The Faculty Senate Tuesday passed a recommendation endorsing one of the administrative models for technology at Eastern and heard a presentation on the digitalization of the WEIU-TV station.

The senate endorsed the administrative model B that calls for the establishment of the position of assistant vice president for academic affairs for technology, which would report directly to the vice president for academic affairs.

As a part of the recommendation, some concerns were addressed about the model.

One of those concerns was that under model B the faculty development component would fall directly under the new administrative position.

“It seems that (technology) should be a role of faculty development and not the complete focus of faculty development,” said Doug Brandt, physics professor.

We would like consideration that the faculty development officer be given full time status, but be a separate report to the new position to show that faculty development works outside of technology, the recommendation states.

“For the size of this university it is appalling that we don’t have a better funded, full time, faculty development office,” William Addison, psychology professor, said at last week’s meeting.

The faculty senate also addressed the need for Information Technology Services to be moved from under the business affairs area to the academic affairs area.

Vice Chair Bud Fischer, assistant professor of biological sciences, said, “People that I represent feel they have been ignored by ITS…This is the part that needs to be addressed and one way to take care of that is to move them to academic affairs.”

Gary Canivez, psychology professor, said, “People I have talked to agree with that position and in order to address that it makes sense to have ITS report to academic affairs.”

The current description of model B would have ITS report to business affairs.

Another stipulation of the recommendation is that appropriate funding be available to fully create the administrative structure.

“They have got to build the system as it is laid out in order for it to work,” said French Fraker, counseling and student development professor.

In mid-February the Technology Enhanced and Delivered Education steering committee released for campus feedback three administrative models for technology at Eastern. The committee is accepting feedback until Friday, at which point they will review the information and begin to make a decision.

The new administrative model is scheduled to be developed next semester.

Under the new administrative position created by model B, three existing units would be relocated; academic computing, media services/instructional design, and faculty development.

Academic computing is currently a part of ITS, media services/instructional design is currently located under library services and faculty development is a part of the College of Adult and Continuing Education.

Jill Nilsen, acting vice president for external relations, and Jim Jones, acting station manager of WEIU-TV, gave a presentation and answered questions concerning the digitalization of WEIU.

“The Federal Communication’s Commission mandated that by May 2003 all television stations must be broadcasting in digital and from 2003 to 2006 they must broadcast in both digital and analog forms until 2006 when analog broadcasting will be ended,” Nilsen said.

The state government has allocated $2.5 million to every public television station over a period of three years, with next year being the last year of funding; however, the best estimates of cost converting to digital by the Public Broadcasting Service is between $3 to $4 million.

Jones noted that there will be additional costs to run the station in both forms as well as additional costs to run in just digital form after 2006.

The current budget of both the radio station and the television station is $1.2 million a year.

Jones said, “This is not something we choose to do or something fancy technology that we wanted, this is a federal mandate.”

It has been made clear that the university will not provide funding for this, Jones said.

Jones listed three other options for this situation; grants and partnerships; not to convert and use the campus’ closed circuit television system or completely shut down the station.

“The best option for the university and the students is to attempt to fund the project through grants and partnerships,” Jones said.

“We are behind in writing the business plan. In order to get support for this effort we will need to get this done,” Jones said.

Jones noted that students at Eastern get far more hands on experience than students at other universities when it comes to working at the television station.

Students at the University of Illinois only begin to start working on producing a show in the last weeks of the semester, and even then it is on a local access station. Here at Eastern, students plan, produce and broadcast five days a week all year to an 11-county area, Jones said.