Second Faculty Senate Meeting - March 14

The main topic of discussion during the March 25th Faculty Senate meeting was a report on budget and staff given by university president Kopp.

The presentation included information about possible upcoming budget cuts, possible solutions to these budget cuts and the current staffing budget allotment.

Marshall could be facing an overall $6.5 milltion dollar budget cut in the upcoming years, $1.2 million coming directly from the medical school.

A possibel solution presented by Kopp was the possibility of an increase in the state "pop tax." This is a tax on all cans of soda sold within the state. This tax goes to West Virginia University's medical since 1958.

Just a couple cent increase on this tax could not only cover the money going to WVU but also distribute it to other state universities including Marshall.

Without a solution, Kopp said that the university could be facing around a $730 intuition increase.

In the staff budget report the president pointed out that 46 percent of Marshall's faculty were full professors, a stastic much higher than the state or national average.

According to Kopp, to get on par with state average, Marshall would have to slow the advancment of faculty from instructor to professor.

Faculty Senate Votes In Favor of Tocacco-Free Policy

Marshall University's Faculty Senate  backed the proposed tobacco-ban .

The policy is  the result of a survey conducted at the university's assessment day last year, in which 71 percent of students and 74 percent of faculty voiced support of a tobacco-free policy on campus. The proposed policy  was originally drafted by Marshall University's Student Government Association last semester and works to eliminate the use of cigarettes, e-cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products  from campus.

After being passed by the Student Government Association, the policy moved to the floor of the Faculty Senate and passed in an overwhelmingly positive voice vote at its monthly meeting on Thursday. However, the policy did not go uncontested.

"It's about personal freedom," Jamil Chaudri, professor in the College of Information Technology and Engineering, said. "What right do we have to prevail upon others to give up a habit?"

Chaudri, a past smoker but kicked the habit over thirty years ago, voiced that he feared this policy was simply the objection of an action by a majority working to squash the actions of a minority.

There were also those who spoke in favor of the policy before the vote. "Their personal freedom ends at my nose," said psychology professor, Pamela Mulder.

Mulder voiced her support for the bill based on health issues, speaking about the dangers and concerns of second hand smoke on non-tobacco users.

The policy will now go before the Marshall University Board of Governors later this semester for a final vote.

West Virginia University passed a similar policy in Morgantown that will go into effect later this year.