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Task force formed to find, allocate funds

John LaFollette
Editor-in-Chief

Xavier has convened a group of administrators, faculty and student representatives in a university-wide Structural Review Task Force, Dr. Roger Fortin, the academic vice president and Provost, told a faculty assembly on Monday.

The task force, which will meet for the first time on Thursday, Dec. 4, will evaluate the university’s financial efficiency in every aspect, subjecting academic, administrative and non-academic activity to budgetary scrutiny, according to several interviews with faculty members who attended the meeting.

Those six faculty members said the task force will, after studying the university’s spending, offer structural recommendations to the budget review committee that will plan next year’s budget.

Fortin said that he gave a verbal summary of the task force and its objectives to the faculty assembly last Monday, though the task force’s charter was finalized at some point over the Thanksgiving holiday.

Fortin declined to give a more specific description of the task force’s mandate, saying that a more complete explanation will be posted on the MyXU Portal by week’s end.

According to Dr. Kathleen Simons, the associate provost for student life and leadership and a member of the group, the creation of the Structural Review Task Force was a recommendation of the Budget Review Committee after it could not balance revenue and expenses for the upcoming fiscal year.

“The task force is to identify $3.5 million—in revenue, expenses, or a combination—for the FY 2010 budget,” Simons said. “The work of this task force will have far-reaching implications in ‘right sizing’ the university.”

The group is comprised of 21 people, plus staff, and includes 15 administration officials, five faculty members and one student. It is chaired by Beth Amyot, the vice president for financial administration and is co-chaired by Fortin and David Dodd, the vice president for information resources.
The lone student, SGA Legislative Vice President Carter Johnson, declined to comment.

This is the latest step the university has taken to cope with the nation’s economic recession, and has followed a blanket hiring freeze that excludes only non-essential personnel.

A faculty assembly held on Nov. 10 invited Fortin and Amyot to answer questions from the faculty about the hiring freeze and its implementation.
Dr. Stephen Yandell, a tenure-track professor in the English department, said that “The intellectual integrity of Xavier is our primary concern.”

Dr. Richard Polt, chair of the philosophy department, agreed, saying, “The faculty are looking forward to playing an active role in the budgeting process and ensuring that academic excellence remains the university’s first priority.”

Though he said he does not personally hold these views, Yandell said that there are some faculty members he knows of who think the next year or two will amount to a competency test for the administration, and that there are some faculty members who have “shaky faith” in the administration.

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Xavier aware of local discontent

University creates advisory board to strengthen relations with community

Kathryn Rosenbaum
News Editor

As residents of the surrounding communities, specifically Norwood, continue to express complaints regarding the disruptive behavior of students who live off-campus, Xavier is beginning to take steps to better integrate students into the community.

Xavier has formed a Neighborhood Advisory Board where residents, students and administrators can gather together to try to discuss possible solutions to improve off-campus relations between students and administrators. Dean of Students Dr. Luther Smith said that the goal of this board is to “create dialogue and not to just serve as a complaint board for community members to voice their concerns.”

This is the first year for the board, although Smith has previously considered different options to improve relations between Xavier and the surrounding communities of Norwood, North Avondale and Evanston. Smith said that the biggest issue between Xavier and surrounding communities is “trying to achieve respect and harmony” between Xavier students and community members. Hopefully, notes Smith, “this board can be part of the solution to the problem.”

SGA community relations chair James McShane said that the Neighborhood Advisory Board is just a first step in trying to “proactively approach the problem.”

He suggested a student ambassador program, where students would serve as media between students and community members. Although this program is just in the planning stages, McShane, along with the community relations committee and the Neighborhood Advisory Board are working to try to implement this program.

McShane believes that this program will help students understand that they are living in a community and “make students more responsible if they are held accountable to other students.” Bill Graff, member of the South Norwood Neighborhood Association, a group of Norwood residents who have raised concerns over students’ behavior off-campus, though the meeting was beneficial because “it brought together residents, students, Xavier administrators, businesses and police.” Graff wants to see communication and information about surrounding communities to be increased.

Xavier has also taken a step to better inform off-campus students off their rights and responsibilities through the creation of the position of assistant director of off-campus living. Angie Kneflin, Assistant Director of Residence Life for Apartments has taken on this role, which previously did not exist.

Kneflin’s role is to work as an advocate for the 73 percent of students who live off-campus, whether as graduate students, CAPS students, traditional commuters or students who live in surrounding communities. She is currently trying to research the best way to keep commuter students informed of their rights and research how other schools communicate with commuter students.

Besides the solutions that the advisory board is currently working on, residents want Xavier to better inform students of neighborhood laws and ordinances and to hold landlords more accountable for how they maintain their property.

Norwood residents have also expressed concerns that Xavier currently does not require students to provide any address besides a home address. Residents like Cami Geraci, believe that not only does this present a problem since Xavier does not know where in the community students live, but also is a safety concern for students in case of emergencies. She believes that “Xavier should take a step forward and take responsibility to inform students of the community and should help break stereotypes about Norwood that exist among students.”

Smith said that Xavier has had problems in trying to collect local addresses of students before, but Smith and Kneflin are currently trying to work with other University departments to find a way to find addresses of students who live in surrounding communities. This will hold students more accountable for their actions, as well as help to better serve students so that Xavier can better assist students who live off-campus.

Founders of the South Norwood Neighborhood Association, Russell Johnson and Amy Schardein, also want Xavier to be held more accountable in the behavior of off-campus students. They also think that Xavier “should house more of its undergraduate students on-campus or in campus-owned housing” since they say “pushing the undergraduate students to off-campus housing is relegating its responsibility for those students onto the neighboring communities.”

Schardein said that “Xavier was a two-headed beast.” One side of Xavier provides students and surrounding communities with speakers and studies that benefit Xavier and the surrounding communities. However, the other side of Xavier is not taking an active approach in caring about students’ behavior off-campus.

Besides concerns of Norwood residents, residents in North Avondale have also expressed concerns over student behavior. Members of the Rental Housing Committee in North Avondale is meeting on Thursday, December 4 to discuss relations between Xavier and North Avondale with residents, students and Xavier administration.

Kneflin said that she hopes that students will realize that “they serve as ambassadors for the university and should consider their choices and actions of being a good neighbor.” Students’ destructive or disruptive behavior may “negatively impact their degree,” if people do not think favorably of Xavier students because of the behavior of a minority.

This opinion was echoed by Schardein, who works in education, who said that she will more critically examine a Xavier’s graduate application because of her negative experiences with Xavier students.

Most of the neighbors who have expressed concerns over Xavier students that cause problems realize that these students are the minority. Graff said that “97 percent of the student body is an asset to the college. The 3 percent is waging the problem and gets most of the attention.”

Kaitlin Culley, a Xavier student who lives off-campus on Regent Avenue and who attended a meeting of the South Norwood Neighborhood Association, said that “Xavier could do better to foster relations between students and community members and to make students more aware of the surrounding community.” She said that she and her housemates have not had any problems with their neighbors and have developed a close relationship with Geraci, their neighbor.

Nov. 16. to discuss what problems they had and the goals and projects they should try to accomplish to produce change and create a more friendly environment for the families that live in Norwood. The meeting was attended by concerned residents, a local landlord and a group of students who live off-campus.

Members of the association, including Bill Graff, chairman of Norwood Citizens on Patrol, Vice-President of West Norwood Neighborhood Association, said that the biggest problem with students in the neighborhood is the lack of respect for the residents and the property in the neighborhood.

Members believe that this lack of respect causes disruptive and offensive behavior, including loud parties at night, use of inappropriate or threatening behavior and excessive drinking.

One Norwood resident thinks that the onus is on the university’s administration to make students more aware of their responsibilities as neighbors.

“If the administration doesn’t take a strong stand on these issues, nothing we do in this community will really make that much of a difference. As the students come and go each year is it really incumbent upon us to educate each new class? I don’t think that should be our responsibility,” said Rev. Angelo J. Pupolo, Jr., a Norwood resident since 2000.

Xavier’s administration has begun to work on improving relations between Xavier University and the surrounding communities, including Norwood and North Avondale, through the Xavier Neighborhood Advisory Board. The goal of this board is to improve relations between Xavier and surrounding communities.

A preliminary meeting was held on Monday, Nov. 17. Dean of Students Dr. Luther Smith, Assistant Director for Apartments and Off-Campus Living Angie Kneflin, representatives from Norwood and North Avondale and two students, SGA senator James McShane and Anne Genalo met to discuss possible strategies to solve problems.

Smith said that the goal of this board is to be proactive with community problems and promote respect and harmony. Smith recognizes Xavier’s responsibility to “be good neighbors and respond to issues neighbors have. This fits with Xavier’s Jesuit mission. We need to care for students and make sure they are safe, but also must care for larger community and respond to their complaints.”

McShane, who is the Chair of Community of Affairs on SGA, wants SGA to work on improving relations with the community because Community Affairs has a broader goal than service projects.

One resident who have lived in Norwood for 50 years said that she has seen student behavior become more disrespectful.

Cami Geraci said that the “problem has gotten a lot worse. In the last five or six years, more students have moved into Norwood. Before that, a majority of houses were owned by families.”

Residents also expressed concerns about students being unfamiliar with policies and laws of Norwood regarding parking or garbage regulations.

Because of this behavior, many Norwood residents have a negative impression of Xavier. This negative impression is compounded by Xavier students’ behavior and the hands-off approach toward students living off-campus that many perceive Xavier has taken in the past.

Geraci said she did not want her three children to go to Xavier when they were choosing colleges because she does not have a good impression of the university.

Johnson and Schardein also express a negative impression of Xavier as a whole. This impression “does not mean that we hate Xavier students, nor do we think that all Xavier students are the same,” Johnson said.

Because of certain problems that residents have faced with certain houses or groups of students, residents associate Xavier with these students.

Unfortunately it is the problem-students and problem-houses which become the face of the university for local residents,” said Johnson.

Kaitlin Culley, a Xavier student who lives off campus, said that she has not had any problems with neighbors but thinks that Xavier could work hard “to foster relations to make students aware of the neighborhood they are living in is a family neighborhood.”

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Comm. Arts students question, defend ousted faculty’s teaching

Kelly Shaw
Senior News Writer

While the lawsuit between Xavier and Communication Arts professors Drs. Miriam Finch and Tara Michels is far from being resolved, students may already be feeling its effects in the classroom.

Recent complaints from students express concern regarding Finch and Michels’ teaching this semester and worry about next semester, when the two are slated to teach the department’s senior seminar courses.

Last school year, Finch and Michels filed a lawsuit against Xavier for gender discrimination. Xavier then counter-sued the two professors for false allegations, breaking the principles in the faculty handbook and abusing the civil processes of Ohio, among other charges.

The outcome of the lawsuit has not yet been decided, and though they have been officially terminated from the employment at the university, Finch and Michaels will continue to teach classes next semester.

Some Communication Arts majors are concerned for their future careers if these teachers are indeed not adequately teaching, according to a letter sent to the Newswire.

“We get good grades, but the tests are canned…I am afraid that I am graduating without learning things I need to know in my major,” the text of the letter read.

The information discussed in class is not comprehensive enough, even though Michels is sticking to her syllabus, according to one student who declined to comment because of fear of reprisal.

“A lot of people appreciate the informality of the class, but I don’t feel like there is a coherent structure,” said the student.

The letter also says that the teachers frequently cancel classes and spend a majority of class time watching videos, in addition to not providing the class with extensive information on the subject they are teaching.

Still, a majority of students interviewed, including sophomore Kevin George, junior Maria Backiewicz, sophomore Jordan Botts, disagreed with that criticism.

“Dr. Michels is a great teacher. She is doing things exactly how she said she would in the syllabus. Whatever information you are getting is completely false,” George said.

Another student, who requested anonymity in order to speak freely, agrees that the classroom environment may be lax, yet believes classes are beneficial.

“I think she’s hard, but I feel like I learn something,” the student said. “Even though she’s getting fired, she still cares about the students.”

While students seem to have a lot to say about their classroom environments, their concerns for the future have not been alleviated by other faculty in the department or Xavier administration.

Department chairs, in consultation with professors, typically decide who teaches each class.

However, Communication Arts Chair Dr. Indra de Silva declined to comment on why Michels and Finch were chosen to teach the senior seminars next semester.

He also declined to comment on the student complaints because of his involvement with the lawsuit, but he stated that his responsibility during this time was to make sure that his teaching is not affected by the lawsuit.

Academic Vice President and Provost Roger Fortin also declined to comment on the appointments.

Finch and Michels released a joint statement that contradicts the student allegations.

“Our consistently outstanding student evaluations show that we have always cared and continue to care deeply about our students and the quality of education they receive,” said the professors.

Xavier’s public relations department declined to comment on the student complaints or the appointment of Finch and Michels to next semester’s classes, citing the University’s policy not to comment on pending litigation.

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