LSU’s Faculty Senate had its final meeting of the year on Tuesday.
At the meeting, the Senate held elections for new seats. Daniel Tirone, a political science professor, was reelected for a third term as president, and Kenneth Lopata, a chemistry professor, was elected vice president.
French studies professor Rosemary Peters was elected secretary, and the two at-large members elected were Kyla Kazuschyk of the School of Theater and Kristen Healy of the entomology department.
Tirone announced the search for the senior vice chancellor and provost is nearing completion. The finalists have visited campus, and a decision is expected by the end of the semester.
During the meeting, Tirone also reported that the Faculty Senate Ad Hoc Generative AI Committee survey was distributed to over 27,000 students. This survey aims to gather data on how students are utilizing AI in their academic work to inform future policies.
“We are not here to ban technology but to provide a framework,” said Faculty Senate Vice President Parampreet Singh. “The goal of the ad hoc committee is to ensure faculty have the autonomy to decide how these tools fit into their pedagogy while maintaining the highest standards of academic honesty.”
A major concern was Grammarly’s generative capabilities, which allow students to use the editing software to create entire paragraphs. The resolution seeks to provide a version of the tool that turns off these specific features, ensuring students receive grammatical help without bypassing the actual writing process.
The purpose of the initiative is to give professors and students explicit foundations for syllabus language and academic integrity.
The Senate also discussed revising PS-104. The policy outlines the formal procedures for the dismissal of faculty members. It is designed to balance the university’s need for professional intervention and accountability with protection of academic freedom and due process.
“We streamlined the process so that every complaint, regardless of nature, administrative or academic, goes through the faculty review committee,” Inessa Bazayev said. “It’s a very efficient process, so whoever is filing the complaint will need enough evidence for this process to kick in.”
Faculty do not control this policy, but their endorsement acts as a signal to the chancellor that they support these revisions.
