Student Life controversies linked to communication

Dean of Student Life and Services Charlene Cole-Newkirk must get tired of saying the same thing again and again. Before the General Faculty last semester, to students in all-campus mailings, to student senators, to the Student Life Committee (SLC) and to the Review,  Cole-Newkirk repeatedly emphasized the importance of broad-based decision-making and communication.

In a 1995 profile, Cole-Newkirk said administrators should not just sit in their offices waiting for students. "We need to be more proactive," she said. Last year about Student Health she said, "What we need to do is go back out to the community. Need to listen to all the voices."

These types of statements permeate most of the dean's rhetoric, but some members of the College community question her dedication to these values and point to a number of miscommunications and confusions as evidence of a systemic problem.

"The actions have not matched the words," junior Dan Persky, a student senator who has worked with Cole-Newkirk for the past two years, said. "There were a lot more promises made than promises kept."

Criticism of Cole-Newkirk's policies and actions are common, as are criticisms for many administrators' actions. However, criticism of Cole-Newkirk is often targeted not only at her policies, but her methods as well. Critics also draw a connection between these methods and numerous miscommunications in several departments in Student Life.

Many faculty and staff did not feel comfortable speaking on the record about their concerns, or connecting their name with criticisms.

Diana Kahn, visiting assistant professor of Women's Studies and long-time employee of the Counseling Center, said, "I was shocked when I saw the disrespectful way in which she addressed seasoned professionals, people I have so much respect for, at divisional meetings."

Most recently criticism about decision-making and communicaiton came to light when clauses cut from the rules by Cole-Newkirk last summer were discovered, and questions about her right to make these changes discussed. Many members of SLC and faculty, as well as students, said that the changes should at least have been discussed with an official governing body.

Cole-Newkirk responded to these concerns in an all-campus mailing last week: "I made a mistake," she wrote. "I do not typically make decisions regarding student conduct. I only make decisions regarding student behaviors when there is an emergency situation and usually only after I consult with others."

The decision-making in the rule-change process reminded some of the controversy that surrounded the choice for Associate Dean of Student Life last semester. Anger erupted after Cole-Newkirk offered the position to the candidate which the search committee did not recommend. According to committee members, they had heavily favored Bill Stackman, but that preference was ignored. Ultimately Stackman was offered the job when the first candidate turned down the job offer.

Cole-Newkirk responded to these complaints saying the committee had understood she had the final decision. "My understanding was that both candidates were acceptable. I had to balance a lot of issues," Cole-Newkirk told the committee.

A student on the committee said, "I really feel, personally, my input was cut out of the process ... The time and energy I put in were dismissed."

At the time Cole-Newkirk said, "I don't know how to foster better communication between staff and students. I've always had an open door policy about people coming to see me."

Some students think, as Cole-Newkirk did upon her arrival to Oberlin, that an open door policy is not enough for good communication. Persky said, "It is hard for us to pre-emptively offer our opinions when we don't know what is being decided." He said that students don't know the dean's agenda, and therefore cannot be expected to offer input. He suggested she make public her plans for the semester. "I'm sure she knows what her plans are," he said.

For Cole-Newkirk, the controversies around some of her actions raise another question. "When does Oberlin begin to trust that a dean can make some decisions on its own?" she asked. She said that she talks to staff and students all the time. "All you have to do it look at my calendar," she said.

The dean offered examples of plans and projects that came out of student concern and questions. She cited the Women's' Resource Center, a project Stackman is coordinating, as one of these projects.

She also named the current structure of the Multicultural Resource Center. Cole-Newkirk restructured the department when she arrived, creating a Dean of Multiculturism , which Ken Holmes, who had been her personal assistant, filled. She also created four intern positions and an assistant dean position.

Other areas have seen staff increases. The Department of Security is currently searching for an assistant director and Cole-Newkirk has hired a special assistant to coordinate long-range planning for the department.

These additions come in stark contrast to cuts which brought concern, anger and frustration for staff in Residential Life and Services and the Student Union last year.

In part of the College's effort to eliminate a structural deficit, Student Life was asked to cut $600,000 from its budget.