Maroon

              THE LOYOLA MAROON VOLUME 69, NO. 12 LOYOLA UNIVERSITY, NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA 70118 November 30,1990 Vote gives Lundy reprieve, for now By Charles Lussier and Greg Lacour Staff writers Faculty from the College of Arts and Sciences voted at a College Assembly meeting Thursday whether or not to give the Rev. George F. Lundy, S J., senior vice president and dean of Faculties, a vote of confidence regarding his position as chief academic officer. Out of a possible 140.5 votes, 74.5 extended a vote of confidence. Fifty-eight extended no confidence, with eight abstaining. Dr. Daniel Sheridan, associate professor of religious studies, said at the meeting that Lundy's effectiveness is "an issue on a lot of people's minds" and that many faculty harbor serious doubts about Lundy's ability as chief academic officer. Sheridan cited a decrease in summer school revenue; questionable revisions in the University Honors Program; questions about the SCAP "desired outcomes" statement; and Lundy's handling of personnel as areas of concern for those having doubts about Lundy.. Sheridan said it was time for the College Assembly to "make a judgment" regarding their collective stance on Lundy's effectiveness. The issue caught fire earlier this month. At a Nov. 7 meeting of A&S faculty, a resolution was adopted which proposes that the College Assembly "measure by vole, on secret ballots, the extent of its members' confidence and lack of confidence in the senior vice president and dean of Faculties in the role of chief academic officer of the university" at its meeting. Lundy called an open town meeting, which was held Tuesday in Nunemaker Hall before about 100 people, primarily faculty. Lundy said at the meeting that in a legal sense, a College Assembly vote of no confidence may not be valid because the Arts and Sciences handbook, which governs the Assembly, was never officially adopted by the Board of Trustees. It thus provides, at best, "working protocols," he said. In the end, the Rev. James C. Carter, S J., university president, must decide the validity of any Assembly action. The first sign of trouble appeared at the Nov. 6 College Assembly meeting. The main topic of the meeting was the process for appointing the new dean search committee, but lingering faculty resentment of Lundy's authority and his general relationship with faculty spurred the next day's proposal. According to the proposal, "Serious doubts have been expressed concerning the qualifications and performance of the senior vice president and dean of Faculties in exercising the role of chief academic officer." In a memorandum Wednesday to the College Assembly, Dr. William Eidson, dean of the college of Arts and Sciences, urged the A&S faculty to vote down the resolution at the Assembly meeting yesterday. Eidson said in the memo that the resolution brought forward by the College Assembly is not a positive step: "We do not, at this time, need more negative actions; there have been too many in the past, and it is time to collect our wisdom in as collegial and logical a manner as possible." Lundy said he called Tuesday's town meeting to provide a forum to discuss problems including the new A&S dean search and the budget shortfall. "Part of the reason for having this meeting is to try to have more direct communication and less buzzing around and rumors and gossip and all of that," Lundy said. The Rev. Raymond Schroth, SJ., professor of communications, asked Lundy if he would like to hear a short list of complaints that had come up at the Nov. 7 meeting. Lundy agreed. Schroth then outlined four issues: The first complaint voiced at the meeting was that since Lundy does not have a doctorate and has never published any research of his own, he is handicapped in making decisions regarding scholarly and teaching affairs of faculty. Second, Lundy's office is inefficient, especially in regard to what many faculty consider slow paper flow in and out of his office. Third, Lundy's mismanagement of the Academic Affairs office may have contibuted significantly to the budget shortfalls of past years. Fourth, Lundy could have handled the suspension of associate professor of mathematics Dr. Stephen Scariano much more adeptly in its early stages to prevent ensuing problems. Lundy rebutted and said he was concerned from the lime he was hired about not having a doctorate, but that a doctorate is not necessarily a prerequisite for the job. Regarding the second point, Lundy said he had made a mistake when he eliminated the position of assistant academic vice presidentand that has been the major reason for slow paper flow. In regard to the Scariano affair, "I don't personally feel that there was inadequate investigation," Lundy said. Dr. Antonio Lopez, associate professor of mathematics, asked Lundy, "How can you tell me that you did a prudent background investigation if the person that was involved in the hiring of Dr. Scariano and promotion period on which he was promoted, was not even consulted prior to his letter of suspension Oct. 11 [1989]. Why didn't you call me, George? That still bothers me to this day." Lundy said at the time he had to make a judgment call and decided not to consult Lopez. Dr. Vernon Gregson, associate professor of religious studies, said Lundy has failed "over and over" in the past to consult individual academic departments before making decisions. Gregson echoed the same sentiments Thursday, saying that if a full 58 members of the College Assembly voted no confidence toward Lundy, "that indicates that a significant number of of faculty has seriousdifficulty" with the manner in which he does his job. Photo by Alex Stein On the spot—The Rev. George F. Lundy, S.J., senior vice president and dean of Faculties, answers questions and discusses issues — a great majority of which concerned his own administrative abilities — at a 'Town Meeting" Tuesday in Nunemaker Hall. Yesterday, the Arts and Sciences College Assembly approved a resolution expressing confidence in Lundy. lE— With this issue. The Maroon ceases publication for the fall semester. Publication will resume Jan. 25. fthe wrcrth of SADDAM...