BY SHANNAN H. BUTLER
The following remarks were presented on Saturday, June 15, at the AAUP’s 105th annual meeting, which voted to place St. Edward’s University on the AAUP’s list of censured administrations. You can read the report of the AAUP’s investigating committee here.
Corinne Weisgerber and Shannan Butler after the AAUP’s 105th annual meeting voted to place St. Edward’s University, which terminated both of them on the same day without due process, on the AAUP’s list of censured administrations.
In all honesty, I do not wish to be here today. Please don’t misunderstand, I’ve met many inspiring individuals here, but I would rather be back where I was, doing what professors are supposed to do.
Sure, I was aware of the current state of education. I posted the memes, the article links, and talked among my colleagues, like everyone else.
But, my suspension nearly a year and a half ago, brought the plight of education and educators into sharp focus like never before – suddenly it became quite real.
I never imagined this could happen to me or my wife. I had received positive evaluations for the past eleven years. Served on the Institutional Review Board, was currently on the Faculty Senate, and Faculty Evaluation Committee making tenure and promotion decisions.
I anticipated going up for, and being promoted to, full professor the very next year.
But, instead, I was suddenly terminated. The AAUP report gives the details of what happened, or should I say, what didn’t happen. I had tenure, did nothing wrong, and the university still breached my contract.
But then, why should you listen to me? I am charged with disrespecting my university’s mission and goals. I have been accused of a “pattern of bullying behavior and intimidation,” even though no such behavior occurred.
If we still believe in the virtues of our profession and the principles of this great organization then we must rise up, a slumbering faculty, jaded with complacency, and endeavor to confront the existential threats gathering against us—And we see this empowerment happening from Wright State, to Rutgers, and now in Chicago, and across this vast country.
The AAUP is one of our last best hopes to save our educational system.
We, as stewards of the mission, cannot give way to the ease of authoritarianism, instead we must reinforce our faculty governance and dialogue.
We, as educators, cannot give way to the lulling call of technological salvation, corporate disruption, and adjunctification, instead we must continue to imbue our craft with humanity.
We, as faculty, cannot give way to the continued erosion and devaluation of tenure, instead we must strengthen and secure it.
I ask you to hold St. Edward’s University to its true mission. So that one day it may become a beacon to all universities, bringing reform and transparency to the byzantine practices common at many universities, these opaque practices have allowed too many faculty members to be bought out, settled with, and easily discarded.
The faculty at St. Edward’s University are good people. To my colleagues and friends at St. Edward’s, whom I greatly respect, please know that we do this for you, for the possibility of revival of the true spirit of St. Edward’s.
My termination is just a symptom of the crisis of academic freedom at St. Edward’s University. Tenure is a cornerstone of academic freedom and I ask that you cast your vote to reaffirm our profession’s voice. And to continue to inspire our noblest mission—the education of our young women and men both academically and as civic minded individuals. For when administrators and educators lose sight of their founding values and respect for divergent voices in pursuit of power and prestige, they no longer serve this mission.
I am thankful today for the support of many individuals, including:
My local AAUP chairperson, Dr. Craig Campbell.
Dr. Greg Scholtz for recognizing the serious implication of our plight and for representing, at every turn, the importance of faculty governance and tenure.
Committee A for authorizing the investigation.
The investigative committee who, under the leadership of Dr. Michael DeCesare, acted with complete professionalism and admirable persistence to find the truth.
To Dr. Jim Klein and the Texas AAUP Conference, for providing funding for us to be here today.
The Academic Freedom Fund of the AAUP Foundation for its kind support.
And to our attorney Holt Lackey and the Ellwanger Law Firm for taking on our case and offering invaluable legal guidance.
I wish that I did not have to be here today.
Thank you.
Guest blogger Shannan Butler is a former associate professor of communication at St. Edward’s University.
See additional remarks from Saturday’s meeting by Corinne Weisgerber.
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I encountered a similar situation many years ago at Ithaca College. Two faculty members were carrying on a not-so-“secret” affair and tended to monopolize faculty meetings with their agenda. One was tenured; the other was coming up for tenure; the former did not recuse himself from serving on his paramour’s tenure and promotion committee (a clear case of conflict of interest)!
The St. Edward’s U. case above does not match those circumstances exactly and the legal/policy issues are all important in terms of the couple’s rights. However, spouses or significant others (as well as business partners, etc.) within a given unit CAN be extremely disruptive to civility and good judgment, especially when they are personally and professionally argumentative or obnoxious. (In my Ithaca College case, this “couple” often used the “F-bomb” in cursing out the Interim Chair (often in public hallways in front of students); they intimidated job candidates that they did not want to hire by staging fake arguments in interview situations, and did their ill-level best to run the department.
Dr. Tomasulo. This was NOT the case at St. Edward’s University with these two individuals, nor their colleague in another school with a different Dean. All three had sought help from the HR Department because they were being threatened and bullied by the administration. None of the three received any sort of due process notice or hearing. Your uninformed comments, speculations, and comparisons are out of line and unhelpful.
Craig Campbell: I made a point of using the word “similar” in my post, and even specifically stated that “The St. Edward’s U. case above does not match the circumstances [of the Ithaca College example I proffered] exactly and the legal/policy issues are all important in terms of the couple’s rights.” I don’t know what more of a prolepsis or advance qualification I could have provided. I’m truly sorry that YOU misunderstood my precise words and replied to what you ASSUMED I was saying. (“When you ASS-U-ME,you make an ASS out of U and ME” — actually just U.) 🙂
Since I did not comment AT ALL on the St. Edward’s U. case, I can’t imagine how my comments could be “uninformed, speculative, out of line, or unhelpful.” My ONLY point of comparison was the SOMETIMES unproductive circumstances when faculty spouses (or lovers) are in the same department. Of course, I have also seen some such couples behave VERY professionally.
If these folks at St. Edward’s were not given proper due process, as seems to be the case according to AAUP, then sign me up for a petition in their favor.
Dr. Butler, you are right, “this shit has got to stop.” It is SO ironic that this case has arisen among highly trained faculty in a Department of Communication! You and Dr. Weisgerber are not alone–this is happening elsewhere and AAUP is stepping in to help, including in my institution which I cannot identify. My reaction is that we have a class of administrators who are “snowflakes,” and cannot take any kind of disagreement or debate. Show respect and do what you are told! Reminds me of middle school. Take heart, and keep up the good fight.
“I ask you to hold St. Edward’s University to its true mission.”
Mr. Butler is asking AAUP to do something it does not have the authority nor probably the effective power to do. A Writ or Bill of Censure has no legal force and if the University don’t care, ….
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