The University group Proud Students presented the Faculty Senate with a signed “Don’t Sink LSU” banner Tuesday at the monthly Faculty Senate meeting.
Bradley Wood, co-founder of Proud Students and biological sciences and philosophy senior, said the group has collected signatures from students, faculty and staff to endorse the message.
“We want to present this banner to the Faculty Senate to make faculty aware that, yes, historically students are apathetic, but that’s not the case this semester or this year,” Wood said. “We are aware of what is going on, what the Faculty Senate is doing and what the governor is or is not doing.”
Wood said Proud Students and everyone who signed the banner do not want to see the University fall. He also endorsed the upcoming “Rally for Higher Education” on Nov. 10 at the Capitol.
“Hopefully, people in the United States will see that Louisiana will not stand for cuts to higher education,” he said.
Faculty Senate President Kevin Cope applauded the efforts of the students and noted the national attention the Oct. 7 jazz funeral for higher education attracted.
“We owe debt to the most active students for coming up with an idea that managed to focus the eyes of the nation on the unfortunate nature here,” Cope said.
In other action, the Senate heard the second and final reading of Resolution 10-14.1 and 10-14.2, which concerned action to reclaim faculty authority over the curriculum and the recent layoffs.
Resolution 10-14.1, which specifically referred to the layoffs of the “foreign language 14,” was unanimously approved, while 10-14.2, a similar but more in-depth document, raised heavy discussion among the senators.
Controversy surrounded the notion of furloughs in 10-14.2, which the Senate deemed “unlikely.”
Justin Walsh, College of Art and Design senator, first called attention to the emphasis on furloughs, saying, “It’s not our job to suggest solutions.”
Other senators agreed and said the larger issue is the transparency process in selecting which faculty members will be terminated.
Despite attempts to reword clauses and structure, the resolution was not passed.
The Senate was also presented information from Monty Sullivan, executive vice president of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, on statewide transfer programs and the opportunities available.
“In Louisiana we don’t have an effective transfer environment, period,” Sullivan said. “We have a lot of implementation work today, and I’d like to ask your help in that effort to help move us forward.”
In the President’s Report, Cope addressed the issue of laptops in class, among other issues.
“There is no insurgent movement to require laptops on campus,” he said. “I would like to point out that faculty members do have the power to control the decor of the classroom.”
 
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Contact Sydni Dunn at [email protected]