Faculty debate over CUE proposal continues
Limited faculty input, balance of disciplines top issues of concern
By Brandon Ortiz
Staff Reporter

Amid controversy surrounding the proposed Common Undergraduate Experience, one of the architects of the document said he will send an e-mail response addressing concerns to all faculty Thursday or Friday.

The CUE is a complete overhaul of the university’s curriculum that has been in progress for more than a year.

Phil Hartman, a member of the UCR Drafting Committee that created the CUE, said he will send an e-mail rebuttal answering criticisms that the proposed core squeezes out areas in the humanities and was created with little faculty input.

Debate sparked Friday when 15 faculty members sent an e-mail to all faculty calling for a reevaluation of the CUE. The letter, authored primarily by religion professor Claudia Camp and distributed by philosophy professor Gregg Franzwa, criticized the CUE for having a “strong social sciences bent” and failing to provide students with enough courses in the humanities.

Authors of the letter said they had little or no input in drafting the CUE.

“It would have been nice to have had a greater voice,” said Blake Hestir, an assistant professor of philosophy, who signed the letter.

Hestir said he had no voice in the drafting of the CUE because “I haven’t been asked.”

George Brown, chair-elect of Faculty Senate, said faculty members have had ample opportunities to voice their opinions and will continue to have them.

“I would be surprised if voices are not heard given the depth of (the) process,” Brown said. “There is not a college on campus that doesn’t have a voice in the Faculty Senate.”

The CUE still has a myriad of committees to make it through for final approval, which Faculty Senate members say is targeted for April. The CUE would take effect in the 2003-2004 school year for incoming freshman.

Faculty will discuss the CUE Jan. 30. The next day, the Faculty Senate will discuss the concerns from the meeting.

During this time period, colleges and departments will discuss and propose revisions to their respective deans.

Once this occurs, deans, the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate and the provost will meet to reach a consensus. From there, a proposal will be submitted to the Faculty Senate.

If approved, the CUE will then go to the Undergraduate Council, a committee comprised of faculty members. The Undergraduate Council will then create a proposal for the University Council, which will have final approval.

At anytime during this chain, a faculty assembly meeting can be called to scrap the CUE, according to the Faculty and Staff Handbook.

“This document is not by any means in its final form,” Brown said.

Because of confusion surrounding exactly how the CUE will be approved, Brown said he will send an e-mail to faculty explaining the process.

Brandon Ortiz
b.p.ortiz@student.tcu.edu

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