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Faculty Dismissals Ignore Handbook
By CHARLIE SMITH
Cluster News Editor
The faculty handbook, as the contractual
agreement between the Administration and
thfc faculty, serves officially as the reference
for all decisions of procedure regarding the
dismissal of tenured and non-tenured facul
ty members. Mercer's Administration has
not followed the procedures stipulated in the
faculty handbook in regard to the notifica
tions of dimissal sent to faculty at
Mercer-Atlanta.
The faculty handbook section 2.054, number
2 states that "Dismissal of a faculty member
with tenure or with a non tenured appoint
ment he fore the end of the specified term
shall be preceded by: (I) Discussions bet
ween the faculty member and the Provost
looking toward a mutual settlement; (2) In
formal inquiry by a committee composed of
full-time faculty members in his school or
college other than the person under inquiry
which may. failing to effect an adjustment,
determine whether in its opinion dismissal
procedings should be undertaken, without its
opinion being binding upon the President.'’
Neither of these procedures has been
followed.
(1) There have been no faculty discussions
with the Provost geared toward reaching a
mutual settlement.
(2) * There has been no faculty committee
formed to decide whether or not. in their opi
nion, dismissal proceedings are justified.
The faculty handbook also stipulates
specific guidelines of procedure for the
notification of non tenured professors whose
contracts will not be renewed. Section 2.033,
number 3 states:
"Regardless of the stated term or other
provisions of any appointments, written
notice that a non tenured appointment is not
to be renewed shall be given to the faculty
member in advance of the expiration of his
appointment, as follows:
a. Not later than March I of the first
'academic year of service, if the appointment
expires at the end of that year; or if A one-
year appointment is terminated within an
academic year, at least three months in ad
vance of its termination.
b. Not later than Dec, 15 of the second
academic year of service, if the appointment
expires at the end of that year; or. if an in
itial two-year appointment terminates dunng
an academic year, at least six months in ad
vance of its termination
The two-year faculty at Mercer Atlanta
were notified of their dismissal on Jan. 9.
Their notifications came 24 days later than
the faculty handbook allows.
ThcVfiandbook also says that 'Non-
tenured appointments may be for one year,
two years, or three years." But the contracts
of these faculty members expire in June If
the administration allows for the 12 month
notification period and retains them until Jan
1990. there will have to be six-mbnth contracts
drawn The faculty handbook makes no
stipulation for contracts other than those for
one. two, or three years. (See related story.
page 3)
volume 7i, number i4 A joint publication of the Mercer Cluster and Mercer Pulse Friday, January 27,19*9
Students affected by budget cuts
Dr. David
Campbell
Assistant
Professor
Of
Political
Science
CAS students walk out
in protest of Godsey
By DIANNE LAUBERT
SUIT Writer
The Mercer Cluster
Since Mercer's debt was reveal
ed in December, everyone has been
anticipating the budget cuts and
reductions that will eventually
result. There have yet to be actual
' cuts and reductions, " but a freeze
has been, placed on departmental
spendings. Each freeze has affected
an individual or a group of in
dividuals in some way.
The first known "cut" due to the
freeze was the reduction of the
library hours. The libraQ’ is cur
rently open 88 hours a week when
in the past it has been open 100
hours a week.
According to thi library's
associate director. Beth Hammond.
"The positions of the regular staff
couldn't be filled. The stafTs
availability allowed us to have the
longer hours that we can no longer
Faculty
Dismissals
page 2
Student
Opinions
page 11
Financial
Timeline
page 12
have."
The library director. Mary
Howard, said "Wc don’t like to
curtail our hours any more than the
students do. We hope that they do
understand why."
Howard said that she is expecting
a little extra money to pay the full
time staff. At the time oppress.
Howard had not • received the
money but was hopeful that she
would.
"Believe me. when wc get the
money, and if we can hire
somebody, we’ll be back to 100
hours." Howard said.
Also, there are not as many stu
dent workers at the library this
quarter, but this is not due directly
to the freeze. The library has the
same amount of money that they
had last year. Howard said that the
librar/uscdup more of its yearly
allotment in the fall. In all actuali
ty. the library did not divide the
money for student workers equal
ly among three quarters.
The^*fibrary is not ordering
anything unless it is necessary
They are deciphering what items
arp not needed by students for a
particular class or what items facul
ty members no longer use. The
library is trying to be as efficient
as possible by not paying for items
that will have no value to the
4 students
"If we need to order books, wc
can,” Howard said "We have no
real budget figures. .We’ve made
tentative plans on what we-could
cut if worse comes to worse."
Howard was asked if this would
hay'any affect on the new library
\rfch as an inability to get materials
Howard replied that there were no
such problems.
"As far as I know from the
President, we ll be moving into our
new building (as scheduled)."’"'
The freeze has also caused the
Drama Department to switch its
previously planned musical of
Sneeny Todd to the musical
Smder. The decision was nude in
December to switch-the musicals.
"Wc had to act quickly." ex
plained Paul Oppy of the Dranu
Department. ’ Scripts and music
were scheduled to arrive in January
and once they arrived, wc would
have lost $250 in rental fees."
Oppy further explained that
musicals arc the most expensive
productions because one has to pay
more for royalties and rentals. It
also costs more for the costumes
and to build the scenery.
• ’Scenes and costumes should be
significantly less than Sweeny
Todd " Oppy said.
The drama department has cut
the productions of a Yeats one-act
play.and two public performances
of a children's play jn campus.
“Wc’rc holding off on auditions
for Slrider until we know what our
production budget will be. ” Oppy
said k*
The drama departments,
however, producing three student -
directed, one-act plays and a tour
ing children’s play in which they
will perform for elementary school
students.
Oppy appeared optimistic about
die Drapia department’s future
plansV^
What our dean (Dean Sainmyc
Continued on page 10
By CHRIS METZLER
Editorial Editor
The Mercer Pulse
On Fri.. Jan. 13. about 180
students walked out of their classes
in support of an SGA resolution cx-*
pressing no confidence in Mercer
President R Kirby Godsey and
calling for his immediate resigna
t»on. The resolution came after
students learned Godsey admitted
that he did not fully disclose the
financial indebtedness ol the
‘University. Students and faculty
members packed the cafeteria and
chanted’*’Save Mercer Down w ith
Godsey."
The rally was hilled by Interna
tional Student Association Prcsi
dent Roger Russell as an mforria
tional seminar About 20 student
leaders met with Godsey in an op
portunity to discuss the financial
status of the University At thu
close of the meeting* SGA Prcsi
dent Willie Weaver read the SGA
resolution asking for Godsey’s
resignation Godsey told students
that he was a former logic teacher
and that the conclusions in their
resolution were illogical At that
point some student leaders storm
ed out of the meeting slating that
Continued on page 10
