Marquette's system of governance has been under scrutiny by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. This organization holds the power to retract the university's accreditation, which is essentially the school's gold star for meeting nationally recognized standards for education.

Marquette's problem, according to the NCA, lies in how decision-making is divided within the school and its representative bodies. Whereas many universities employ a system of shared governance between faculty and administrators, Marquette keeps these two groups separated into the Committee on Faculty and the Academic Senate.

We agree with the NCA. Two separate groups making decisions for the university is unnecessary. We recommend Marquette finish what it started a year and a half ago and combine the two groups into a single legislative body.

The Senate, consisting of the provost, vice provost, seven deans, 18 faculty members and three students, makes decisions of academic policy. The COF, comprised solely of faculty members, advises the administration on faculty issues.

Since talks of the merger began, Provost Madeline Wake has taken baby steps toward the goal of shared governance.

"For the last two years a task force has been working with me to identify the optimal reconfiguration of Academic Senate and the Committee on Faculty," Wake said in an e-mail. According to Wake, "the matter is important enough to allow ample time."

However, the COF has been waiting for a louder voice in decision-making that will come from the revised governance model.

In fall 2005, a task force was created to review and recommend strategies for shared governance, according to Associate Professor of Psychology Kristy Nielson, chair of the task force and the COF. Nielson said the task force will meet with Wake on Tuesday to discuss the final draft of the proposal.

Reconstructing the governing process is expected to be tedious, but Marquette needs to stop inching along and take this important issue off the back burner.