Frustrations were aired at Tuesday’s Faculty Senate meeting, with faculty feeling left out of on-campus technology decisions.
The senate also voted in favor of renaming the Counseling and Testing Center and announced the University of Idaho’s next common read.
Office of Information Technology
A memo addressed to President Scott Green called for faculty to be more involved with decisions being made by the administration and OIT.
Sen. Jerry Fairley spoke in favor of the memo, with hopes that Green would work with them.
“They shouldn’t be the ones telling us what machines we can use,” Fairley said. “This should have been figured out by both administration and staff collaboratively.”
This was partially in reference to faculty’s frustrations of standardized computers, which limited use of grant money.
Fairley found it sad that it was necessary to send the memo, as it shouldn’t have gotten to this point.
“The idea behind this motion is that President Green will show that he takes this seriously and that he is going to temporarily suspend the current motion,” Fairley said, adding that this would allow faculty to provide OIT with input before moving forward.
Countering Fairley’s thoughts, Sen. Jerry Long believed that OIT issues fall outside of faculty authority and that OIT has already been communicating with faculty since initial complaints.
Sen. Dakota Roberson saw the merit in having Green recognize that faculty must be a part of the conversation. He described this instance as a part of a larger problem.
While IT may not be under faculty jurisdiction, Roberson said, IT is involved with many things across campus that impact all faculty.
Narrowly passing with 57% voting in favor, the memo will be sent to Green.
Counseling and Testing Center
Through student surveys and consideration of other institutions, “Counseling and Mental Health Center” has been decided as the new name of the CTC to be changed in the next year.
“It’s more encompassing to what’s happening up there; not just counseling,” Dean of Students Blaine Eckles said.
Psychological testing, addiction treatment and training are just a few of the additional services offered.
Mental health holds less of a stigma with students, Eckles said. Turning a new leaf, Eckles also expressed hope to eventually relocate the center as a whole.
Common read
Next year’s common read will be “The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative” by Florence Williams. This follows the pandemic, a difficult period for many students and faculty.
“We were looking for something that really addressed mental health,” Dean Panttaja, interim vice provost for academic initiatives, said. “Nature can be a way to heal.”
Spread pay
A UI working group shared its recommendation to provide spread pay as an option for university employees, with 94% of faculty surveyed in favor of providing it as an option.
Previously, spread pay offered 26 pay periods rather than the standard 19.5 throughout the year.
Of those surveyed, 63% would immediately switch to spread pay if given the option.
Haadiya Tariq can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @haadiyatariq