Bloomington Faculty Council sets academic calendar, handles issues

While its Purdue and Ball State University counterparts dozed in the sun or shook off hangovers Monday, over 30,000 IU students returned to classes, and they had the Bloomington Faculty Council to thank.\nWhen it came time at the council's final meeting last year to consider changing the official academic calendar, the nearly 50 members found themselves divided yet again on the age-old issue of whether to hold classes on Labor Day. \nDeliberations trickled on long into the meeting, with valuable points offered by both sides of the issue. But in the end, the motion to give students Labor Day off and extend Thanksgiving break by one week was tabled, postponed for additional consideration this year.\nBut, BFC President and Agenda Committee Chair Robert Eno is quick to point out, the current calendar has been in place for decades.\n"This faculty didn't set this calendar," Eno said. "But it's an example of an issue where you encounter a lot of concern both by faculty and students for varieties of reasons. Any solution is going to be opposed by some and supported by others -- you're not going to find a calendar to suit everyone."\nNor is setting the academic calendar the only concern of the BFC; an elected body acting on behalf of the campus faculty. It sets all academic policies for the Bloomington campus and works in tandem with similar councils from IU's regional campuses. Its jurisdiction encompasses all personnel issues, such as tenure promotion, fringe benefits and long-range planning.\nThe council consists of faculty members from each specialized school, as well as some from subdisciplines within departments. Juniors Bill Gray and Judd Arnold, IU Student Association president and vice president, respectively, round out the council as the undergraduate members; similarly, graduate students and associate instructors are represented on the council as well. Chancellor Sharon Brehm has an administrative voice on the board, as do Dean of Faculties Moya Andrews, Dean of Budgetary Administration Neil Theobold and Graduate School Dean George Walker.\nWhile the council acts as a representative body for the entire campus, it may defer some decisions -- such as setting the calendar -- to the system council, which is composed of faculty and administrators from Bloomington, IU regional campuses and IU-Purdue University at Indianapolis. \nArnold said the IUSA executive board has not yet met with the entire BFC body, but Gray is slated to meet today with Eno to discuss student issues. \nEno said the council welcomes suggestions from student representatives.\n"We feel it's our obligation to make extra effort to hear students out if they're willing to offer a view from a different perspective," Eno said. "We're coming at this from the standpoint of faculty, and we like to explore what the other side looks like."\nHe raised last year's issue of imposing taxes on textbooks as one example -- an issue the council wouldn't have otherwise examined. \nAnother galvanizing issue among students arose last spring, when the BFC passed a resolution endorsing nationwide academic principles for intercollegiate athletics. IU students and Big Ten athletes alike attacked the proposal, voicing myriad complaints, yet then-IUSA president Jake Oakman and mens' basketball coach Mike Davis voiced their support for the measure. \nFearing immediate changes to athletic programs, the students reacted unfavorably to the council's efforts -- and justifiably so, Eno said.\n"We were in effect endorsing nationwide principles developed by the faculty senate leaders of all Big Ten institutions," Eno said. "The students, however, felt what we were doing was passing policy to affect the conduct of intercollegiate athletics instead of considering a resolution pushing for the direction of general reform."\nEno said that while the student voice did not prevail on that particular issue, the undergraduate presence did affect the voting outcome, including the his own vote.\nEno said true change is often initiated at the standing committee level. The council's 17 committees range in jurisdiction from student affairs to affirmative action and educational policies, according to the BFC Web site.\nThis year, the council plans to take up the issue of course transfers between the regional and Bloomington campuses. Currently, intercampus transfer students must petition the Course Transfer Appeal Board for approval of credit transfer, according to the IU Course Transfer and Appeals Policy.\nIn the past, Eno said, it's been "highly unpredictable" how those credits will transfer. The BFC will attempt to ease the transition for transfer students by ensuring similar courses carry over on the Bloomington campus.\nThe council in its entirety will conduct its first meeting of the year at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 10, in the State Room East of the Indiana Memorial Union.