VIDEO: Faculty and Staff Town Hall

Wednesday’s virtual Town Hall featured updates from leadership and Q&A on parking, AI, online education and several other topics

Editor’s note: On Wednesday, Aug. 26, UND held a Town Hall meeting via Zoom for faculty and staff. A video of the Town Hall with closed captions available is above, while below is a list of the questions asked and answered in the video. Time stamps are included for readers’ reference ahead of each question.

Start-of-year updates are provided in the first 20 minutes by President Andy Armacost, Provost Eric Link, Associate Vice President Peggy Varberg, Vice President Scott Snyder and Charlie Gorecki, CEO of the UND Energy & Environmental Research Center.

A letter from President Armacost was sent to faculty and staff the morning of the Town Hall to provide an update on the job architecture and employee compensation work undertaken by Human Resources — a topic also discussed in the first 20 minutes of the Town Hall.

Questions asked and answered during the Town Hall follow:

Time of question — 20:04 – Peggy Varberg, there was talk at state level of possible cost saving changes to the medical coverage. Has there been any talk of these changes to the benefits?

21:58 – The next question is for Peggy as well. It seems that many departments are short staffed, are there any current or expected hiring freezes?

22:23 – Our next question is for Jen Duffy. There was quite a significant jump in parking permits, especially for anyone without a special reserve or parking ramp spot. Could you explain why the increase happened now and why increases will continue through 2030. What, if any, accommodations are being made for those who cannot afford it? Will there be sliding scale for those who make under a certain salary or wage?

24:38 – Question for our CIO, Madhavi Marasinghe. When can faculty and staff expect guidance about AI use on campus? For example, in relation to teaching, research or any general work responsibilities. And how can people get involved if they want to assist in the process? Where can they find UND-based training resources if they’re interested in AI.

27:33 – Chief Rodney Clark, a lot of security cameras have been installed in Aerospace buildings over the summer. Before last year, UND had a policy on data retention that said recorded video must be stored for a period of 30 days and will then be erased unless retained as part of a criminal investigation or court proceeding. Now the policy says cameras must be capable of continuous or motion-activated recording and retain footage for a minimum of 30 days. And this series contains video recordings from security cameras from across campus. Activity ceases when the recordings are no longer useful. The question is: What does no longer useful mean and who decides?

29:56 – Brian Larson, the question is regarding recycling. Does UND have its own recycling process that’s separate from the City of Grand Forks? If so, where does it go?

30:51 – President Armacost, online students contribute significantly at UND, but there’s the understanding that the legislature is seeking to reduce the amount of funding they provide for online students. Is UND emphasizing that these online students do benefit the state? For example, some online students make connections during their time at UND with companies in North Dakota and move here for work after graduating. Can you expand on that?

32:30 – Peggy Varberg, with increasing pressure to reduce or eliminate hybrid work options for staff, there’s a concern that these changes are contributing to staff attrition, which is then followed by the elimination or recategorization of vacant positions. Has the university evaluated the potential impact of these changes on retention and the loss of institutional knowledge? If so, how has that risk weighed in the decision to reduce hybrid work options?

35:32 – Donna Smith, could you give us a quick update on how the campus is doing with digital accessibility?

39:57 – Vice President Scott Snyder, some recent federal grant guidance are suggesting that lower than negotiated indirect rates will make grants more competitive. What is the guidance that you have for preparing grant applications, on indirect rates?

41:24 – Peggy Varberg, what are the caveats, if any, with regard to hiring international students in faculty or staff roles, particularly those who need sponsorship for optional practical or STEM-optimal training? It seems like in general the Pan-US trend is that those who need sponsorship are in limbo.

42:41 – Jen Duffy, for those of us with reserved spots, it’s incredibly frustrating to come to campus and find someone in your reserved space. We pay a lot for these spots and nothing appears to be done when there’s a repeat offender, or even when it happens only once. We’re still displaced when this happens. What are the plans to protect people who are paying for these spots?

43:49 – Madhavi Marasinghe, is there a full integration of Microsoft Copilot with Office 365 that is being considered?

45:03 – Peggy Varberg and others invited to answer. There are a lot of students working on campus. Has there ever been any thought to letting those online students who are allowed to work for the University, especially in summertime … A student takes one online class and is only allowed to work 20 hours. Can you elaborate if there’s any thought about getting more of our online students engaged in on-campus employment?

48:20 – Donna Smith, will UND be hiring another part-time person to review the ACRs and VPATs as part of the procurement process after Emily Ogle’s contract is up at the end of September?

49:27 – Jen Duffy, how has the changes to the use of Gamble Hall affected the availability of parking across different areas of campus? Will there be a relocation of the parking spaces in response?

50:27 – President Armacost closes with tribute to Dolly Parton, quoting her on the concept of generosity: “It seems like the more I give, the more I get. That’s the way it’s supposed to go in life.”