The Student Association senate unanimously approved Michael Stumpf as the new SA academic affairs adviser at the Feb. 12 senate meeting.

Stumpf replaces Darnell Williams, who did not return to NIU this semester due to financial reasons, said SA President Paula Radtke.

adtke said she interviewed five people for the position. Some candidates were members of the Academic Affairs Committee and some were non-senators, she said.

Stumpf’s past senate experience helped him get the job. “He has an understanding of the SA and how it works,” Radtke said. “Although I disagree with him sometimes, he’s a hard worker and dedicated.”

SA Vice President Gregg Bliss said Stumpf has “good long-term projects” which will provide “continuity” to his position and to the SA.

Stumpf said several academic issues will be on his agenda this semester, including teacher evaluations, which currently are used only by individual departments. Stumpf said he would like to see a book containing information from teacher evaluations, which students complete at the end of each semester. He said this information about potential courses and instructors should be available for students to look at before they register into classes.

One of Stumpf’s goals is to handle students’ complaints and concerns more effectively than the academic affairs adviser has in the past. “I’ll either direct the problem to the appropriate person or office or handle it myself,” he said.

Stumpf also will investigate the permit granting system. He said he wants to determine what criteria are used and if the system is fair.

Grading policies are another of Stumpf’s concerns. The NIU grading system does not use pluses or minuses on transcripts, but Stumpf said the use of these symbols would “reflect a little more accurately” on a student’s performance.

Stumpf is a senior majoring in political science. He served on the SA senate during the 1986-87 academic year.