Dr. Kadie Otto, Chair of the Faculty, presided over the first regular meeting of the WCU Faculty Senate for 2020-2021 on August 26. The Senate heard reports from Chancellor Kelli Brown, Interim Provost Richard Starnes, and Staff Senate Chair, Ben Pendry. Dr. Denise Wilfong (HHS) delivered a report from University Athletics. Dr. Eli Collins-Brown, Director of the Coulter Faculty Commons (CFC) and Dr. Jonathan Wade also from CFC presented a recommendation from the Learning Management System (LMS) Steering Committee for WCU to adopt the Canvas LMS beginning in 2021. Dr. Enrique Gómez authored and presented a resolution that the FS support this recommendation, which passed unanimously by a voice vote.
Dr. Laura Wright (A&S), Chair Elect of the Faculty, authored a statement for the FS to adopt in support of the decisions of the Administration to act swiftly in following its policies and procedures in an incident over the last few days when students posted content in social media that was a source of alarm and consternation in the WCU community and beyond. The students in questions, as the Chancellor stated in her report, are no longer attending WCU. The text of the statement adopted by the FS, which passed in a unanimous roll call vote reads as follows.
The Faculty Senate reasserts our unequivocal support for our Black students, colleagues, and community members. With regard to its adjudication of student sanctions, the Faculty Senate supports and commends WCU’s administration taking “necessary and appropriate action to protect the safety and interests of the University community” (3.03) to enforce its Code of Student Conduct (2.02; 5.07) to the full extent of its authority and asks that it do so in all equivalent future incidents. Alongside the WCU administration, the Board of Trustees, the staff and students, the faculty honor and share the core values of diversity, inclusivity, equality, and social justice, and strive to create a safe learning environment for all students at WCU.
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