By SHANNON O. WELLS
Senate Council President Robin Kear began her announcements at the Faculty Assembly meeting on March 6 in Posvar Hall with the just-released news that interim Provost Joe McCarthy would serve as Pitt’s next official provost (see related story).
Kear shared the update less than two hours after Chancellor Joan Gabel announced the decision, pending approval by the Board of Trustees, via University email.
“If you haven't seen the news in your email, I'm very pleased to congratulate Joe McCarthy on becoming our next provost,” Kear said. “I think he is an excellent choice to be our next provost, and I look forward to our continuing partnership.”
McCarthy, who has served as interim provost since former Provost Ann Cudd’s departure in June 2023, has worked in the Pitt community since 1998.
“I am also very happy to drop interim off his title. It gets awkward,” Kear quipped. “It was my pleasure to be part of such a great search committee. I want to thank the fellow members. That was a great experience, and I learned so much from them through the whole process.”
Zoom video conferencing renewal
The Senate Computing and Information Technology and Faculty Affairs committees and Pitt Information Technology have discussed the renewal of Pitt’s Zoom virtual meeting software contract. “You may have been approached for feedback on video conferencing software from your department chair or your dean,” she said, noting that there’s an increase in price for Zoom services at the University.
As Pitt also uses Teams and other video-conferencing software, the University is offering departmental deans a choice of which level of Zoom they want to renew for their school, Kear said, “because Zoom also has different tiers.”
Those who feel strongly about keeping particular Zoom products for their school should let their department chair or dean know directly. “I'm not sure how the deans will be gathering feedback on that, but our two Senate committees are interested in that question,” she.
Assistance and therapy animals policy
Bridget Keown, chair of the Equity, Inclusion and Anti-Discrimination Advocacy (EIADAC) committee, updated Faculty Assembly on the Assistance Animals, Therapy Animals, and Pets Policy.
Policy working group leaders Leigh Culley, director of Disability Resources and Services, and Tony Graham, senior policy specialist in Policy Development and Management, attended the Feb. 9 EIADAC meeting to detail what led to the draft policy.
“From this discussion, we came to appreciate the time, effort, sustained discussions and multiple edits and revisions that have contributed to this policy,” Keown said, noting that the policy represented several years of work, “not only because of the changes necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, but also because the committee came to appreciate and consider the other roles that animals on campus play.”
These include “assistance animals,” or service/support animals, animals in training to fulfill service/support roles, and therapy animals, including the Therapy Dog Tuesdays at Pitt event held at the Cathedral of Learning. “We appreciated that they invested the time and insight necessary to negotiate the presence and roles of these animals on campus,” she said.
Keown added that the committee “understood the many levels of responsibility and regulation that such a policy requires, from the individual to the institutional, as well as the local to the federal in terms of regulations and requirements.”
The policy acknowledges and relies on existing University regulations, Americans with Disabilities Act regulations and other institutionalized policies where necessary, she said, and remains flexible enough to accommodate individual student needs and requests “when those regulations fall short.”
The policy also incorporates the community by specifying appropriate behavior around these animals, and the kinds of questions that can be asked about a service animal in a specific place.
“In our discussion with Tony and Leigh, we were pleased that they had already addressed our questions, which included limits on the kind of animals that people can bring on campus, and how the issue of allergies should be negotiated,” Keown said, such as if someone is allergic to a species or breed of animal.
Based on public comments received during the policy formation process, a Frequently Asked Questions page is being assembled that Keown said “hopefully will provide high-level answers for broad issues that are coming up more often, including the ‘what ifs,’ or how people navigate these policies,” such as the case of “dueling disabilities,” as in someone being allergic to a service animal.
“In addition to our confidence in the policy, this discussion provided confidence to the members of EIADAC that this policy is a sustainable one for the future,” she added, noting EIADAC’s move to support the service animal policy passed a quorum vote.
Although audio connection problems in the Posvar Hall conference room hampered communications between those in the room and those participating virtually via Teams, a discussion led to some grammar- and language-related changes, as well as a question about the policy’s specific mention of “miniature horses.”
“I can tell you that the federal law actually identifies the miniature horses and dogs, specifically,” Keown explained.
Faculty Assembly approved the draft policy resolution with 33 voting yes, one voting no, and two abstentions. The draft policy will move to Senate Council, when it meets on March 21.
Shannon O. Wells is a writer for the University Times. Reach him at shannonw@pitt.edu.
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