By: Cassie Glancy
Arts and Sciences professors seemed to not be in harmony this past Friday as they unsuccessfully tried to formulate a proposal taking action against the 21st Century Initiative, which they believe isn’t giving them a good deal.
The department chairs formed a committee and composed a draft of what they plan to bring to the Board of Trustees in February. At the meeting, a professor wrote an amendment to the draft that used language describing the 21st Century plan as being as “a kind of schizophrenia.” It was said that the University’s new plan argues against itself because it says that it wants U of L to excel in research and academic excellence, but it proposes a financial plan that fights against the core mission.
After a long debate, it was decided to eliminate the provocative wording after one professor said that they took offense to using schizophrenia in that nature because they have a relative that is suffering from the psychological disorder. Another faculty member said that using harsh language would “fall on deaf ears.”
Those in favor of the aggressive approach said that it is important for the Board of Trustees to know how angry they are. Some of the English professors were examining the subtext of the draft while some of the social science professors were concerned about how the University officials were going to react to their defense against the 21st Century Initiative.
“Scientists think like scientists, and humanists don’t. On the other hand, we have an awful lot of smart people with an awful lot of shared values around here. One of the pleasures of working in the College of Arts and Sciences is that you’re not just in your own mindset. You have to work with other people who are dedicated to knowledge but have to approach it differently,” said Faculty Assembly Chair Tom Byers.
Suzanne Meeks, chair of the psychology department, is a composer of the draft. She says that she does not take personal offense to professors objecting to what she wrote, as the professors keep it collegiate.
“It is difficult, but you also might see that we are moving in the direction of getting there. It can feel frustrating in the depths of it but it is how a democracy works,” said Meeks.
The faculty were unable to address the entire proposal at the assembly. They are meeting again this Friday to further discuss issues.
Photos Coutesy of Google Images
