Formal discussion began last May concerning the WSC crimi­nal justice program becoming its own department.

After Friday’s Faculty Senate meeting, that change is one step closer.

“The administration had already formed the new criminal justice department, and we are just amending our constitution to recognize CJ’s voting rights for Faculty Senate,” Jeryl Nelson, president of the Faculty Sen­ate, said this week. “However, amendments must be approved by the entire faculty, and that vote will occur at the General Faculty meeting on October 13.”

If two thirds majority of the faculty confirm it, the change to the constitution will be finalized. According to board policy, the state college president has the right to form academic depart­ments.

On Friday, the Faculty Senate decided to change its constitution so that the voting departments could align with the academic administrative structure. The new wording in the constitution states that “the composition of the Faculty Senate would be the academic departments of the college.”

The Faculty Senate action would change Article III, adding criminal justice as a department and raising the total member­ship of the senate to 15. It also renames the current department of Sociology, Psychology, and Criminal Justice to Psychology and Sociology.

“I think it’s good to discuss the structure on the campus. We may want to discuss other departments that may want to form on that level,” Nelson said. “An­other thing we might want would be a broader discussion as far as how does representation happen on campus.”

This change make sense for convenience and voting, according to Nelson. Enrollment figures also supported the move. Prior to this change, criminal justice had the same representation as psychology and sociology, even though the major had twice as many students.

According to WSC’s Fall 2014 Major Report, criminal justice had 196 students, while the number of other majors housed in the School of Natural & Social Sciences were considerably smaller: psychology had 99, sociology, 16; geography, 23; history, 36; and political sci­ence, 23.

Overall, this impact of criminal justice becoming its own depart­ment will mainly change depart­ment structure and representation, and it will change little to nothing for any students of the majors af­fected, the school’s dean said.

“Students will see minimal im­pact. They will still have the same advisors, the program requirements did not change, and courses will be offered in the same manner,” Dr. Tammy K. Evetovich, Dean of the School of Natural and Social Sciences, said.

Students may not notice the change, but for staff, faculty and Faculty Senate members, this is starting a dialogue about how the departments are structured, Nelson said.