The Illinois Board of Higher Education report given at Tuesday’s Faculty Senate meeting included a ten-step “action agenda” that will make the education of teachers a priority at institutions of higher learning.

Les Hyder, chair of the journalism department and Eastern’s representative to the Faculty Advisery Council, presented the senate with a dozen issues the committee compiled from their recent discussions.

The FAC has 36 members with equal representation from public institutions of higher education, community colleges and private institutions of higher education.

Hyder said the council is an important body and it has the opportunity to influence the board and public policy.

One of the council’s issues, monitoring electronic communication, is a concern of the Faculty Senate as well. The FAC unanimously approved a statement recommending that academic institutions in Illinois reject routine monitoring of faculty electronic communications.

The FAC discussed a resolution supporting legislative action that would allow a public university to waive out-of-state tuition for students from bordering counties in neighboring states.

A passed resolution that responds to the deteriorating condition of many buildings on campuses also was included in the report.

The resolution endorses the IBHE’s proposal to study needs and priorities for these facilities, and the resolution supports provision of money for capital development programs to make improvements.

On the issue of student assessment, Hyder’s FAC report said many key legislators and other opinion leaders feel higher education institutions are “seeking funding to remodel the living room while the kitchen is ablaze.”

These legislators are encouraging the IBHE and the FAC to consider administering standardized tests to all students prior to awarding them degrees.

Hyder said the suggestion was not well received by the FAC.

“I can’t conceive of any test that can be given in condition of graduation to measure what (students have) learned,” Hyder said.

Budgetary and fiscal issues play a role in everything the FAC discusses, Hyder said.

Therefore, these issues were not included in his report to the Faculty Senate.

Some of the FAC’s issues, such as computer privacy and working conditions, were similar to faculty concerns discussed by the Faculty Senate members yesterday.

The programming at WEIU FM, faculty and staff workloads and Eastern’s sexual harassment policy were among the senate’s concerns to be further discussed at a faculty forum in the spring.

Reed Benedict, chair of the senate’s Student-Faculty Relations Committee and professor of sociology and anthropology, said the sexual harassment issue has become a concern for students, faculty and the office of civil rights.

Every student on campus was sent an e-mail Tuesday outlining what constitutes sexual harassment and what recourse students and employees have under the zero-tolerance policy.

The e-mail was sent by Cynthia Nichols, director of civil rights, who will meet with student senate members to address concerns on the issue and disseminate the policy.

The senate briefly touched on the ongoing discussion about the proposal to change the Honors Program to an Honors College.

Senate members have been soliciting input from other faculty members about the Honors Program change, which was proposed by Herbert Lasky, Honors Program chair.

Anne Zahlan, chair of the faculty senate, said most of the faculty responses have been positive so far.

Next week, Lasky will again visit the Faculty Senate and senate members will relay faculty questions and concerns about the proposed Honors College.