After poor student attendance at the first three forums, more than 30 graduate students attended the final forum conducted by the university’s Five-Year Academic Action Plan Committee yesterday.

 Students and faculty said the forums left more questions than answers, especially in areas involving funding.

 “My job is not to answer the questions. My job is to facilitate the forums,” said Charles McWeeny, committee chair and Fine Arts dean. “I think the comments are more important than the questions.”

 In this forum, like the first three, attendees continued to ask: where will the money come from? Parts of the plan itself generate income, McWeeny explained, but it is also reallocated from outside of the plan. Where exactly the money is being reallocated from, however, is undecided.

 The dramatic increase in graduate student attendance was part of Graduate Student Senate’s “multi-pronged attack,” a plan to demonstrate support for their latest resolution, Senate President Dominic Barbato said.

 The resolution addresses the apparent “disconnect” between the original Vision Ohio plan and the implementation plan draft.

 The attack, comprised of an organized call-in, 154 signed letters, a signed petition and numerous e-mails, was directed to McWeeny and Benjamin Ogles, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and fellow committee member.

 University problems stem from a lack of communication and consideration, Barbato said.

 The forum, conducted by the university’s Five-Year Academic Action Plan Committee, was formed with the purpose of refining the draft through questions and input from faculty and students.

 Information about the plan and a discussion board can also be found on the committee’s Web site, www.ohio.edu/vision/fiveyearplan.cfm.

 The five-year implementation plan draft, which was submitted by Ohio University President Roderick McDavis to the Board of Trustees in August, includes the reallocation of $30 million to fund various initiatives such as graduate and undergraduate education, enrollment and faculty compensation.

 The committee must submit its findings from the forum to Executive Vice President and Provost Kathy Krendl by Nov. 15. McDavis will then present a final draft to the Board of Trustees in December. 

“It’s certainly something all the constituents are worried about,” Graduate Student senator Drew Pusateri said, referring to the quickly approaching deadline.