The Faculty Senate Wednesday discussed how NIU handled the December threat and campus closing.

Many members praised how the university handled security concerns but felt the university could have done more after the closing.

Diana Swanson, associate professor of women’s studies and English, said she was pleased with how NIU handled the first 12 to 24 hours, but she felt there was not enough communication afterward concerning the threat. The campus population still hasn’t heard anything else, she said.

Though NIU did address the nature of the threat in regard to race, more could have been done, Swanson also said.

She also claimed the Jan. 16 panel meeting, “Overcoming Violence on Campus: Updates on our Campus Alert and Where We Go from Here,” which was intended to address concerns related to the threat, was not well publicized by the university.

“The whole issue of racism on campus is real,” she said.

Other Faculty Senate members also felt NIU needed to do more to communicate with faculty.

“What we really feel is that after it was over, there was no official statement made from the university,” said Clersida Garcia, associate professor of kinesiology and physical education. “What we’re losing here is communication after the fact.”

Also, many senate members were critical of how the university handled the academic aspect of the campus closure.

“I talked to several faculty that week who were very concerned with the administration posting faculty options in a place where students have access,” said Lynn Kamenitsa, associate professor of women studies and political science.

Kamenitsa said she felt that faculty should have had a chance to look at the finals options before students did, so they could determine what course of action to take.

Consequently, faculty members received hundreds of e-mails from students about the possible options before the faculty members had determined the appropriate option for a given class, she said.

Though she respects what NIU did with regard to security, Kamenitsa said she felt the school should have been more prepared in the event of class cancellation during finals.

A standard memo on what to do in event of class cancellation during finals week should exist, she said.