Faculty discuss place for faculty complaints

Faculty hear computer report

Professor of Politics Ben Schiff created a stir at the General Faculty (GF) meeting Tuesday by asking President Nancy Dye a question about Assistant Professor of Neuroscience David Holtzman's review by the Professional Conduct Review Committee (PCRC).

Schiff asked for clarification of a statement Dye made last week in the Review  about the proper body to hear a grievence filed by a faculty member against an administrator.

Though the final investigative report of the PCRC recommends that the charges filed by Holtzman and dean of the college of Arts and Sciences Clayton Koppes be forwarded to the hearing panel of the PCRC, the hearing process has yet to begin after one panel of the PCRC ruled it cannot hear complaints of misconduct against faculty members who are acting in an administrative capacity.

Four members of the nine member PCRC constitute the investigative panel, while the other five members constitute the hearing panel. The investigative panel determines whether the issue under investigation is serious enough to warrant the attention of the hearing panel, which will decide the seriousness of the offense.

The investigative panel of the PCRC charged with investigating a complaint filed against Koppes by Professor of Biology Richard Levin, Holtzman's adviser, ruled last fall that it could not investigate the complaint because Koppes was acting as an administrator. Because the panel that refused to investigate Levin's complaint is the panel that would serve as the hearing panel for Holtzman and Koppes' complaints, the process is now stalled because the hearing panel will not hear Holtzman's charges against Koppes and acting dean of the college of Arts and Sciences James Helm, though the investigative panel has forwarded them.

Because of this decision by the PCRC, it was decided that the appropriate body for hearing complaints against administrators is the General Faculty Council (GFC). The GFC has yet to review Holtzman or Levin's complaints.

At the meeting Professor of Economics Robert Piron said the intent of the PCRC rules was clear to him. He said that in his interpretation the rules do not exclude a charge being filed against an administrator.

Piron read from the rules of the PCRC at the meeting. The rule in question states that the PCRC "shall consider formal complaints about professional conduct made against any individual holding a faculty appointment at Oberlin College." He said his reading of the rules showed the regulations were "crystal clear to include administrators."

Dye disagreed with the interperetation and said administrators go on administrative leave when they leave their faculty positions. She said the wording was an actual glitch. Since Koppes was acting as dean at the time the grievance was filed, he was to be treated as an administrator.

Professor of Philosophy Al MacKay said the GFC reviewed the language and decided the wording needed revision. Members of the GFC agreed that the wording of the rule dictating the scope of the panel's ruling power was flawed.

Piron said he thought the glitch should be discussed. "If it was an attempt to exclude administrators, it should be rewritten," he said.

Piron said the original intent of the language should be researched before it is assumed that it needs to be rewritten.

Schiff requested the issue be put on the agenda for a future meeting, but Dye said she could not give an exact date for when such a discussion could occur. Dye said that when new language was drafted would be a more appropriate time than now to discuss the language. Dye said the issue would be placed on the agenda later this spring.

During the disscussion at the meeting Levin said two charges were brought against administators in the fall of 1996, and, "Five months is too long for an issue to be left hanging. I don't think it is appropriate, fair or decent."

Professor of Art William Hood broke up the discussion by reminding the body that the discussion arose from a clarification question and said the discussion was perhaps premature. He said that since the discussion wasn't on the agneda, some interested people may not have known about the discussion.

Before the grievance policy was discussed, Professor of Pianoforte Joe Schwartz reflected on Professor of Pianoforte Wilbur Price in a memorial moment. Price passed away last September. Professor of History Geoffrey Blodgett then read a memorial for former Professor of History Barry McGill.

John Bucher, the head of the computing also spoke about the restructuring of the computing network on campus. Bucher described the plans for a new, less centralized network that would allow for faster networking. He reviewed numbers that revealed network use by students. He said that 2500 students routinely sign on to the campus network roughly everyday.