Senate president David Hopper had hoped to have the policy, which has been four years in the making, approved during the special meeting. The senate needs 50 percent of its 87-member body to declare a quorum, and for awhile 44 of the 50 attending the meeting were senators. But as the evening progressed, some senators left, making a vote impossible. Following the meeting, Hopper called executive board members together and they agreed to add the policy to the already-full May 1 senate agenda.
Hopper hopes to avoid carrying approval of the policy over to the fall.
Both the complainant and the accused must agree to the mediated process, and if mediation is unsuccessful, a complaint still may be filed through the formal process. Both bodies would be drawn from a pool of faculty nominated by the senate president and confirmed by the provost. Several, both senators and other faculty, made suggestions during the meeting, ranging from wordsmithing to major changes in the structure of the policy. Virginia Allen, English, asked that the policy not be approved until it was combined with the appeals process. Senate president-elect Christine Pope, history, suggested that the complainant, accused and senate each nominate members for the board or committee, rather than drawing them from an already established pool.