Faculty senators will discuss the University’s plan to arm GW Police Department officers at the first Faculty Senate meeting of the academic year Friday.
Jim Tielsch, the co-chair of the senate’s Physical Facilities Committee, Sharon Paulsen, the University’s executive vice president and chief administration officer, and GWPD Chief James Tate will share updates regarding GW’s five-point implementation plan for arming officers this fall. Some faculty senators expressed concern last spring that the Board of Trustees decision to arm the department dismissed shared governance principles because members of the senate’s Executive Committee were not consulted on the issue until February.
The Board voted in April to arm roughly 20 officers in response to increased gun violence in universities across the country and GWPD released their plan with updated department training requirements and revisions to the GWPD Use of Force Policy in May. Officials have armed two officers — Tate and Captain Gabe Mullinax — as the first stage of the decision’s rollout late last month and plan to arm four more at the end of September.
University President Ellen Granberg will deliver her first presidential report and introduce Jonathan Post, who was named the vice president for board relations and secretary of the University Aug. 14, according to a University release published last month. Provost Chris Bracey will deliver his report and introduce Rumana Riffat, the vice provost for faculty affairs as of Sept. 1.
Ilana Feldman, the chair of the senate’s Executive Committee, will also deliver her report. Sarah Wagner, the co-chair of the Educational Policy and Technology Committee, will share a report on the results of the Student Success and Retention Task Force, which aims to raise the University’s retention rate which has remained below 94 percent for freshman for the past 10 years.
Faculty senators will also vote to approve nominations for membership to senate standing committees, like the Committee on Professional Ethics & Academic Freedom and the Committee on University and Urban Affairs.
