Senate Bill 12-13-44
| Bill ID: | 12-13-44 |
| Name: | Upholding Shared Governance: Creation of a Single-Member Constituency Representative Position for 5-Year Program Students |
| Proposed: | 02/12/2013 |
| Sponsor: | Zachary Sivo |
| Proposal: | As part of the BA/MPP joint 5-year program, undergraduates enroll in graduate level public policy courses and complete 18 PUAF graduate credits before graduating with a baccalaureate. Immediately following graduation, these students are reviewed by the School of Public Policy before becoming full-time graduate students here at the University of Maryland, where they spend one full year completing the remaining requirements for master's degrees. This program has been successful at recruiting top-talent from undergraduate University of Maryland programs, and has provided a means for ambitious students to push themselves in a field of academic and professional interest while remaining at the University of Maryland. Despite the highly-regarded nature of this program, the 5-year program students who are transitioning from undergraduate to graduate levels are left without the opportunity to vote for University Senators or become a candidate for a University Senate position. Due to Plan of Organization Section 3.4 regulations, 5-year program students are not eligible to run for any of the 10 at-large graduate student seats or undergraduate positions on the Senate. Further, there have been stated concerns related to the ability of BA/MPP students to reflect the interests of either undergraduate (BSOS) or graduate students as they enter their fifth year of the program (first and only year of graduate student studies). The members of the BA/MPP community have invested themselves in the community here at Maryland, completing their undergraduate degrees at College Park and aiming to spend an additional year at College Park receiving their masters. These joint program students strengthen academic and intellectual discussion and research at Maryland, and are active members in clubs, campus organizations, and in the greater community. Under the current policy, these 5-year students lose their ability to represent others in their academic communities or be represented their peers when they become full-time graduate students for their 5th and final year in their joint program. The University of Maryland has been lauded by its students, staff, and faculty for promoting a system of shared governance. The proposed solution aims to uphold electoral process precedent at Maryland and comply with current and accepted practices. I propose that a single-member constituency representative be allotted for 5-year program students, who are entering their 5th year in a program (first and only year of graduate student studies), in the University Senate. In the past, such positions have been created to allow for representation of part-time graduate students, adjunct faculty and professors of the practice, and head athletic coaches. There are not adverse or negative consequences to this proposal. In creating such a position, the interests of 5-year program students would be represented and voiced in the University Senate. It would allow an unrepresented group of active students to take part in the shared governance of their university and community in College Park through the University Senate electoral process. Following the precedent for the creation of representatives for part-time graduate students, adjunct faculty and professors of the practice, and head athletic coaches (which occurred under Section 3.5 of the Plan of Organization), a single-member constituency representative position would be created to represent students enrolled in 5-year programs (such as the BA/MPP program). Students would be able to file for positional candidacy following similar protocols from Section 3.4 of the Plan of Organization. The election of a representative as outlined below would occur with all other University Senate elections on an annual basis, through a system of student candidacy declarations and student voting. -Candidates for the representative position would have to be part of a 5-year program (such as BA/MPP) and be entering their fifth year in the program (first and only year of graduate student studies); -Students that are in part-time or full-time graduate school programs not taken in sequence with undergraduate studies at the University of Maryland as part of a 5-year program would not be eligible to be candidates of this position. These graduate students have the opportunity to vote for 10 at-large graduate student Senators during annual elections. -Likewise, BA/MPP students that are not entering their 5th year of the program (first and only year of graduate student studies) would not be eligible to be candidates of this position. These undergraduate students have the opportunity to vote for Undergraduate Senators during annual elections. -Students in 5-year programs (such as BA/MPP) that are entering their fifth year in the program (first and only year of graduate studies) would be allowed to vote for candidates running for the single-member representative position associated with the University Senate. -Students that are in part-time or full-time graduate school programs not taken in sequence with undergraduate studies at the University of Maryland as part of a 5-year program would not be eligible to vote for candidates of this position. These graduate students have the opportunity to vote for 10 at-large graduate student Senators during annual elections. -Likewise, BA/MPP students that are not entering their 5th year of the program (first and only year of graduate student studies) would not be eligible to vote for candidates of this position. These undergraduate students have the opportunity to vote for Undergraduate Senators during annual elections. This proposal does not require the adjustment of written policy, as it falls under the jurisdiction of current policy stated in the Plan of Organization. This policy does rely upon current practice to be made into policy as a single-member constituency representative position will be created, as it has for various other university affiliated groups of staff, faculty, and students. The students that enroll in the BA/MPP program from this year forward would be able to have their voices heard in shared governance of their university. The BA/MPP population at the University of Maryland is approximately ___ students. There are no financial considerations to be taken into account in enacting this policy. Please consider the proposal outlined above to allow for students in 5-year programs to maintain their University Senate representation as they finish their programs of study at the University of Maryland. |
| Active? | No |
Status
| Status: | Completed |
| Completed On: | 03/15/2013 |
History
| Status: | Complete |
| Reviewer: | Zachary Sivo, Proposer |
| Received: | 2013-03-15 |
| Decision: | The proposer received a letter from the SEC explaining its decision not to charge a committee with reviewing the proposal. |
| Related Files: |
| Status: | Complete |
| Reviewer: | Senate Executive Committee (SEC) |
| Received: | 2013-02-15 |
| Decision Date: | 2013-03-13 |
| Decision: | The SEC voted not to charge a committee with reviewing the proposal. |
| Next Step: | Letter to proposer |
| Related Files: |