The Faculty Senate will meet Tuesday night to discuss a final exam policy concerning students who have three or more finals on the same calendar day.

The Faculty Senate meeting will be held 7:30 p.m. in the North Room of the Gateway Center.

Robin Stone, assistant professor of music, became concerned with the final exam policy last semester when a student came to him a couple days before finals week saying he needed to reschedule his final.

Stone said he needed more time to schedule a place and time that was convenient for both for the rescheduled exam.

“I think the deadline needs to be at least a couple weeks before Dead Week,” Stone said.

Stone contacted his Faculty Senate representative about the issue and a new policy was proposed which states “the student wishing to change the day of the exam must request the concerned instructor no later than the last scheduled class day of that class before the beginning of the Dead Week.” The proposal also states that instructors who wish to enforce this policy must inform the class in writing.

Jack Girton, president-elect of the Faculty Senate, said it isn’t fair to the instructor to receive little notice from a student when they need to reschedule a final exam.

“If an instructor feels they need more time [than the proposed week], it’s up to the instructor to let the students know,” said Girton, associate professor of zoology and genetics.

Also on the agenda is a proposed policy regarding the appeal of an action against the provost or the president. Girton said the general rule on appeals of an administrator is to take the complaint to the next highest administrator. He said the problem occurs when you have an appeal against the provost or the president.

This question was brought to former ISU president Martin Jischke and he agreed with the senate that appeals against the provost and the president would first be routed through the provost’s office and then sent on to the president, Girton said. If the appeal is against the president, he has the chance to settle the matter or take it to the Board of Regents to decide.

When ISU President Gregory Geoffroy took office in summer of 2001 he wanted this policy written down, Girton said. Girton said the proposal “explains how paperwork has to be routed and it gives the provost and president a chance to settle the matter.”

The senate will also discuss a proposal from the Liberal Arts and Sciences Caucus to end the university’s support of United Way of Story County because of its support for Boy Scouts of America, which has a discriminatory policy regarding homosexuals.

Girton said United Way is supported by the university through the campus mail system and by faculty members who operate as collectors of United Way.

“The LAS Caucus felt it was a form of discrimination and they don’t want university funds to support it,” he said.

Girton said the issue will be discussed at Tuesday night’s meeting but not voted on until the next meeting.

The Faculty Senate spring retreat is being held April 18-19 at the Gateway Center when they will be discussing the promotion and tenure process, Girton said.

The current promotion and tenure policy rewards faculty members on the basis of scholarship, but no one really knew the definition of scholarship or how to evaluate faculty, Girton said.

The retreat will focus on a way to implement this policy, he said.

Girton said space is limited and applications are being accepted until Wednesday.