The Miami University Faculty Senate voted Monday to refer a student senate proposal regarding midterm grades to the University Senate Executive Committee for consideration. The senate also passed a motion revising university cell phone and communication policy in the classroom.
Student body president Nick Huber presented student senate's proposal.
"Student senate would like to see mid-year grade reports available on BannerWeb for all students," Huber said. "Not just first-year students."
According to Huber, current university policy makes midterm grades mandatory for first-year students during their first semester to provide feedback during their transition into college.
"What the bill is doing is basically asking for an expanded offering so that all students will be able to access their grades midway through the semester," Huber said.
Senate members had mixed feelings on the proposal.
"We'd have to change the way we do things," Music Department Professor Andrea Ridilla said, adding she sees what her students are capable of and challenges more throughout the semester.
Madelyn Detloff, associate professor of English and director and associate professor of women's, gender and sexuality studies, said the recent transition to Niihka has also hindered grade accessibility.
"The transition to Niihka made it a little harder to get the grades up," Detloff said. "So I wonder whether we could, as a university, do a better job on Niihka so we can get our grades up there."
Some faculty argued that mandating midterm grades would not solve the problem of faculty not providing feedback.
"To tell [faculty], ‘you have to do this one more thing,' it's not solving the problem," Computer Science and Software Engineering Chair James Kiper said.
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After discussing the proposal, the senate voted to refer the issue to the senate executive committee to determine which senate committee should discuss the issue.
"I want to address this issue and I want to take it very seriously but I want to do it right," Detloff said.
The senate also voted to change the language of a university policy regarding cell phone and communication device usage in class periods to make the policy more encompassing. It allows instructors to prohibit the use of these devices, where in the past they could simply ban the possession of such devices, University Senate Chair Steven DeLue said.
"I think there is a general feeling of displeasure towards people using digital devices to focus on things outside of the classroom," DeLue said. "It gives people who are bothered by [cell phone and electronics usage] to invoke a rule. Do you have to do it if you don't want to? No."
Huber agreed with the proposal.
"This puts the power in the hands of the professor to do their job as they see fit," Huber said.
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