtual spaces and University-sponsored events. While many of these updates already were in progress before the faculty listening sessions, Shaha said these sessions affirmed the need for these additional services and helped the University more fully refine these changes. 

Larkin also shared that the Office of Student Accountability and Conflict Response, formerly known as the Office of Student Conduct, has updated its name and expanded its scope to also offer conflict resolution services, facilitated dialogue, sessions focused on restorative practices between aggrieved parties, and one-on-one conflict coaching for faculty and staff.  Shaha said that Student Affairs also is working with other departments, including the Office of Affirmative Action, University Police and Public Safety, Ethics and Compliance and the Behavioral Threat Management Team, to better communicate to faculty members and unit leadership what resources are available to support faculty across the University. 

General education updates, making the senate more accessible 

After a robust discussion, the senate agreed to a set of updates to nine interrelated University policies connected to general education requirements. The updates were developed in close collaboration with faculty, stakeholders and leadership across the University, including the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, and were designed to streamline Penn State’s general education policies and bring them in line with current practices already in use across the University. Among other clarifications, the updates remove the “Linked Course” course designation. The updates also streamline the process through which a student can request a one-time authorization to use three general education credits from one area of study to satisfy a three-credit requirement in another area by creating an automated option to make this request through LionPath.  

The senate also passed a revision to its standing rules to officially move from operating its meetings under Robert’s Rules of Orders to instead using the American Institute of Parliamentarians Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure (AIPSC). Keith Shapiro, the senate’s parliamentarian, said AIPSC is a more modern and streamlined approach to parliamentary procedure with more resources and support for understanding how its rules are intended to be used—which should make meetings easier to run and to follow. The senate also discussed a second proposed update to its standing rules that would introduce a set of standardized formatting guidelines intended to make the senate’s governing documents more consistent and easier to read. The senate will vote on the proposal at an upcoming meeting. 

The Senate Committee on Faculty Benefits also shared a report on medical and prescription drug insurance, noting that Penn State will begin a new contract with Highmark Blue Shield as the University’s health insurance plan administrator on Jan. 1, 2023. Plan designs, premiums, deductibles and copayments for 2023 will remain the same as in 2022. Penn State Human Resources has set up a frequently asked questions webpage with more information about the switch to Highmark Blue Shield for members of the Penn State community. Reminders about the switch also will be included in communications prior to and throughout the forthcoming open enrollment period, which begins Nov. 1.  

Other business 

The senate also: 

• Heard a report from Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations Rich Bundy about the success of the recently concluded “A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence” fundraising campaign; 

• Added diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) to the standing charges of its Committee on Libraries, Information Systems, and Technology, as part of the senate’s ongoing effort to add DEI to the charges of each of its committees, and; 

• Heard informational updates on recent revisions to Penn State’s policies on disclosure and management of financial interests and addressing allegations of research misconduct.  

The next regular meeting of the Penn State Faculty Senate will take place on Nov. 29 at 1:30 p.m. in 112 Kern Building on the University Park campus, and will also be livestreamed via Zoom.