Chancellor Fernando Trevi�o’s recommendation that a “blue-ribbon” panel evaluate both plagiarism accusations against SIU President Poshard was approved in Tuesday’s Faculty Senate meeting.

The Graduate Council, Faculty Association and senate will select which senior faculty members will represent them on the panel later this week, Senate President Ramanarayanan Viswanathan, said.

“I don’t want to pick the people because if I do or Dean Koropchak does as outlined by the graduate council, there’s always going to be suspicions that we cherry picked,” Trevi�o said.

The panel will then review the dissertation and master’s thesis and report their findings to Trevi�io.

“One of the things we want to do is convince the outside world that we’re acting in a forthright manner,” Alan Karnes, professor in accounting, said. “The best way to do that is to strictly adhere to the procedures.”

Trevi�io said it is important to follow institutional policies and procedures as closely as possible and apply those policies consistently.

“Therefore, Dr. Poshard as we all know is a person who after graduation has had much professional success in his life, he should not be treated more favorably because of that, nor should he be treated less favorably than we’ve treated anyone else before,” he said.

Faculty in the Department of Educational Administration and Higher Education said last Wednesday they would not to review Poshard’s dissertation, as typical informal resolution of the issue would require.

Although the majority of the meeting was devoted to allowing members of the senate voice concerns about the proposed panel, the committee also addressed the senate executive committee’s resolution to censure the Alumni and Faculty Against Corruption at SIU.

To censure AFAC would mean the senate was expressing strong disapproval of the group and criticizing the group vehemently, according to www.dictionary.com. The resolution was withdrawn.

“I would suggest, however, that we censure the irresponsibility with which this group has prosecuted its right to free speech and disguised it as academic freedom,” Gerald Spittler, senior lecturer in aviation, said.

Members of the senate expressed concerns about making villains of an unidentified group and allowing themselves to be distracted from the real issues at hand.

“I get tired of playing defense,” Gary Apgar, associate professor in animal science food and nutrition, said. “You never play offense if you’re a loser because eventually, they’ll score.”

At the end of the meeting David Worrells, associate professor in aviation, was elected to the Chancellor’s Planning and Budget Advisory Committee.

Brandy Oxford can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 255 or [email protected].