Students and faculty took aim at the administration last Friday during the first teach-in against “Pathways.”
Offering explanation and criticism of the controversial plan, the event served as a means of organization for the estimated 50 individuals who attended.
Held in room 157 of Monroe Hall, the one-hour afternoon forum discussed the proceedings of the “Pathways” implementation, its potential consequences to the university and the impending American Association of University Professors censure in June 2007.
Presenting a faculty-conducted research presentation, chemistry professor Lynn Koplitz said if Loyola is censured, “the AAUP is saying to the rest of the world that this administration is not adhering to the principles of academic freedom.” Consequences of censure include lessening appeal of the university to incoming professors and the inelligiability to participate in academic societies like Phi Beta Kappa, she said.
Koplitz presented faculty-gathered statistics arguing the ineffectiveness of “Pathways.” Demonstrating a loss in tuition income, statistics from the registrar’s office showed a decrease in students among “Pathways”-affected programs – the former College of Arts and Sciences was reduced from 2013 students to 1688 students between the spring semesters of 2006 and 2007.
Organizers also blamed “Pathways” for the estimated loss of 132 freshmen students in the affected departments accounting for a net revenue loss of approximately $1.8 million – the program itself was intended to save $1.5 million.
Although total headcounts of students show a significant drop in enrollment, Koplitz said the analyses were based upon limited information the administration made available to the faculty.
During discussion, faculty members said the administration made unnecessary program and faculty cuts without proper consultation of the Standing Counsel for Academic Procedure or the Faculty Senate. Thomas Spence, chemistry professor, said the actions to save $1.5 million were drastic and unwarranted.
“We were going to rebuild this university together. … did we have to take that last step of firing those 17 tenured faculty and getting rid of those programs at that time?” Spence said. “Nobody can say that (the) communications (department) was particularly affected by the storm.”
Concerned students were instructed to contact Student Government Association officials because of their direct contact with the administration.
Present at the teach-in, SGA President of the College of Humanities and Natural Sciences Eliot Sanchez said that, overall, SGA felt debating the issue was a futile effort.
Sanchez said the administration discouraged SGA from taking positions or even mentioning the issue to students. Toward the end of the teach-in, faculty and students criticized SGA’s inactive role in the “Pathways” debate.
“Your job isn’t to not represent us,” said Jay Alcazar, sociology senior and co-president of LUCAP.
Last month in response to the AAUP committee report, University President the Rev. Kevin Wildes, S.J., asserted the administration had acted in accordance with the Faculty Handbook and that the committee had downplayed the urgency of the post-Katrina situation.
Steve Heath can be reached at [email protected].
