The Faculty Senate Executive Committee decided Monday to meet with the Undergraduate Student Congress regarding a resolution concerning pre-finals week passed Nov. 30.

The resolution asked the Faculty Senate to review its March 2009 decision to wait until 2014 before reviewing pre-finals week policy, according to a Daily Dec. 1 report.

The policy prohibits instructors from assigning work worth more than 10 percent of a student’s total grade during pre-finals week, according to the faculty handbook. Any content previously due during the week that is worth more than 10 percent of the student’s total grade must be assigned 30 days prior to pre-finals week.

The Faculty Senate voted against Congress’ proposal to change pre-finals week policy from 10 percent of a student’s total grade to 5 percent Mar. 9, 2009, according to Daily archives. After voting for no change, the Faculty Senate amended the policy so that it may not be reviewed until 2014.

The executive committee was not sure what issues Congress was asking the Faculty Senate to review, said LeRoy Blank, chemistry professor and Faculty Senate chairman.

“I intend to contact the person who sent me the resolution and set up a meeting in the near future,” Blank said in an e-mail. “I will report back to the Faculty Senate Executive Committee concerning this discussion by our next meeting.”

Blank said he hopes this meeting will shed light on any issues. As the pre-finals week policy stands now, it is beneficial for students but also restricts the process teaching, he said. Students should be given time for heavily weighted assignments throughout the semester and the effort applied during dead week should be minimal, he said.

Sean Bender, Ways and Means chairman, co-authored the resolution. He was contacted by phone and said he was aware Blank wanted to discuss the resolution but declined to comment by phone and asked his interview to be conducted through e-mail.

The resolution was passed to reopen discussion and provide a blank slate on the issue, Bender said in an e-mail.

Blank will meet with UOSA President Franz Zenteno, Congress Chairman Brett Stidham and Bender about restarting discussion regarding OU’s pre-finals week policy, said Bender chemistry sophomore.

It is difficult to develop a policy that works for all course types, OU Provost Nancy Mergler said in an e-mail.

“The Final Examination preparation week [policy] seems to me an appropriate policy to ensure that students are not given unanticipated and additional assignments due during the week prior to finals,” Mergler said.

No date has been set, but the meeting with Blank will occur later this week, Bender said.

OU’s dead week policy
Instructors are prohibited from assigning work worth more than 10 percent of a student’s total grade during pre-finals week. Any content previously due during the week that is worth more than 10 percent must be assigned 30 days prior.

*Source: Faculty handbook