[Vision2020] ISU Administration Blocks Faculty Constitution

[Nicholas Gier]

Greetings:

For those who are BSU haters, I request your forebearance in y praising BSU
President Bob Kustra for being a real statesman on the BSU faculty
constitution and not insisting that he also be the president of the
faculty.  That is reserved for the chair of the faculty senate.

The ISU constitution is almost identical to the one at BSU, but ISU
President Arthur Vailas is determined to make fundamental changes that will
dilute the power of the ISU faculty senate.

In February Vailas was hit with an 80 percent vote of no confidence.  The
Ed. Board must send this man packing and approve the ISU faculty
constitution as drafted.

The full version is attached.

Nick Gier, President, Higher Education Council, Idaho Federation of
Teachers, AFT/AFL-CIO.

*ISU ADMINISTRATION BLOCKS FACU**LTY CONSTITUTION*

**


 *The ISU administration appears to be against the concepts
of a free society we try to teach our children. This insult
to Idaho must not be allowed to continue.*

*
*

~A post on ISUVoice.com


In February of this year the State Board of Education abolished the ISU
Faculty Senate.  The impetus for this unprecedented move was a faulty vote
of no confidence in President Arthur Vailas by an 80 percent margin.  In
earlier votes faculty voted 73 percent against Provost Gary Olson’s
reorganization plan, and then 68 percent expressed no confidence in Olson
in a second vote. Olson has since resigned.


Instead of doing what appeared obvious and responsible (firing Vailas), the
Board proposed that a provisional faculty senate start over and write a
constitution for the governance of the university.  Insisting that the ISU
faculty should not feel that they were losers, Board President Richard
Westerberg said that the onus was Vailas to patch up his relations with a
faculty that he has alienated.


Reconciliation, however, does not appear to be in Vailas’ vocabulary.  He
refused recognize the provisional senate (the faculty reelected virtually
the same senators who were fired) and denied access to the senate meeting
room until fall semester began.  (Incredibly, in February the doors to the
room were locked even before the Board voted to send the senators packing!)
The provisional senators of course were eager to start work on the
constitution.


When senate leadership was ready to call for a faculty vote on the
constitution, the Vailas administration refused to allow use of university
e-mail to distribute the draft and announce the vote. (Even individual
faculty e-mails on this topic were initially blocked!)  Despite these
obstacles the vote was held on Nov. 16 and the constitution was approved by
a two-thirds margin.


Provost Barabara Adamcik proposed that Vailas, rather than the senate
chair, be named president of the faculty.  Senators democratically elected
by their college peers and then promoted to senate leaders would be far
more accountable for their actions.  Besides the ISU faculty voted
overwhelmingly that they did not want Vailas to lead the university let
alone the faculty


Provost Adamcik also objected to the fact that the American Association of
University Professors (AAUP), the nation’s premier faculty organization, is
mentioned in the preamble of the draft constitution.  She tries to
discredit the AAUP by calling it a “union,” and it is true that it does
have bargaining contracts with faculty on 70 campuses.  A union contract,
however, is the best way to preserve AAUP principles on academic freedom
and tenure, which have been accepted by over 200 educational and
professional organizations.


The ISU administration has good reason to dislike the AAUP.  In June of
this year delegates at its national meeting voted to sanction ISU for
failing to abide by the AAUP’s Statement of Governance of Colleges and
Universities.  In 1966 the AAUP instituted this policy in conjunction with
the American Council of Education and the Association of Governing Boards
of Universities and Colleges, of which the Idaho State Board of Education
is a member. ISU is now has the distinction of being the only public state
university on a black list of institutions nation-wide.


The ISU constitution is nearly identical to the one at BSU, which the Board
approved last year. President Bob Kustra was a real statesman, working with
the faculty and not insisting that he be the head of the faculty.  I urge
Board members to reject any changes Vailas may propose to dilute the power
of the ISU faculty senate and insist that all Idaho faculty have the same
rights.


The Vailas administration insists that its “process”—including review by
the deans—had to be followed.  But at least two deans have said that they
were unaware of such a requirement, and the Board did not stipulate this.  If
the deans do consult their faculty, I am sure that they will find that they
want the constitution as drafted and will insist that Vailas send it on to
the Board for its approval.


Provost Adamcik said that any revisions will go back to the senate for
final consideration, but some faculty believe that this is an empty
promise. The provisional senators are convinced that they have already done
what the State Board instructed them to do.


As provisional senate chair Philip Cole states: “Provost Adamcik asked the
provisional faculty senate to get this done in November and we have
delivered.” The ISU faculty have spoken and no more delays should be
tolerated.


Nick Gier taught philosophy at the University of Idaho for 31 years.
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