Faculty Senate votes ‘no confidence’ in three vice presidents (News)
The Faculty Senate is deliberating the motion for a vote of confidence regarding Concord University’s Vice Presidents.
After the motion was presented in the Faculty Senate floor, some faculty members started trying to rally more support for this action by approaching SGA President, Sean Noland.
The unnamed faculty members Noland told about asked for the Student Senate to vote in support of the Faculty Senate’s motion for a vote of confidence.
As Dr. Charles Brichford explained, what happens with a vote of confidence is if the deliberating body votes a majority of “yes” to the motion, it shows confidence in the entity that they want to show support or no support. And if the majority vote is “no” it shows no confidence and that it is urged that the entity in question be replaced. These kinds of motions are usually aimed at replacing chiefs, presidents or anyone in the position of highest authority.
Noland said that he believes that the reason these faculty members approached him was to show the administration a united faculty/student front, maybe to show the administration that they do need some kind of change and that it is the opinion of both the faculty and students to see it.
However, with the typical student’s lack of knowledge of what exactly goes on behind the scenes of the administration, it would be a huge fault of the Student Senate to take any kind of stance on this, Brichford explained.
Noland also echoed Brichford’s sentiments “It would be adverse for the Senate if this was voted down,” Noland said. “The Student Senate should stay out in its best interest.”
He went on to explain that if the vote went either way, it could damage the Student Government Association’s relationship with the faculty or the administration and that is not something the SGA needs to sacrifice right now.
He mentioned that there are other ways to go around this issue that haven’t been used and that the SGA isn’t at the point for a vote like this. What ways those are he did not state.
Brichford said that while it is a “bad idea to get an opinion from the Student Senate” this should still be a subject of “vital interest for students.” He said that this would not affect the student body initially.
A motion like this coming from the Faculty Senate shows discontent among the faculty and should make students wonder, “What is going on to cause this discontent?” Brichford said that what the intentions and what the motion will achieve are unclear to him.
Thursday, April 26, the Faculty Senate moved to a vote on four of the University’s Vice Presidents. According to the official minutes of the Faculty Senate the vote went as follows:
Vice President for Business and Finance Jim Cannon received fifty-one “No” votes and six “Yes” votes. Nine abstentions were made.
Vice President for Admissions and Financial Aid Michael Curry received forty-four “No” votes and six “Yes” votes. Sixteen abstentions were made.
Vice President for Student Affairs John David Smith received eight “No” votes and forty-eight “Yes” votes. Nine abstentions were made.
Perhaps the closest vote was for Vice President and Academic Dean, Dean Turner with only a six-vote margin. He received thirty-one “No” votes and twenty-five “Yes” votes. Ten abstentions were made.
Cannon, Curry, and Turner received votes of “No Confidence” and Smith received a vote of “Confidence.”
What will happen after this remains to be seen. Perhaps a more cohesive relationship between the faculty and administration will arise thus benefiting students later on, or maybe not. Either way, it would be beneficial for students to keep a vested interest in this matter.
Correction: It is the Concord University General Faculty, not the Faculty Senate.
After the motion was presented in the Faculty Senate floor, some faculty members started trying to rally more support for this action by approaching SGA President, Sean Noland.
The unnamed faculty members Noland told about asked for the Student Senate to vote in support of the Faculty Senate’s motion for a vote of confidence.
As Dr. Charles Brichford explained, what happens with a vote of confidence is if the deliberating body votes a majority of “yes” to the motion, it shows confidence in the entity that they want to show support or no support. And if the majority vote is “no” it shows no confidence and that it is urged that the entity in question be replaced. These kinds of motions are usually aimed at replacing chiefs, presidents or anyone in the position of highest authority.
Noland said that he believes that the reason these faculty members approached him was to show the administration a united faculty/student front, maybe to show the administration that they do need some kind of change and that it is the opinion of both the faculty and students to see it.
However, with the typical student’s lack of knowledge of what exactly goes on behind the scenes of the administration, it would be a huge fault of the Student Senate to take any kind of stance on this, Brichford explained.
Noland also echoed Brichford’s sentiments “It would be adverse for the Senate if this was voted down,” Noland said. “The Student Senate should stay out in its best interest.”
He went on to explain that if the vote went either way, it could damage the Student Government Association’s relationship with the faculty or the administration and that is not something the SGA needs to sacrifice right now.
He mentioned that there are other ways to go around this issue that haven’t been used and that the SGA isn’t at the point for a vote like this. What ways those are he did not state.
Brichford said that while it is a “bad idea to get an opinion from the Student Senate” this should still be a subject of “vital interest for students.” He said that this would not affect the student body initially.
A motion like this coming from the Faculty Senate shows discontent among the faculty and should make students wonder, “What is going on to cause this discontent?” Brichford said that what the intentions and what the motion will achieve are unclear to him.
Thursday, April 26, the Faculty Senate moved to a vote on four of the University’s Vice Presidents. According to the official minutes of the Faculty Senate the vote went as follows:
Vice President for Business and Finance Jim Cannon received fifty-one “No” votes and six “Yes” votes. Nine abstentions were made.
Vice President for Admissions and Financial Aid Michael Curry received forty-four “No” votes and six “Yes” votes. Sixteen abstentions were made.
Vice President for Student Affairs John David Smith received eight “No” votes and forty-eight “Yes” votes. Nine abstentions were made.
Perhaps the closest vote was for Vice President and Academic Dean, Dean Turner with only a six-vote margin. He received thirty-one “No” votes and twenty-five “Yes” votes. Ten abstentions were made.
Cannon, Curry, and Turner received votes of “No Confidence” and Smith received a vote of “Confidence.”
What will happen after this remains to be seen. Perhaps a more cohesive relationship between the faculty and administration will arise thus benefiting students later on, or maybe not. Either way, it would be beneficial for students to keep a vested interest in this matter.
Correction: It is the Concord University General Faculty, not the Faculty Senate.
