The Eastern Michigan
Student Senate made the move Tuesday from dealing with operations
procedures and rules to tackling some of the University’s top concerns.
In response to former EMU President Samuel Kirkpatrick’s two-year,
$514,000 severance package, approved by the Board of Regents, the Student
Senate passed a bill condemning the actions of the Board, calling its
approval of the package “negligent.”
“I feel their actions were
negligible,” said Jim N. Allen, president pro tempore. “They should be
more responsible when handling issues such as these.”
Allen said
the former president’s decision to leave over the summer was a way for him
to escape accountability.
“He left at a time when the University
was under intense scrutiny,” Allen said.
The bill stated, “In the
face of increasing costs of higher education, rewarding such behavior is
an outrage to the individuals who actually have to pay for the severance
deal.” The bill went on to express the displeasure of the student body and
to suggest that the Board be more responsible when it comes to handling
matters of outgoing administrators and severance agreements.
“We
are expressing our outrage,” Allen said. “We feel that in a time of
financial problems, to be giving some guy $500,000 over two years simply
for an advisory position is just wrong on so many levels.”
In an
effort to repair and improve EMU’s image and reputation, the Student
Senate proposed a bill that outlined possible solutions and called for
interim President Craig Dean Willis to take an active role in repairing
that reputation.
“Basically my agenda is trying to improve the
University’s image and reputation,” Allen said. “The reason behind the
bill is because the interim president’s job is to help the students. I
feel this should be his top priority.”
The bill consisted of three
primary points. First, it calls for an allied coalition of administrators,
faculty, students, alumni and any other individuals associated with the
University. The coalition will not only find a solution to repairing the
institution’s reputation but also prevent further tarnishing.
The
second point was not accepted by the Student Senate. The point would have
endorsed the establishment of the campus creed, yet senators felt that
this was a separate issue and did not belong in the bill. The bill has
been sent back to the Student Relations Committee for review.
The
third and final point suggested that Willis make these concerns the top
priority of his time at the University.
