TIMARA faculty at an impasse

Distance learning may be encroaching on Oberlin. In a controversial proposal, two TIMARA faculty will team teach from afar, a move that has caused an uproar among professors who feel that this policy would harm Oberlin's tradition of an accessible faculty.

The creation of a shared faculty position for two TIMARA professors in the Fall 2000 semester caused a consideralbe protest, and the dust is just now settling. While there have not been many changes since an explanation of the proposed position was circulated in late May in a confidential memo, many faculty members feel that none are necessary. Others are still adamantly opposed to the new policy.

According to the memo, Associate Professor of Composition John Luther Adams and Associate Professor of Electronic and Computer Music Richard Povall will share a full time professorship. This arrangement would allow Adams to spread his time over the entire year and for Povall to continue working on a part-time basis. Teaching duties would be divided among the two of them.

As reported in May, Povall has accepted a position as the Senior Fellow at the Centre for Research into Creation in the Performance Arts at Middlesex University in London. He will also serve as the leader of a think tank responsible for evolving creative practices across the disciplines.

Adams, who works as an independent composer in Alaska, where he is usually based when not on campus, is also President of the American Music Center in New York. The memo explained that by the fall 2000 semester he cannot continue with his current teaching load and time arrangements. In addition to a New Music Workshop he would teach with Associate Professor of Wind Conducting Tim Weiss and a TIMARA workshop taught with Povall in the spring, the position would support eight private students.

The memo states, "It is not clear whether these students will be supported jointly by Povall and Adams, or whether each will carry a load of four private students. In the latter case, support would be provided online while the individuals were away from campus."

Although the aforementioned memo was confidential, Professor of Electronic and Computer Music Gary Lee Nelson, who is at the center of the opposition to the new policy, had it posted on his office door. He did not originally have access to the memo, and only received a copy after demanding one from Povall. Nelson's opinion is that its distribution could pose a threat to the effectiveness of faculty governance.

As the existence of this policy was made known to the Review just prior to the publication of last May's commencement issue, when many students and faculty members had already left for the summer, much of the Oberlin community has been in the dark about opinions on both sides of the disagreement.

A central concern was that the shared faculty position only requires Povall and Adams to spend 14 non-consecutive weeks on campus. According to Povall, he and Adams will share a single full-time position from fall 2000 on.

"Each of us will be able to spend more time, more flexibly, pursuing our professional lives as composers, and dividing our time at Oberlin across the academic year," Povall said. There will be no net loss in faculty positions within the division, and students will receive no fewer contact hours. Much of the information that has been distributed publicly is erroneous or distorted."

However, the arrangement was given full review in May, according to Povall, who explained that the decision was subject to all the normal faculty governance procedures. These procedures included the Conservatory Faculty Council coming to an agreement on the arrangement with the support of then acting Dean David Boe and the Associate Dean Laura Kuennen-Poper.

Additionally, the proposal was taken to an open meeting of the Division Faculty, who were given the opportunity to vote on it. Although a note was distributed by Boe stressing how important this meeting was, not all members appeared. In spite of the fact that this meeting was held at the end of last semester, because the faculty was notified of the upcoming discussion, Povall said, "It's therefore nonsense to suggest that this agreement didn't go through a full consultation process."

According to Robert Dodson, the new dean of the Conservatory, the plans for this arrangement have yet to be finalized. He said, "At the moment, a plan for the Contemporary Music Division is a 'work-in-progress.' Decisions were made last semester that were understood to be in the interests of the program, the students and the faculty. These decisions will be reviewed at appropriate intervals to ensure that those interests are being met."

Nelson's objection to the actual policy revolves around his belief that students expect teachers and faculty to be accessible. He noted that one of the characteristics touted by the admissions office is the tradition that Oberlin faculty are in residence and available to students full time, contrasting with other major music schools where artist faculty seldom appear on campus.

Earlier this month, he said "I remain opposed to the idea in the strongest possible terms. It is antithetical to Oberlin's tradition of a resident faculty that is fully involved and committed to undergraduate education."

In defending the decision, Povall said "I make no apologies for the fact that I believe Conservatory faculty, and composition faculty in particular, must have active professional careers where they are constantly creating new work, meeting new challenges, and developing their own practice within a context broader than Oberlin."

He argued that students receive the richest educational experience when instructors expose them to what he considers is an ever-growing practice in an ever-changing and evolving field," he said. "Of course, if our entire faculty were only here on a part-time basis, it would be disastrous. However, I believe there are ample opportunities for continuity within the Division, even between John and myself."

Regarding the timeliness of the decision, Nelson said in early September, "The decision was made quickly during a single week last May without input from most of the senior faculty of the Contemporary Music Division. There have been some discussions about this between senior faculty and our new dean but no conclusions have been reached and therefore no actions taken."

In May, he stressed that both Adams and Povall did not comprehend the possible affects of this decision. "I have no question of their professional qualities," he said, " but they simply do not know what they're getting Oberlin into. This is a major decision that is going to have effects over the next three years."

Dodson's viewpoint was that the issue is beyond being newsworthy or controversial. He said, "I anticipate with pleasure participating in the discussions about curricular development and long term directions of the Division. I will do whatever I can to facilitate the development of consensus within the division on these questions and to secure the means necessary to achieving faculty aspirations."

Although it had been rumored that much discussion went around the electronic mailing-list for students in the New Music department regarding this issue, no response came from its members. However, Jim Altieri double-degree senior and TIMARA major, had worries that the controversy will be problematic for the department in the future.

He said "I won't believe that Richard or John is trying to pull a fast one on the students. All of my interactions with them have shown me that they both truly care about teaching and about helping out students."

"With that in mind," he continued, "I think the situation was handled poorly on all accounts, from its lack of student input to the immature reactions by faculty and students opposed to the idea. I am afraid that the bad feelings caused by this controversy will diminish the faculty's ability to work together."