On Monday the Faculty Senate, by a vote of 6-8, shot down the College of Arts and Sciences request to postpone implementation of the new academic calendar.
College of Arts and Sciences faculty who objected to the new academic year calendar, which extends each semester by a week with no additional compensation, voted by e-mail to ask the Senate to revisit the calendar issue.
The vote came in light of recent exceptions in the planned “unified” calendar and the fact that the CAS faculty did not have adequate discussion before the full Assembly vote in December to approve the new calendar, they said.
“The proposal was brought to the Faculty Senate to have a vote to postpone the calendar for one year,” said Richard Gelm, chairman of the history and political science department and president of the Faculty Senate.
In December 2008, the full Faculty Assembly voted on the new academic calendar which maintained the January Interterm, added a week to the beginning of fall and the end of spring semesters, while shaving a few minutes off of most class periods.
The new calendar proposals came out of a 2005 board of trustees request.
“The original request from the board was to streamline all previous five calendars into one unified calendar,” Adeline Cardenas-Clague, associate vice president for academic support and retention, told the Campus Times last month.
Arts and Sciences faculty discussed their failed attempt to halt the new calendar implementation at their monthly meeting Wednesday.
Gitty Amini, associate professor of political science, who sits on Faculty senate reported that the motion failed to take the calendar back to the Faculty Assembly for reconsideration and discussion, said Associate Professor of Art, Keith Lord.
Lord said that there is still concern among the College of Arts and Sciences faculty about the implications of the calendar.
Among the concerns raised at the Wednesday meeting were reduced research and vacation time for faculty; and a shortened summer break for students which could translate into a loss in wages.
“We have no plans of action, but further discussion is continuing,” Lord said.
Victoria Farlow can be reached at victoria.farlow@laverne.edu.
