Committee to begin review of Garrison 

By Corinne Henahan  
Cultural Affairs Reporter  

December 11, 1997 

   This meeting comes 11 months after a petition requesting the review was filed by Pan-African faculty with Joseph Danks, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. 
   Kenneth Calkins, emeritus professor of history who serves on the grievance committee for the American Associ- ation of University Professors (AAUP), said the university has about one week to complete the review according to the collective bargaining agreement. 
   He said delays violate the agreement and the AAUP will probably file a grievance. 
   "I assume that we'll file a grievance," Calkins said. "At this stage, it's against the dean and the provost." 
   In the section concerning the extraordinary review of departmental chairpersons, the collective bargaining agreement states that following the dean's receipt of a written petition, "The review shall be completed no later than the end of the following semester." 
   Danks acknowledged the petition in January, making the following semester this current fall semester. 
   Calkins said it could be difficult to come to a settlement because of the circumstances surrounding this situation. 
   "You can't say do it last month," Calkins said. Calkins said AAUP's main concern is the apparent lack of action on the part of the dean. 
   "He didn't do anything, he hasn't done anything yet," Calkins said. "They have not done what's required in the process." 
   Danks gave several reasons for the delays in the review process. 
   "Since I've received the petition I've taken a number of steps to dissolve the disputes behind the review," Danks said. "It's been difficult for me to work with some members of the department."  
   Provost Myron Henry said some responsibility for the delay rests with the faculty in the department. 
   "What's happened in this particular review, there have been some delays for very good reasons," Henry said. "Sometimes things go beyond the control of the dean. Delays in the process were not simply because of the dean, but also in ''the department." Both Henry and Danks cited scheduling as one problem presented by the department, but Calkins disagrees. 
   "What we're talking about is a year's delay," Calkins said. "You don't have scheduling problems over a whole year." 
   Calkins said he feels that if the process had been followed, trouble could have been avoided. 
   "The fact that it wasn't done in a timely way exacerbates the situation," Calkins said. "If they had gone through and moved properly ahead, they could've resolved those differences." 
   Danks said he tried to resolve the problems in the department before he received the petition. 
   "I was working with the faculty prior to submission of the petition, "Danks said. "They short-circuited that process by filing the petition precipitously." 
   The review committee consists of eleven faculty members including eight from the Department of Pan-African Studies, one in education and another in music. John Gargan, professor of political science, will chair the committee. 
   Gargan described the committee's task as a "general assessment of the performance of the chair to date." Gargan said the committee will look at questionnaires given to members of the department as well as views solicited from "key department stake-holders," includ- ing students. 
   Henry said the committee should consider many aspects of Garrison's performance. 
   "The committee will seek input and offer opportunities for input from a wide variety of individuals who've interacted with Dr. Garri- son," Henry said. 
   Gargan said the chair will be given an opportunity to review and react to that input. 
   "The chair of the department is permitted to see summaries of these comments and respond to them," Gargan said. 
   Danks said the process will move forward when he receives a report from the commit- tee. 
   Danks said at this point Garrison will be given another opportunity to respond. "After I receive the report he has the opportunity to respond and the faculty in response to the report," Danks said. 
   "Once I receive the report from the review committee, I will send the collective bargaining faculty a ballot," Danks said. 
   He said that tenured or tenure-track faculty will be included in a poll asking whether or not Garrison should remain chair of the depart- ment. Danks said the results of this poll will be heavily weighted in his decision, but ultimately the decision is up to him. 
   "If I do make it contrary to the poll, I am required by the collective bargaining agree- ment to go before the faculty and explain my reasons," Danks said. 
   Henry said both the provost and the president hold power to overturn that decision, but he would not exercise that power except in special circumstances. 
   "It's always true that a provost or the president could overturn a decision made by a dean," Henry said. "I'm reluctant to overturn decision's of deans unless there are really compelling reasons." 
   Henry said that despite the impending AAUP grievance, the review committee will take their time. 
   "They're certainly entitled to file whatever they like," Henry said. "The key thing is there needs to be fair process and due process."