Students to fight CFC's EXWR tenure decision

The College Faculty Council's (CFC) decision to reject a third tenure track position for the Expository Writing Program last week did not discourage a group of students from organizing in the hopes of reversing that decision.

Efforts to win the Expository Writing Program a third position for next year will continue as the Educational Plans and Policies Committee (EPPC) begins its temporary and tenure track position ranking process next week.

The group is comprised of approximately 30 students who were upset by the CFC's decision. The students met last Sunday and plan to meet again this Sunday.

According to junior Rebecca Bryan, Senator and EPPC member, the group plans to write a letter to the EPPC about the importance of a tenure track position for the Expository Writing Program. The group also plans to communicate its concerns to the Board of Trustees when it convenes on campus next weekend. "We are making sure they know what's going on," Bryan said. She hopes that the group will be able to find trustees who are supportive of their efforts.

The tenure track position that the CFC rejected would have been available to Visiting Assistant Professor Wendy Hesford. EPPC decided to send their recommendation last week to the CFC before Hesford, who was offered a job at the University of Indiana's English Department, would make a decision to leave Oberlin. Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Mary Ella Feinleib said the CFC wanted to see all the position requests that came in later on this year instead of making an early decision. Hesford is on emergency medical leave for the next six weeks. The Expository Writing Program is presently finding a temporary instructor to cover Hesford's classes until her return. No decision has been announced concerning Hesford's job offer at the University of Indiana.

EPPC plans to begin reviewing individual departments and staff members in those departments and ranking them in order of importance and in their need of tenure and temporary track positions. Recommendations from the EPPC will be sent to the CFC during late spring when final decisions concerning positions are made.