Empath, 1977 November 14

              Faculty Rejects Tenure Policy by Tom Chapline
The St. Mary’s College faculty rejected
the tenure policy approved by the Board of
Trustees in June by a vote ot twenty-five to
eleven with four abstentions. The action
was taken at the faculty meeting held
Wednesday, October 26th. The tenure
document was the result of a five year
effort by the faculty and administration to
hammer out a document which would be
acceptable to all parties.
St. Mary’s has been operating without a
tenure document since the tenure system
of 1968 was replaced by a contractual
document in July, 1971. The need for a
tenure document as conceived by the
faculty is proposed best defined in the
preamble of the tenure proposal passed by
the faculty in May, 1977, which states that,
“ A college or university is a marketplace
of ideas, and it cannot fulfill its purpose of
transmitting, evaluating and extending
knowledge if it requires conformity with
any orthodoxy of content or method.” The
faculty goes on to submit that tenure is
necessary, ‘In order to safeguard freedom
of teaching for the benefit of the student
and society, and in order to promote the
faculty security and effectiveness
necessary for the future development of
St. Mary’s College of Maryland...”
The major objections expressed by the
faculty concerning the tenure document as
passed by the Board of Trustees were that
the document included provisions for a
quota system, which is an explicit
statement involving the proportion of
Faculty which can be tenured, and a
system of periodic review, whereby
tenured faculty members would be subject
to evaluation every five years by a Faculty
Evaluation Committee appointed by the
administration.
The provision for a quota system states
that the number of tenured faculty shall
not exceed the number of faculty members
holding the rank of assistant or full
professor. The number of faculty mem­bers
at those ranks is limited to not more
See Tenure Pg. 5 Col. 1
T H E S T . M A R Y ’ S C O L L E G E B I - W E E K L Y
VOL. 5, ISSUE 4 S T . A A A R Y 'S C I T Y , A A A R Y L A N D NOVEAABER 14,1977
Wilson Lawsuit Pending
Photo by Ed Thorsett
President J. Renwick Jackson
INSIDE:
M o d e r n D a n c e
. , . . pg. 5
H o r o s c o p e
____ pg. 6
U n c l a s s i f i e d s
____ pg. 8
by Bob Malloy
The lawsuit filed by Dr. Christopher
Wilson, past Chairman of the Natural
Science and Math Division at St. Mary’s,
against college president J. Renwick
Jackson is scheduled to be tried on March
27, 1978. Wilson is sueing Jackson for
violating his civil rights. The alleged
violations occurred when Jackson sub­mitted
reports to the Board of Trustees
based on “ inaccurate data” and
“ exaggerated and trivial incidents.”
According to Wilson’s lawyer, Fred R.
Joseph, Wilson is sueing for both monetary
compensation and reinstatement in the
faculty,
At the end of the 1976 fall term the
student body learned that Jackson
recommended Wilson’s contract not be
renewed. On December 22, the last night of
final exam week, several students met
with Jackson to discuss his recom­mendation.
Many felt there was a lot of
rehetoric but that nothing was really said.
In January, 1977, after hearing ten hours
of testimony in support of Wilson the
Board of Trustees acted on Jackson’s
recommendation and voted not to renew
the contract. This news greeted the
students as they returned in February.
The Board’s action opened an old wound
as many members of the college com­munity
felt another administrator and
friend was being forced to leave. Members
of the faculty began a Faculty Defense
Fund and the Student Government
Association held several meetings to make
people aware of what was happening. They
brought to light that a high faculty tur­nover
rate seemed to be the norm at St.
Mary’s College under Jackson. What
followed last spring was a landslide
student vote of no-confidence in Jackson, a
boycott of classes, a rally to express
dissatisfaction, and a request that the
Board of Trustees not offer Jackson a new
contract. The subsequent renewal of
Jackson’s contract discouraged the SGA
and they felt their efforts were wasted.
They were wasted in terms of immediate
results, but next spring may- bring the
accomplishment of their goals. Joseph,
Wilson’s lawyer, is “ confident in the
success” of his client and cited the
tremendous support from Wilson’s peers
and the favorable rulings on preliminary
motions as the trial date approaches.
According to Joseph, If Wilson is suc­cessful
it may not mean he will come back
to St. Mary’s College, but it may force the
Board of Trustees to re-evaluate Jackson.
Canoe& KayakTeam Wins Nationals
by Francisco X. Gomez-Bellange
and John Gill
On the weekend of October 29 and 30,
Saint Mary’s Canoe and Kayak Team
regained the title of National Collegiate
Flatwater Canoe and Kayak Champions.
Saint Mary’s held the title from 1964
through 1974, and then lost to Manhattan
College in 1975 and 1976. Six schools
competed, with St. Mary’s taking 134
points, Manhattan College 71, Northern
Virginia Community College 10, Fordham
University 8, City College of New York 4,
and St. John’s University 1.
Under the excellent leadership of Coach
Everett Merritt, who also coached the
American Canoe Team at the North
American Championships, St. Mary’s
paddlers proved to be in better physical
condition than the opposition. Although
most of the races were close up to the 250
meter mark, it was Saint Mary’s who kept
up the rigorous pace to the finish.
Outstanding single victories were
wrapped up by Bruce Merritt in the C-l
500 meter and 5000 meter races, and by
See C & K Pg. 6 Col. 1
Photo by Dave Jenkins
Canoe and Kayak Team pose with regained championship trophy