With one vote, the University Senate took a new turn in a year-long journey and shrunk the pool of potential University Senate models available by half.
The journey commenced at the beginning of the 2001-2002 school year, when a 12-member committee was commissioned to look into different ways of university governance. The task force ultimately drew up two models: a faculty senate model and a revised senate model.
But because of Thursday's 22-21 vote, faculty must now, in an impending informal vote, choose to either leave the Senate alone or adopt a hybrid of two models crafted last year.
The informal vote is not the final action. It is just a way to measure public opinion.
Mark Popovich, a professor of journalism, served as the chairman of the task force that forged the two models, and he helped create the compromise proposal this summer.
On Thursday, he argued to forgo his previous two models in favor of his latest model because of a lack of consensus.
In an informal vote taken in April, the faculty senate model garnered a small plurality, only seven votes. But when professional personnel were allowed to vote, the revised model won by a vote of 385 to 239.
Popovich was supported by Senator Ray Scheele, a professor of political science and a fellow member of the task force.
Renee Twibell, associate professor of nursing, was the only other member of the task force present at Senate, and she argued against abolishing last year's models.
"To simply wipe away all those models ... is not a good choice for faculty to have to choose between," she said.
The vote Thursday prolonged the year-long odyssey yet again. Even though the informal vote is not binding, if a majority of faculty prefer the compromise proposal, a whole new set of details will need to be ironed out -- details that dictate the number of Senators in the model, who will sit on committees and more.
And those details must then meet the approval of the faculty, and ultimately two-thirds of the University Senate.
"The details are going to have to be hammered out," Popovich said. "I don't know how long it will take."
Popovich, along with the general framework of the compromise model, wrote a 22-page paper describing the details of the model. His work, however, met the same fate as the faculty senate and revised senate model.
A majority of Senators voted against distributing the 22 pages to the rest of the faculty, fearing that it would flood them with too many details when the only issue up for debate is whether to accept a different model or the current system.
John Emert argued that the details had not been reviewed enough. He cited several areas in the 22 pages where text contradicted itself within the same page.
"This document does not have the advantage of being combed by a group," Emert said. "This feels like this is a very rushed job."
Emert, however, did not lament about the differing details to keep them from being distributed. Instead, he was trying to convince the Senators to keep the previous two models open for debate.
Students in the Senate also voted against limiting the alternatives to only the compromise model. Megan Pickens, vice president of Student Government Association, said student Senators had already voiced their support in favor of the revised model.
Pickens said she was also concerned because the compromise model could leave less room for students, though the actual structure and the numbers needed to support it is far from decided.
Also, under the proposed compromise system, students may effectively have more of a voice, because the Student Senate would have guaranteed access to the Senate's agenda committee, which dictates what issues the Senate will see.
Under the current system, Student Senate must first go through the Student and Campus Life Council, a branch of the University Senate.kk>5'>+â-ƒ*FI hate University Senate!!!DNEditorial.'*FUniversity Senate!!!DNEditorialkk>SORT"+â-ä>AUDT
+â-ä+â-à9['+â-á
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
