With the university community back on campus, members of Texas State’s Faculty Senate expressed concern over the sustainability and safety of in-person classes at their Aug. 25 meeting.
The Faculty Senate has created a petition aimed to address university administrators about the lack of safety measures in place for faculty and staff. The petition also seeks to ask what faculty accommodations are in place for the fall semester.
“After watching our classes that first couple of days, I think it’s clear the university didn’t do enough to prepare us and giving up now is not appropriate,” Sen. Ben Martin says.
As of Aug. 25, the petition includes signatures from 513 faculty members across university departments.
Just days into the semester. faculty members have expressed feeling the weight of the additional burdens placed on them. Several senators say some students have attended class without masks while others have already tested positive for COVID-19.
“Faculty morale is very low right now,” Sen. Roque Mendez says. “I think going forward, we should probably emphasize that it’s not just about providing a good experience for the students but it also has to be about the faculty. Otherwise, what you’re producing is a sort of a half-baked education for the students unless you have the faculty on board.”
The Faculty Senate also unanimously agreed to co-sponsor the Department of Philosophy’s Dialogue Series event on Sept. 14.
