The LSU Faculty Senate had an eventful semester, passing resolutions on everything from environmental quality to free speech.
As its first piece of legislation for spring 2015, the Faculty Senate approved a resolution expressing its discontent with Gov. Bobby Jindal’s prayer rally, “The Response,” held at the PMAC on Jan. 24.
The event was sponsored by the American Family Association, an organization classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Though it did not pass unanimously, many senators were outspoken against “the anti-scientific, anti-intellectual, and prejudiced ideology of the AFA,” according to Resolution 15-01.
In a different matter concerning free speech, the Senate also approved a resolution for March 2017 to open talks with LSU President F. King Alexander about seeking removal from the American Association of University Professors censure list.
The AAUP is a non-profit organization that holds the rights of instructors and professors, including academic freedom and free speech, as its top priority.
Alexander sent a letter to the AAUP in January stating he would take no further action toward removal. Resolution 15-05 aims to reopen those talks.
Students will feel the direct effect of Faculty Senate legislation when plus/minus grading begins next semester.
Though the resolution did not pass this semester, students received a broadcast email reminding them of the upcoming change to the grading scale.
A subsequent resolution could change the attendance policy as well, but there is no timeline as to when such a resolution would be brought to the Senate or when the change would be implemented.
“There is a fairly salient problem with regard to attendance at the entry level classes, particularly the general education classes,” Faculty Senate President Kevin Cope told The Daily Reveille in March. “This does have a serious and adverse effect on student success, graduation rate.”
The Tubal-Cain Marine Services barge-cleaning facility potentially to be constructed near the University also gave some senators alarm.
Though the Faculty Senate passed a resolution in February 2015 urging Alexander to invite the Department of Environmental Quality to hold a public forum on campus, no meeting has been scheduled.
University Museum of Natural Science Curator Judith Schiebout, an author of the resolution, attributed the standstill to Alexander’s attention being directed at closing the potential 82 percent cut to higher education.
“I know that this has been brought to the attention of President Alexander, who’s probably a little short on attention right now,” Schiebout told The Daily Reveille.
The Faculty Senate also introduced legislation in April 2015 which would again bring it into the statewide conversation on Jindal’s executive budget.
Resolution 15-10, to be read again at the May meeting, urges Alexander and members of the legislature to “find budget solutions that will allow for the full funding of the entirety of Louisiana higher education.”
The Louisiana State Legislature is currently in session and balancing the budget is high on the agenda.
The last meeting of the semester will be held Thursday May 6 at 3 p.m., in the Student Union International Room.
Representatives of Student Government will present their findings on limiting the number of midterms given in a 24-hour period.
Many members of the Faculty Senate were skeptical after reading the bill in April, and it is unclear what the fate of the resolution will be.