HQUAKE JOLTS JAPAN
usands dead after earthquake and tsunami. See
how three Elon students are faring while there.
» PAGE 7
CHECK YOUR ‘VITAL SIGNS’
Eton’s newest a cappella group
created by two Elon freshmen
» PAGE 12
THE Pendulum
ELON, NORTH CAROLINA | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2011 | VOLUME 37, EDITION 7
www.elon.edu/pendulum
TENURE TROUBLES
r
REVIEW PROCESS
raises questions
from faculty,
students and alumni
O learn more
Students have raised concern that Lisa Peloquin, assistant professor of
sociology (far right) is being used as an example of engaged learning on
Eton’s website, despite being denied tenure from the university.
Rebecca Smith
Managing Editor
Elon University faculty and
students have recently publicly spoken
out against the schoors decision to
deny tenure to professors, including
Lisa Peloquin, assistant professor
of sociology, and Rebecca Olmedo,
assistant professor of Spanish.
Each time a new faculty member
is hired, he or she is presented with
a faculty handbook that outlines
the guidelines to obtain tenure.
Despite this, the process of deciding
who receives tenure is not a simple
process.
When faculty members are hired,
they receive the title of assistant
professor for six years and then apply
for tenure. At this point, assistant
professors are expected to turn in
a portfolio, empfiasizing teaching.
service and scholarship, to be
judged by the Promotion and Tenure
Committee, the dean of the school
they are employed by and Provost
Steven House. Some professors believe
the teaching aspect does not receive
substantial consideration in the tenure
application process.
An e-mail was sent out to faculty and
staff about the decision to deny tenure
for Peloquin. Five tenured professors
in the Department of Sociology and
Anthropology endorsed the e-mail.
“It was never the intention of
the Task Force on Scholarship to
destabilize the delicate balance
between teaching, scholarship and
service at the university,” the e-mail
read. “Nor was it imagined that
excellent teaching should be trumped
by publication activity."
There have also been several
complaints from the students about
the recent decision to deny Peloquin
tenure.
The university has a policy of not
releasing the reasons why professors
are denied tenure.
“I have been writing e-mails to the
president and provost about the effect
Lisa has on her students, the change
she brought out in me, her passions for
her subjects and her students, and her
endeavors outside of school and even
the office," said Justin Franklin, Class
of 2007.
Several students have mentioned
Peloquin’s teaching skills as the reason
she should have received tenure.
“Peloquin is the absolute model of
the Elon teacher-scholar and it will
be a sore loss for the university not
to employ her exceptional writing
and teaching skills,” said Laura
Rose Heymann, Class of 2008. “1
cannot possibly understand how
the individuals who made this poor
decision regarding Dr. Peloquin, can
continue to uphold their judgment.”
Another e-mail, sent to faculty and
staff, was sent out last week from five
professors, four from the department
of foreign languages and one from
the department of math, regarding
a similar decision to deny tenure to
Olmedo.
“There is no intent to question the
extended and thoughtful deliberations
completed by the Promotion and
Tenure Committee,” the e-mail read.
“We also believe that such incidents
may point to a problem in how Elon
University understands and evaluates
the teacher-scholar model.”
The Promotion and Tenure
Committee is made up of eight faculty
members who meet almost once a week
See TENURE I PAGE 6
Proposed changes in general
studies will expand required
student experiences at Elon
Becca Tynes
Senior Reporter
Elon University's general studies
curriculum is currently being revised
for the first time since 1994.
The changes are in order to provide
better integration among classes,
according to Janet Warman, director of
general studies. All faculty members
must discuss proposals for revision
before they are finalized in May.
“Our student body has changed a lot
since 1994,” Warman said. “Students
are much more academically prepared.
We’ve sort of outgrown our former
curriculum and we need to move
ahead. We really need to stay cutting-
edge."
Changes proposed to the General
studies program include redefining
the distribution of core classes as
well as requiring students to complete
coursework beyond a single major. The
qualifying second academic experience
must be a second major, a full semester
abroad, a minor in the College of Arts
and Sciences or a pathway.
Pathways, a new concept, are a
set of four integrated classes taken
from multiple disciplines within and
outside of the College of Arts and
Sciences. Pathways are 16 credits,
fewer hours than a minor, and seek to
provide students with well-rounded
and in-depth knowledge about specific
topics.
“Every product has a shelf life, and
our current curriculum’s shelf life is
simply up,” said Rosemary Haskell,
professor of English and general
studies review committee co-chair.
Currently, students are required
to complete classes in Expression,
Civilization, Society and Science
and Analysis. Under the proposesd
changes, classes in the Schools
See GST | PAGE 5
Study abroad tendencies present
problems for upperclassmen
living off campus, subletters
Gabriela Szewcow
Design Chief
Sophomore Shannon Smith and
her two future roommates have been
looking for subletters for next spring
semester, and they’ve yet to find any.
“We’ve had no luck thus far finding
people to sublet for us, but we had to
go ahead and sign the one-year lease
because we were going to lose the
house,” Smith said.
The three students are all studying
abroad in the spring, and need three
people to fill their spots while they
are gone. They aren’t alone. There are
around 166 Elon students studying
abroad in the spring, and a large
majority is in the same boat as Smith
and her roommates. As a result, Elon
is considering creating a living space
on campus specifically designated for
students studying abroad.
Fall semester seems to be a more
popular time for students to study
abroad compared to spring semester,
according Woody Pelton, dean of
international programs and director
of the Isabella Cannon International
Centre. Last year in particular, there
was a big difference between the
number of students who studied
abroad in the fall versus the spring,
230 compared to 159, respectively.
Pelton said he doesn’t know the
exact reason for this disparity, but the
ICIC has seen less of a difference this
year.
“In some ways, we think last
year may have been somewhat of an
aberration,” he said. “But we don’t
know what to attribute it to.”
This aberration is one that causes
many students stress, according to
Smith.
“You’re constantly trying to balance
school and extracurriculars and
friends, and jobs, and as if that’s not
enough, there's always a constant cloud
See SUBLEHING I PAGE 3
FOR THE LATEST