Faculty Senate passed a revision to the staff handbook and an official name change to the School of Global Studies.
Rachel Halverson, department chair of modern languages and cultures, proposed a change from the Martin School of Global Studies to School of Global Studies. Halverson said the change is intended to end confusion between the MSGS and the Martin Institute. The Martin Institute oversees research within the International Studies department at the University of Idaho.
“This has been a problem with moving this administrative unit forward in a productive way,” Halverson said. “We have the Martin Institute, which is an institute funded by endowment money, it does not have control over academic matters or curricular matters, degree programs and then we have the School of Global Studies, which is an academic unit housing International Studies and Modern Languages and Cultures.”
Faculty Senate discussed a revision in the faculty-staff handbook. The revision’s purpose would be to maintain instructional order. While disagreement with a professor isn’t disruptive, the revision would allow faculty to dismiss a student for violent or disorderly conduct. The update for the faculty-staff handbook details procedure for how students and faculty would proceed if an incident occurred.
“Faculty are not empowered to make a determination of a violation of the Student Code of Conduct,” Blaine Eckles, dean of students, said. “This is outside of that process and so that’s where the contractual relationship still exists. If it is upheld for students to be removed from the class … we still have to provide that service to the students for that educational experience.”
Sierra Pesnell can be reached at [email protected]