Faculty Senate mounts lively debate on 'core goals'

Ohio University's Faculty Senate Monday evening debated the merits of a resolution stating the body's core goals, including advancing faculty compensation and benefits, and maintaining and enhancing tenure-track faculty.

The resolution, authored by Senate Chair Joe McLaughlin, also lists maintaining and improving student quality, achievement and diversity, supporting faculty research, and shared governance as key priorities. It was up for first reading and will be up for a vote in November.

"This is a way of Faculty Senate being on the record about what it stands for," said McLaughlin, a professor of English. "I want to be able to start talking positively more and more about what Faculty Senate is trying to accomplish."

The resolution, which was discussed at length by the Senate's executive committee, is meant to be an organizational statement for those doing committee work, explained John Gilliom, executive committee member and professor of political science.

Some senators, however, said they thought the resolution may make the Senate appear as if it is over-stressing faculty compensation and failing to look at the larger academic mission of the university.

"The big issue is that we want Ohio University's central mission to be carried on," said Steve Hays, professor of classics and world religions. Emphasizing details such as compensation and benefits too much could look bad for faculty, he said.

"In my mind, Steve Hays' comment about adding language linking these five points to protecting the central mission of Ohio University is indeed important," said David Thomas, professor of film, in an interview after the meeting. "It's good to be honest with ourselves on our priorities."

Indeed, some faculty senators expressed fears that the resolution draws too much attention to faculty salaries. Listed as its first priority, the section on faculty compensation and benefits says that faculty compensation and benefits are necessary for attracting and retaining high-quality faculty members and demands that the university honor its commitments to improving faculty salaries.

The resolution also does not include any measure of success for its goals, said Gregory Newton, assistant professor of telecommunications.

Other senators suggested that the resolution will help faculty members gauge what Faculty Senate accomplishes by providing the faculty as a whole with a list of goals.

"It will make it easier to make sense of the results of faculty meetings, and at the very least it will increase attention," said associate professor of philosophy Alyssa Bernstein, who attended the meeting. "(Because of the resolution) I'm much more optimistic that the Senate is going to act and come together in an effective manner."

The university's Faculty Handbook already contains a section that says, "The Senate maintains primary jurisdiction over curriculum and academic policies, and is an advocate for faculty views on all other university policies and practices."

McLaughlin said that this resolution would be more of a current events-related document than that mandate in the Faculty Handbook, something that's necessary in these trying budgetary times.

"I don't think it's whining to establish the function of this body as protecting faculty interests," said Joe Bernt, professor of journalism.

The executive committee will be taking suggestions from senators and other faculty members regarding changes to the resolution before it comes up for a vote in November.