In an attempt to address budget transparency and cuts at Ohio University, Faculty Senate approved a sense of the senate resolution last night.
“It puts everybody on record for what the senate stands for,” said Faculty Senate Chair Joe McLaughlin.
The resolution, which passed unanimously, asks administrators to be clearer in their budget planning. The senate also wants cuts to better protect academic units, since they took a larger percentage cut than support and general fee units.
Current proposed reduction targets decrease funding for academic units by 4.47 percent, while funding for academic support units and general fee support units were reduced by 3.12 percent and 3.03 percent respectively, according to the resolution.
Earlier in the night, Executive Vice President and Provost Pam Benoit addressed the university’s strategic investments, which include goals such as scholarships and advertising.
OU would like to spend $8.3 million on strategic investments, but that number must be trimmed to $5.4 million based on the proposed budget, Benoit said.
“Let me tell you, this money goes a long way,” she said.
Faculty also discussed a resolution regarding the designation of a new faculty classification.
The new Medical Faculty Track would include employees from the College of Osteopathic Medicine who do not fit into OU’s current Group I, II and IV classifications. The absence of a clinical faculty track adversely affects the college’s ability to recruit new physicians, the resolution states.
“These people have real skills; we need them more than they need us,” said Group II senator Helaine Burstein.
At the start of the meeting, McLaughlin introduced the 16 newly elected senators, many of whom were re-elected. Ani Ruhil was also elected the first senator for the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs.
Only 27 percent of faculty members returned their ballots for the election, which is slightly down from past years, McLaughlin said.
McLaughlin was also re-elected Faculty Senate chair while Elizabeth Sayrs, who had previously served as secretary, was elected vice chair. Sayrs will replace current Vice Chair David Thomas. College of Arts and Sciences senator Beth Quitslund was elected to the vacant secretary spot.
They all ran unopposed.
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