At its meeting on Tuesday, the Bloomington Faculty Council discussed affirmative action and its strategic plan

Bloomington, Indiana – The Supreme Court of the United States’ recent decision on affirmative action, fresh demands from faculty, and Indiana University’s new course registration policy were all topics of discussion during the Bloomington Faculty Council meeting on Tuesday at Presidents Hall.

In a judgment released in June, the Supreme Court of the United States limited how race and ethnicity are taken into account by colleges and universities.

In the BFC meeting, David Johnson, vice provost for enrollment management, stated that the IU General Counsel decided to eliminate race from the admissions application process as a group.

Johnson claims that while an application reviewer cannot see the race provided, the individual applications will allow applicants to voluntarily enter their race for reporting purposes. Johnson also stressed that because the Supreme Court did not specifically prohibit utilizing race in recruiting, financial assistance, or scholarships, race will still be taken into account in these situations.

Questions about race and ethnicity will also be eliminated from graduate school applications, according to IU graduate school dean David Daleke. Daleke added that they are asking those who assess applications to note the justifications for admitting a candidate.

In order to prepare IU for the potential results of the SCOTUS verdict on affirmative action, Anthony Prather, vice president of general counsel at Indiana University, announced that he, Johnson, and Daleke formed the “Race and Admissions Inventory and Planning Project” in January 2023.

According to Prather, the project lists race-conscious policies, practices, and processes across all IU campuses as well as potentially successful programs and public information that takes race into account. Program inventories for admissions, financial aid, fellowships, support and route programs, and recruitment are included.

Prather added that favoritism in the application process can still be based on legacy status or donor association.

The BFC later reviewed faculty concerns over the growing demands of their jobs.

The IU Board of Trustees met on August 25 and heard about the faculty’s new demands, according to newly elected BFC President Colin Johnson.

He claimed to have discussed with the trustees the growing time demands placed on faculty members as a result of the IU’s expansion and complexity. Johnson requested that faculty members be released from these obligations and permitted to focus solely on their teaching and research. Johnson also requested assurances for the professors on the institution’s stability.

Rahul Shrivastav, the IU provost and executive vice president, also disclosed during the meeting that the registration procedure for summer classes will change in the forthcoming semester. According to him, students must now sign up for summer classes at the same time they sign up for fall classes for the upcoming academic year.

These were previously two different dates. He expressed his optimism that the adjustment would result in higher summer enrolment, four-year graduation rates, and degree completion times.

59 elected members, six senior administrators, one ROTC representative, two staff representatives, three graduate students, and two undergraduate students make up the BFC’s 72 members. The BFC is in charge of establishing faculty jurisdiction on campus and developing policies.

There are now five elected committees and 16 standing committees within the BFC. The standing committees are in charge of everything from long-range planning to educational policies. The Athletics Committee, Faculty Board of Review, Faculty Mediation Committee, Faculty Misconduct Review Committee, and Student Academic Appointee Board of Review are some of the chosen committees.

Each of these committees is open to applications from faculty members. The ultimate membership is then chosen by the BFC following the Nomination Committee’s selection of applicants. During the academic year, the BFC meets on the first and third Tuesdays of each month from 2:30 to 4:30. All meetings are accessible to guests.