University of Virginia Library

Student, Faculty Plans
For New Senate Differ

"If it's going to have real power
as compared to the advisory functions
it currently serves, the University
Senate must have a set
Constitution," Mr. Ogle argued.

One major area of contention
discussed Wednesday concerned the
actual representation the different
groups within the University would
have. Mr. Ogle said that the faculty
committee did not desire to give
students and staff the
representation which the students
proposed.

Under the guidelines informally
mentioned by the faculty group,
the Senate would be composed of
closer to 60 faculty members with
20 students and 20 administrators
also taking seats.

According to Mr. Ogle, the
faculty members on the committee
argued that the major concerned of
the Senate, if revamped, should be
with' academic affairs and thus
would not be the proper body for
non-academic employees to voice
their opinions.

The faculty members favored
fewer students, according to Mr.
Ogle, because they felt that the
faculty would be better prepared to
deal with those academic issues,
claiming the students would be
"too busy, since they're supposed
to be full-time students."

They also reportedly felt that
the students who sat on the Senate
should not be the same ones who
were members of the individual
Councils of the schools, feeling that
their proposal would tend itself to
wider representation of student
interests in University governing
bodies.

The students disagreed, saying
that the students who sit on the
school councils would need to
know what was transpiring
concerning the University Senate,
and vice-versa.

Mr. Ogle said that the two
groups differed on other areas. The
faculty committee disagreed with
the students who favored
empowering the Senate to review
the budget and most administrative
activities.

The faculty group reportedly
supports granting the Senate
authority only in matters over
which no other governmental body
has jurisdiction. Other bodies
would decide policy regarding the
budget, for example, under the
expected faculty plan.

Mr. Ogle said the faculty
committee was still a long way
from presenting a formal proposal
to the faculty for consideration.

He added that the student
committee will meet on Wednesday
night with students who would like
to voice their opinion on the Senate
reform, hoping to be able to present
a final plan which would have the
support of the majority of the
students.

However, Mr. Ogle said that,
given the impression he received by
the faculty committee's reaction to
the student plan, the student
committee may never submit a final
proposal, feeling that the faculty
opposition to many aspects of the
plan might be insurmountable.

Mr. Ogle did mention the
possibility of the student group
requesting the faculty to accept a
student plan as a minority report if
the faculty committee comes out
with a recommendation which it
deems unfavorable.