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WGLT's reporting on the coronavirus pandemic, which began in McLean County in March 2020.

ISU All-Faculty Meeting Postponed Over Open Meetings Act

Students sitting on grass on ISU Quad
Illinois State University
Illinoia State University faculty have postponed part two of a discussion of pandemic safety concerns and issues related to administrative responsiveness to faculty concerns.

Illinois State University professors have deferred round two of an all-faculty meeting continued from last week. The meeting would have been Monday evening, and included consideration of nearly two dozen resolutions left over from the lengthy proceeding last Thursday.

In her cancelation message to faculty, Academic Senate Chair Kalter said the McLean County state’s attorney apprised her of Open Meetings Act considerations. In an email obtained by WGLT through the Freedom Of Information Act (OMA), State’s Attorney Don Knapp noted that if a majority of a quorum of the Academic Senate attended the all-faculty meeting, the virtual assembly would likely fall under OMA requirements.

Knapp noted a complaint of an OMA violation has been filed with his office, though he has not received any investigative reports on the issue from law enforcement agencies such as the ISU Police Department.

Kalter noted in her message to faculty that university counsel also has advised that all university business could potentially be deemed “public business,” even if it had never appeared on a senate agenda, or the agendas of internal or external committees.

“... As the above leaves the faculty with two unsatisfactory choices: to restrict some or all Senators from attending the meeting or to deem all-faculty meetings to be Open Meetings where posting of agendas 48 hours in advance, public attendance, and opportunity for public comment occur,” wrote Kalter.

Kalter has not responded to a WGLT email questioning why deeming all-faculty meetings to be Open Meetings is unsatisfactory.

Previous heads of the Academic Senate at ISU have taken a different approach than Kalter. Reporters were invited to cover all-faculty meetings involving the conduct of then-President Tom Wallace and then-Provost John Urice, which eventually resulted in no confidence votes by the faculty against both those former administrators. ISU Academic Senates have had a history of operating "in a spirit of openness," regardless of the OMA.

In 1995, then-Athletic Director Rick Greenspan closed a meeting of the Athletic Council, which recommended abolishing the men's soccer and wrestling teams. Media organizations sued and McLean County Circuit Judge Charles Witte ruled the council meeting was held illegally. Since then, ISU bodies have treated more of their proceedings as open meetings and given notice accordingly.

Most of the many potential resolutions for this all-faculty meeting deal with faculty concerns about pandemic safety during the upcoming academic terms and how best to secure that. Others deal with concerns about the level of faculty participation in the decision-making process.

The agenda for the all-faculty meeting includes potential censures of both the administration and Kalter, though for different reasons.

We’re living in unprecedented times when information changes by the minute. WGLT will continue to be here for you, keeping you up-to-date with the live, local and trusted news you need. Help ensure WGLT can continue with its in-depth and comprehensive COVID-19 coverage as the situation evolves by making a contribution.

WGLT Senior Reporter Charlie Schlenker has spent more than three award-winning decades in radio. He lives in Normal with his family.
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