At a meeting Monday afternoon, the Urbana-Champaign Senate acted on a resolution that called for President B. Joseph White and University administrators to clarify details about the proposed Global Campus Initiative. The measure, which passed by a wide margin, expresses student and faculty doubts and concerns about the plan.

“It basically brings up problems that a lot of people have with the Global Campus,” said Student Body President Ryan Ruzic, who served on the senate subcommittee that authored the resolution. “Who will be teaching these (online) courses? What is the goal of this plan, and is it ethically appropriate for a University?”

Many feel that the creation of a Global Campus as a for-profit initiative may not be appropriate, although it could potentially increase revenue to the University as a whole, Ruzic said.

Jason Webber, an ISS vice president who also served on the subcommittee, expressed hope that the resolution would spur President White to address the concerns of students and faculty.

“I think the most important element is that the faculty, while not outright opposed to (the Global Campus), don’t necessarily think it’s a good idea,” he said. “This is their chance to show President White they’re open to implementing the plan, but they have some reservations. … Hopefully the president sees fit to answer the questions we raised.”

Debate on the measure was largely one-sided in support of the resolution, which some Senate members feel indicates a desire for faculty members to partner with students in making their voices heard.

Ruzic alluded to the questionable track record associated with similar plans at other universities, such as New York University and Cornell.

The failure of a Global Campus could mean another sizable hole in an already paper-thin University budget, Ruzic said.

“Others have tried to implement plans like this, but they have all failed,” he said. “We want President White to resolve these issues before the Board of Trustees is asked to approve it.”

The resolution comes after several months of refinements to the plan, including at least two opportunities for students and faculty to express their opinions and ask questions of White at town hall meetings.

Some suggestions have been made, and University administrators insist that they are taking all input into account. But many faculty members have reportedly told ISS members that they don’t feel that their voice is being heard.

“I think they feel very strongly that the administration is moving ahead with this, and there’s little feeling that their suggestions are being taken seriously,” Ruzic said.

At Monday’s senate meeting, White was able to answer some concerns via conference call, assuring concerned senators that he already has answers to some of the body’s questions, and that he will work to disseminate such information.

“He did stress that a lot of these things were being addressed,” Webber said. “I was glad to hear that not everything was pie in the sky.”

Despite these concerns, skepticism remains among some senators.

“I think President White is very committed to the vision he has of this Global Campus,” Ruzic said.

“I think that, if they’re made, any changes will have to come from the Board of Trustees,” he added.