Substantive motions carried over from the April 6 meeting surfaced for the vote at the special session of Baker University Faculty Senate on Tuesday.
Following unanimous approval of the motion from Educational Programs and Curriculum, incoming freshmen will no longer have to take Oral Communication as a general education requirement. Though it will still be offered for various majors, the new Liberal Studies classes will include oral communication components in the course work.
“The intention is to cover the same material but to have it distributed across several courses,” parliamentarian Gene Johnson said. “The whole system is being modified for general education.”
The second item of unfinished business on the agenda will also affect prospective students. The motion from Academic Standards and Enrollment Management initiated the exclusion of the admission requirement regarding the letter of recommendation from a high school counselor or teacher.
In a list of observations submitted to ASEM, Provost Randy Pembrook said in addition to lacking utility, “the letter requirement is a recruiting deterrent for students who are highly likely to succeed at Baker.” The general consensus of faculty senate coincided with Pembrook’s opinions, and the motion to make the recommendation letter optional passed unopposed.
“This changes the way admissions will be processed,” Johnson said. “It was a needless hoop to jump through.”
Faculty senate reached a motion from Faculty Grievance regarding the fifth chapter in the Faculty Handbook. Johnson said the sections concerning faculty cuts were “muddled and ambiguous.” In turn, rewriting and the process of clarification were approved following a silent vote that ended with 18 in favor and three opposed.
“The ultimate implication is that this is a document that we endorse and understand,” Tracy Floreani, faculty senate president, said.
Since faculty senate met an additional time this month for the special session in order to pass motions in time for overview by the University Academic Council, and additionally the Baker University Board of Trustees, these changes will still need further approval.
In new business, faculty senate approved the list of May 2010 College of Arts and Sciences graduates as well as program changes in Health, Sport and Human Performance, Business and Economics and Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science.
“There are always curriculum changes coming from departments,” Floreani said. “The job of senate is to constantly improve what we’re doing.”
