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The professors you see in class everyday do a lot more than simply determine grades. It is the faculty who decides to have Martin Luther King Day off, but not President’s Day or Veteran’s Day. They even decide the general education requirements.
The University of Maine Faculty Senate has been making decisions and performing advisory duties since 1984, when it replaced the Council of Colleges.
President Peter S. Hoff, two members of the General Student Senate and one graduate student selected from the Association for Graduate Students are among the members of the Faculty Senate. The three student senators this year are Pearce Paul Creasman and Matthew Gagnon, president and vice president of Student Government, and Sarah Vidito, the vice president of AGS.
“[They are] full members with voice and vote,” John Maddaus, FS president said.
The Faculty Senate Constitution says each college must have at least four senators. One senator is elected for every ten full-time faculty members. The secretary determines the number of senators each college should have.
“In order to be eligible to serve on the Senate, a faculty member must have tenure status or have been a faculty member of UMaine for at least two years,” the Constitution reads.
The several difference between FS and GSS.
The FS does not have its own budget like GSS, Maddaus said.
Creasman also said that issues are decided differently in GSS.
“Though I have only attended one faculty senate meeting, since they only have one faculty senate meeting a month, it seems that their votes are much more universal [than student government." Creasman said. "In the one meeting I have been to, all the votes were unanimous. Granted, there were no particular issues that required much debate."
The senate is divided into several committees, including Research and Public Service, University Environment and General Education.
The Faculty Senate's Constitution reads, "The senate has the authority to act on behalf of the faculty in establishing university-wide degree requirements."
The General Education Committee assesses and decides how to change the general education requirements. The New England Association of Schools and Colleges called for review of UMaine's gen. ed. requirements two and a half years ago. Maddaus says NEASC wants to establish a way to measure what students are learning. He said it might be years before Maine's gen. ed. requirements are fully converted to a more "outcomes-based" system.
The Senate also determines the requirements for valedictorian and salutatorian of the university.
"A lot of the academic-based policies came through the Senate," Dana Humphrey, faculty representative to the board of trustees said.
According to its Web site, the senate also "participates in processes leading to the appointment of academic and administrative officers including the presidents and vice presidents [of the university].”
Michael Grillo, a professor in the Art Department and former FS president, said a major function of the senate is to identify common interests across campus.
“Here’s our vision. Here’s our strengths. How does this work for the community?” Grillo said.
He added that it is best for faculty and administration to take a working-together approach.
“The Senate needs continuity,” Grillo said. “How do we avail ourselves to new opportunity?”
A major issue addressed last year was the structure and definition of UMaine’s faculty.
“The issue of faculty workloads is crucial,” Grillo said.
When Grillo was president, he worked to build secure structures in which faculty can be tenured.
Humphrey also identified faculty tenure as an important fair-treatment issue.
The FS is also responsible for setting the academic calendar. During Humphrey’s year as president, FS declared Martin Luther King Day a holiday recognized by the university.
“[This was of] great interest to several student groups on campus,” Humphrey said.
The conflict about other holidays is due to the fact that holidays take time away from classes.
“We have important information we have to relay.[an] obligation to provide students with what they’re paying for,” Humphrey said.
Classes that meet only once a week, particularly laboratory classes, run into scheduling problems when one class is canceled due to a holiday.
The new business issue for next week’s Senate meeting will be resolutions concerning the Child Study Center, which is run by the Psychology Department and the Children’s Center, which is run by Human Resources.
“The child care facilities are facing program-threatening budget cuts,” Maddaus said. “Due to rising costs of healthcare, administration [is] looking for things to cut.”
The full Faculty Senate meets once a month and special meetings may be requested. The next regular meeting will take place Wednesday, Feb. 27 and will be covered in The Maine Campus.
