Jesse Watson wanted an integral role at the University of Idaho.
The fifth-year student said he turned to ASUI, becoming one of the two Faculty Senate representatives — a position he was recently reappointed to.
“I felt like that’s where I could make the most change, being able to advocate for student issues at an administrative level,” Watson said.
This role allows Watson to represent the undergraduate population by having a vote on the Senate, which is jointly responsible for governing UI, working in conjunction with the university president and regents.
Formerly the Faculty Council, “the Senate is empowered to act for the university faculty in all matters pertaining to the immediate government of the university,” the UI Faculty Staff website notes.
It is comprised of students — like Watson — and faculty representatives from colleges across campus.
However, the number of senators depends on the faculty size of the specific college. For instance, the UI College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences has four and the College of Engineering one.
Faculty Senate Chair Aaron Johnson said the organization, which meets 3:30 p.m. every Tuesday in Brink Hall, generally handles three types of issues — policy changes, administrative procedure and university concerns.
“The Faculty Senate is a big governing component,” he said. “We try to keep a proper perspective on things … Our decision isn’t final, but we do try to weigh in a lot.”
Johnson said the Senate has the greatest impact on policy changes because nothing can be altered in the UI Faculty Staff Handbook without first appearing before “the working body.”
He said the group has a “reasonable” amount of influence on administrative procedures being considered, such as centralizing advising or parking, having a “seat at the table” rather than a deciding role or “a lever to pull.”
The Senate isn’t always able to advocate for peoples’ concerns when it comes to established policies and procedures which are “a part of the fabric” of the university, Johnson said.
Johnson, who presides over the weekly meetings, said he works in conjunction with other senate leadership to identify agenda items, as well as the various tasks needing to be handed out the committees under their purview.
“Some of the issues are handed to us and sometimes we request that we or a committee look into them,” he said.
The Faculty Senate oversees more than 25 committees with focuses ranging from general education to sabbatical evaluations. These groups usually assess an issue before it is brought up to the body.
After a bill or resolution passes the Senate, it then goes to the University Faculty, who meet once a month. If it passes there, it will go to the president for review, where it will be approved or vetoed.
“The Faculty Senate is the group that is responsible for and engaged with shared governance and it plays a large and important role in helping the administration, and in worse times, kind of challenging the administration,” Johnson said. “It’s a valuable mechanism to make sure (faculty) have a voice in how the university goes forward.”
Olivia Heersink can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @heersinkolivia