Student leaders want vote on general education committee
By
Pete Stuttgen |
POSTED AT
12:00 AM ON Oct. 23, 2006
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While a vast majority of faculty and students support the newly approved general education requirements, some opposition exists on how much student input should be allowed on the issue in the future.
At an Oct. 3 meeting, the Bloomington Faculty Council passed a proposal that established a core of general education classes and created the General Education Committee, which will make decisions regarding any future changes in general education requirements.
According to the proposal, although students will be able to express their opinions and ideas to the committee, they will have no voting power, said Kelly Kish, BFC chief of staff in the Faculty Council Office.
Graduate student Paul Rohwer, moderator of the IU Graduate and Professional Student Organization, said he believes students deserve more input on future decisions regarding general education requirements. Rohwer was one of two on the Bloomington Faculty Council to vote against the proposal.
The new general education requirements include a core of courses in areas like mathematics, English, foreign languages and world cultures that will, among other things, make it easier for students to transfer to different schools on IU's campus.
Law student Grant McFann was the other dissenting voter on the new course requirements. "If it's about general programs, it's dumb not to include (students)," McFann said.
Kish said the faculty on the committee value student input along with other nonaffiliated members. However, she said, voting is where the faculty and administration draw the line on what students can and cannot do.
It is the faculty's responsibility to define the degrees, said David Nordloh, associate dean of the faculties. Allowing students to determine their own general education requirements would be like having the people who park their cars on campus control the traffic regulations, Nordloh said.
The General Education Committee is comprised of 47 representatives from each school at IU, Kish said. She said there will probably be only one undergraduate and one graduate student.
The other reason Rowher said he voted against the new course requirements was because there was too much disagreement between the schools at the Bloomington Faculty Council meeting.
"There was no way that should have been a unanimous vote," Rohwer said.
He said he thinks many faculty members approved the proposal despite having concerns.
Nordloh disagreed, saying each school represented understood there are still issues to be dealt with. He said that was a main reason for the creation of the General Education Committee.