University Senate : Moderator appointed at organizational meeting
Ian Macinnes, USen presiding officer, talks after Wednesdays meeting. MacInnes was appointed at the semesters first meeting.
The first University Senate meeting of the semester opened Wednesday at 4:15 p.m. in Maxwell Auditorium with a new face at the podium.
Ian MacInnes, associate dean for academic affairs at the School of Information Studies, was appointed chair of the Agenda Committee and became moderator of the senate. MacInnes will be the second non-chancellor to fill the presiding officer position.
‘Last year, we started an experiment whereby we had the chair of the Agenda Committee chair the meeting, and we want to continue that this year. We believe that works well,’ MacInnes said.
Last September, Jonathan Massey was appointed the first non-chancellor to fill the USen’s presiding officer position. Massey resigned from his position after the 2010-11 academic year to focus on his ongoing research in organic architecture.
After a short introduction, MacInnes announced the reformation of several USen policies. Senate members must now raise their hands and wait to be called on when they wish to speak. The explicit measure means to preserve lively debate and decorum, he said. MacInnes will also impose a three-minute time limit when addressing a topic.
‘Over the years we tend to hear from the same people over and over again, and we want to hear a wide range of voices,’ MacInnes said.
The new moderator spoke about the importance of decorum by stressing that senate members need to focus on addressing the issues instead of making personal attacks on each other.
‘Occasionally, people’s emotions get a little bit strong, and we just want to make sure that people focus on the issues so we can have a lively debate as opposed to hard feelings,’ MacInnes said.
Previous meetings had prompted effective discussion, and he hopes to build upon that with these changes, he said.
The senate approved a list of changes reported by the Subcommittee on Nominations in a unanimous vote. The monthly meetings were also permanently moved from 4:15 p.m. to 4 p.m. to increase the accessibility of members who have obligations later in the evening.
MacInnes said he believes the key to success is to listen to all the reports different committees will make to the senate, and then allow senators to offer their opinions on those reports. From there, suggestions will be taken and the senate will debate the issues brought up following the new guidelines now in place.
Published on September 13, 2011 at 12:00 pm
