Student senators say no policy is best

The ASBSU Senate met to discuss a resolution regarding children in BSU classrooms and decided no policy is the best policy, preferring the current practice of allowing professors to decide individually.

The Senate cannot establish Boise State policy, but can recommend a course of action to the Faculty Senate and the administration.

Winnie Tong, ASBSU senator-at-large, said ASBSU decided the absence of a policy is the best way to handle the issue of student parents bringing their children to class.

“It’s better for no policy,” Tong said.

Currently, BSU does not have a policy concerning children accompanying students to lecture. Senators researched the pros and cons of the concern and decided that things are better left the way they are.

The faculty senate will now decide on the resolution.

Tong said if a policy were to come, it would likely not allow children in any classroom setting.

“Less policies are the best for students, they [policies] can be against them [students],” Tong said.

Tong said a policy takes a lot of work and many conflicts can be solved without one.

“It takes forever to get a policy,” she said.

The ASBSU resolution is based on communication with students about their reactions and concerns.

The no-policy rule leaves the decision up to the professors.

At this point the student-professor relationship is an important aspect. If a professor does not welcome children in a lecture, the professor has the right to say so. Students will have to meet with professors before bringing a child to class.

When students decide whether or not to bring their children to class, they must consider the risks of certain environments.

For example, children are not allowed to stand beside their parent when the parent is participating in a chemistry lab. Faculty members are aware that children are not allowed in certain environments due to the possibility of hazards.

There is also the added space needed for children in a classroom. Tong said when a test is given, space becomes an issue for everybody.

“We have to think of the best environment for an academic setting,” Tong said.

Discrimination among children is another concern, with the possibility of a professor allowing a child in the classroom one day and not welcoming another child on another day.

Students could also face back-to-back in-class policies permitting the child in the first class, but not the next. The student then may not have a place for the child to go during classes.

Tong said students concerned with the ruling can have their questions addressed by ASBSU.

Schedule an appointment by calling the senate office at 426-1440.

Colleen Underwood, The Arbiter

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