A student who brought to the Faculty Senate Executive Committee a proposal to modify the university's animal-dissection policy met with fierce resistance from faculty members across several disciplines who objected both to waiving the requirement-as a matter of "academic freedom"-and setting policy on an issue that many agreed should be a departmental decision.

Shawn DeLeo, a second-year senior, presented his argument to the committee at its Nov. 1 meeting. DeLeo implored members to consider a resolution unanimously passed by the Student Association Assembly in December 1999 stating that "students may request alternatives to participating in dissection if they are opposed to dissection because of religious or ethical reasons, or if the process is repulsive and offensive to the student."

The College of Arts and Sciences' has responded to the SA resolution stating that "no student is obligated to kill animals or dissect euthanized animals, but no student is excused from participating in the established exercises and experiments."

DeLeo, who told FSEC members that being in a room in which a dissection is taking place "goes against what I stand for," asked them to consider a policy that would give students alternatives-chosen by the instructor-outside the laboratory.

Several faculty members were outraged at the suggestion.

"You cannot have an effective university if teachers cannot decide what is relevant and important to their subjects," said Samuel Schack, professor and chair of the Department of Mathematics. "If you cannot convince the people who are running the program that those things are indeed irrelevant, then you are more likely to be wrong than they."

Charles Fourtner, professor of biological sciences who declared the issue was "not a debate for the Faculty Senate," expressed an overwhelming dissatisfaction with students' lack of understanding.

"You don't separate out a particular group of animals or organisms and say, 'I have an ethical consideration about these,' and forget about the rest of them," he said. "If you're willing to sit down at dinner and eat a live carrot because it doesn't bother you, I've got a problem with that.

"What we need to do is to get more students understanding what the whole system is about and not take the position that 'I don't want to do a dissection because I can't eat that particular animal, therefore I shouldn't have to work on it,'" he said. "It's a bias I find that occurs to a great extent out of ignorance."

Judith Adams-Volpe, director of Lockwood Memorial Library, suggested it may be time to re-evaluate the current policy.

"I can't imagine that there are not simulations available that could possibly be substituted-like an online...virtual kind of dissection," she said. "Times do change, and maybe it's not totally out of line that in certain disciplines.using technology could be considered."

Bernice Noble, professor of microbiology, said computer simulation is available in the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

"We are moving in that direction-I know that there are many, many programs available," she said.

The suggestion of using virtual reality, however, set off another wave of concerns on the issue.

John Boot, professor and chair of the Department of Management Science and Systems, pointed out that virtual reality is "never quite the same" as that which it intends to represent, as it's "a very different thing to do it and see it."

"If you have those strongly held beliefs," he said of students, "you probably should opt for another career."

Discussion of the resolution was tabled.

In other business, the FSEC received the fall report from Susan Hamlen, chair of the senate's Budget Priorities Committee, who shared information on UB's budget dynamics, as well as suggestions to improve the flow of information.

Regarding budget activities during 1999-2000, Hamlen reported on "two major investments" at the university-athletics and information technology.

"We concluded the IT initiative is very well-managed under (Chief Information Officer) Voldemar Innus, and UB has made great strides in IT with limited resources," she said.

"We (also) provided significant input to the Faculty Senate Athletics and Recreation Committee on its report on athletics," she said, noting the two major issues were "whether the benefits of the program justify the costs" and "why, in the past, the athletics program (has been) allowed to accumulate a budget deficit without being held responsible for paying it off."

The athletics deficit, she explained, was a sensitive issue since the College of Arts and Sciences was going to be required to pay off its deficit in the next three years. The issue was resolved, however, with Provost Elizabeth D. Capaldi's decision that the CAS deficit would be paid back with general university funds, Hamlen said. Athletics is scheduled to begin paying back its deficit this year.

Hamlen cited improved communication as among the most important issues for 2000-2001.

"We need to talk," she said. "We mentioned earlier that the faculty often don't know what's going on with respect to budget issues because they stop at the dean's office. And the faculty needs to be informed" in order to provide input.

Jack Meacham, SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor and chair of the Department of Psychology, suggested a once-a-year, all-funds budget report be made available as a point of reference.

Capaldi responded that she and Senior Vice President Robert J. Wagner are working on such a report.