The University of Memphis Faculty Senate met Tuesday, when they discussed cutting summer school classes as a way to thin out the school’s budget.
Faculty Senate President Craig Langstraat gave a budget report from his meeting with U of M President Shirley Raines and Provost Ralph Faudree. The report suggested that a cut in summer school classes and summer faculty might improve The University’s budget, which is facing a major cut from Tennessee Board of Regents funding.
However, a cut in faculty teaching in the summer could cause a 9 percent reduction in faculty members’ pay.
Langstraat said that in the budget meeting they were primarily trying to “use cheaper help” by employing part-time instructors and increasing class sizes for summer courses.
Members of the Senate voiced upset opinions in reaction to this announcement.
Foreign Language Department Proxy Representative Antonio Torres-Alcala, voiced his opinion by saying, “We shall fight!” The possibility of a strike was briefly mentioned.
“The Faculty Senate views, with great alarm and concern, the proposal to reduce summer opportunities,” Senator James R. Chumney Jr. said.
The Faculty Senate also discussed a suggestion from the Student Government Association to send a recommendation to the Provost for the elimination of the plus/minus grading system. However, the Faculty Senate voted in favor of the plus/minus system and decided against giving a recommendation to get rid of the system to the Provost.
Senator Michael O’Nele was in favor of the plus/minus system because he said it “distinguishes students.”
O’Nele discussed the students’ dislike of the system but suggested that if “we wait four years, none of them will know the difference.” O’Nele said that in four years the students who dislike the system will have graduated and the new students will not know anything else but the system.
Senator H. Delano Black said he was worried about grade inflation at The U of M. “There is something wrong with a system when in a class of 25 (students) there are 15 A’s, unless there is a class full of geniuses.”
The Faculty Senate decided to send the plus/minus issue back to the Academic Policies Committee to reevaluate the way the system works. Many faculty senate members were in favor of a plus minus system but not the one at The U of M. Many said they felt the system needed to be reformatted.
“This particular plus/minus system has turned out to be fatal and flawed,” Senator David H. Ciscel said.
Ciscel uses the system in his classes, however he said he “would like to see a different plus/minus system” in place.
Several senators were in favor of doing away with the system because they felt the plus minus grading was unfair to some students.
Elections to the Faculty Senate will be held in March in the different departments. Senators serve a two-year term, up to four years consecutively. In April, new officer elections will take place. All offices, except president will be up for election. David Ciscel is presently the president-elect.
