The Academic Senate talked financial aid and clickers at its meeting Monday. Not on the conversation menu was the previously contentious topic of Provost John Pauly’s appointment of several high-level administrative positions.

A motion to terminate the Financial Aid Committee was not passed amid much commotion and discussion. Supporters said the committee exhausted some faculty resources and time, since committee members only hear appeals and do not decide policy.

Senators who opposed the termination felt the committee did not need to be disbanded. They added that eliminating the committee would prematurely end related meaningful discussions.

Also, the Committee on Academic Technology motioned for the senate to establish a single classroom clicker brand to be used.

According to Michelle Mynlieff, an associate professor of biology, the biology department has 1,700 students who use a different brand than eInstruction, which would be the one regulated brand. The department itself has not been consulted on the issue of preferred brand use, Mynlieff said.

The motion held that students should be required to buy a clicker from eInstruction if professors mandated that students buy one for class use. This did not apply to professors who preferred each student to use clickers the professors already had on hand.

Marquette Student Government President Henry Thomas cited the dilemma of having to buy a clicker for class, and then needing to buy a different model for a different class. Thomas said the issue has been raised in previous MUSG meetings and could be corrected by agreeing upon a university-wide uniform clicker.

The motion was not passed, but the senate agreed that the committee runs its proposal by the biology department and other university institutions, and report on the consultation next meeting.

Meanwhile, Pauly’s decision last month to fill two high-level administrative positions without searching elsewhere came under fire when it happened, but was not addressed further on Monday.

Pauly appointed Jean Hossenlopp as Graduate School dean and vice provost for research and Gary Meyer as vice provost for undergraduate programs and teaching, citing a need to hire someone with a record of administrative work at Marquette.

Christian Krueger, vice-chair of the Senate and an associate professor of English, motioned for the senate to accept a new report done by the Faculty Council.

In the report, the senate wrote to outline a set of new rules for how the hiring process is conducted in the future. The report outlined the correct process, saying the provost did not adhere, and warned there needs to be better communication.

Although senators expressed their opinions, they did not rebuke Pauly. Instead, the senate congratulated the council for the work they did in gathering the report, supported Pauly’s actions and voted to accept the new report.

Other notes from the meeting:

• Pauly updated the current dean searches for the Colleges of Arts & Sciences and Engineering. There are three candidates for Arts & Sciences, two for Engineering. Pauly said interviews will begin this week, and he hopes to have offers to two candidates by the first week of March.

• Athletic Director Steve Cottingham spoke briefly on student-athlete consistently successful graduation rates.

• University Board of Undergraduate Studies chairperson Sandra Cleveland announced the board had passed a motion to institute an academic integrity culture at Marquette. According to Cleveland, it would help alleviate student, faculty, and departmental concerns when an instance of cheating occurs.