Senate, Goldsmith Squabble

Finding students to serve as search committee members for new faculty can be as trying a search process as the one they are elected to conduct. Student Senate would like to appoint student representatives to two search committees, for the class of 2005 dean and for a new assistant director of Residential Life and Services. Ongoing misunderstandings between the Dean of Students' office and Student Senate have become obstacles.

Last week, the only four students who interviewed were selected for the search committees. Junior Grace Han later resigned. "[Han] feels that the role of a student search committee as outlined by Peter Goldsmith is not powerful enough," senior Senator Erika Hansen said.

"When [candidates] are explained the role of the committee members and the authority that they will have, they are actually discouraged," Hansen said. Dean of Students Peter Goldsmith disagreed and said that he had "spoken to students who appear to me to be quite interested in serving on one or both of these committees."

Han changed her mind after interviewing with Senate. "During the interview, she asked us if we could clarify what her role would be. We told her the role as defined by Peter Goldsmith, which doesn't include the ability of the search committee to override the decision of the dean, nor does it include the ability for the search committee to take a final vote on the candidate for the position," Hansen said. "Our attitude was neither one of discouragement nor encouragement, we just told he the truth and that was not satisfactory to her."

Goldsmith was optimistic. "We're still looking for another person for the search, but there are some possibilities and I am hopeful," he said. Hansen did not know of any other current candidates.

When Yeworkwha Belachow became the ombudsperson, the position of assistant director of Residential Life and Services was opened up. An assistant dean of students, who will serve as the dean of the class of 2005, also needs to be hired. Both of these search committees should have two student representatives.

"I believe that student participation on these search committees is vitally important and that nobody should feel discouraged at the prospect of doing so," Goldsmith said.

Senate believes that discouragement is exactly why finding student search committee representatives is difficult. "Last year, there were three search committees and they were all under the authority of Peter Goldsmith. In every search committee there was some sort of problem with the way he was wielding his authority, and that's led to an attitude of hopelessness, really," Hansen said.

Senate wrote Goldsmith a letter asking for "better communications with the faculty," and a "clearer understanding of the roles of students on these committees." Goldsmith responded and both letters were printed in the Commentary section of the Nov. 17 issue of the Review. "What my letter makes clear is that the role of students on the search committees is the same as everyone's on the committees, except that we particularly depend upon students to gauge the reaction of the student body as a whole to candidates," Goldsmith said.

Senior Senator Josh Rosen has reservations about naming representatives to the committees. "In the past it seems like committees have been used just for appearance purposes - it's been superficial. When, in fact, it seems the administration has an idea of who they're going to hire, where their degrees are going to be from, and what their interests are going to be before the committees ever meet," he said. "Students have only served to legitimize the idea that Peter Goldsmith's office wants student input in the direction this college takes."

Goldsmith believes the confusion is a misunderstanding. "What I think some Senators find discouraging is that the final decision for selecting a candidate rests with the person who has charged the committee and to whom that committee ordinarily reports," he said.

In his letter, Goldsmith explained, "In the event that we are not able to arrive at a consensus, I will reserve the right to make an independent decision. In the end, I am held accountable for the quality of the work of new employees who report to me, and it is I who must supervise and professionally nurture them through their careers at Oberlin."

Senate, Rosen said, is "going to be watching him very closely. I think how Peter Goldsmith runs these committees will give the student body a clear picture about whether he's going to be accountable to the students that he represents as dean of students."