Gale won't quit faculty master post

But the Community House head said he would demand real control over the running of the popular Quad dorm. While Community House Assistant Dean in Residence Diana Koros is searching the newspapers this week for a new job and a new place to live, house Faculty Master Stephen Gale said yesterday that he has decided to reapply for his position. Gale, who is in his mid-50s, had threatened to resign last week after Koros, a 35-year-old doctoral student --Ewho has managed the Quadrangle's Community House residence for the last four years -- learned three weeks ago that she did not make the cut in the house dean selection process and would not be returning to Community House under the new position. Housing officials, faculty members and students involved in selecting this fall's 12 house deans -- positions in the new college house system that will replace the current assistant deans in residence and administrative fellows -- decided to eliminate Koros from the candidate pool for the position. Gale, a Political Science professor who has overseen the house for four years, said last week that the University was succeeding in "pushing" him out of the house. He added that he might resign and believes that Koros' dismissal was meant as a personal slight against him. In discussions late last week, however, Interim Provost Michael Wachter discouraged him from resigning, Gale said yesterday. Wachter said he "did not ask Professor Gale to resign, although he did submit a resignation last Thursday which he withdrew on Friday." Gale, whose term as faculty master is up for renewal this month, said he will proceed with his reappointment application, but "only if I'm actually running the house." Residents and staff in Community House said they were shocked and outraged last week about the Koros decision, claiming that Koros was given no explanation for her dismissal. Members of the committee screening the house dean candidate pool refused to comment last week on issues related to Koros' employment, citing them as confidential. But even after meeting with Wachter, Gale claimed that despite the residential plan's commitment to maintaining strong, independent college houses, he "literally" has "no say whatsoever" in the future of his house. For example, Gale said Wachter gave him a green light earlier this month to appoint an additional residential faculty fellow for next year after Gale demonstrated that the language professor -- whose name he would not disclose -- could join his staff with no additional costs to the house. Last Thursday, however, Gail said that Wachter withdrew his support for the new appointment, explaining that Art History Professor David Brownlee, who is in charge of college house implementation, disapproved. Brownlee said yesterday that the number of faculty fellows in a college house was established in the planning process of the college house system and published in the October 1997 report. The plan, calling for the organization of the University's residences into 12 individual, multi-year college houses with added programming and staff, was announced that month. "The number is fixed, of course, by the available budget and accommodations," Brownlee said. "These things are difficult to change, and they certainly cannot be changed at the last minute." But Gale disagreed, claiming the issue of cost is irrelevant in this case. "It has nothing to do with fixed numbers in this case," Gale said. "I found a zero-cost way of bringing in another faculty member." He said he offered to give the new faculty fellow his apartment in the house and take a smaller one for himself. Despite his complaints, Gale said he will submit his final paperwork for his application for reappointment to Wachter's office today. He said he realized "nothing would be solved" by resigning now from his faculty master post. Gale is still holding his breath, however, until he's assured that he is given control in running the house. "It isn't faculty that's running these houses -- that's for sure," he said. "The only decision I can make is who to invite to dinner to give a talk or what time the computer lab is open," Gale added. Outgoing Ware College House Faculty Master Jan Van der Spiegel, an Engineering professor, said that in his house, "the final decision is the house master's." Van der Spiegel added that he appointed all of his faculty fellows, following the recommendations of his residents. No approval by the provost was necessary. Meanwhile, Koros is working on finding another job that will put her in direct contact with students, and she is also trying to finish the last two chapters of her doctoral dissertation. Koros said she has an attorney, but does not yet know whether she will take her case to court. She hopes she won't have to. "It's not a nice process," Koros said. "Paula Jones can tell you that."

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