Kaitlyn Coogan
Equinox Staff
The Keene State Senate is investigating the pros and cons of switching its current committee from a senate made up of faculty, staff, professors and students to an all professor-based senate. Although, there are mixed feelings among senate members for the need to have their senate changed, and it is still being considered.
“I think that it should stay. I feel that the students should stay to be the voice of the students,” Kelly Welch, student senate member, said.
Over the past several years, the senate went through the accreditation review for NASC, the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges, which every school has to go through for accreditation. They asked where the senate would like to see changes and the report from NASC said there was a plurality of faculty that said they would like to consider an all-faculty senate.
According to the Chair of the Senate and Technology, Design, and Safety Studies Professor Larry McDonald, plurality means that less than 50 percent, but still enough of the senate would like to consider this change.
Student senate member Dayna Coleman said, “We will fight to keep our voice on the senate.”
The senate plans to look at other colleges that are professor-based, which is what most colleges are, and see how they run their senate and how well organized are they.
McDonald met with the senate executive committee and for their part they will be looking at other comparable colleges as to what type of senates exists at their colleges. They will be specifically looking at COPLAC institutions, the Council for Public Liberal Arts Colleges, which is what KSC is since most liberal colleges are private and KSC is not. At this point it is unknown as to what type of senate these colleges have. It is an open process study at this time and, according to McDonald, everyone will be able to add input. This is purely a study at the moment and will probably take place throughout the year. This is not a pilot study at the moment and is strictly research based.
“I’m currently the chair of the senate but I actually prefer the current senate we have. I am but one person among many people. Other people will have other opinions but I like the fact that we have a very conclusive senate and we have those other voices that can be heard in the senate. I have always enjoyed that,” McDonald said.
President Helen Giles-Gee explained that changing the senate is only under discussion at the moment. The real goal is to see if the senate can be more productive. She also insists that the senate will not pilot the all professor-based idea, but it is being considered and researched to see if the idea is appropriate for this school.
“I have talked with some students at Student Assembly who also are members of the senate and what I suggested was that they prepare to develop their points; a rational to suggest one way or the other. I don’t have a point of view, what I am interested in is a senate that supports the college most effectively,” Giles-Gee said.
Giles-Gee wondered if the senate can do the job they are currently doing with a different makeup or if a different makeup will be more effective than the current makeup of the senate. These are the kinds of questions to which she expects people would respond and would look at the bylaws and the business of the senate to make their case.
At the senate meeting on Nov. 9 the discussion was brought up but only one member spoke out. Professor Michael Welsh explained that after talking to the executive senate members they decided that they would like to gather more data.
Welsh explained that at the last meeting people were not completely in favor of switching the senate, but that they were not looking to have it taken off the table just yet. “I don’t know if I have a viewpoint just yet. I want to look at alternative models and more data; I want to look at all the options,” Welsh said.
Colin Daly, student body president and senate member, said, “I think right now we are playing the waiting game. We want to see cooperation.”
Kaitlyn Coogan can be contacted at kcoogan@ksc.mailcruiser.com.