About The Mercer Cluster. (Macon, Ga.) 1920-current | View Entire Issue (April 7, 1989)
- "III.. Mercer Police 1 Jazz and Poetry Life in Hell | — p. 4 -p. 4 -P- 7 1 Mercer (Cluster // wow ft V OLUME 71, NUMBER 20 MERCER UNIVERSITY, MACON, GEORGIA FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 1909 Declaration of exigency probable By CHARLIE SMITH News Editor Since the November 1988 disclosure of Mercer’s financial problems, there has been talk of formal declaration of “financial ex igency.** Faculty members have said that the size of Mercer's debt warrants the declaration of exigen cy and that decisions that have already been made about program closures and faculty dismissals can only be justified by a state of Ex igency. But the administration has consistently denied the allegation that Mercer is in a sure of finan cial emergency. Spokespersons for the university claim that mistakes were made in Mercer’s financial dealings but that recovery has already begun and will be complete in ten years or less. June Laval, a tenured member of die Mercer Atlanta College of Arts and Sciences, was given notice of her dismissal on January 4. 1989. Because of her conviction that her dismissal was inconsistant with the standards of the American Associa tion of University Professors (AAUP) she employed attorney Sidney L. Moore Jr. When the AAUP was made aware of Professor Laval's con cerns. their Associate Secretary, Mr. Jonathan Knight, wrote a let ter to President Godsey briefing him of the possible AAUP guideline violations. Mercer University Attorney, Corinne Houpt. responded to Knight's let ter in a corres jondencc on March 22. 1989. Houpt’s letter explains, for the first time in writing, that “the Board (of Trustees] may find it necessary to declare financial ex igency.” This blatantly contradicts President Codsey’s Jan. 12 state ment that tl* “financial strength of the university was sound and in tact,” and that the “day to day English professor awarded grants, pens new book Dr. Walter Kalaidjian of the Col lege of Liberal Arts English Department has received $18,500 in the form of two grants to further his research on American poetry. A $15,000 grant from the American Council of Learned I Societies will ■ support his I work from ■ August to ■ March, and a [S3.500 grant I from the Na- Itional Endow - Jment for the Dr. Kalaidjian Humanities will fund him for the months of June and July. Both of these awards are based on Kalaidjian previous ac complishments as well as the judg- o^nt of a committee of scholars on his proposed study. Interpreting the A'-um-Garde: American Poetry and the Visual Arts. “The ACLS grant is an impor tant and highly competitive award that bestows both professional operation of the university has never been in danger by this situa tion." ( The letter also enumerates a few of the issues on which the Univer sity's policy is inconsistent with AAUP guidelines. “You will also have noted that our policies are not identical to the AAUP recommendations and that the University specifically reserves the right to interpret its policies for itself and is not bound by AAUP interpretations. For example, our policies do not adopt AAUP's in stitution wide ‘survival standard* as our definition of financial exigen- Continued on page 3 recognition and support for specific scholarly projects,’’ Kalaidjian said. “For me, it will provide six months of time for intense research and writing on the American Avant-Guarde during the in- terbellum period between the two world wars." „ He adds that he hopes to be able to use the material in an inter disciplinary course on 20th Century American Culture. A graduate of Kenyon College. Kalaidjian received his Ph D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana with a dissertation on “The Aesthetics of Contemporary Midwest Realism." He is the author of several works, including a volume in Matthew Broccoli s series Understanding Contem porary American Literature and a number of papers and reviews in scholarly journals. He is a con tributing author to W. S. Merwtn Essays on the Poetry. University of Illinois Press. 1987. and the author of two books: Understanding Continued on pege 5 Mercer wax presented with the March AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE from the Macon/Bibb County Clean Community Commission March 30. This award Is given in recognition for excellence in main taining a beautiful and clean environment. ^ Uncertain future of university helps professor decide to walk By RON UGHT Opinion Page Editor Before Kay Carr arrived at Mercer in the Fall of 1987. History 352, an upper division American Colonial History class, had not been offered by the department in at least seventeen years. After Dr Carr leaves this year for Southern Illinois University of Carbomdale. the future of HIS 352 is unknown Not only did the Univenity of Chicago Ph D. revive this class, she also brought with her a new majors class in American Westward expansion. Unfortunate ly. due to the uncertainty of her future here as a non-ienurcd facul ty member. Dr. Carr felt it necessary to find employement elsewhere. Her uncertain future, like many young faculty members, caused her to look for a fhange of scenery. The origins of the problem which led to this situation are by now well known. Last December. President Godsey revealed that the Univenity was experiencing financial dif ficulties, the extent to which are still unknown. Since that time, seven faculty members at the Atlanta campus have been notified that their contracts will not be renewed next year. Further cuts in faculty and programs are expected. For Dr. Carr and other second year faculty, the only notification that they have received is that they may be given notice of termination at any time. According to the facul ty handbook, second year pro fessors on the tenure track are sup posed to be notified by December 15 as to whether or not they will be rehired for the following year This date gives a non-renewed teacher time to get back into the job market. The notice that Dr. Carr received indicated that she could be notified of a dismissal at any time. According to the historian, “After receiving that notice 1 had Continued on page 3
