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Senate refuses to adopt university’s dismissal for clause policy

By Amy Geiszler-Jones

The Faculty Senate refused to make changes to a policy dealing with the process of firing tenured faculty in the faculty handbook during its meeting Nov. 9. Over the objections of the faculty, President Hughes modified the university’s dismissal for cause policy, effective Nov. 1, saying the changes were needed to be in compliance with state law. The senate was asked to include the amended policy in the faculty handbook.

The university’s dismissal for cause policy gives the administration the authority to start a formal review of a faculty member even if an informal review committee comprising faculty members has found no cause to proceed with charges. Under the previous policy, if an informal review committee couldn’t substantiate the charges, the dismissal process would be dropped.

The administration’s ability to continue the process “violates due process and tenure rights,” said Sen. A.J. Mandt. The granting of tenure and promotion and the firing process traditionally have been duties faculty and administrators share.

In an Oct. 30 memo to Faculty Senate President Elmer Hoyer, Ted Ayres, the university’s general counsel, wrote that “with the approval and recommendation of the Executive Council, President Hughes has determined that the University policy should be revised and/or clarified to avoid misunderstandings and to put same in full compliance with state law and Regents policy regarding the authority of the President.” Hughes outlined a similar position a year ago at a Faculty Senate meeting, saying that both state law and Board of Regents policy say a university president is the final authority in the granting of tenure and promotion and the firing process.

By not modifying the policy in the Faculty Handbook, the senate was taking a stand to not to include policies that the faculty do not agree with. Instead, the senate will add a disclaimer to its policy, noting that the policy in the handbook differs from the one in the WSU Policies and Procedures Manual and is not approved by the faculty.

The senate, which sees the modification as going against the concept of shared governance, is hoping to revisit the issue with President-select Don Beggs, who takes over Jan. 1.

In other action, the senate adopted a new policy on student misconduct and academic integrity. The policy had been undergoing revisions for some time, with a new committee tackling the policy last month. The new policy, which basically left intact the old policy, adds definitions of examples of academic misconduct and clarified how a student can resolve an academic appeal.

The senate wanted to encourage students to work with an instructor if the teacher suspects academic dishonesty and allow students other means of resolving the dispute, such as going to a department chair, rather than immediately filing an appeal to the Court of Academic Appeals.

Inside WSU is published by the Office of University Communications for Wichita State University faculty and staff on Fridays - with an exclusive online version every other Friday - during the fall and spring semesters. Items to be considered for publication should be sent to campus box 62 or amy.geiszler-jones@wichita.edu 10 days before publication.

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