Issue date: 2/8/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Katherine Brachelli The Grace Hall board room is left empty after the Faculty Senate meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 16. Many questions still remain unanswered about Chapter one of the Faculty Handbook and the proposed governance model.

After close to two months of waiting in limbo, faculty are left without results on the vote for new college governance. Chapter one of the Faculty Handbook, which includes a proposed governance structure, was voted on on Dec. 11, 2006. Twenty-six approved, 27 disapproved and 4 abstained. The Middle States Commission for Higher Education mandated revisions of chapter one in March 2005.

In a letter to the faculty on Dec. 15 2006, Dr. Jonnie Guerra, vice president of academic affairs said, "Fifty-eight out of 62 eligible voted. Thirty votes were needed to approve the chapter. The vote did not produce a majority either for or against the chapter."

But faculty by-laws dispute Guerra's claim. According to Section 5.1 of the 2004 version of the Faculty Handbook, "A simple majority of a handbook quorum must agree to an affirmative vote."

Dr. Sheryl Fuller-Espie, associate professor of biology and chair of faculty senate, pointed out to Guerra that according to Robert's Rules on Parliamentary Procedures, the widely accepted standard for voting, in fact, those voting against the handbook won.

"I would recommend to Dr. Guerra that we form a 'closure committee' of elected faculty to sit down at the table and hash out the differences," Fuller-Espie said.

On Jan. 25, President Iadarola held a faculty meeting to further discuss the vote of chapter one.

"I was really hoping the president was going to say to faculty that we should try to work out our differences," Fuller-Espie said.

According to Fuller-Espie, the president had a prepared speech and there was no open dialogue, although the president offered to answer questions privately at the end.

Dr. Joseph Romano, professor of philosophy, said the president addressed that faculty members had approached her with claims of intimidation being used by other faculty to vote a certain way.

Continued...

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