Faculty Council addresses state budget cuts

The budget crunch, music therapy program and academic integrity had the attention of MSU’s Faculty Council at the body’s Tuesday meeting.

MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon said the university needs to do what is right not only for today, but for tomorrow, in terms of the budget and future cuts.

“It is my personal view that everything we do is valuable, almost every thing we do is better than someone else and a case can be made for almost anything,” Simon said.

“The turnaround (in the economy) will not be rapid enough to protect us from having to make some tough decisions.”

About $9 million was proposed to be cut from MSU’s state appropriations, Gov. Jennifer Granholm said Thursday in her budget presentation.

Provost Kim Wilcox said although programs, such as the music therapy program, are important, cuts still had to be made.

A moratorium, or freeze on admissions, was submitted Feb. 6, which would affect music therapy. This would be the first step in disbanding the program.

Wilcox said during the past few years he’s asked the colleges to come up with plans for budget adjustments should certain scenarios arise.

In the case of the MSU College of Music, this meant the therapy program was vulnerable.

“We’re all going to feel some pain,” Wilcox said. “The question is, ‘How do we handle the pain in a way that’s going to keep us strong?’”

The council also approved changes to the proposed policy on the integrity of scholarships and grades.

The changes were pursued and made after a request from ASMSU in 2005, said Carolyn Loeb, associate professor in the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities and member of the University Committee on Academic Policy.

ASMSU is MSU’s undergraduate student government.

The proposed changes include a tracking system for keeping an eye on acts of academic dishonesty, providing students who commit acts of academic misconduct some manner of education about the issue and record keeping on the level of the student’s academic dean, Loeb said.

Jim Smith, vice chairperson of UCAP, said this proposal would help control offenses.

“I found that it’s really kind of frustrating that a student will get a penalty grade and there’s not record anywhere — a student can go to another class and do it,” Smith said.

The council meets again March 24.

Staff writer Justin Harris contributed to this report.
Faculty Council addresses state budget cuts