Associate Dean Search creates dismay in Union

Constantine declines position; committee preffered Stackham accepts

Amidst heated discussions concerning Dean of Student Life and Services Charlene Cole-Newkirk's choice for the position of associate dean for Student Life and Services, the candidate she originally selected, Mark Constantine, declined the job offer last week. William Stackman, the Associate Dean search committee's favored candidate, was then offered the position.

Although Stackman will be the associate dean next year, students who work in Wilder Student Union said they were initially surprised and confused that he was not the first choice for the position because of their and the search committee's strong preference for him.

Stackman is currently head of the Student Union at Tufts University. He will take office in January, replacing current Associate Dean for Student Life Joe DiChristina, who is planning to attend graduate school.

Stackman will visit Oberlin on Nov. 15. According to Cole-Newkirk, during the visit Stackman will introduce his family to her, as well as look for housing in the area.

Constantine was offered the position of Associate Dean of Student Life and Services last week, but according to Cole-Newkirk, she and Constantine couldn't reach terms. "We just couldn't agree," she said, adding that the reasons why are not open for discussion. "Sometimes it works out with candidates, and sometimes it doesn't," Cole-Newkirk said.

During open interviews in September, students listened to the three candidates and filled out evaluations that required them to rank the candidates on various abilities. Students who did not fill out the evaluations discussed their views on the candidates with various members of the committee. Many administrators, including Cole-Newkirk and President Nancy Dye, interviewed the candidates as well during their visits.

DiChristina, who chaired the Associate Dean search committee, said that although all three candidates were highly qualified for the position, the evaluations students filled out clearly reflected that Richard Danals, the third finalist, was not favored for the position. According to DiChristina, Stackman and Constantine were viewed by the search committee as someone students and administrators could work with.

During the Associate Dean search committee's final meeting, members went around the group stating whether they approved of the candidates and whether they preferred one over another, DiChristina said. The consensus of the group was that members of the search committee preferred Stackman over the other two candidates.

DiChristina said that he relayed the committee's feelings on the candidates to Cole-Newkirk. Although the search committee preferred Stackman over Constantine, Cole-Newkirk decided to choose Constantine for the position on October 11.

In response to frustrations voiced by unhappy students and search committee members, Cole-Newkirk and DiChristina met with Student Senators, Wilder Student Union workers and search committee members on October 16 to discuss and clarify the search and hiring process for the associate dean position.

At the start of the meeting Cole-Newkirk said that she thought the search committee did a good job because they compiled a rich pool of candidates for the search. Cole-Newkirk said that she never talked to the search committee after the interviews. "My understanding was that both candidates were acceptable. I had to balance a lot of different issues." She said that from the beginning of the search, she had told all involved that ultimately the decision of the candidate would be hers.

According to Cole-Newkirk, each candidate was interviewed by students and administrators. "Everyone received a form and rated candidates. I wanted to know who was acceptable, not for people to rank them."

An anonymous senator said that there was a vote taken by search committee members at their final meeting. The vote, according to the senator, was eight to one. During the meeting between the students, search committee members and Cole-Newkirk, the vote was brought up in the discussion. Students wanted to know why this strong preference for Stackman didn't dissuade Cole-Newkirk from hiring Constantine.

Senator sophomore Nicole Johnston asked DiChristina, "What happened, Joe?" DiChristina's role as chair of the committee was to communicate the committee's feelings about the candidates to Cole-Newkirk. According to Cole-Newkirk and DiChristina, the search committee was not supposed to vote on the candidates.

DiChristina said that he didn't talk about the eight to one preference for Stackman to Cole-Newkirk. He said he gave a list of strengths and weaknesses as well as the committee's preference to Cole-Newkirk. "I don't see it as a lack of communication. It wasn't a formal vote," DiChristina said.

Assistant Director of the Student Union Christopher Baymiller said, "We had a strong preference for one candidate," adding, "In all honesty, there was one preference." According to Baymiller, the committee articulated their preference for Stackman.

In response, Cole-Newkirk said, "I didn't know there was a strong preference. I have to depend on the information given to me." DiChristina added, "This isn't like a trial."

Cole-Newkirk said, "I wasn't trying to cut people out of the process. I know Oberlin, you wouldn't keep your mouths shut." She added, "If you want to be mad at me, I can't go back on what happened. I may have to fail this search. I have learned a lot through this process."

The vote was brought into the discussion once again. Assistant Director of the Student Union Tina Zwegat said to students, "I want you to dump the eight to one argument. The eight to one was really insignificant." Sophomore Steve Vann, a member of the search committee, responded, "I didn't consider it a roll call vote."

A student asked during the meeting, "Why did the search committee take place?" Cole-Newkirk said to everyone, "I wouldn't have used the search committee if I didn't want to use student input." She added, "I go on what people tell me."

Senator Chuckie Kamm said to Cole-Newkirk, "I really feel, personally, my input was cut out of the process. I told you specific reasons why Mark [Constantine] was bad. I volunteered six hours of my time ... the time and energy I put in were dismissed."

Meeting participants turned their attention to the idea of improving communication in future searches. Johnston said, "I don't know how to foster better communication between staff and students." Cole-Newkirk said, "I've always had an open door policy about people coming in to see me. I'm going to make mistakes. I'm not perfect."

Baymiller said, "I don't want to sit around and equivocate. Let's not beat around the bush. If this person is going to be her right-hand-man, she has more say."

As the meeting came to an end, Zwegat said, "I think Cole has been put in the hot seat." Cole-Newkirk and the search committee then met privately after the meeting.

One student, who wished to remain anonymous, said concerning the meeting, "She [Cole-Newkirk] was very evasive. I felt that she didn't answer or address the questions." First-year senator Elias Holman said, "I felt the administrators were too hasty to go on the defensive." He added, "I thought the students were trying to work with the administrators and they, the administrators, seemed to want to deny everything, all the time. They didn't want to compromise at all."

Another student who wished to remain anonymous said, as a result of the meeting, "I feel very helpless. Who am I supposed to go to? I feel like I can't trust Charlene or Joe." The student is an employee at the Student Union.

Cole-Newkirk said, about the entire issue, "I think it all got confused." Cole-Newkirk said that in the future, she would do the search and hiring process differently. Confidentiality was a major concern of Cole-Newkirk's, and she said she felt confidentiality was violated during the associate dean search. According to Cole-Newkirk, the controversy surrounding the vote in the final meeting of the search committee "shouldn't have been leaked to the community."

However, Cole-Newkirk said that student input would still be a major criteria for any search process. She said, "I feel strongly about student involvement."

According to Holman, who is the Student Senate Liaison, "Senate's main goal is to not let this happen again. We want a different process that will be clear and will involve more students in the future."

Although Constantine withdrew his candidacy for Associate Dean, Cole-Newkirk said, "I'm really delighted that Bill [Stackman] is going to be here."