The faculty met April 2 to discuss amendments to the Faculty Senate constitution as proposed by the committee jointly chaired by Provost Robert Palazzo and Larry Kagan, professor of art and deposed chair of the Faculty Senate. The changes were then referred to a general faculty vote that started on Monday and will conclude today.
The changes were developed in an attempt to streamline the makeup and procedures of the Senate, as well as to bring them in line with directives from the Board of Trustees. Specifically, the revised document distinguishes between voting (tenured and tenure-track faculty) and non-voting senators (representative of other constituencies), redefines the officer and committee structures, and changes certain Senate and faculty meeting procedures.
The referendum that would enact the changes is split into two parts. The first addresses the concerns of the Board that, if passed, may lead to the reinstatement of the Senate as a formal representative body—a status that it lost last summer due to its noncompliance with the aforementioned concerns. The second half of the ballot details issues that are more procedural that the Palazzo-Kagan committee hopes will not affect the Board’s acceptance of the Senate.
