The Ohio State Board of Trustees will meet for the final time this calendar year today at the Longaberger Alumni House. Among the many issues to be discussed, one decision will have an immediate effect on students, faculty and staff.
Plans are in place to implement the elimination of early senior finals this quarter, the official approval must be given by the board. Tim Gerber, professor of music and chair of the Council on Enrollment and Student Progress for the 2002-2003 academic year, said the issue has already undergone a lengthy process to arrive at the board meeting.
“The elimination of specially arranged senior finals has involved literally hundreds of faculty and students across campus,” Gerber said.
The motion to eliminate early senior finals was proposed in the spring and approved at the Nov. 13 meeting of the University Senate, the university’s legislature in which faculty and student members oversee all actions of the administration.
“This action requires a change in the Rules of the University Faculty and Bylaws of the University Senate, so it must be officially approved by the Board of Trustees,” Gerber said.
Gerber said it is very likely the board will pass the motion.
“The board has confidence and places trust in the faculty and staff and realizes that much work has been done to assure that all issues have already been addressed,” he said.
David Frantz, secretary of the board, agreed. He said he would be surprised if the issue did not pass routinely.
“The issue was initiated by the office of the provost and then approved by the University Senate. It will now be discussed at the board meeting in the Academic and Student Affairs Committee and ultimately will end up on the consent agenda for the board,” Frantz said.
Frantz said this issue is not new.
“Faculty and students have pushed for it for a long time, and it sailed through the University Senate without any objections,” he said.
The motion before the board is to change the Rules of the University Faculty and Bylaws for the University Senate to remove the phrase, “Examinations for graduating students shall be given at a time near the end of each course, preferably during the last week of classes.”
Additionally, a provision will be added to require faculty to electronically submit final grades for graduating students to the office of the university registrar before certain dates.
“The submission of electronic grades is really what has made it possible to eliminate early senior finals and to move the date of commencement,” Gerber said. “But it really places a great deal of pressure on the staff in the registrar’s office, especially with the shorter turn around time.”
Gerber said the process is especially lengthy because OSU inscribes the name of each graduate on his or her diploma.
“Many people don’t realize that the majority of major universities do not put students’ names on the diplomas,” Gerber said. “This is something unique to Ohio State that we’re not willing to sacrifice.”
