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Inside Iowa State
Feb. 23, 1996

Senate to mull weather plan

by Linda Charles

A resolution calling on faculty to accommodate students who don't come to class for weather-related reasons will be put to a vote at the next Faculty Senate meeting.

Under the resolution, faculty would need to make "reasonable accommodations" for students who miss or are late for classes due to weather-related conditions.

Senators seemed to agree in theory with the resolution when it was introduced at the Feb. 6 meeting. However, they were divided between those who said the resolution was a matter of common sense and did not need to be included in the Faculty Handbook and those who said the resolution would protect students against unreasonable faculty.

Senate president Ron Peters, professor of psychology, noted that on bad weather days, both the business and provost's offices receive several calls from students worried about their instructors' attendance policies or missing pop quizzes.

"Isn't this just good, common sense?" asked Hamilton Cravens, professor of history.

"This resolution provides some protection for the student over a dispute with an instructor over what many of us would regard as common sense," said William Woodman, professor of sociology.

The senate will vote on the resolution during the Tuesday, March 5, meeting. The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. in 2532 Veterinary Medicine and is open to the public.

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