Some University of Maryland Senate members are unhappy with university president Darryll Pines after he rejected part of a proposed amendment to the university’s excused absence policy for grieving students.

Pines dismissed a provision of the proposal that would allow students to submit two self-signed excuses for each semester instead of one, according to a letter he wrote to the senate in June.

But Pines approved a different part of the proposed amendment, which revises this university’s bereavement policy to allow students an excused absence after the death of someone close to them, rather than only an immediate family member. Bereavement refers to an experience of grief or loss.

The senate voted in favor of the proposed amendment to provide increased accessibility and accommodations for students experiencing grief in April, The Diamondback previously reported.

Pines wrote to the senate that he opposed increasing the number of self-signed excused absences because the policy applies to all absences, not just cases of grief. This could have an effect on “laboratory and performance-based classes” that rely heavily on attendance, Pines wrote.

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Pines also rejected this change because it was proposed directly before the senate meeting began, according to a statement from this university. This prevented the senate’s Academic Procedures and Standards Committee from “adequately” considering it and making a recommendation.

“The amendment was not fully deliberated on by the University Senate, as there was a motion to end the discussion to allow time for other agenda items,” the statement read.

Ivy Lyons, who was serving as chair of the student affairs committee on the senate in April, voted for the amendment and was outspoken about their support during its run through the senate.

“Death does not discriminate,” Lyons said to The Diamondback. “It’s reasonable to give people a week to get back to something.”

M Pease, a counseling psychology doctoral student, is one of the original sponsors of the amended bereavement policy discussed by the senate in April.

Though they understand university policymaking can be complex and takes time, this was a “simple” change that a large number of senators supported, Pease told The Diamondback.

“I don’t think it aligns with our university’s values of being a community of care,” they said.

Pease’s message to students, specifically those going through an experience of grief, is that there are people at the university there to support them.

It can be frustrating to try and reconcile with the university administration’s reasoning behind some decisions, they said.

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“Find the people who will support you,” Pease said. “Just because this veto happened doesn’t mean that there aren’t many people here who do care.”

Richard Shin, a counseling psychology professor, said he was disappointed after Pines dismissed the provision and felt it was discouraging for senators who devote time for work that isn’t compensated.

Shin sponsored a previous bereavement resolution adopted by the university in 2024 — which expanded on the definition of a close relative and increased the number of paid leave — while he served in the senate.

“When you see proposals like this that do get support from the senate and then are vetoed by the president … it doesn’t demonstrate our stated democratic values as a university,” Shin said.

Pease said it’s unlikely for the senate to take up a matter regarding increased student support in the near future, much less one involving grief, because of its chance of being dismissed.

This limits the ability of the campus community to advocate for themselves through a democratic body, Pease said.

The university did not supply a comment regarding the senators’ concerns.

Shin also said he’s concerned about the standard this could set for shared governance at this university, especially during a time of increased pressure on universities by the current presidential administration.

“There is no more important time, it feels, than right now,” Shin said. “We should be leading the way and modeling these norms when they are at threat in our larger society.”