Ohio University's Faculty Senate continued its ongoing discussion of Intercollegiate Athletics last night, and tried to weigh the importance of department control over curricular decisions.
Senators looked at two resolutions concerning athletics - the first based on a template from a national organization and the second urging action from top university administrators.
The Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics, a group of faculty senates that pushes for athletics reform at Division 1A universities, has asked its members to vote on a form of a resolution pushing for more faculty involvement in the budget and organization of athletics departments.
OU has an ICA Committee with 14 voting members, seven of whom are faculty members. The resolution before the senate last night pushed for a majority faculty committee. Senators suggested some edits, but largely seemed to support the plan, which would also call for more transparency in the budgeting process.
The second athletics resolution called the current funding model for Intercollegiate Athletics, incompatible with the academic mission of higher education institutions
and urged university presidents and state officials to pressure the NCAA to change its structure.
Senator Steve Hays said he'd like to see Ohio's chancellor for higher education take up the cause.
This is a huge issue he said. That's a cumulative loss on the order of $50 million to $100 million a year for the state system. And I know no politician wants to deal with that but there's money there.
Senate Chairman Joe McLaughlin suggested the senate make a more forceful statement. The current resolution, expressing just a sense of the senate, is not binding and would not require the provost's signature. It also speaks to university presidents in general.
I understand the sense of the senate
and I understand the general principle here
but we might consider something a little more pointed where we could request a signature where we could call upon our president to initiate a conversation with our conference
McLaughlin said.
Other senators expressed support for that idea, which might become a resolution in the next month.
Scott Titsworth, chairman of the committee that put forth the resolution, said he just thinks the senate needs to start moving on the issue.
What's clear is that if we don't start asking someone to advocate for this
it's not going to happen
he said.
In addition to athletics, senate also discussed possible changes to policies on retaking classes. OU's new student information system allows only one setting for retakes, so unless the university agrees to pay for changes, all departments and campuses will have to agree on a number of times students can retake a course.
Several faculty members said that could create real problems for their departments. The senate resolution called for two possible retakes, but for departments that allow only one, that could mean bigger sections and students getting shut out of classes. For departments that allow more than two retakes, the lower setting could mean additional time spent filling out pink slips to let students into classes.
Helaine Burstein, a senator from biological sciences, said setting the limit at two retakes instead of her department's current limit of one would be problematic.
This is not going to sit well with any of us
she said. Filling our 300-person sections with students taking the class a third time ... will also be very cumbersome.
Other faculty members seemed concerned about the question on a more philosophical level.
The truth of the matter is technology is driving policy here
senator Ken Brown said.
Allyn Reilly, who presented the resolution, said the senate could choose to push for changing the software, but that the company estimates the adjustment would rack up a six-figure cost.
Becky Watts, chief of staff to OU President Roderick McDavis, said the president would need to weigh the costs and benefits, as he has with the changes OU has paid for if senate asks for the adjustment.
The senate also discussed adjustments to promotion and tenure policies, credit hour requirements under semesters and the possibility of senate representation for the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs.
