11/17/09
Faculty Senate meets with President Kyle regarding vote of no confidence in provost
On Nov. 11 the Faculty Senate met with President Kyle to discuss the recent vote
of no confidence in the academic leadership of Provost Wil Stanton. Several senate members
asked that the provost be dismissed, indicating he was poorly serving both the faculty and
the president. Provost Stanton's leadership was characterized as "dismissive" and "shameful.”
President Kyle listened as senators cited reasons for the vote, which stemmed largely from
the administration's failure to consult with faculty before implementing major curriculum
changes. Also cited were the merging and splitting of departments without faculty input,
and a recent faculty satisfaction survey. President Kyle told the Roanoke Times
she plans to “make a decision about Stanton's future ‘certainly before next semester.’ ”
View the 2009 Faculty Satisfaction Survey Report
Further information can be found in the Faculty Senate’s Ad Hoc Investigative Committee Report
Students, please email sga@radford.edu or attend our Monday 5:00 meetings in Bonnie 250
to express yourself on this matter. Remember that SGA is here to voice your opinions to the greater administration.
11/11/09
Message from SGA President Matt Clem:
President Kyle attended our SGA senate meeting on Monday, November 9,
to respond verbally to the letter of concern
SGA sent to President Kyle and Provost Stanton. Her attendance and
responsiveness to all questions asked are greatly appreciated, and
we hope that through these endeavors we can continue to work towards
a responsive and transparent communicating relationship with the
administration. For this to succeed, we not only have to ensure
that the administration is communicating openly and directly with
us, the students, but we must maintain an open and direct relationship
with the administration as well. This communication issue is not a
one-way avenue, and as the Student Government Association we must
continue to inform the administration of student concerns and issues.
In order for us to continue informing the administration, we must
continue to pursue you, the students, to hear your concerns regarding
the university. Please help us to maintain this open and extremely
valuable relationship with the administration, by continuing to openly
and directly communicate your views and concerns to us, your
representative body.
Thank you and please let me know how
I can better serve you as your student body president.
Matthew Clem
Read President Kyle's written response to SGA's letter of concern
10/27/09
Open Letter of Concern to Administration
On October 26 in response to hundreds of verbal and email complaints
from the student body, the Student Government Association unanimously
voted to issue a letter of concern to RU President Penelope Kyle and
Provost Wilbur Stanton.
The letter, initiated by Senator Jordan Draper and co-authored by
several senators, executive, and cabinet members of SGA, stresses the
need for better communication and management within the administration.
It highlights examples like the expedited academic program review
of last spring, the print cost increase this semester, and the events
following the restructuring of New Student Programs, as situations
where the campus community and Radford's public image would have
benefited from better management and communication at the highest
levels of our institution.
Open Letter of Concern:
Dear President Kyle and Provost Stanton,
As the Student Government Association we have the privilege and responsibility to
represent the opinions and beliefs of the Radford University student body. A number of
students have expressed concern regarding the ever-growing rift between the
administration and the faculty, and the mismanagement and miscommunication by the
administration.
One of the main reasons that current and prospective students are attracted to Radford
University is because it is suggested that students are the primary focus of this
institution. However, we feel that this core value has been clouded over in recent
months, negatively affecting the way Radford University is viewed by both the campus
community and the public. This unfavorable view is decreasing the value of student
diplomas from Radford University. For the good of students, alumni, faculty, staff, and
the administration, this cloud needs to dissipate. If mismanagement and
miscommunication continue, then this institution will suffer immensely.
Some recent examples of the glaring miscommunication and mismanagement within the
administration are the expedited academic program review; confusion surrounding
increased printing costs; and the events that took place after the restructuring of New
Student Programs. The expedited program review caused unnecessary panic and
instability within our institution. The lack of notice regarding increased printing costs has
caused financial stress for students during tough economic times. The events following
the restructuring of New Student Programs have tarnished our public image and had an
adverse effect on campus morale.
While we understand the need for academic program reviews, increased printing costs,
and the events following the restructuring of New Student Programs, in the future we
would appreciate the administration reconsidering the way it handles sensitive situations
like these. We feel that the mismanagement and miscommunication issues need to be
resolved in a timely and professional manner, so that the students, faculty, and the
administration can continue to work towards our collective goals stated in the 7-17 Plan.
Sincerely,
Student Government Association 2009-2010
Approved unanimously on 10/26/09
cc: Radford University Board of Visitors
10/1/09
SGA uncovers administration's reasoning behind print fee increase
Members of SGA recently met with RU Vice President for Information
Technology Danny Kemp regarding the print fee changing from .01 cents
to .05 cents per page as of this semester. We entered the meeting with
the goal of compromising on a new price somewhere in the middle;
however, once the reasoning behind the increase was explained, it
was apparent this decision was a necessary one in response to the
current financial stress the university is facing.
The main points that came out of this meeting were:
- RU spent $81,000 in paper and toner last year. Because of
the $10 per year free printing allocation, hardly any of these costs
were recovered, so the majority of these costs were paid for by the
university, not by the revenue produced from print users. This combined
with the $16 million in budget cuts from the Commonwealth of Virginia RU
has undergone in the past year necessitated an increase in the print user fee.
- RU still has the lowest printing fees among a group of approximately
10 Virginia public universities. The average cost among these universities
is .08 cents per page, with some being as high as .12 or .15 cents per page.
Some schools, like UVA for example, are eliminating computer labs altogether
in response to the budget cuts.
- The old printing price had been the same for 7 years, since 2002
In our meeting, we also made clear how inconvenient and stressful this
increase has been for so many students, since we were not notified about
the increase in advance. We let them know that had they told us in advance,
students could have come to school prepared with their own printers, or
budgeted ahead for the increased printing costs.
We also complained about the fact that faculty members are not allowed
to print as much as they used to, which means students have to spend more
money on printing class materials. SGA next plans to meet with Academic
Affairs to see if they are able to revise their budget at all in an
effort to save money for students.
Please share this information with your fellow students,
and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us.
Below is a verbatim explanation from Danny Kemp:
- The reason for the increase is to help recover some of the costs
associated with lab printing during a time when university budgets are being reduced.
- In some cases, placing a charge on printing will cause people to think
before they print, thus reducing cost and aiding in sustainability efforts.
- The prior print charges of $.01 for black and white and $.05 for color were set in 2002 and were never intended to cover the cost of printing.
- The cost of paper and toner used in student labs last year was approximately $81,000 (Toner - $57,000, Paper - $24,000).
A small percentage of the paper cost was recovered from students once they used up their free allocation each semester.
Due to the fact that undergraduate students were given a free allocation of $5.00 for fall and spring semester and $2.50
for the summer and that the $.01 and $.05 came nowhere close to covering the lab printing costs, the vast majority of these
costs were subsidized by the University not by the revenue produced from students.
- In addition to paper and toner, other costs of maintaining labs include: personnel cost, printers, electricity and maintenance on printing software.
- The average printing charges of other universities surveyed are: $.08 for black and white and $.58 for color.
Universities surveyed included William & Mary, GMU, JMU, Longwood University, ODU, Mary Washington University, UVa, VCU, Virginia State, and VT.
- With university wide budget cuts, decisions have to be made as to what services can be cut with the least impact on the mission of the university.
- Some universities (UVa included) are eliminating computer labs altogether.
- This will streamline the process of replenishing printing accounts when the initial free allocation is used.
- The Division of IT will continue to monitor the cost and revenue associated with printing and adjust the pricing model as appropriate.
9/29/09
New Student Programs director and assistant director reinstated
Read the RU news release
9/17/09
Faculty Senate condemns administration, VP for Student Affairs apologizes to campus community
Thursday afternoon, SGA members were present at a special meeting of the RU Faculty Senate.
The meeting was called in response to the layoffs of two New Student Programs personnel on Monday. The
layoffs have not been taken well by faculty nor students, and at this meeting, faculty got the chance to
address their concerns directly with members of the administration. They also passed a resolution
condemning the administration for the manner in which it handled these layoffs, calling them "insensitive"
and "brutal." Vice President for Student Affairs Norleen Pomerantz has since issued an apology to the
entire campus community, which you can find in your email inbox.
Last week, administration met with faculty to discuss the recent 15 percent budget
cut mandated by Governor Tim Kaine, at which time faculty were told that the new budgets were not
yet finalized and that no immediate actions would be taken. They were also told that any layoffs
would be handled humanely and sensitively.
The overall sentiment at the faculty senate meeting was that Mike Dunn and
Marc Jacobsen were not treated sensitively on Monday, when they were dismissed from New Student
Programs after a combined 34 years of service to RU. After the promises of last week, faculty
members feel betrayed. One faculty member said that these actions "send a chill through the
university," with many wondering if they are next.
Norleen Pomerantz, vice president for student affairs, and President
Penny Kyle explained the actions to the faculty senate Thursday like this: In
eliminating the positions in New Student Programs and re-assigning the administration
of these programs, Dr. Pomerantz felt she was doing they right thing in keeping the
programs and services. She also felt, after consulting with IT and Human Resources,
that it was the right thing to dismiss the people in the positions right away and not
later, apparently based on her past experience. Dr. Pomerantz made the decision about
these student affairs positions, and moved forward with the cuts on Monday, without
notifying President Kyle. President Kyle did not even know about the layoffs until
5:00 Monday evening, once the campus was already in an uproar about what had happened.
In her 9/18 email, Dr. Pomerantz stressed that she has "learned from this,"
and "never meant for my actions to make a difficult situation worse for the individuals
affected by my action, or bring any dishonor to our University community."
Students, please let us know how you feel about the layoffs in NSP
as well as the faculty response to the layoffs. We are here to serve your interests,
and it is crucial for us to know how you feel so that we may act appropriately. Contact us.
WDBJ7 report on the 9/17 faculty senate meeting
Resolution from the Faculty Senate submitted to members of the administration and the Board of Visitors on 9/16/09:
The faculty of Radford University, while well aware of and concerned about the current
economic constraints faced by the University, nonetheless wish to express their strong
disapproval of the recent dismissal of New Student Programs staff. Whatever budget
savings are claimed regarding this "reorganization," the faculty are appalled by the
sudden, insensitive, and brutal treatment of these colleagues of ours who have devoted
years of service to the University. Having one week ago assured the Faculty Senate that
all position changes or layoffs would be handled with sensitivity, respect, and
compassion, the Radford University administration has, by its action, further undermined
its credibility with the faculty. The behavior of the RU administration in this instance is
a public embarrassment. Be it resolved, therefore, that the Radford University faculty
strongly condemn that behavior and those administrators involved in this incident.
9/15/09
15% University Budget Reduction, New Student Programs Reorganized
Early Monday afternoon, we received word that students were upset by the
elimination of two management positions in New Student Programs and
planned to hold a sit-in at the NSP office that afternoon. SGA recognized
how important this issue was to the student body, and immediately went to
work investigating the matter. By our 5:00 SGA meeting, we had answers from
the Dean of Students, and by 7:45 Monday evening, the actions of peer instructors,
orientation student employees, SGA, and other students, had convinced the
Vice President of Student Affairs to address the issue with the student body
through email.
The facts as SGA knows them are:
- NSP has been reorganized, but none of the services or programs (such as University 100 and new student orientation) are being eliminated.
- Administrative functions of NSP will now be handled by the office of the Dean of Students and the office of Student Activities.
- "Standard protocol" was followed in the process of dismissing the two effected employees.
- The reorganization of NSP was only part of various measures that will be taken to make up for the latest 15% ($6.4 million) higher education budget reduction announced by Governor Tim Kaine last week.
- The administration sent an email to the faculty and staff regarding the budget cut last week; and they erred in not communicating this news to the student body.
Please read the Sept. 14 email from Norleen Pomerantz for more detailed information about the budget cut, including information that was provided to faculty and staff last week.
Be assured that this event has caused the administration to realize the importance of communicating such crucial information to the student body in a timely manner, and we can expect to see improvements in this area in the future.
As always, please email sga@radford.edu with concerns, or attend our meeting next Monday at 5:00 p.m. in Bonnie 249/250.
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