A small number of faculty senators walked out of the faculty senate meeting in Lee Hall Tuesday afternoon because an amendment for the agenda brought by Sen. Bill Tucker was not approved.
Tucker wanted to discuss shared governance involving the faculty’s role in appointing members of the administration and Interim President Castell V. Bryant’s recent appointments in which she did not consult the faculty or faculty senate.
After conducting two votes that failed concerning the amendment, Senate President Mary B. Diallo continued with the meeting, angering some senators who wanted to discuss Tucker’s topic.
Several senators, including Sen. Maurice Holder and Sen. Adeline Evans, voiced their disapproval of the vote method. Evans said a vote to amend the agenda has never occurred before.
Tucker and Sen. Robin Kennedy continued to request for the amendment to be approved, but once Diallo decided to continue the meeting they walked out.
Kennedy said, “about half a dozen” senators walked out.
After the walkout, Kennedy and Tucker learned from Senate Parliamentarian James Muchovej that no quorum existed (the number of senators needed to conduct business) because 32 senators are needed for quorum.
Tucker reentered the auditorium trying to end the meeting due to the lack of quorum, but Diallo did not grant his request.
Diallo said she continued the meeting because Muchovej did not inform her that quorum did not exist. Though Diallo noticed the walkout of the few senators she said, “they have a right to walk out of the meeting.”
Diallo ended the meeting on a positive note when she said:”I will stand up for whatever is right and I am willing to pay the price. This University has to move forward in a positive way.”
Tucker said he walked out because the senators who did not want to discuss the topic “extremely” disappointed him and he believes some were “scared” to fight for shared governance at the University.
Contact Ebonie Ledbetter at famuannews@hotmail.com