Wichita State’s Student Senate is asking the university to address concerns about library materials being thrown out without the knowledge or consent of students and faculty. 

In a recent town hall meeting with members of the campus community, Dean of University Libraries Brent Mai defended the choice to dispose of the materials but said he is meeting with departments to discuss concerns. 

The request by the Senate would “make sure that there’s a process — that all students are knowledgeable of what exactly … we are removing from the university and where it’s going,” Sen. Josh Mallard, who proposed the act, said. 

Mallard said the actions by Ablah Library, which recently discarded a number of materials including print journals and a historical manuscript, showed a disregard for students and faculty. Mallard said most on campus were not informed of the actions. 

“A lot of departments, a lot of students, a lot of faculty did not know what was happening,” Mallard said. 

After attending the April 24 town hall and speaking with a number of students and faculty, including the heads of WSU’s English and history departments, Mallard said, “It was determined that no one knew … and that’s a problem.”

Mallard said that the resolution does not just target the library, but also other areas of the university. He pointed to the geology department, which will soon share its space with the anthropology department when Neff Hall is torn down. 

Mallard said that if the resolution is followed, it would ensure that materials are not simply thrown away if geology downsizes.

The resolution lists requests including the creation of an advisory body, which would issue “a standardized communication and accountability process for collection deaccession.” 

The process should include, the resolution says, that relevant departments be notified before materials are removed, given an opportunity to relocate the materials and that “a framework for redistribution or repurposing in alignment with the university’s sustainability goals” is established.

It asks that a list of items to be deaccessioned be made public with enough time for students and faculty to determine if they would like any of the materials, as well as that the university’s policies on deaccession be publicly available.  

The act passed with the unanimous consent of the Senate, meaning that there were no objections by senators present. 

The resolution — a nonbinding request for the university to take action — titled “An Association Resolution to Ensure University Collections Transparency,” was one of the Senate’s first actions of the new session. 

The resolution needs a signature from Student Body President Jia Wen Wang before becoming official. If signed, it will be sent to people including Mai, the English department chair, the provost and university president. 

The resolution can be viewed here. A recorded live stream of the April 30 Student Senate meeting is available on SGA’s YouTube.