The April 9 meeting of Faculty Senate saw the smooth passage of the senate’s version of two bills that encompassed several UW regulation revisions pertaining to the structure, authorities and procedures of faculty and the senate.
In Chair Barker’s initial report, notice was given of a recent member-at-large position vacancy, which is part of the executive committee, after the resignation of Kevin Inouye, assistant professor in the department of theatre and dance—after Inouye resigned from UW to accept a position at another institution. At the next Faculty Senate meeting on April 23, nominations and stump speeches will take place, followed by voting to fill the position during the May 7 meeting.
“We would like to do that before the end of the [school] year so that when all of the work that will be hitting the senate early fall hits, we’ll have a full executive to be able to handle that most efficiently,” Barker said. “I encourage you to get involved with the exec committee if you have a passion for that.”
Four positions on the Faculty Dispute Resolution Panel also need to be filled for the next year, with three nominations currently made for individuals who would hear and give opinions for disputes and grievances among faculty.
“I’ve done that in the past, it’s very interesting,” Barker said.
The first of the two bills passed during the evening’s session was Senate Bill 341: A Bill to Revise UW Regulation 6-700, Bylaws of the University Faculty, which defined rights, responsibilities and authorities of UW faculty and the terms of voting and meetings. The bill passed with brief discussion to clear up and remove language referring to restricted voting rights, which had no basis. While these authorities are channeled through the Faculty Senate, the executive committee will be working with President Laurie Nichols to conduct an email vote among UW faculty for general approval.
After lengthy debate to ensure its clarity and integrity, the senate then passed Senate Bill 342: A Bill to Revise UW Regulations 6-701, Faculty Senate Bylaws; 6-702, Establishment of Faculty Senate Committees; 6-703, Establishment of University Standing Advisory Committees. The bill aims to consolidate these into a single resolution that defines three policy levels: overall governing regulations, followed by standard administrative policies and procedures, followed by administrative policies and procedures pertaining to specific departments and units—as well as asserting the specific authority of Faculty Senate over certain regulations, as opposed to that of other bodies.
To read more on the legislation passed at this session and coming legislation, check out the Faculty Senate website.
