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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
