Grace Wallace
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The Butler University Faculty Senate has yet to make a decision on whether to endorse the proposed College of Communication.
Tuesday’s meeting was anticipated to hold the final vote as to whether or not the Senate would be endorsing the addition of the new college. The proposal had already been delayed at the Feb. 16 meeting to allow for a faculty-wide forum to take place in order to answer questions.
Senate members voiced their concerns toward making a final vote.
Jordan College of Fine Arts (JCFA) dance professor Stephan Laurent said, “I feel like a Republican. I feel like this is being rushed upon us.”
Laurent took command of the discussion, voicing his concerns that the opposition of endorsing a new college from JCFA and LAS has not been allowed to come forward. He said that though there have been discussions in departments of both colleges, there has never been a vote to determine what the departments want.
“Conversing does not mean consent,” Laurent said.
A main concern is that the greater faculty voice has not been considered in this process, and they are worried about what it means for their jobs, Laurent said.
Associate Professor of English Bill Watts said he agreed the endorsement was not only being rushed, but was also poorly approached.
“Convergence is realized on the curriculum,” Watts said. “Why are we starting with an administrative structure, not a curriculum structure?”
Journalism Department Chair Nancy Whitmore said prolonging the process of endorsing the new college was not necessary and that those who the change would most affect should have the voice.
"What about what the faculty in those programs want rather than what you don’t want?” Whitmore asked. “All you’re doing is hurting the students.”
No final vote on the endorsement of the new College of Communication was taken and the Senate motioned to close discussion. With only 14 members in favor, 10 members in favor of continuing discussion and 2 abstaining from a vote, the motion did not pass. A two-thirds majority was needed to pass the motion.
Faculty Senate Chair Jeanne VanTyle said the next step in the process would be to take a university-wide faculty vote on whether to endorse the proposal. To be approved, the endorsement would need 40 percent of the faculty to be in favor.
VanTyle said the approval of the faculty is necessary before the endorsement can progress any further, because University President Bobby Fong is very hesitant to bring any proposals to the Board of Trustees without Faculty Senate approval.
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