Ohio University Faculty Senate passed three proposals, and an unscheduled resolution to disband Tier III was defeated by only a 22 to 20 vote.
David Ingram, Education Policy and Student Affairs Committee chairman, presented a resolution allowing capstone courses, final courses that are required by individual departments, to be used to fulfill the Tier III requirement.
The resolution puts Tier III in the hands of the department rather than the college, and with more students taking capstone courses, the enrollment in Tier III will decrease, allowing for easier acquisition of a Tier III course, Ingram said.
Many senators said simply revising Tier III was not enough; and completely dissolving it was the best solution. Chemical Engineering Senator Daniel Gulino interrupted with a resolution to suspend Tier III as a graduation requirement. The impromptu resolution was met with a split discussion, heated dissension and opposition.
I have a major problem with getting rid of a requirement we've provided for 20 years simply because it isn't convenient for us to offer
said Ken Brown, chemistry and biochemistry senator.
Other senators said Tier III was no longer appropriate because the initial goal of offering an interdisciplinary course tying together students' entire college careers through creative research was not being realized.
I've been teaching a Tier III course for years and every quarter I ask my students who is taking the class merely because it was the only class they could get into that met their schedules-two-thirds of them say yes Gulino said. It's a nice thing to have but we can't offer it the way it was intended.
Phyllis Bernt, senate chairwoman, ceased discussion, and the new resolution was defeated by a 52 percent vote. After revising the original Tier III resolution, it was passed by a majority vote. Students can either take a capstone course or a Tier III course to meet the requirement starting Fall 2005, opening up spaces in Tier IIIs and allowing students to graduate on time.
Ingram presented a resolution regarding the policies governing admission and continuation of transfer probation students. The resolution requires that students from other universities on probation wait at least12 months before enrolling at OU and maintain at least a 2.0 GPA.
The senate also discussed and thoroughly revised a resolution regarding conflict of interest due to family or business relationships. The resolution was in response to the allowance of a faculty member to serve on a Promotion and Tenure Committee that evaluated his or her former spouse. The resolution states a faculty member is unable to initiate or participate in departmental discussions concerning another member of his/her family.
OU President Roderick McDavis also presented a budget summary for next year, which included the State House of Representatives approval of OU's budget recommendations. McDavis still awaits the State Senate and Governor approval The president also briefly mentioned his controversial decision to walk out of last months meeting.
Where do we go from here? McDavis said. We need to take time to build bridges of communication so when circumstances do arrive we can discuss them in a civil manner.
McDavis said he will host regular receptions starting Fall 2006 at the Presidents house on Park Place to increase faculty and administration relations at OU.
The senate meeting ended with a presentation on the use of additional funding to Intercollegiate Athletics from Athletics Director Tom Boeh.
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