Student Senate meeting seeks to change academic policies

By Jocelyn Fowler
Reporter

The final exam policies for the Baylor student body may be getting a face-lift following Thursday evening’s Student Senate meeting.

The Final Exam Policy legislation written by Rockwall sophomore Brock Sterry was passed by his fellow senators with no opposition. The proposed policy put forth in the legislation would revise the current policy so that students with more than two finals within a 24-hour period would be able to appeal to a professor or dean to have one of the exams moved.

According to the present final exam policy found in the faculty handbook, “A student with three final examinations scheduled on the same day may appeal to one of the three teachers or the appropriate dean who will reschedule the exam during the finalexamination period.” The approved legislation will now be sent over to the Faculty Senate for further consideration and will be approved or denied upon its decision.

The policy regarding final exams may not be the only academic matter getting a makeover. The Academic Affairs committee introduced several bills with the goals of adding the GPA of majors to transcripts, recognizing majors on diplomas and adding a minor for neuroscience and psychology. Sugar Land senior and Academic Affairs chair Cody Orr is satisfied with the progress of his committee.

“I’m really happy with the bills that are coming out of the Academic Affairs committee,” Orr said. “We’re going out there and working on legislation that directly addresses student needs.”

The proposals of the Academic Affairs committee’s legislation may be seen in effect before the conclusion of the spring semester, but the Student Senate must first pass the legislation. Other legislation introduced at Thursday’s meeting dealt with some campus housekeeping issues. Dallas junior Connor Mighell presented QR Codes for Campus Maps, which recommends QR codes be placed around campus to make navigation easier for visitors and freshmen.

Carlsbad, N.M., junior Sarah Staub presented Poage Library Steps, a bill that aims to bring attention to and fix the steps outside the Poage Legislative Library.

“What I am hoping to accomplish is that the stairs in the Poage Library get new flooring,” Staub said. All bills introduced at Thursday’s Student Senate meeting will be reviewed and put to a formal vote at next Thursday’s senate meeting.