Faculty questions SAS cuts

Nearly 150 faculty members in the School of Arts and Sciences gathered to listen to and debate Dean Rosemary Stevens' proposal to restructure the school yesterday afternoon. After over an hour and a half of emotional exchanges between Stevens and faculty members, the meeting was adjourned until next Thursday. The meeting – the first SAS faculty gathering of the year – was called in order to give faculty members the opportunity to discuss Stevens proposal to disband three of the school's 28 departments. Discussion, however, did not center on the proposals themselves, but rather on how Stevens arrived at her recommendations to disband the American Civilization, Regional Science and Religious Studies departments. The plan also would merge the Astronomy Department with the Physics Department and place the Slavic Languages Department in receivership. In her opening remarks, Stevens addressed some of the complaints that faculty members have raised in the three weeks since she made her plans public. "Make no mistake about it, decisions to eliminate departments do place strain upon collegiality," Stevens said. "But they are the sort of decisions that we must make as a school and that deans are entrusted to do." But, when given an opportunity to speak, several faculty members said Stevens violated procedures outlined by former Provost Michael Aiken on the discontinuation of a department. The procedures state that "the dean should make his or her recommendation only after a careful study, a dialogue with involved faculty and a thorough discussion in a meeting of the standing faculty of the school." Ann Matter, chairperson of the Religious Studies Department, said in her five years as chairperson, she hadn't "had any whisper of a hint" that her department was in trouble. "We're all educators and we know that you don't fail a student before giving the student the chance to do better the next time," she said. Murray Murphey, chairperson of the American Civilization Department, passed out two resolutions before the meeting began, which cited Stevens' alleged failure to comply with the provost's procedures as reasons to postpone officially making the recommendations. The resolution must be approved by Interim Provost Marvin Lazerson, Interim President Claire Fagin and, finally, University Trustees before taking effect. The Trustees are not expected to vote on the measure at their campus meeting Thursday, and most likely will not take action on the issue before January. When one of Murphey's resolutions was moved and seconded, Parliamentarian and Associate Dean for Graduate Studies Donald Fitts said it "asked the dean to do what the dean is already doing." He then ruled the motion out of order. After faculty members broke out in a chorus of cynical laughter, Philosophy Professor James Ross proposed a resolution calling for an external review of each of the departments slated to be cut before the recommendations are carried out. Stevens, who said this suggestion would injure the momentum of the process, reiterated numerous times throughout the meeting that she has been listening to faculty members' views. "Consultations have been taking place practically non-stop during the last three weeks," she said at one point. "The recommendations have been discussed with members of each of the departments concerned both collectively and individually. We have been listening to all points of view." Before a vote could be taken on the matter, Stevens announced that the meeting had to be adjourned due to a room conflict – an accounting exam. History Professor Michael Zuckerman said nothing was accomplished at the meeting. "It was a farce," he said. "There was no shadow of concern by the administration for what the faculty thinks." Stevens, who thought the meeting was "very interesting," said she, too, was upset with the way the meeting ran. "I was a little disappointed that there was so much talk about the process," she said. "I'm glad we have the opportunity for further discussion next week. I want to make sure everyone's views are expressed and heard." After the meeting, Stevens said she still was not persuaded that her recommendations should be modified. She added, though, that if the faculty ultimately passes Ross' resolution, she would take it under advisement.