The University’s leading faculty governance body discussed holding faculty elections for the Department of Public Safety’s Oversight Committee at its weekly meeting yesterday.

Members of the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs discussed how to seek nominations and how to conduct the voting process for the faculty's two seats on the DPS Oversight Committee — an organization meant to keep tabs on University Police and investigate grievances filed with the organization. On average, the group reviews two grievances a year.

The committee recently has come under fire for the questionable election procedures used to elect committee members and apparent non-compliance with some of the state statutes meant to guide the group’s activities.

SACUA members reviewed how they hope to elect faculty members to the two faculty positions on the committee. The talks included how they would go about nominating candidates to be elected to the committee, how faculty would be able to vote and whether write-in candidates would be allowed.

Some of members of SACUA expressed concern about whether faculty members would really be familiar with candidates on the ballot, instead suggesting that a blurb or picture be published with each candidate’s name.

However, other SACUA members said publishing an online University Record article detailing each candidate’s background would likely solve the problem.

SACUA members hope to start the nominating process by early next week, though such action is contingent upon authorization from Timothy Slottow, executive vice president and chief financial officer for the University. Slottow is also the executive officer responsible for the oversight committee.

SACUA members said they expected Slottow to sign the letter needed to move forward by the end of the week.

According to state statute, the committee is supposed to be comprised of two students, two members of the faculty and two staff members — each elected by their respective groups biannually.

However elections of committee members have not followed the statute’s requirements. In fact, faculty elections haven’t occurred since 2000.

And while staff have held elections, non-union and union staff voted separately — meaning each staff only has a say in one of the two staff seats.

At the same time, MSA had been appointing students to hold the positions, instead of allowing students to elect them directly. According to lawyers interviewed by The Michigan Daily last fall, MSA’s appointment procedure did not fall in line with the statute that created the oversight committee. In December, MSA decided to put two candidates for the committee on the ballot for the elections in the spring.

Coleman defends ‘U’ tuition levels

Speaking before the SACUA yesterday, University President Mary Sue Coleman announced that she would be attending Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s State of the State address in Lansing tomorrow night.

Coleman said that she wasn’t entirely sure what would be proposed during the address, but she would be listening very closely for any changes or updates regarding the state budget and its appropriations for higher education.

Coleman said she would be very vocal in response to any cost cutting for the University’s budget.

Later in the meeting Prof. Wayne Stark, who teaches Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and is a member of SACUA, questioned Coleman regarding a disproportionate increase in tuition rates relative to inflation.

Stark asked Coleman if a deceleration of tuition increases could be possible, fearing that some middle-class families would become unable to afford tuition in the future while not qualifying for financial aid.

Coleman defended the University’s tuition increases, saying she believed they were less than the higher education inflation rate — a measure of cost increases for colleges and universities.