Committee Urges Commission To Retain Its 'Advocacy' Role

The Commission of Inquiry should, when necessary, continue to play an "advocacy" role rather maintaining an objective stance on the complaints it investigates, according to the report released yesterday by the committee to reexamine the commission.

The report--which the Faculty will vote on at its May 15 meeting--recommends that the commission redirect complaints to the agency of the Faculty which has jurisdiction over the matter, but that if no such agency exists the commission should "attempt to help in the resolution of the matter."

The report also calls for:

* inclusion of information about the commission in University-published informational pamphlets, such as "Rules Relating to College Studies";

* expansion of the commission's jurisdiction to include matters "whose resolution lies outside the Faculty provided that part of the concerned community lies within the Faculty;"

* selection of the Faculty members of the commission from the entire Faculty rather than just from the Faculty Council; and,

* expansion of the commission's membership--if the need arises--by the Faculty Council without further legislative action by the Faculty.

Committee Proposal

William Paul, McKay Professor of Applied Physics, originally proposed the formation of the committee to reexamine the commission, which is composed of the commission's three Faculty and two student members and two other Faculty members, including Paul.

The Faculty approved the committee in February, but rejected at the same time six other motions by Paul calling for revisions in the Committee on Rights and Responsibilities.

Prior to the reexamination, the report says, the issues the commission has dealt with "have not been of concern to large numbers of people."

However, the two open meetings the committee held in March eventually led to a complaint--which the commission is now preparing a report on--about political biases in Faculty hiring policy.