Senate will extend talks on new facility

By Amanda Hunt

Arizona Daily Wildcat

In an effort to take up the slack from the agenda of yesterday's UA Faculty Senate meeting, an additional meeting will be held later this month.

According to Malcolm Zwolinski, presiding officer of the University of Arizona Faculty Senate, additional meetings will be needed in the months to follow.

The bulk of yesterday's meeting consisted of a presentation on the Integrated Instructional Facility. David Duffy, director of Campus and Facilities Planning, introduced three possible sites and designs for the undergraduate facility.

The facility will include lecture halls, discussion rooms and an instructional commons. Proposed plans for the structure are a new building on the visitor's parking lot on North Cherry Avenue and East University Boulevard, an underground facility in the mall in front of Bear Down Gymnasium and interior renovation of Bear Down Gymnasium.

Senator Sheila Pitt said the facility "sounds great" but asked if it would still be needed if the Faculty Senate denies the Core Curriculum proposal. Core Curriculum would reorganize undergraduate general education requirements.

Duffy said the plans would progress despite any changes in curriculum. He also said that "there is a deficit" in teaching space for undergraduate classes and this facility "would address that deficit."

Provost Paul Sypherd said, "We desperately need (the facility)."

The Senate approved a motion to appoint a committee of five persons "to investigate administrative costs" at the university. UA Faculty Senate Chairman J.D. Garcia introduced the motion and said it is an effort to clarify the "perception of administrative bloat" at the university.

The Senate also approved a proposal granting "branch campus status" to the Sierra Vista Off Campus Center.

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