UC members present: Babcock, Sandgren (chair), Papp, Tejedo-Herrero, Thibeault

Others: Greg Bump, Michelle Felber, Matt Mayrl, Jane Richard, Jake Smith

 

Sandgren call the meeting to order at 1:46.

 

Lori Reesor, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, reported that students could respond to a mental health survey and that there’s money for mental health training for instructors in the fall. A co-responder program with UWPD and University Health Services (UHS) responds to mental health concerns. Regarding sexual assault, UHS has recently added more counselors and advocates in this area. They are contemplating how to arrange a call system to provide more coverage on nights and weekends.

 

Two student spaces housing the American Indian Student and Cultural Center and MEChA are slated to be demolished for a new academic building. Vice Chancellor Reesor’s office is working to find another space for these organizations.

 

Sarah Nolan from UHS met with student leaders to discuss the having student wellness ambassadors in student organizations and in non-housing group living situations. The ambassadors would help better inform students about resources available and combat misinformation.

 

Sandgren moved to convene in closed session; it was seconded and approved at 2:07. Two tenure clock extensions and one leave of absence were approved.

Sandgren moved to reconvene in open session; it was seconded and approved at 2:32.

The minutes of the meeting of March 28, 2022 were approved by consent with several corrections.

 

The UC continued discussions on whether to create an ad hoc committee on divestment/sustainability and what the charge of the committee would be.

 

Rebecca Blank, Chancellor, shared that there would be three finalists for the Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration visiting next week. The Board of Regents will be meeting April 7 and 8 with a sustainability presentation including UW-Madison leaders in this area on Thursday afternoon.

 

She visited the Wisconsin delegation in Washington DC last week. UW-Madison was successful in getting about $82 million in earmarks during the budget process including $40 million to replace a federal seed facility.

 

Sandgren adjourned the meeting at 3:16.