Senate votes to change rules to walk

     The University Senate tied in a vote during their monthly meeting on January 28 that would change the requirements to walk at commencement .
     The bill, if approved, would require that all students have completed all of their degree requirements with the exception of one course, up to three hours in length, in order to walk.
     “The final vote was 19 to 19,” said Dr. Mike Gleason, chair of the Academic Governance Committee.  “It was brought up right at the end of the meeting, when we got through with business.   We voted to postpone discussion until the next senate meeting.”
     This current bill is the “amended-amended” version of the original idea, which was first proposed to the University Senate in November, Gleason said.
     “It took the entire (November) meeting,” Gleason said.  “It’s kind of controversial.”
     The current take of the bill requires students to have completed all but a single requirement for their major.  They may take any class during that summer and still walk.  Internships and capstone projects can also be done during this time instead of a class.
     The original take on the bill stated that in order for a student to walk at commencement, the student must have completed everything required for their degree.  The only exceptions to this rule would be for majors that have a required capstone project that would run into the summer.
     If a student has not completed the requirements mandated by whichever of the two bills is passed, they will not be able to walk during the Spring commencement of that year.  And student, wishing to walk would need to return during the ceremony the following Spring.  There are currently no plans to reinstate Winter graduation.
     The motion was tabled at the last meeting, and will be discussed again during the meeting on Feb. 26.
     The rationale behind this change is to encourage students to graduate on time. 
     Also, the bill was proposed in order to help maintain the integrity of the commencement ceremony.
     “It will also make the commencement ceremony more meaningful, knowing that all the students participating are indeed set to graduate,” the creators of the bill said in the proposal that was placed before the University Senate.  “Over the years, despite the stated policy for participation in commencement, a significant number of students who walked in the Spring ceremonies did not complete their requirements in the subsequent summer term. Some students who participate in commencement fail to complete final requirements and thus remain on our books as students who have not graduated.”
     The bill in November was strongly favored by the members of the committee, with only two members voting against it.
     Gleason was one of the two who voted against the motion.
     “The committee felt strongly,” Gleason said.  “My basic rationale is that graduation is a very special thing.  They do all the physical and emotional work, getting to the point where they can graduate.  (Walking is) emotionally tied, and the families are usually expecting them (to walk).”
    Gleason believes students should be allowed to walk, since it is simply ceremonial, and doesn’t have any meaning unto itself.
    “I understand (the other side’s) point of view,” Gleason said.  “But this is a ceremony; it’s not an actual degree.”

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Feb 9 2007. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry