raise concerns. 12 Instead, the FSEC has been directed to talk about AI within the curriculum, streamlining program curricula, and eliminating low-enrolled programs. An agenda that does not allocate any time for FSEC concerns is unprecedented. FSEC’s historic ability to communicate openly with the Board has been constricted by a preset agenda that ignores faculty concerns and is actively monitored by an administrator during the meeting. By contrast, the Faculty Senate Chair at EWU sits on the President’s Cabinet and reports on faculty issues at each meeting of the EWU Board of Trustees. 13 At WWU, the Faculty Senate Chair attends each meeting of the WWU Board of Trustees where they provide written and oral reports. 14 Under President Wohlpart, faculty communication with the BOT has not only been reduced, but has now positioned CWU as an outlier compared to peer institutions.
FSEC Clarification on justification point II (page 4 of document)
• Petition Language: The Faculty Senate now has no office space, limited administrative assistance, and is facing threats of reduction or elimination of workload compensation for faculty leaders. These actions, and others, create both implicit and explicit obstacles for faculty to meaningfully engage in shared governance. FSEC Clarification : The Faculty Senate’s office space and administrative support structure have changed. The Faculty Senate no longer has access to office space in Barge 409 but retains use of office space in Barge 310. However, the Faculty Senate administrative assistant has been forbidden from using the Barge 310 space and must instead work from an assigned space in the Office of Undergraduate Studies office suite. The level of administrative support provided to the Faculty Senate has been reduced to less than full-time. In addition, the administrative assistant’s responsibilities now include work related to the Curriculum Committee, which was previously the responsibility of another position. The Senate administrative assistant reports to and is evaluated by the Dean of Undergraduate Studies, rather than the Faculty Senate Chair (as had been the practice before Fall 2025). This arrangement introduces potential structural conflicts of interest and is inconsistent with reporting structures at peer institutions. 15 Under this arrangement, the administrative assistant’s time is allocated across multiple 12 See Agenda Information AAC_EC Meeting Email. 13 The Faculty Senate Chair position at EWU is called the “President of the Faculty Organization.” For their interactions with the EWU Board, see the “Principles of Shared Governance” section at: Faculty Organization – Eastern Washington University 14 See Reports To Board of Trustees | Faculty Senate | Western Washington University 15 The current President of the Faculty Organization (FO) at Eastern Washington University reported their administrative assistant has a full-time position dedicated to the FO and reports to the President of the FO.
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