In Thursday’s Faculty Senate meeting in the Bonnie Hurlburt Student Center at Radford University, senators voted 27-15 to form an ad hoc committee to investigate “numerous, serious, and credible allegations . . . that certain decisions and actions of members of the Radford University administration are in contravention of the RU Internal Governance Document and the Core Values expressed in the 7-17 plan,” according to the motion.

Two senators in particular, Communication Professor Vince Hazleton and Business Law Professor Dan Davidson, voiced concerns that no specific allegations were mentioned in the motion and that no members of the RU administration were to be part of the investigative committee. Hazleton, especially, stressed the role of RU’s Grievance Committee as an avenue for faculty complaints toward administration.

Various other senators, however, spoke out in favor of forming the committee to find out what, in the words of some senators, are problems of morale, trust, and confidence in what is going on at Radford University. After much discussion, a vote was taken via secret ballot with those favoring the motion to form a committee outnumbering those who didn’t by nearly a 2-1 margin.

A committee will now convene by Monday, April 20, and will consist of the president of the faculty senate and a tenured faculty member from each undergraduate college. According to the motion, the committee shall use whatever procedures, hearings, venues, and sessions that the committee shall determine to be both appropriate and consistent with the success of its objectives.

The committee also must ensure that any member of the Radford University community, including any student, faculty member, administrator, alumnus or concerned member of the wider community, who desires to communicate specific information to the committee is provided an opportunity to do so.

When the committee determines that it has completed its work it shall provide a written report of its findings to the faculty senate no later than Oct. 1.

Also during Thursday’s meeting, the senate voted 36-6 that all programs that have undergone expedited program review be continued, pending review in a manner that accords with established precedent under the Internal Governance Document. Discussion on the motion was minimal, but some senators did clarify their concerns, including Foods & Nutrition Professor Anne Alexander stating that no opportunity was given to challenge data during the expedited review process and Religion & Philosophy Professor Kay Jordan saying that the standards were different in the regular program review as opposed to the expedited review. Senators whose programs were under expedited review were given an opportunity to speak, and several took advantage of the opportunity to defend their departments.

Tim W. Jackson is Editor of the New River Voice.