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D aily E astern N ews
“TELL THE TRUTH AND DON’T BE AFRAID” Tuesday, February 14, 2017 C E L E BRATI NG A CE NTUR Y OF COV E RA GE E S T . 1 915
VOL. 101 | NO. 101 W W W . D A I L YE A S TE R N N E W S . C O M
Vitalization project referendum sent to faculty
A kind gesture
Staff Report | @DEN_News
OLIVIA SWENSON-HULTZ | THE DAILY EASTERN NE WS
Taylor Port, a senior health professions major, and Megan Jurgel, a senior family and consumer sciences major write students’ names on signs with motivational phrases by the request of other students. They will be delivered to the student as part of Random Acts of Kindness Week in Coleman Hall on Monday afternoon.
Committee outlines report, receive philosophy information By Jason Hardimon Staff Reporter | @DEN_News The Academic Program Elimination/ Reorganization Review Committee met Monday to discuss a tentative outline for its report as well as new information provided to the committee from the philosophy department. The outline included sections concerning program costs and enrollment history; contributions it has made to general education and interdisciplinary functions, the program’s service functions; its graduation requirements; contribution to the university’s curriculum and a section evaluating the philosophy department’s contributions to the mission and goals of the university. Jones said the committee was provided information at the beginning of the term by the administration and was recently given new information directly from the philosophy department. The committee said it would request updated data from the administration and noted it would be sure to ask for updated profit and loss sheets as well as enrollment data. Jones consolidated all the information
that would be pertinent to the committee’s report. The consolidated information included a degree flier, applications, a pay scale and test results among other things. Jones said the new information would be useful in the report’s first section. The committee is going to include the new data from the philosophy department, Jones said, but the challenge is going to be verifying and interpreting it. However, he thinks the committee has a good start on that. The philosophy department’s response provided to Workgroup no. 7, which looked at academic programs during the vitalization project, was not reflected in the Workgroup’s final report. Bu t t h e Ac a d e m i c Pro g r a m Elimination Reorganization Review Committee said it would include the most current information in its report to be sure the Board of Trustees is presented with an accurate evaluation of the philosophy department. “I think the numbers are pretty similar. I think it’s how you look at it – each audience looks at them differently,” Jones said. “Here is an example for profit and loss: If you look at profit and loss and you only count majors, it could look
like a department is losing money. But if you run the same numbers and include everyone who has taken a philosophy class, which includes (general education courses), undeclared, etc… then, the department makes money.” Jones said the committee plans to evaluate the data from many different angles and find out which angles are most representative of the big picture. Jones said of the general advocacy documents the committee had already examined, a document from the American Philosophical Association would be most useful in defining how the department fulfills the mission and goals of the university. The committee said it would add an additional section to its final report concerning the potential the philosophy department has for growth. “To look at potential for growth is not part of our committee’s charge,” Jones said. “But we plan to, as the philosophy department has proposed to revise the major (to) make it more integrated or attractive to students.“ The administration has said the vitalization project is not about saving money, Jones said. “So, since all of this started as a result
of vitalization, I think we’re (also) just taking that approach,” Jones said. The committee acknowledged it must be sure to remain objective, acknowledging any potential benefits of reorganization or elimination as well any negative effects. The committee also said it would need a clarification concerning the philosophy department’s service functions and that it planned to investigate which departments or programs would have to change their graduation requirements if philosophy was eliminated. This investigation would include looking at which departments require philosophy courses for gradation, and how the elimination or reorganization of philosophy could the affect choice of electives. The committee ended its meeting by dividing up responsibilities as it moves forward with its research. The Academic Program Elimination/ Reorganization Review Committee’s final recommendations are due to the administration March 15. Jason Hardimon can be reached at 581-2812 or jrhardimon2@eiu.edu.
Fa c u l t y we re e m a i l e d a referendum Monday asking them to vote on whether or not they have confidence in the process and outcomes of vitalization project Workgroup No. 7. The Faculty Senate sent out the referendum, which asks faculty to answer yes or no the s t a t e m e n t , “ I h a ve c o n f i d e n c e in the process employed by Vitalization Workgroup No.7 in the program review mandated by the President.” T h e Wo r k g r o u p , w h i c h looked at academic programs during the vitalization project, recommended, among other things, the elimination or reorganization of seven programs. Of these, four are now being considered for deletion. These four are philosophy, adult and community education, Africana studies and career and technical development. The referendum details several c o n c e r n s t h e Fa c u l t y S e n a t e h a d w i t h t h e Wo r k g r o u p ’s recommendations. One of these was with the inclusion of profit and loss analysis in assessing the programs. While Eastern President David Glassman said profit and loss data would only be one of the factors considered, the Faculty Senate wrote that the time constraint the Workgroup was under did not allow for a “systematic review of the holistic performance of each program.” T h e Fa c u l t y Se n a t e s a i d i t s colleagues in Workgroup No. 7 worked diligently to carry out the charges given to them, but another concern addressed in the letter was that the process Workgroup No. 7 went through when carrying out these charges detracted from the Faculty Senate’s confidence in its recommendations. “ Ev e n t h o u g h t h e m e e t i n g s were open to the public, observers merely witnessed the placing of note cards that were already filled out prior to the meeting and were not given insight to the rationale of the comments or decisions,” the letter reads. The deadline to vote on the referendum is noon on Monday, Feb. 20. The News staff can be reached at 581-2812 or dennewsdesk@gmail.com.