Even with the settlement of the tenure lawsuit regarding Pathways, tensions are still high among faculty and staff over the plan, and the effects it has had on Loyola.

In University Senate’s Oct. 14 meeting, English professor and senate member Barbara Ewell motioned to form a joint committee between the Standing Council for Academic Planning and the University Senate to investigate the effects of the Pathways document.

Rev. Robert Gerlich, S.J. then objected to the use of the term “Pathways” in the committee’s nme.

“I objected to the term ‘Pathways’ as too emotional, as many people react to it immediately,” Gerlich said.

Ewell agrees that there is emotion attached to the word pathways, but sees no reason to change it because of that emotion.

“I defended the use of Pathways because that’s what the document is called,” Ewell said. “I understand there is emotion attached to that word; well, there’s emotion attached to motherhood and apple pie. Well, you can’t really call it anything else than motherhood or apple pie. You just have to live with the connotation of the word.”

Gerlich also argued that the term Pathways is too limiting for the committee, and that the committee should be looking at all academic anomalies, whether caused by Pathways or not.

“The resolution had the assumption that all the anomalies that are present in the university began with Pathways,” Gerlich said. “I felt this was not correct. Some may have well began before Pathways or started after Pathways.”

Ewell said the name is not an explicit guideline for what the committee can and cannot review, but a starting point.

“There may well be anomalies that had nothing to do with Pathways that are still there and still need to be addressed,” Ewell said.

“The committee can interpret that term, that document, loosely, and certainly will, but you’ve got to call it something. That’s when the big changes occurred that’s what we’ve got to look at.”

Alfred Lorenz, professor and university senate member for the School of Mass Communication, said that he does not support the committee, but the name is appropriate.

“As long as the aim of the motion, setting up the committee, was to determine whether the goals set forth in Pathways have been accomplished or to what extent if any the goals put forth in Pathways have been accomplished, we might as well use the word Pathways,” Lorenz said.

Lorenz said that the committee may just be going back to open old wounds and that it serves no purpose.

“Frankly, I don’t know what there is to be gained by,” Lorenz said. “If the aim is simply to open old wounds and in that respect to blot the administration.”

With the Pathways plan came the cut of some university programs.

Sam Winstrom can be reached at [email protected]