University Senate voted Thursday evening to pass the proposed new constitution.
"I'm very pleased with how this turned out," Bruce Hozeski, Governance System Task Force chairman, said.
The proposed constitution still must gain approval from faculty, professional personnel and the Board of Trustees before it can go into effect.
The Senate voted in Spring 2003 on a new constitution structure that created three councils, each consisting of mainly students, faculty or professional personnel.
The Governance System Task Force has worked since then on fleshing out the proposed constitution.
Hozeski said the proposed constitution is good because it is more clear in the role of committees and provides more input into legislation versus the current constitution.
For example, several committees under the current constitution have the same responsibilities, which causes confusion, Hozeski said.
Some senators, however, voiced concerns with the proposal.
Sen. Robert Koester, professor of architecture, said faculty in the College of Architecture and Planning were worried that the proposed constitution opened up the chance for future fighting among the three constituency groups because it would isolate the groups instead of bringing them together.
"There's a potential (the groups) will begin acting in their own concerns," Koester said. "I don't think the suggestion is that at the moment that any one group is trying to divide the house, but the division is built into the structure."
Renee Twibell, associate professor of nursing, said some of the faculty she represents also believe the three councils are divisive.
"They think we're creating a more competitive environment," Twibell said. "People see it as isolated groups making individual decisions."
However, Hozeski said the proposed constitution encourages interaction between the councils.
Marylin Buck, University Senate president, said that the constitution could only go so far, and eventually, senators would have to trust that future senators would hold the university's interest above their own.
Now that the document gained the Senate's support, two-thirds of faculty and professional personnel must approve it by May 7. If they approve it, the proposed constitution must pass the Board of Trustees' approval before it can go into effect.
Students do not have a vote because the current constitution does not provide for it.
Buck said she didn't know what the rationale was in not including students because the constitution was made 20 years ago.
"It's unfortunate, but that's the process we have to follow," Buck said.
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