In a meeting of the Faculty of the Arts and Science yesterday, the faculty passed legislation regarding changes in the position of the Dean of the Faculty as well as policies regarding take-home examinations.
In order to protect students' right to a reading period, the Committee on Instruction proposed changes to the current policy on take-home examinations.
The changes, which passed unanimously by voice vote, prohibit professors from assigning take-home examinations that are due before the regularly scheduled exam date.
The meeting primarily focused on the debate over changes to the Dean of the Faculty position proposed by the Committee on Organization and Policy.
The changes, which were debated two weeks ago at a meeting of the Committee on Chairs, include alterations in the process for selecting the dean as well as reassignment of the dean's committee duties.
Before voting on the proposal, faculty members raised concerns. English Professor Donald Pease questioned the committee's decision to appoint the Dean of the Faculty as head of the Committee on Chairs, thereby replacing the President, on the grounds that it might threaten the democratic nature of the process in the future.
Others objected to the COP's decision not to include junior faculty members in the dean selection process.
Committee member Anne Sa'adah placated concerns, emphasizing that the changes would help both the President and the Dean of Faculty maximize efficiency.
"For the same input of time, we'll get a much better and more democratic result," government department chair Sa'adah said.
Sa'adah, in addition to other faculty members and administrators, also stressed that the decision to keep junior faculty out of the dean selection process was beneficial to all parties, since junior faculty members tend to lack the experience and scope of perspective necessary for the position.
The proposal passed by majority in a voice vote.
The meeting also included a report from the chair of the Committee on Priorities, chemistry professor John Winn, regarding the status of College goals.
The report detailed the over $300 million in projected College expenses for 2006, including an expected $61 million in financial aid.
In his report, Winn emphasized the College's focus on strengthening the faculty by improving compensation as well as increasing the size of the faculty overall.
"The central mission of the College is the collection of core academic programs," Winn said.
Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Karl Furstenberg reported the statistics for the admitted Class of 2009, highlighting the strength of SAT scores, range of diversity, and sizable financial aid.
Before concluding, Dean of Faculty Carol Folt recognized retiring faculty members.
