The University Council met for about 30 minutes Wednesday and approved three changes to NIU’s Constitution and Bylaws. The group also discussed an article published in the Northern Star.

The council first approved changes to the responsibilities of the Academic Planning Council. The council will make recommendations to the individual college and department on the development, implementation and follow-up of future plans for programs and research and service units.

The council previously made recommendations to individual curriculum committees of the respective colleges and also to the Undergraduate Coordinating Council and Graduate Council.

Other changes

It also approved changes to election procedures for University Council elections. The change will make it if any college has an insufficient panel of alternates, the council for that particular college will secure an adequate panel, rather than the University Council secretary.

The council also made a change to sabbatical leave policy.

The group discussed an editorial written by the Daily Nebraskan and published in Wednesday’s Northern Star. The article was titled, “Time has come for mascots” and was about an NCAA policy which bans universities with Native American mascots from participating in postseason games.

The universities may participate if it changes the mascots or provide documented support of the mascot by the tribes it depicts.

Mascot ban

The NCAA ban took effect in February and included 15 schools. One of the schools named in the ban is the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Three other schools were included in the ban and were able to provide documented support for their mascots. The Illini have not.

A council member asked whether the university would participate in athletic events involving schools with offensive mascots.

The athletic department, which would be part of making the decision, reports directly to President Peters, who was not present at the meeting. The council was not able to come to a decision on the matter.