| Rumor |
The Faculty Senate at A&M-Kingsville was a good example of
shared governance. |
| The Truth |
Some colleges and departments had multiple representatives, and
some had none. Almost half of the members—15 of 33—were
elected at large, leading to domination by certain larger departments.
When university officials attended Senate meetings, they were not
allowed to speak, even when they had information pertinent to the
topic at hand. |
| Rumor |
The Faculty Senate represented the interests of all faculty. |
| The Truth |
To cite just a single case in which this was not true, one senator
was shouted down by other members when she tried to speak. Her
previous attempts to make the Faculty Senate more inclusive of
all faculty were rebuffed twice: when her proposed amendment to
the constitution on this topic was not seconded, and when the petition
she organized, signed by 53 members of the general faculty, was
tabled. |
| Rumor |
The current situation is a reflection of poor leadership by President
Juarez. |
| The Truth |
This problem has existed for decades and was the reason for the
resignation of at least one previous president. |
| Rumor |
President Juarez turned down all of the recommendations for tenure
in spring 2003, which prompted the no-confidence vote. |
| The Truth |
In Spring 2003, President Juarez turned down only one out of
16 tenure recommendations. He did deny promotions to 15 out of
20 faculty members, but many of them were later promoted. |
| Rumor |
The no-confidence vote was representative of the entire faculty. |
| The Truth |
Only about a third of the total faculty voted no confidence. |
| Rumor |
President Juarez asked the chancellor to fill the External Review
Committee with like-minded A&M System administrators. |
| The Truth |
He did not ask that the committee include a regent, the chancellor
or any other administrator. He specifically requested a committee
of faculty senate leaders. |
| Rumor |
Members of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee are ineligible
for election to the new Faculty Senate. |
| The Truth |
Those who served on the Faculty Senate Executive Committee at
any time since fall 2003 are ineligible to serve on the Constitutional
Task Force only. (The External Review Committee recommended
that all members of the Faculty Senate be excluded.) |
| Rumor |
The A&M-Kingsville Faculty Senate operated according to A&M
System policy. |
| The Truth |
A&M System policy 12.04 states that “There may be created
in each component university and the health science center an academic
council and/or a faculty senate. These bodies, if established,
shall serve in an advisory capacity to the president.” There
is no policy requiring that a president’s decisions be approved
by the Faculty Senate. |