Looking forward, Faculty Senate discussed the expiring emergency action that removed SAT and ACT requirements for incoming students.
At the beginning of the pandemic, University of Idaho President Scott Green passed the senate’s proposal of temporarily removing standardized testing requirements for the Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 terms. The suspended requirements would no longer be in effect by Fall 2024.
Dean Kahler, vice provost for strategic enrollment management, said the emergency action was in response to the lack of availability for taking the SAT and ACT amid the peak of the pandemic.
“Tests were just not available for students in their schools,” Kahler said. “They just were not able to get admitted if they had to have a test on file.”
Stemming from this was a larger conversation on standardized testing in general, with some universities ridding of the requirement.
“The so-called more ‘privileged kids’ have daddy’s money, to buy a private computer, to pay the private tutors and to prepare to train for these standardized tests,” Faculty Secretary Francesca Sammarruca said. “We all know that that’s not the case for less-than-privileged kids.”
Faculty found there is mixed information on whether removing standardized testing requirements for university admissions was beneficial. Those against the requirement had varying reasons in support of its removal.
“I’ve heard multiple things so far,” Sen. Jerry Long said. “If we make a change, we should be pretty clear about the ‘why.’”
In an anonymous poll, 57% of faculty senators voted in favor of changing UI standardized testing policy, while 39% were unsure and would like to see more information. Only 4% polled in favor of keeping the same SAT and ACT requirements of the past.
While proposals haven’t been made, the senate planned to further discussion and research.
“Clusterluck”
Concluding Black History Month, a documentary will be playing at the Kenworthy Theatre on Feb. 28 at 7 p.m.
“Clusterluck” touches on the experiences of Black faculty at a historically white university, highlighting the importance of supportive communities.
This ties into the concept of cluster hiring, or employing a group to fit diverse hiring needs. In UI’s case, this form of hiring could be used to bring in more Black faculty.
“I know that we’re going to have to be smart about how we approach this just given where we are,” Professor Sydney Freeman, director of the Black History Research Lab, said. “But it’s important for us to have more diverse faculty, and particularly, Black faculty.”
For recruitment and success, Africana Studies Director Janis Johnson sees a need for a Black faculty for students to learn from.
“We’re not hiring because someone is Black, that’s not a request,” Johnson said. “We’re saying that we need more Black faculty, and in this case, one with Black studies expertise.”
Connecting the town with the university through the Kenworthy, Freeman urged faculty to attend Tuesday’s screening and learn more about cluster hiring.
“(Students) are going into a world that is diverse, right?” Freeman said. “It’s important for them to interact with and learn from diverse faculty.”
Other business
The College of Business and Economics dean search continues, with three finalists coming to interview next week, according to Provost Torrey Lawrence.
A remote graduate certificate will be offered for Nuclear Safeguards and Security, with the senate voting in support of the new offering. This is in conjunction with Idaho State and Boise State universities.
The McCall Outdoor Science School also made changes to the Environmental Education and Science Communication certificate, splitting the leadership curriculum from one to two semesters.
Haadiya Tariq can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @haadiyatariq