The Faculty Senate has joined the Senate Bill 5 opposition, claiming the bill removes shared governance from higher education.

The Senate endorsed a resolution against the bill at its meeting Tuesday, voting 41 in favor, seven against and 10 abstentions. Members of the Senate Executive Committee authored and endorsed the resolution at a March 29 meeting.

Bob DeBard, a committee member who helped author the resolution, said its main concern isn’t the law of Senate Bill 5, but instead the “spirit behind the bill.”

“[The spirit of the bill] is, in fact, to clearly state that collective bargaining is detrimental to higher education in general,” he said.

Senate Bill 5 “reinforces the misperception that shared governance is not possible in a collective bargaining setting,” according to the resolution. The resolution defines shared governance as “cooperative decision making … between faculty and management” — a key component of the Faculty Senate.

“Although members of the SEC are not of one mind when it comes to collective bargaining, we are of one mind when it comes to shared governance,” DeBard said. “So this resolution does capture what our concern is to Senate Bill 5.”

Specifically to higher education, language in Senate Bill 5 defines faculty members as “management” and ineligible for collective bargaining.

“This removes shared governance,” said Senate member David Border. “It takes us out of the traditional classroom and research mode and moves us to management, which I feel is incorrect.”

Gov. John Kasich signed the bill into law last Thursday, a day after the House voted 53-44 in favor.

The bill limits collective bargaining and striking rights for all public sector employees, affecting more than 350,000 people. The bill would also ban strikes and binding arbitration — when an impartial third party helps resolve contract disputes.

Proponents of the bill have praised it as a budget-balancing measure that will save the state more than $1 billion.

Opponents of the bill, however, call it a direct attack on collective bargaining and are collecting signatures for a referendum on the November ballot.

Graduate Student Senate supports the Senate’s resolution and also opposes Senate Bill 5, GSS President Steve Dinda said at the meeting Tuesday.

Undergraduate Student Government, however, has not taken a stance on the resolution, USG President Kevin Basch said.

“It hasn’t been brought to the floor in a formal discussion, and I don’t see it taking place this year,” he said. “But the next USG president could possibly work with a senator to write up [a statement] as this develops further.”

Senate endorses School of Cultural and Critical Studies

The Senate also approved a resolution Tuesday endorsing the formation of a School of Cultural and Critical Studies.

The departments of Ethnic Studies and Popular Culture along with the Women’s Studies and American Culture Studies programs would merge to form the school. It would combine common theories of culture, race and gender, as well as cut costs.

Following a presentation from American Culture Studies professor Radhika Gajjala and others, the Senate voted 46 in favor, two against it and five abstentions.

The school is in a proposal stage and has not yet been approved, but department directors involved expect approval by the end of the semester.

“We believe our position to endorse this proposal sends a powerful message about our views throughout this process,” Senate Chair Kris Blair said.

Quantitative literacy may be added to BG perspective

The Senate also approved a resolution Tuesday endorsing adding quantitative literacy to students’ BG perspective courses.

Associate professor Craig Zirbel from the Math and Statistics Department gave a brief presentation about the proposal, which mandates all students who enter the University after spring 2012 take math courses. The University currently does not require all students to take math.

“From a point of view from the math department, we would really like to see some more specificity and courses that are helpful for students,” Zirbel said.

The Senate voted 38 in favor of the proposal, one against it and four abstentions.

Ohio Senate Bill 5:

Source: Ohio Municipal League website

Affects more than 350,000 public workersRemoves their right to strikeLimits and reinstates their collective bargaining rightsRevises their process for contract disputesSaves the state more than $1 billion