The UW System Board of Regents discussed proposed amendments for the disciplinary process for faculty members who are convicted of felonies at Van Hise Thursday.
According to UW-Madison law professor Walter Dickey, there have been three major cases in the past year in which faculty members were under investigation for felonies.
David Walsh, UW Board of Regents president, originally said, ""the strong feeling was that suspension without pay was appropriate because dismissal takes too long."" However, the board was concerned with the safety of students and faculty in the UW System.
""I used to be a lawyer,"" Walsh said. ""So, to me, a charge is a pretty serious matter and doesn't happen unless something pretty serious happens.""
Regents discussed their concerns with the issue and explained the amendments that were to be made and sent to the state Legislature in January.
Dickey said that the matter will be improved if ""addressed in a more timely way."" This means that chancellors will have to consult lawyers and contact investigators to stay updated on the case of each faculty member.
Few amendments were made to the proposal in order to increase its clarity. The UW-Madison Board of Regents will hold another meeting Dec. 4 to further discuss the proposal and prepare to send it to Legislature the next month.
Still, the issue remains important to the board, especially Regent Peggy Rosenzweig, who said she wanted to propose the policy to the state Legislature in January rather than February, as some regents desired.
