April 16, 2004 - Attachment A

DRAFT

The Faculty Senate Subcommittee on Convocation and Commencement Policies and Procedures makes the following recommendations:

1. The practice of seating tenured faculty apart from untenured faculty should cease.  University faculty should be seated together as a single faculty.  Separate seating seems unnecessary, arbitrary and inconsistent with values of the university.

2.  The practice of including public prayer at convocations and commencements should be reconsidered.  We recognize that this is an extremely emotionally charged issue.  We are concerned that in lieu of proactive action on the part of the administration, the debate surrounding this issue will become more public.  Such a development could be detrimental to university in numerous ways.

3.  The Faculty Senate shall appoint a committee responsible for developing a pool of potential commencement speakers.  This committee shall submit a list to the administration for consideration each academic year.  We recognize that there are many considerations in deciding on speakers.  We are not suggested that these decisions be made solely by faculty.  Our goal is to establish a process in which there is faculty input.