A letter that was sent to California State University Chancellor Charles Reed and the CSU Board of Trustees on Oct. 19 incited a debate at today’s Faculty Senate meeting.

During the open forum, Senate members argued over whether or not the Senate Executive Committee had the right to send a letter representing the Senate without consulting them first.

After details of his involvement with the proposed natural history museum on campus were released, officials called for an examination of Sacramento State President Alexander Gonzalez’s leadership and integrity.

The letter in question addressed senate member concerns over whether or not the faculty and students can be sure that Gonzalez will exhibit the leadership necessary for Sac State. It was written following an editorial printed in the Sacramento Bee on Oct. 12.

Faculty Senate member Jeff Lustig expressed frustration in the way that the Executive Committee handled the issue.

“I feel that the committee’s actions didn’t express the senate’s views. I wish that we had been informed prior to the letter being sent out,” Lustig said.

Faculty Senate Chair Bruce Bikle said a quick response to the Bee’s editorial regarding Gonzalez and the hunting controversy was necessary and there wasn’t enough time to inform the senate and have the letter approved in a timely manner.

Once tensions over the hunting issue were resolved, Professional Development Coordinator Kim Harrington spoke on behalf of the Planning Committee for the Martin Luther King, Jr. convocation held last week. Harrington thanked the Senate for their support of the MLK convocation and attributed the senate’s help as part of the event’s success.

After a long process of discussion and amendments, the Senate ultimately rejected a resolution on academic boycotts, which would have condemned future academic boycotts at Sac State. The resolution failed because senate members didn’t want to rule out the possibility of boycotting serious issues in the future.

Amber Kantner can be reached at [email protected]