At Tuesday’s Baker University Faculty Senate meeting, senators discussed interterm and the possible implementation of an honor code at Baker University.
Dean of Students Cassy Bailey was asked by the senate to present information that the Interterm Ad Hoc Committee gathered when it surveyed students, faculty and staff about interterm.
While the committee did have recommendations based on the data and comments it had gathered, the Education Programs Committee must approve any recommendations before the rest of the senators can vote on it at a faculty senate meeting.
“What we propose is to take three (interterms) down to two (interterms),” Bailey said. ”The committee saw a lot of value with the idea of interterm, and supported the ideas and philosophy of interterm, and we did listen to the constituents, as well as the faculty that responded … we would like to say that you are required to take two interterms, you can take up to four at no additional cost, but two would be required.”
Bailey said students showed an interest in taking general education courses during interterm.
“They felt like this should be a graded course,” Bailey said. “This should count toward something. From the comments that we read, the students felt like it was a waste of time for them … I think what we would want is some flexibility.”
At the meeting, senators expressed their concern with offering general education courses during interterm, even if it was optional.
“Are we confident that we can do a catalog course in three weeks?” Professor of Psychology Marc Carter said. “I’m also thinking about me having to grade a week’s worth of work every day. Every day. I don’t think I can do that. I don’t think it can be possible.”
Because no official decision would be made at the meeting, discussion about interterm ceased, and senators moved on to discuss the creation of an Ad Hoc Committee to implement an honor code at Baker University.
The motion, which was brought to senate by Associate Professor of Physics Ran Sivron, said the committee to implement the honor code would be made up of two faculty members, one student and a representative of the administration. Sivron also moved that the chairperson be a faculty member.
“I think that we have a challenge and an opportunity here,” Sivron said.
After Sivron presented the motion, members of senate discussed how the committee would need to be more student led, and student driven.
“I think that my concerns about Ran’s proposal is that … this has to come from the students, it can not come from the faculty,” Professor of Biology Darcy Russell said. “I would want a student to chair the committee and not a faculty member.”
The motion was sent to the Academic Standards and Enrollment Management Committee, which is comprised of faculty and Baker University Student Senate President Warren Swenson.
