Faculty Senate members voiced their concerns about last year’s unsuccessful presidential search, saying confidentiality left them in the dark.

In light of its disappointment, the senate voted Tuesday to invite Board of Trustees Chair Nate Anderson and board member Robert Manion, who chaired the Presidential Search Advisory Committee last year and will again this year, to a senate meeting during next year’s search to keep the group clued in on the search’s progress.

According to members of the senate, including two which were on the search committee, the board didn’t let the representatives know where it was procedurally during the search.

The board’s confidentiality was “what I perceived to be blatant violations of the Illinois Open Meetings Act,” said Luis Clay Mendez, a foreign language professor, Senate member and search committee member who said he was out of the loop in the search’s status.

“I hope the same situations are not repeated in the second search,” he said.

By inviting Anderson and Manion, the Senate would receive information directly from the source while expressing their view of the last search.

“I think it will express a sense of frustration,” said Steve Scher, associate psychology professor, of the invitation.

Senate member David Carpenter, English professor, also brought up concern that the search committee may not have been as diverse as it could have been.

Although everyone on the committee agreed to return for the next search, Bud Fischer, associate biology professor and a member of the search committee, said he thought the board would add members to the committee, possibly adding diversity.

Adding committee members may lead to more argument, he said, but it would also add strength in selecting finalists for the position.

Although several senate members were displeased with the confidentiality of the search, they were not displeased with the outcome.

“There’ll be different potholes next time,” said senate member Jean Dilworth, family and consumer science professor, of the difficulty in selecting a new leader for the university, adding that “it all works out for the best.”

Fischer agreed, saying interim President Lou Hencken, who just received a two-year contract extension as a result of the search ending unsuccessfully, may be “the perfect person for the job.”

Several senate members agreed with the statement.

In other business, the senate also expressed concern with the extra freshmen crowding classrooms this fall.

Senate Chair Anne Zahlan, English professor, said she heard it was the biggest freshman class ever to attend Eastern, and Ronnie Deedrick, student vice president of academic affairs, said 700 more people went through orientation this year than last year.

Eastern administrators have not yet released exact enrollment numbers.

Concern about extra students came as department chairs and faculty members scrambled to add sections or find classrooms at the last minute to provide extra seats for the abundance of students.

Hencken said Friday extra adjunct faculty were hired to compensate for the extra class sections, keeping class sections small, but Senate member Reed Benedict, associate sociology and anthropology professor, expressed concern that some classes are now auditorium classes with up to 250 students.

While faculty are feeling the heat from extra students this year, they won’t next year.

Blair Lord, vice president of academic affairs, said not as many freshmen would be admitted next year.

“We are not going to have a (freshmen) class next fall as big as the one we have this fall.”