Spring Break
Faculty meeting focuses on Bush Institute
Mark Norris, Editor In Chief, mnorris@smu.edu
Issue date: 1/25/07 Section: News
Johnson, along with colleague William McElvaney, wrote a letter in the Nov. 10 issue of The Daily Campus that was the first to openly challenge the library complex. A month later, a draft letter written by Johnson hit the Internet. The e-mail was supposed to circulate among SMU faculty members for their signature and called for greater debate about the Library while criticizing the Bush administration.
The faculty fervor only grew after the Dec. 21 announcement that SMU was entering into exclusive negotiations for the Library, and Blair called a special meeting Jan. 9. Blair mediated the open forum that was closed to the media.
Turner addressed faculty concerns last Wednesday at the annual spring faculty meeting.
Johnson said she still has concerns that need to be addressed.
Faculty Senate President Rhonda Blair said the faculty members had a diversity of opinion that led to a "thoughtful and respectful" meeting with faculty members articulating their issues.
Faculty members were also given an explanation as to why the majority was kept in the dark on the plans for so long. Turner said the school's front-runner status in the competition for the Library required a level of secrecy.
"Everybody was interested in competing against us," Turner said. "You just cannot negotiate in public."
Some raised questions about how the complex would affect student recruitment.
Turner said that while it might help in areas such as political science or history that most students would not likely consider that as part of the SMU equation.
"There are so many different things that attract people here, " he said.
The next phase of the faculty discussion will most likely involve compiling questions and comments by the faculty senate to be presented to Turner. He then can present those to the Board of Trustees.
Each of the faculty members who left said the meeting was a tribute to the faculty of SMU,and that the current process is a good example of how things work at a university.
"It was respectful, open and healthy," said Rick Halperin, the director of SMU's Human Rights Program. "It will be interesting to see the result a few years from now…if people's fears were unfounded or not."
The faculty fervor only grew after the Dec. 21 announcement that SMU was entering into exclusive negotiations for the Library, and Blair called a special meeting Jan. 9. Blair mediated the open forum that was closed to the media.
Turner addressed faculty concerns last Wednesday at the annual spring faculty meeting.
Johnson said she still has concerns that need to be addressed.
Faculty Senate President Rhonda Blair said the faculty members had a diversity of opinion that led to a "thoughtful and respectful" meeting with faculty members articulating their issues.
Faculty members were also given an explanation as to why the majority was kept in the dark on the plans for so long. Turner said the school's front-runner status in the competition for the Library required a level of secrecy.
"Everybody was interested in competing against us," Turner said. "You just cannot negotiate in public."
Some raised questions about how the complex would affect student recruitment.
Turner said that while it might help in areas such as political science or history that most students would not likely consider that as part of the SMU equation.
"There are so many different things that attract people here, " he said.
The next phase of the faculty discussion will most likely involve compiling questions and comments by the faculty senate to be presented to Turner. He then can present those to the Board of Trustees.
Each of the faculty members who left said the meeting was a tribute to the faculty of SMU,and that the current process is a good example of how things work at a university.
"It was respectful, open and healthy," said Rick Halperin, the director of SMU's Human Rights Program. "It will be interesting to see the result a few years from now…if people's fears were unfounded or not."
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Dave Winnipeg
posted 2/01/07 @ 9:50 AM EST
Bush is the biggest moron to ever become leader of a democratic country. It would be a huge disgrace to be the academic institution to boast any kind of research forum or library in his name. (Continued…)
John Hamilton
posted 2/01/07 @ 2:38 PM EST
I spent a couple of summers of my youth in Dallas (read about it here: http://whilewestillhavetime.blogspot.com/2005/08/great-dunk-tank.html), staying with relatives in Highland Park, not far from SMU. (Continued…)
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