What Goes on Behind Closed Doors? An Inside Look At Choate Faculty Meetings
By Irene Zhang ‘08
News Staff Reporter
Three to four times a term, all 160 of Choate’s faculty are gather in Getz Auditorium for a Monday night meeting. For years, students have wondered what actually takes place in these private gatherings. Most faculty members contend that these meetings are not particularly fascinating, but they serve as an opportunity in the administration to delve into school policy.
At the faculty meetings, all types of school policies and recent campus events are announced and discussed. Occasionally, the faculty plays an active role in determining policies; at other times they listen to presentations or are updated on what is happening at school. The agenda is usually sent out in an organ circulated out of Dean of Faculty Stephen Farrell’s office so faculty members are aware of the general topics. According to Dean Farrell, Headmaster Edward Shanahan leads the meetings if he is on campus. In his absence, Mr. Farrell runs the meetings.
A few meetings take place every year at set times: one at the beginning of the school year, one in May to determine Prize Day awards, and one at the end of the school year. According to a foreign language teacher who prefers not to be identified, these meetings usually stick to a standard agenda.
The meeting at the beginning of the school year usually involves announcements of new policies and decisions that are going into effect. The Prize Day meeting involves the full faculty actively discussing and ultimately voting on award recipients. The last faculty meeting in June wraps up the school year’s events before faculty leave for the summer.
With very few exceptions, all teaching and administrative faculty are required to attend faculty meetings, which take place roughly every 2-3 weeks at 7:15 on Monday night. According to Farrell, the attendance rate is “very high, because faculty know it is a specific expectation of the job.” On these nights, Getz Auditorium is often bustling with as many as 160 faculty members, joined by Headmaster Shanahan, the Dean of Faculty, and at times guest presenters.
Partly because of the sheer size of the group, most policy decisions are not made at the meeting itself. “The Headmaster provides the necessary leadership on issues that are critical to the school’s interests,” began Farrell, “but when we are in deliberative mode, the faculty determines school policy. However, there are limitations to the faculty’s power to change school regulations. To give a far-fetched example, if the faculty voted to have classes twice a week, Mr. Shanahan would not likely defer to a vote on such an issue.”
This fall, recent student disciplinary issues were discussed at a faculty meeting. According to Mr. Farrell, Dean of Students John Ford will customarily bring to the faculty’s attention instances of major student discipline, including what occurred, how the school responded, and why it did so. During the discussion, student names may be brought up, particularly if they have been subjected to major disciplinary action. The recent student disciplinary issues linked to alcohol problems were discussed at the faculty meeting, Mr. Farrell explains, because a large number of students were involved, and the issue and subsequent disciplinary measures were complex and potentially controversial.
Other recent issues announced at faculty meetings include minor rule changes and new policies, such as the removal of fall term exams. According to the same foreign language teacher, the faculty has discussed the minimum standard for Dean’s List. In addition, the faculty hears about updates in the college application process from Director of College Counseling Dean Jacoby. He announces college-related news—such as the decisions of Harvard University and Princeton University to abolish their early admission plans—to the faculty.
Issues pertaining only to faculty are discussed about as much as student-related topics. Many of these are brought up by the Faculty Committee, an elected group of faculty representatives who meet to discuss issues related to Choate faculty life and work as a liaison between the administration and the teaching faculty. For example, at Monday’s meeting, the Committee presented two proposals on paternity leave and remuneration for class coverage in cases involving colleagues’ unavoidable absence. Committee members are also voted upon during faculty meetings.
Department meetings alternate with faculty meetings in the Monday nighttime slot and involve all faculty of a given department. Generally, policies specific to a department—such as the penalty for late work or the weight of the final exam in the term grade—are discussed at department meetings, according to Mr. Farrell. Also, the department discusses its curricula, including the sequence of courses and the skills that should be taught in each course.
Overall, faculty meetings are not so much a time for decision-making as for discussion among the faculty about recent issues that have come up in the school. Faculty members also get a chance to hear what their colleagues are thinking. This is a valuable interaction, one teacher noted, that would not be possible if announcements were made over e-mail instead of at these gatherings.
