The Arts and Sciences Council resolved Thursday that it should be consulted regarding any proposed substantial change in the structure of the Trinity College of Arts and Sciences.
The resolution, which was passed unanimously, clarifies the role of the Council in major decisions that affect Trinity.
Although the Council has no legislative authority over structural changes-the Council is only charged to legislate on academic issues facing the College-the resolution forces the dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences to consult the Executive Committee of the Arts and Sciences Council on all major structural changes.
The Executive Committee will in turn consult the full body if it deems it necessary.
After hearing a proposed change to the College, the Council will then give their input. Lee Baker, chair of the Council and associate professor of cultural anthropology, said he hopes the input will then be disseminated to the Academic Council-a body composed of representatives from all facets of University academia-or the Academic Priorities Committee-a body comprised of representatives appointed by the provost to advise him on academic programs.
"This resolution did not come from any tension or acrimony between the dean and the Council," Baker said.
He added that the legislation is a precautionary move made so that if the relationship between the dean and Council declines in future years, there will be a written policy in place.
The resolution was spurred by the Council's Feb. 9 meeting, where rumors about a significant cutback to or the possible elimination of the theater studies department were dismissed. After reviewing their bylaws, representatives were worried that the dean might not have to consult the Council in order to pass sweeping structural changes to the College.
"This body has a highly uncertain role in the process," said Paul Haagen, professor of law and chair of the Academic Council, at the Feb. 9 Arts and Sciences Council meeting. "Basically, it is not one of those constitutional bodies of the University. It is an advisory body to the dean of arts and sciences."
Haagen recommended that the body "constitutionally and statutorily try to insert itself at that level."
Duke has one of the strongest faculty governance structures of major research universities, Haagen said.
The University bylaws require administrators to receive feedback from the faculty on all issues before they are presented to the Board of Trustees.
The Academic Council received this power in 1972, after the Council rejected a proposal by a single vote that would have brought the Richard Nixon Library and Museum to Duke.
Not heeding the faculty's will, the Board of Trustees decided that the facility would come to Duke anyway.
The faculty vigorously protested, and eventually the trustees relented. In a committee chaired by George Christie, professor in the Law School, the "Christie Rule" was passed.
The rule specified that except in emergencies, all major decisions and plans of the administration must be submitted to the Academic Council-the only body that represents the entire faculty-for an "expression of views prior to implementation or submission to the Board of Trustees."
But the "Christie Rule" did not provide any such guarantee for the Arts and Sciences Council.
Naomi Quinn, professor emeritus in the Department of Cultural Anthropology, proposed at the Feb. 9 Arts and Sciences Council meeting that the Council should work out a system with the Academic Council so that the Arts and Sciences Council would advise on matters affecting Trinity College.
Baker said the resolution passed Thursday effectively ensures the Council's position in the University advisory structure.
In other business:
The Council also agreed to create an ad hoc committee charged with reviewing academic priorities, including the role of bachelor's of arts and bachelor's of sciences degrees in Trinity College.
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