Pictured Above: The bill “grants students the right to record classes without the teacher’s permission and to publish such recordings on the internet,” Faculty Senate President Tim Boaz said.
Courtesy of USF
By Nancy McCann
Legislation that would automatically allow students to record classroom lectures and discussions is drawing opposition from many professors.
USF’s Faculty Senate endorsed a resolution Wednesday that “strongly opposes” Senate Bill 264, which contains the controversial provision and has been moving quickly through the legislative process.
“A recording entitlement will have the counterproductive effect of limiting the range of viewpoints expressed in class, because students and faculty will choose not to experiment with new ideas, discuss sensitive or controversial issues, or engage in what they fear will be disfavored speech,” according to the resolution provided by the Faculty Senate.
Sixty-one of the 93 voting members of the Faculty Senate who were in Wednesday’s meeting voted in favor of endorsing the resolution. The total voting membership is 100.
The resolution originated with the Advisory Council of Faculty Senates (ACFS), an organization that represents the interests of faculty members in Florida’s university system.
The bill “grants students the right to record classes without the teacher’s permission and to publish such recordings on the internet,” said Faculty Senate President Tim Boaz, who is also a member of ACFS.
He said ACFS had a conference call on Monday, drafted the resolution Monday night and approved it Tuesday morning because the bill is moving quickly.
The bill also requires each state university to conduct an annual “intellectual freedom and viewpoint diversity” survey, which is also opposed in the resolution that was endorsed by USF’s senators.
“Both mandates will undermine learning, ideological diversity, faculty recruitment, and university rankings, and have the unintended effect of shielding students from viewpoints that make them uncomfortable,” the resolution states.
The bill was introduced by Sen. Ray Rodrigues, R-Estero. A companion bill — HB 233 — is moving through the House with some variations in language.
At the March 3 meeting of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee, Provost Ralph Wilcox encouraged the senators to pay attention to a different bill that would curb Bright Futures financial aid.
“Senate Bill 86 essentially limits a student’s utilization of earned Bright Futures scholarships to particular majors, particular degree programs that lead to employment in the state,” Wilcox said.
The Florida Board of Governors is “actively engaged in preparing a response” to this proposed legislation, according to Wilcox.
The Faculty Senate took no action on SB 86 at Wednesday’s meeting.
A class is a living breathing organism of sorts: It creates new patterns of thought unique to the members attending. The right to experience the event should be limited to it’s creators.