Rodin defends decision at Yale

University President Judith Rodin responded last week to allegations that she was partially responsible for diverting the use of a $20 million grant to fund a Western Civilization program at Yale University. A cover story in Light and Truth, a journal written by Yale students, claimed that Yale and Rodin, the school's former provost, did not adhere to the 1991 grant's conditions and misled the donor, Lee Bass. Rodin denied allegations of wrongdoing, saying that financial reasons "totally and completely" guided her decision. The article stated that a committee asked Rodin to consider a proposal for four new assistant professorships for Western Civilization classes, but that she rejected the request. Rodin said last week that the donor had pledged the money, but had not actually given it. She added that the senior professorships for the course were designated before she became provost. "A couple were on leave and they asked not to give the course the year I became provost," she said, confirming that she was asked to approve a search for four new assistant professors to teach the course. Rodin said Yale had a "significant" deficit of $36 million that year, causing financial constraints on the university. She said one of the reasons for the university's financial difficulties was "spending in advance of getting the money." "One of the tenets that we developed that year was that we wouldn't spend money we didn't have," Rodin added. "It's a simple principle, but a very important guiding one. "The decision was simple and we made it over and over again," she said. "We did very little hiring that year and we were making cuts and changes all over the university." Rodin also said the decision was solely for 1991, adding that Yale President Richard Levin began to work with Bass the following year to actually obtain the money. Rodin also said the magazine that published the accusations was a "political commentary magazine" with a certain political perspective. "They are welcome [to] provide the kinds of debate and dialogue that ought to be present on campus," she said. "But it ought to be recognized when it is not a newspaper and when it is a political organ with a particular political perspective." She added that she was disturbed that the facts were distorted "so considerably by Light and Truth without asking me about the events." "It's really a total misrepresentation, and I would believe an intentional one," Rodin added. The Light and Truth article, written by Yale junior Pat Collins, claims that the decision not to implement the program was "influenced by the opposition of many faculty to the program, and that a number of faculty have even tried to have the funds redirected to their own projects or departments after succeeding in killing the original proposal." Daily Pennsylvanian Staff Writer Joshua Fineman contributed to this story.