FSEC looks at classroom conduct policies
The most annoying disruptions come from cell phones, pagers and beeping watches

By MARA McGINNIS
Reporter Assistant Editor

The Faculty Senate Executive Committee considered a draft of classroom conduct policies and strategies that would outline how faculty should deal with student obstruction or disruption in the classroom at the group's April 19 meeting.

The FSEC and Dennis Black, vice president for student affairs, discussed the issue in February when faculty members said they were not sure how to deal with disruptive students since the university had no published rules or regulations regarding classroom behavior.

In response to those concerns, the FSEC's Student Life Committee, chaired by Jeannette Ludwig, associate professor of modern languages and literatures, drafted a set of policies on the course of action for dealing with disruptive classroom behavior and strategies for faculty to prevent and respond to such behavior.

Ludwig told the FSEC that the committee believed a document that outlined classroom "etiquette" expectations would help eliminate some of the low-level distractions such as students having unauthorized discussions, coming late, and leaving early during class.

The document says that faculty members should clarify class conduct standards by giving students a list of specific classroom-etiquette expectations that spell out what students should and should not do during class.

"The committee hopes that these policies and strategies will be made part of the university's rules and regulations so that faculty members could be free to refer to them in a syllabus or bring them to the fore at the beginning of the semester so that it is clear to everyone that certain behaviors are disruptive or distracting to others," said Ludwig.

"There is a growing sense that faculty need to be aware of what their rights are and have a body of regulations that would back them up," she added.

The policy defines "classroom disruption" as behavior that a reasonable person would view as substantially or repeatedly interfering with the conduct of a class.

John Celock, a student member of the committee, said that the most annoying disruption for students in the classroom are the electronic devices: cell phones, pagers, and beeping watches. "(Students) want them turned off," he said.

According to the document, when a student is disruptive, faculty members are to follow a specific course of action beginning with a warning, preferably in private. If the disruptive behavior continues, the faculty member is authorized to ask the student to leave the site, while longer suspensions are subject to the Student Conduct Regulations and due process proceedings.

If the student refuses to leave the area, he or she should be informed that his or her refusal is a separate violation subject to additional penalties, according to the policy. If the behavior creates a safety risk or makes it impossible to continue class, the instructor should contact Public Safety to assist in removal of the student and/or dismiss class for that day.

Some suggested strategies for faculty members to help minimize classroom disruptions listed in the policy: clarify standards for conduct in class, serve as a role model for the conduct expected from students, consider giving general warnings rather than singling out particular students, speak with disruptive students after class, speak to students about their behavior in a firm and friendly manner and direct a persistently disruptive students to leave the classroom for the remainder of the period.

Louis Swartz, associate professor of law, pointed out that such advice may be problematic if a faculty member uses his or her own judgment and doesn't follow it exactly or takes a different approach to dealing with disruption than the one stated in the policy.

"I'm concerned that the (suggestions and advice) may be used against the faculty members who-for whatever reason-fail to follow them. These bits of sound advice shouldn't be interpreted as a set of rules that must be followed," Swartz said.

Samuel Schack, professor of mathematics, advised that the suggestions be prefaced by "It may be more effective to . . ."

Barb Ricotta, dean of students, said she hopes to incorporate classroom etiquette expectations and the policies regarding disruptive behavior into the student orientation program and UB 101, the introductory college experience course for freshmen.

"We make assumptions that students understand (classroom expectations), but the reality is that they don't," said Ricotta.