Faculty Senate members voted by a narrow margin to endorse an open search for the next provost. No discussion proceeded the 13-12-3 vote, but it has been a topic of conversation in the Senate since the search to permanently fill the spot began. Arguments for an open search included transparency and the ability for faculty…
Background check policy might deter potential candidates
Administrators have begun reviewing Butler University’s background check policy to evaluate its effectiveness and respond to fears that it is causing the university to lose candidates. Associate Provost Laura Behling said at the Feb. 21 Faculty Senate meeting that administrators have started to review both the cost and the time associated with background checks. The…
Faculty Senate approves 3 new majors, removes 1
Faculty Senate members unanimously voted to approve three new majors and eliminate another at their meeting on Tuesday. Students can now major in risk management and insurance, peace and conflict studies and organizational communication and leadership. RMI and PCS will also offer minors. The master’s degree of music in music theory was removed. The RMI…
OPINION | Good journalism clearly calls for more transparency at Butler
The Butler Collegian has undergone quite the facelift this year by reporting on things that impact the entire student body, by looking at things not just at face value and by source-building and digging around for newsworthy stories. The Collegian has started a conversation on campus that I don’t always like to hear, but it’s…
STAFF EDITORIAL | Faculty senate needs transparency
Butler University Faculty Senate members voted Oct.18 to give themselves the option of holding closed-door sessions in the future, a blow to transparency that possibly could remove important faculty and student interaction with the assembly. We at The Butler Collegian believe anything that denigrates the transparency of a voting body is concerning, especially a body…
Cross-listing leaves students feeling frustrated
Students may now be shopping for next semester’s classes during advising, but it won’t be until next semester that some realize their classmates may be better or worse prepared than they are. Certain classes are cross-listed, or listed twice in the Butler University course catalog. The course may be listed under two different subjects or…
Trustees vote down 1 percent equity raise for faculty, staff
Butler University’s Board of Trustees voted down a 1 percent pay equity raise Saturday for some faculty and staff in light of the university’s failure to meet enrollment expectations this year. President Jim Danko said he supported the Board’s decision. “I really felt that it was a wise move to step back for the time,”…
Underpaid faculty and staff deserve equity raises
On Saturday, Butler University’s Board of Trustees voted to approve President Jim Danko’s recommendation not to proceed with a 1 percent equity raise for approved faculty and staff. The university uses equity raises to close gaps between the salaries of comparable faculty and staff. While Butler’s effort to include equity raises in the budget…
Faculty senate needs an overhaul from tired practice
Top-level administrators at Butler University have enough to worry about in a given day. One fewer worry would be whether or not to attend faculty senate meetings that occur twice a month if the senate votes Oct. 4 to limit their access. These meetings should be reserved for faculty members who feel the direct impact…