Daniella Tebib
News Editor
A Murray State history professor has questioned a decision by Provost Tim Todd to move up advanced registration for spring semester.
Aaron Irvin, associate professor of history, emailed the faculty Oct. 28 to express concerns about Todd’s decision to move up scheduling for winter and spring terms by three days and a perceived lack of communication from the Provost’s office to faculty. Scheduling began Wednesday.
“The Provost’s office authorized the release of the spring schedule but left it to deans and department chairs to inform faculty and students that the information was incorrect and incomplete, even while in harangued departments to quickly make corrections,” Irvin said. “The Provost sought the input of the deans in changing the start date for registration, then promptly ignored their input when only two of the six deans agreed. The change to registration dates was made late in the day on Oct. 23, with yet again chairs and deans given the responsibility to communicate with faculty, and students not notified until 9 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 26.”
Todd said the scheduling timeline was accelerated to ensure students would have enough time to schedule their courses before the end of this shortened semester.
“Overall, the move-up of three-business days for student registration was done to give students a little more time to get registered for the spring,” Todd said. “The pandemic and probable state budget cuts make it crucial for our spring semester to be as strong as possible.”
Irvin’s concerns about the course registration timeline were not only regarding the lack of communication and the effects it had on faculty, but also about how it will affect students. Irvin said advising and registration is a time for professors to both check in with students and schedule classes.
“We check in with our students who might not be in our classes that semester and see how they’re doing, how their classes are going, how is their mental health, do they need help with money or housing, what are they looking towards after graduation and so on,” Irvin said. “Even when it comes to scheduling classes, we consider things like work schedules, daycare schedules, that students might not be able to take classes during certain days of the week or during certain periods of the day.”
Irvin said these concerns are not uncommon among Murray State students as he goes over these questions with all of his advisees. Irvin said professors have to ensure students know what courses they need and what courses are going to be offered to determine if alternative routes need to be taken.
“The mismanagement of the schedule and registration doesn’t affect faculty,” Irvin said. “It affects you, the students, and it affects our ability to work with you and help you achieve your goals and get you the courses, resources and opportunities available here at Murray State for you to succeed.”
Because of the changes in the scheduling timeline, some students and professors said they noticed some errors with the courses listed on myGate throughout their advising and scheduling sessions. Some courses were listed as Zoom-only courses, while they were actually only offered as in-person classes.
Todd said scheduling for the spring semester is clearly different from how students, faculty and staff are used to, so a few errors are to be expected.
“There is no fault or blame to be placed,” Todd said. “Some departments that have limited classroom size are offering one section in-person and one section via Zoom at the same time. The class is being offered both ways. Other classes are in-person one day and Zoom the next. Students are seeing classes listed in ways they never have before. The departments have proofed their schedules, but there have always been tweaks made after a schedule is posted. That is not a new thing, and the schedule is generally in place by the start of registration.”
Before scheduling began, professors were required to decide what format their courses would be—in person, Zoom or a hybrid form.
“This is nothing new,” Todd said. “The only difference is Zoom has entered the scene as a major player. We are trying to give students the clearest picture of how their classes will be offered. Of course there may be changes, but that is to be expected in this time of challenges.”
Todd said 1,448 in-person classes, 613 Zoom classes and 605 web classes will be offered in the spring semester.
In Irvin’s plea for support, he discussed how the University has continuously asked for “flexibility” from faculty members throughout these unprecedented times.
“We have turned ourselves inside out in meeting with the realities the present situation has forced upon us,” Irvin said. “We have reinvented how courses are taught and redesigned curricula in their entirety. We have innovated new ways of utilizing old technology and integrated new technology into our classrooms and lessons. We have converted homes into offices. We have taken time away from family, from friends and from ourselves. We have made ourselves available to our students at virtually all times. We have done all of this without additional support from the University for resources or even a basic cost in living adjustment.”
Irvin asked for better communication from the University.
“I think we’ve been pretty flexible, and I think we deserve better treatment than what we’ve received,” Irvin said. “At a minimum, shared governance demands basic communication between the different aspects of the University. Undoubtedly, the Provost feels his seemingly arbitrary rule by fiat to be justified and indeed perhaps it is. If there is a justification though, he has not bothered to present it, instead treating us as if we serve at his beck and call.”
Irvin’s final appeal to faculty members for further support was by discussing the precedent this situation could set.
“I understand though that not everyone will be willing or able to protest these recent actions, and some might not even see them as problematic,” Irvin said. “Every decision, every action, creates a precedent and I am unwilling to stand aside during this time when we all have worked so hard and done so much to keep this great institution, and allow the precedent to be set that at one of our moments of greatest stress, hardship and sacrifice on behalf of our students, that we will allow ourselves to be ignored, bypassed and abused without even a word of notice or justification.”
Irvin said he has spoken with other faculty members who agreed with his sentiments, but some felt it was too harsh.
“The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive for making these grievances known, and the administration of the University making a greater effort to communicate with faculty and involve us in decisions that affect us and the students directly,” Irvin said. “With that said, Provost Todd has been here at Murray State for some time and has a number of people in various positions who are personally loyal to him and took my letter as a personal attack against him.”
Irvin said his intentions were not to personally attack Todd, but to make the campus community aware of the situation.
“I do want to emphasize that I’ve got nothing personal against Tim Todd, and while I don’t know him personally I have no doubt whatsoever that he is a fine person,” Irvin said. “I know that the grievances I’ve expressed are not unique among the faculty, and unless someone stands up and says something, there’s no reason to think that anything is simply going to change. There doesn’t seem to be any good reason why that someone shouldn’t be me.”
Originally, Irvin planned to speak at the Faculty Senate meeting on Nov. 10. However, he is unable to as he requested to speak at the meeting in too short of notice.
David Roach, president of the Faculty Senate and professor of mathematics, said in order for someone to bring an item up for discussion at a Faculty Senate meeting, a motion must first come from one of the subcommittees or a senator. For the motion to be placed on the agenda, it must be forwarded to the Executive Committee by 3:30 p.m. one week prior to a Faculty Senate meeting.
Roach said he personally supports the change in the registration timeline because of the shortened semester.
“I support Provost Todd and appreciate his efforts to work with faculty to overcome the numerous obstacles we have faced this semester,” Roach said.
While Irvin is unable to officially be added to the agenda for the Nov. 10 meeting, he hopes to ask Todd questions after he addresses the senate.
“It is my hope to, at the very least, receive a reasonable explanation for the issues already noted, and communicate to the provost the necessity of involving, listening to, and communicating with faculty, especially in times of stress and crisis,” Irvin said.
Melony Shemberger, faculty regent and associate professor of mass communication, said she understands the frustrations of both Irvin and Todd.
“As a faculty member, I started advising sessions with students two weeks ago because I knew my virtual conference schedule was going to be busy, along with other meetings that I was scheduled to attend,” Shemberger said. “I wanted to make sure students met with me via Zoom to discuss their spring options. I still am advising students this week. I do not know how the decision to move up scheduling was made, but I understand the frustrations on both sides of the matter. Faculty are stressed and have been all semester, more than usual because of the pandemic. We take our advising responsibilities seriously. The provost’s office also is trying its best to make sure students have time to register in advance for their spring classes before the end of the shortened fall semester.”
The News will have a reporter on the Nov. 10 Faculty Senate Zoom meeting, which will be held at 3:30 p.m. Stay tuned to The News for updates regarding this meeting.