Faculty Senate cited a need for more research in its decision to postpone further debate on a resolution for investing money into higher education during its monthly meeting Tuesday.
The Senate also unanimously passed three resolutions at the meeting and had opening discussions on topics such as changes to Thanksgiving break and the concentrated study period.
Senators debated a resolution urging increased investments in higher education, presented by Justin Walsh, School of Art senator.
Joseph Legoria, Accounting Department senator, said he feels the Legislature and Board of Regents are tired of hearing about the need to increase spending to higher education and that the wording implies a raise in taxes.
The resolution was then amended to read “increase in investments” instead of spending.
As the debate on the resolution continued, Chancellor Michael Martin jumped in from the gallery of the Senate Chambers.
Martin said he does not want to go to the Legislature with a resolution showing the University needs to do more research.
“There’s a lot of homework that needs to be done,” Martin said about the resolution.
After Martin’s input, the Senate unanimously voted to postpone any further debate on the resolution until meeting on March 17.
The Faculty Senate also briefly passed around ideas for possibly making Thanksgiving break a week long, and the resolution will be voted upon later in the semester.
Student Government representatives presented a resolution regarding the concentrated study period, also known as “dead week,” as new business, meaning the resolution would not be voted upon.
SG asked Faculty Senate to change the policy to say coursework outside of class projects are prohibited during dead week.
“This is a revision to the current policy,” said Jeffrey Wale, SG director of academics.
SG Sen. Scott Sullivan, College of Science, said when a professor gives an assignment worth 10 percent of a student’s grade during the concentrated study period and the final the following week, a large portion of the grade is decided at the end of the semester.
Sullivan also said the point of concentrated study time is to give students preparation time for the exam.
Faculty Senate offered many ideas for the resolution, such as allowing quizzes and graded assignments that help students prepare for the exam, and asked SG to consider the ideas before the resolution is voted upon.
 
 
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Contact Celeste Ansley at [email protected]