MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE
BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT
OF NEWTON-McDONALD COUNTIES, MISSOURI
July 27, 2020
Members present for the meeting were:
Andy Wood, Chair
Diane Andris, Member
Vickie Barnes, Treasurer
Rick Butler, Vice Chair
Al Chapman, Secretary
Larry Vancuren, Member
Also attending the meeting were:
Glenn Coltharp, President
Martha Nimmo, Administrative Assistant to the President
Jim Cullumber, Director of Institutional Advancement
Aaron Divine, Director, McDonald County Instructional Center
Helen Hale, Student Success Center Coordinator
Adam Morris, Vice President of Academic Affairs
Amy Rand, Vice President of Finance
Tiffany Slinkard, Vice President of Student Affairs
Al Stadler, Vice President of Information Services
Jamie Ward, Associate Vice President of Student Affairs
A few moments of silence were observed to prepare for the meeting.
Minutes of Previous Meeting
Minutes of the June 22 regular meeting were approved as written and previously distributed.
Financial Reports
Mr. Wood noted the monthly cash flow statement. Dr. Coltharp reviewed the checks written, selecting various checks on each page to point out. He and the vice presidents responded to additional questions from Board members as needed. Dr. Coltharp noted the annual renewal payment for Turnitin software that allows instructors to check student papers for plagiarism.
He explained that water fountains are currently closed, but we are adding water bottle refilling stations as a safer option using Cares Act funds. He said we have been successfully using individuals from Teen Challenge International for some mowing services.
Mr. Wood noted two sets of checks needing approval for June 8-30 and July 1-7, 2020. Checks in the amount of $973,582.47 were approved ON MOTION by Mr. Butler, seconded by Mr. Vancuren, and unanimously carried.
The rest of the current fund balances and agency accounts were reviewed. Mr. Wood noted this is the end-of-year report, and the revenue and expenses are down from last year because of the ransomeware event and the pandemic.
Dr. Coltharp concurred saying our reserve funds are still holding strong. He said we shut down the revenue areas that needed to be closed for safety purposes while expenses continued, and our employees are very appreciative of the fact the Board continued paying employees during the time period when the college went completely online. Discussion took place regarding current effects of the pandemic and how it is being handled in our area.
Dr. Coltharp reported that Transport Training is running again. Brief discussion took place regarding the Training and Development Solutions budget and program. VP Rand noted that the Maddox Hill Center conducted face-to-face summer school at those schools that provided it, and the Center did a great job of adjusting their services this spring. The rest of the Centers were reviewed.
Dr. Morris reported that the Centers shared instructors for online classes over the summer in order to pool resources. Dr. Coltharp reported there was a virtual site visit for the McDonald County Nursing Program and Nevada Nursing Program recently that both went very well.
Mr. Wood noted that the Joplin ATTC budget looks good. Regarding the Bookstore budget, VP Rand said it is lower than expected due to both the pandemic and more students purchasing books through other venues. She said some students do not purchase books at all, and some faculty are creating their own textbooks in an effort to combat textbook costs.
Dr. Coltharp and the vice presidents responded to various questions. When asked, Dr. Coltharp confirmed that athletes will be in the dorms even though fall sports are cancelled, and they will have limited opportunities to practice and scrimmage. Mr. Wood continued reviewing the revenues and expenses saying our income was $5.5M off of budget and expenses were $4.8M off leaving us about $700,000 in the red.
Dr. Coltharp said our reserves remain at 19.5%, which is not as high as last year, but still higher than the two previous years. He said this is wonderful considering this year’s difficulties although at least 19 positions have been eliminated, the majority of them through vacancies that are not being filled.
Personnel
Dr. Coltharp recommended approval of the following seven resignations: Sierra Anderson, Administrative Assistant, Physical Plant; Devon Estes, Graphic Design Instructor; Chris Fenske, Business Instructor; Jessica Gilmet, Behavior Technician, Maddox Hill Center; Kaleb Hartgrave, Behavior Technician, Maddox Hill Center; Ashley McConnell, Behavior Specialist, Maddox Hill Center, and Steven Wilson, Automotive Technology Instructor. Mr. Wood noted that Chris Fenske has been with the College for ten years. A MOTION to approve all seven resignations with thanks for their service was made by Mrs. Andris, seconded by Mrs. Barnes and unanimously carried. Dr. Coltharp noted that the first three positions listed will not be re-filled.
Dr. Coltharp recommended approval of the following four employments: Roxanne Guess, Allied Health Instructor; Michaela Mack, Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach; Jennifer Payton, Custodian, and Jody Richards, Computer Technology Instructor, CTEC. A MOTION to approve all four employments as recommended was made by Mrs. Barnes, seconded by Mr. Vancuren and unanimously carried.
Facilities Corporation Directors
VP Rand reported the Crowder College Facilities Corporation was organized for the sole purpose of issuing bonds when needed for the College to build or purchase facilities. The Corporation Directors serve three-year rotating terms and meet annually each July to select new members.
Ms. Rand said the group met virtually July 7, and Cary Marion’s term expired. She said he was voted in for an additional three-year term, and next July there are two members scheduled to rotate off. Ms. Rand said they do not meet during the year unless needed, and we are looking at possibly refinancing our 2015 bond series for some interest savings. She said an RFP was sent to banks last week, and they have three weeks to respond.
Ms. Rand said if there is about a $10,000 annual savings, we will refinance with approval by the Facilities Corporation and final approval by the Board in August or September. When asked, she said the underwriter and attorney fees are factored in to the potential savings amount. Without further discussion, a MOTION to approve the updated slate of Facilities Corporation Directors was made by Mr. Vancuren, seconded by Mr. Butler and unanimously carried.
Conflict of Interest Resolution
Mr. Wood said approving this Conflict of Interest Resolution allows Board members to not have to complete annual Financial Disclosure statements for the Missouri Ethics Commission. Dr. Coltharp concurred. When asked, Mr. Wood said the Resolution content comes out of the Missouri state statute and has not changed over the years. A MOTION to approve the Conflict of Interest Resolution provided was made by Mrs. Andris, seconded by Mrs. Barnes and unanimously carried.
Title IX Update
VP Slinkard reported Title IX is a federal law to protect people from discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance. She said a student or participant cannot be denied the benefit of participating in an educational activity on the basis of sex, and the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) enforces and investigates all complaints alleging sex discrimination. VP Slinkard said we were told in November 2018 to expect new Title IX regulations, and the Final Rule was finally released on May 6, 2020. The 2,000-page document takes effect on August 14, 2020.
VP Slinkard said currently if a student or staff member believed they were denied a benefit due to sex discrimination, we would expect all trained staff members to make a report to one of the Title IX Coordinators. Michelle Paul is the Coordinator representing employees; Jamie Ward and Tif Slinkard are the Coordinators representing students.
She said we would talk with the person making the complaint (the Complainant), and we would determine whether the allegation potentially meets the standard of violating Title IX and agree to conduct an investigation. She said the Title IX Coordinator would notify the Respondent (the person alleged to have committed the offense) and would meet individually with both parties to take statements. She said both parties could have an Advisor (or attorney) present, but the Advisor is not allowed to speak on their behalf.
Once all of the evidence is gathered, a draft report is completed and distributed to both parties, and they have five days to respond. Both parties are allowed to provide comments and cross examination questions.
Once the five days is completed, the comments, cross examination portions and responses are all added to the report. She said once that portion of the investigation is completed, there is a determination made by the Title IX Coordinator and possible sanctions issued.
She said both parties are given an opportunity to appeal. VP Slinkard said all of that is done in the Single Investigator Model, which is now changing as of August 14.
VP Slinkard reviewed a list of the notable changes some of which were implemented in November 2018. She said one of the major changes is that the Complainant now has control over the college’s response. She said Crowder would now respect the Complainant’s wishes to not conduct an investigation if they so choose and Crowder is not required to investigate unless the Complainant initiates a formal complaint. She said Crowder could still conduct an investigation if The Title IX Coordinator wishes to make the formal complaint but they do not have to do so. She said Crowder must offer supportive measures to the Complainant to ensure education access, safety, and to deter further harassment even if the Complainant does not file a formal complaint.
VP Slinkard said the new ruling now holds Crowder to a different standard in that we will not violate Title IX as long as we respond promptly and are not accused of being “deliberately indifferent” or ignoring the complaint. She said investigating every complaint is not required, and victim advocacy groups were very disappointed by this new standard.
VP Slinkard said the major change in procedures is that there will now be no Single Investigator Model. She said both parties must have an Advisor present, and if they do not select one, we must provide a trained Advisor. She said the grievance process will include the Title IX Coordinator investigating and providing the report as in the past, and then the entire report will be turned over to a Decision Maker who will conduct a live hearing in which cross-examination is done by both Advisors. She said we believe our associate vice presidents and vice presidents will be trained to serve as Decision Makers. She said it will now take at least five employees to conduct the entire process of an investigation, a live hearing and an appeal.
VP Slinkard said we will continue to use the “preponderance of evidence” standard in which it is more likely than not (50% or more) that an event occurred for final decisions. She said there were not as many cases to investigate this past year, and we have been working with a law firm out of St. Louis for legal issues and policy guidance in this area.
Further discussion took place, and VP Slinkard responded to questions saying documenting our actions is key to Crowder’s legal protection. Mr. Wood noted that the “deliberately indifferent” standard would be nearly impossible to prove legally. The Board thanked her for the great report.
SSC Testing and Tutoring Program Review
Ms. Helen Hale reported the Student Success Center includes advising, retention and enrollment as well as testing and tutoring. She said the Testing Center (318 McDonald Hall) was remodeled a few years ago when the state changed from GED to HiSET (a computerized test) so a dedicated computer testing area was needed. She said there is one full-time Testing Specialist along with two SSC Advisors who fill in as needed.
Ms. Hale said students register and pay for tests online through RegisterBlast, and if we receive at least seven paid proctoring services on RegisterBlast, we do not receive a bill, so the fee varies from month to month depending on usage. Ms. Hale showed the list of tests given including make-up testing for various courses, HiSET testing, placement testing using ACCUPLACER, Graduation exit exams, and CLEP exams.
Technical skills assessments are given for business students and MEGA (MoGEA and Paraprofessional) tests are provided for the Education department. She said proctoring services are provided for other colleges and businesses when asked for those services.
She said ACT Residual testing is given for Nursing, Vet Tech and OTA students that require ACT results, and the Residual test results are only for use at Crowder College. She said ACT has contacted us about providing ACT testing in a computerized environment, which may take place in the future.
Ms. Hale showed the breakdown of how many tests have been given over the past three years in each area saying the 2019-20 numbers are down in comparison to previous years. She said there are 14 computer stations in the Center, which were limited until masks on campus became the official policy.
Ms. Hale reported peer tutoring is provided in three formats: one-to-one, small groups, or dedicated tutors for athletics. She said data shows that 86% of students who are involved in tutoring enroll for the next semester or graduate, and on average, 70% of students will pass the course with a D or better. She said many of the excellent students become tutors themselves. She showed the trend of the number of students tutored and hours they received tutoring; the decrease could be related to the decrease in enrollment.
Ms. Hale said the number one request for tutoring is for Anatomy & Physiology with Quantitative Reasoning as the second highest request. She said we also provide online tutoring through Brainfuse that is accessed through Blackboard. She said there is a user-friendly app for it, and students can chat live with a tutor or submit a question or an essay for review with a response within twenty-four hours.
Ms. Hale said each student is given three hours per semester of free Brainfuse tutoring, and additional time can be requested. She said College Algebra and College Writing are the top requests for tutoring in Brainfuse every semester. She said some instructors even require students to submit at least one paper to Brainfuse for review to encourage use of the service. Ms. Hale responded to questions, and the Board thanked her for the good report.
State of the College Update
Dr. Coltharp reported we wanted to show the Board the State of the College report that we will be giving employees at All Staff Day. He said instead of about two hundred employees being together in the EPC auditorium on All Staff Day, we have changed the format to four different identical sessions so that staff can be spread into smaller groups in the Wright Conference Center while still receiving the same information with their colleagues.
He said we are live streaming one of the sessions to the off campus sites as well as doing a ZOOM meeting with them so that they can ask questions as needed. He said the objective of the day is to both provide information as well as allow employees to ask any questions they may have during these challenging times. Dr. Coltharp began by providing the finance portion of the report along with an overall update on the College.
VP Slinkard provided information about appropriate Covid-19 responses and policies. Dr. Morris spoke about the initial Instructional Continuation Plan for Fall 2020 including the need to be ready to move to online classes at a moment’s notice.
VP Stadler reviewed a list of projects that are in process to support moving staff and students to a more virtual and electronic environment. In conclusion, Dr. Coltharp said together there is no better team of vice presidents in Missouri than what we have at Crowder College to deal with the issues that we are currently facing.
President’s Update
Dr. Coltharp provided updated copies of the Board Planning Guide and the Program Review list for Board members to review as needed. The Board thanked him for his good work.
Adjournment
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