University of Virginia Library

Student Committee Pushes For University-wide Senate

Ed.

By Bud Ogle

"It's been fantastic. Our Senate has
worked better than even its most
enthusiastic advocate could have hoped.
The Administration appreciates all the
help it gets. Students have a genuine sense
of participation. And we faculty members
are finding that the cooperative spirit
really improves the quality of academic
work...originally inspired by the success
of a common meeting (a day for the
entire University to focus on subjects of
University-wide concern like the Student
Council-endorsed proposal for Founders'
Day)...(our Senate) was developed by an
ad hoc committee of interested administrators,
including the University President,
faculty members and students. The
Board has been very responsive to this
indication of deep interest in and
commitment to creating a better University"
- an enthusiastic professor from the
University of New Hampshire thus
summarized UNH's brief experience with
the concept of a University Senate.

In renewed efforts to get administration and
faculty support, the Student Committee for a
University Senate has developed a position
paper emphasizing four major advantages of a
University-wide Senate:

• 1) A University Senate will enhance efforts
  to create a genuine community of
  scholars at the University.

• 2) A University Senate will help restore a
  democratic spirit to Mr. Jefferson's
  University.

• 3) A Legislative Branch in the University
  government will greatly facilitate creative
  decision-making.

• 4) A University Senate will promote
  responsible efficiency.

First, a University Senate will enhance
efforts to create a genuine community of
scholars at the University. In this age of division
of labor, specialization of function and
compartmentalization of knowledge, it is all
too easy to assume that humans, too, can be
divided according to function. The Student
Committee contends that autocratic government
fosters autocratic educational methods.
The attitude that precludes students from
participating in the promotion and hiring
processes, from attending faculty meetings,
from chatting in the Colonnade or exclusive
new faculty dining club also precludes a
genuine affirmation of co-equal participation in
the search for truth. Students viewed as
second-class citizens in University government
and by faculty exclusion are also second-class
citizens in the classroom. Such inferior status
does not encourage the confidence, initiative,
and passionate concern so necessary for
first-rate education.

Many profess to believe in the community
of scholars but that community is a mockery in
the presence of status distinctions engendered
by the current University government and
faculty practices. Obviously full student participation
in University government will not
automatically bring the confidence, trust and
freedom prerequisite to a community of
learning. It will, however, be a major step
toward promoting the spirit of harmony,
cooperation and mutual interest so necessary to
create the atmosphere in which that community
will grow.

Second, a University Senate will help restore
a democratic spirit to Mr. Jefferson's University.
A University can not be run like a town
meeting - the public interest and the alumni
are not fully represented on the grounds, the
faculty and students have a unique commitment

not shared by all other members of the
community. But neither should a University be
run by secrecy, by fiat from above, by top
administrators responsible only to themselves
and each other. The student committee's
proposal for a University Senate would provide
channels for students and faculty to participate
in University-wide decisions. The administration
would be freed to develop creative
means of implementation and execution for
policies established by the Senate (the voice of
the contemporary University community) and
the Board of Visitors (the voice of the alumni
and, "ideally," the public interest). By having
the Senate review all the administrative policies,
budgets, and future plans as well as determine
the goals and programs to be achieved,
$250,000 would not be spent before law school
faculty members and students had the opportunity
to share in decisions affecting their own
future. Mr. Jefferson dreamed that U.Va. would
be an institution dedicated to creative education
of responsible citizens. A democracy
requires learning the art of wise use of power
and responsible participation in decision making
not the art of supplication to an
administration or Board which controls all
power.

Third, a legislative branch in University
government will greatly facilitate creative
decision-making. The current governmental
structure of the University corresponds to that
of a corporation - which, in terms of its
function and accomplishments, is very natural.
The educational implications of this business oriented
education viewing knowledge as a
product or commodity, students as consumers,
professors on the assembly line of research and
publication and selective promotion, these
implications are not creative to say the least.
Although some professional schools may share
the corporate goal of a useful product which
meets certain criteria and specifications, in
general, education should be more open-ended,
flexible and responsive.

Because the University ought not be
producing things to meet pre-established goals,
a corporate power structure and administration
is not adequate to help inspire the best creative
fulfillment of each member of the University
community's potential. Rather than be geared
for production like GM, the University ought to
be a place where future engineers, executives,
consumers and Ralph Nader's work together and
in opposition to learn from each other.

A democratically structured society provides
a more stimulating honest atmosphere in which
to test new ideas and challenge old assumptions,
to gain the tools and humility which
make life a continuing educational process.
Although a University-wide Senate may promote
individual departments and schools to be
democratic in hiring faculty, planning curriculum,
establishing priorities, etc., the Senate will
only be directly responsible for University-wide
and non-academic affairs. In these areas the
Senate and its committees will study, recommend
and establish University policies. By not
having a vested interest in current administrative
practices or personnel the Senate
committees will be able to recommend more
critical, progressive, or far-reaching methods
and goals.

Fourth, a University Senate will promote
responsible efficiency. Almost all of us are here
to learn. The institutional framework should
provide the maximum amount of learning. For
many students and faculty this precludes
extra-curricular concerns, issues of social and
political concern. The administration, some of
them reason, is hired to take care of those
things. The student committee believes that the
Administration should be hired to implement,
but not determine, policies adopted by the
University community through its Senate and
Board of Visitors. Obviously students and
faculty have better things to do than sit on
committees and be burdened with administrative
work loads.

The University Senate will be an improvement
in three ways. First because Senate
committees will establish policies and procedures
administrative committees can be just
that committees to help the administration
carry out its responsibilities. This division of
labor will be more efficient and allow more
people to share in the process at the same time.
Second, although the elected representatives to
the Senate will have to devote quite a bit of
time to their work, by keeping channels open
and creating an atmosphere more conducive to
learning than to complaining, every member of
the University community will benefit. Third,
the educational process will be seen to
incorporate University government as well as
research and library study. As the University
actively contributes to the well-being of
Charlottesville, the Commonwealth and world,
as the University community as a whole - not
just the administration - reflects on the type of
education necessary for 1984 and 2000 all of us
will grow.

The adoption of such a Senate will
obviously change student as well as faculty and
administration governance. The idea of a
University Senate has been unanimously endorsed
by the President of every school in the
University. The draft constitution has been
unanimously approved by the Student Council.
It allows much more autonomy in academic
affairs and financial allocations to the Council
of each school thereby providing a parallel
structure with the faculty. The Constitution's
major thrust is to provide an institutional rubric
to promote administration-faculty-staff-student
cooperation to continually create a better
University. At present the administration is so
busy on so many fronts that students and
faculty often do not appreciate the degree of
mutual concern and shared interests, and there
is little time to coordinate efforts with the
entire faculty and student body.

The Committee's underlying assumption is
that reconciliation of governmental structure
will be a major step toward overcoming the
alienation responsible for racism, exploitation,
cop-outs, student-administration antipathies,
etc. Because the constitution is a working paper
the student committee on a University Senate
would appreciate letters to the committee or to
the editor, and your criticism and suggestions
via ext. 3454 or in person Wednesday evening,
7 p.m., in the Honor Room.