Page 10
www.guilfordian.com
FORUM
Mar. i6, 2007
Greensboro. N.C.
Guilford College response to Eleanor Branch tenure decision
On Feb. 24, 2007, the board of
trustees of Guilford College ac
cepted the recommendation of the
Academic Affairs Committee of
the board to deny a tenure appeal
by Eleanor Branch, assistant pro
fessor of English. The decision by
the Academic Affairs Committee
represents the final appeal avail
able to Eleanor Branch and the end
of a College process that began
in November 2005 and has lasted
more than a year.
Tenure is a personnel matter,
and the College generally says lit
tle in order to protect the privacy
of those involved. However, be
cause this case received front-page
coverage in the student newspaper
and many on campus discussed
it openly, including the candidate
herself, some additional informa
tion about the decision process
and the nature of tenure itself is
appropriate.
1. Tenure is not a right; it is
a privilege that is earned at Guil
ford by achieving excellence in
teaching, as well as by meeting
very high standards of community
service, advising and growth as a
scholar. The tenure review process
is faculty driven, which means that
members of the faculty evaluate
each other. It is essential that ten
ure be earned in order to maintain
the significance of the distinction
and the integrity of the college.
2. Students may comment
on the performance of a faculty
member being considered for ten
ure through:
• Confidential letters solicited
by the Office of the Academic Dean
from students and advisees
• Course evaluations
• Letters invited through The
Beacon in an announcement from
the Academic Dean advising the
community of those faculty who
would be reviewed for tenure
3. After reviewing all of
the material related to the Eleanor
Branch case, the following per
sons/groups from different back
grounds and different parts of
the campus all concluded that the
standards for tenure had not been
achieved:
• Faculty Affairs Committee
(FAC) composed of five tenured
faculty members
A Super Season
Staff Editorial
Congratulations to Guilford
College men's basketball team for
posting their best season in three
decades.
Congratulations to head coach
Tom Palombo for winning the
ODAC Coach of the Year award for
the second time in three seasons.
Congratulations to center Ben
Strong '08 for being named the
ODAC Player of the Year and earn
ing a second consecutive berth on
the First Team All-Conference.
Congratulations to guard Jor
dan Snipes '07 for being named to
the First Team All-Conference.
Congratulations to Guilford
Zollege for having one of the best
jasketball teams in NCAA Divi-
ionlll.
To the basketball team:
When at times this year's vari-
us "incidents" caused some to
ill into question the very place
id purpose of Guilford athletics
)u maintained your quiet, imob-
jsive quest for success.
Instead of being distracted, you
imed last year's 13-14 team into
ne of the best in Guilford history,
4-5, along the way accomplish-
1. The best start in Guilford Col-
ge's 93 year history, 10-0.
2. The best in-conference season
■ Guilford College's history, 15-3.
3. Three wins in the school's first
ICAA tournament appearance.
4. Two winning streaks of over
even games.
5. Two 1,000 point career scor-
rs in Strong and Snipes.
6. A victory in one of the great
est games in D-III history, 129-128,
3 OTs, over Lincoln University.
"We did something that was
better than winning basketball
games," Palombo told The Greens
boro News and Record. "We got
people to care about Guilford Col
lege basketball."
If only we could be so optimis
tic. Care about sports? At Guilford
College? Sports? Guilco?
But, then again, why not?
To the students:
Too often we have heard the
lack of student participation in
Guilford athletics blamed on poor
play and poorer records; that is no
longer an excuse. Guilford's men's
basketball team both plays well
and wins games.
, While their record speaks for it
self, the team plays an entertaining
up-tempo style of basketball that
has made them the second highest
scoring team in the ODAC the past
two years. And on top of every
thing else, the games are free.
Along with one of the best
coaches in the ODAC, next year
we'll be returning one of the best
players in Division III; the super
latives surrounding Ben Strong
should have us chanting, "One
more year." Instead we hear,
"Who's Ben Strong?"
Have some pride in Guilford
athletics, fellow Quakers. Too of
ten, we're asked about box cutters;
we can now direct attention to
wards box scores. Try it, it doesn't
feel half bad.
• Vice President for Academic
Affairs and Academic Dean
• President
• A specially-appointed Presi
dential Advisory Committee of
seven current or retired tenured
faculty members (some of whom
were also on the FAC) to advise the
President on this case
4. In response to a discrimi
nation claim by Eleanor Branch,
nationally recognized civil rights
expert and former university chan
cellor Julius Chambers reviewed
this matter and concluded that
race was not a legal or deciding
factor in the FAC's decision.
5. In addition, an Appeals
Board of three tenured faculty
members investigated the claim of
discrimination in the process and
determined that discrimination
did not exist.
6. Finally, the Academic Af
fairs Committee of the Board of
Trustees, after a thorough review,
concluded that proper procedures
had been followed with respect to
the tenure decision.
It is notable that consensus was
achieved at each level of decision
making.
Adrienne Israel is vice president
for academic affairs and academic
dean and has served on faculty
since 1982. She said, "While we
have respect for and have consid
ered the views of Eleanor Branch
and her advocates, those of us who
were closely involved with this
matter are convinced that the pro
cess was conducted with integrity
and that the decision was the right
one. We have heard those voices
who have suggested that the pro
cess should be improved. We rec
ognize that every tenure process
can be improved and no process is
perfect. Indeed, over the years, im
provements to Guilford's process
have been implemented, and we
will continue to work to achieve
the best one possible."
In the wake of the FAC's deci
sion denying tenure, some mem
bers of our campus commimity
have raised the specter of racism,
both in the tenure review process
and in the college generally. Dean
Israel, who is herself African-
American, rejects the contention
that racism explains why Eleanor
Branch was not recommended for
tenure.
Guilford is a diverse communi
ty that is working to be anti-racist.
Unlike many educational institu
tions, it has an Anti-racism Plan
and a team actively working to im
plement it. And Guilford has done
more than just develop a plan. The
College has funded these efforts
within its strategic long range plan
for 2005-2010. In terms of diver
sity, 28% of Guilford's students are
people of color, exceeding the aver
ages of peer and aspirant colleges
and the goals of the strategic plan.
The percentage of faculty who are
people of color (currently 15% ver
sus the strategic plan goal of 17%)
exceeds the averages of both peer
and aspirant colleges.
College leadership and those
closely involved with this matter
realize that some members of the
Guilford community are disap
pointed that Eleanor Branch will
not be joining the ranks of Guil
ford's tenured faculty, and we ac
cept the fact that differences of
opinion will persist over this deci
sion.
Feminism gone wild, in verse
Carly Perrin | Staff Writer
"I used to lie awake at night
and fantasize about Rosie the
Riveter. She would hold me in
her strong arms and whisper in
my ear, "Men are smelly, lumpy
... Don't trust them."
This was only one of the hi
larious lines performed at Guil
ford College's third annual Bad
Feminist Poetry night. This par
ticular poem's title was "Rosie
the Riveter," performed by Brice
Tarleton. The poem won first
place and a plaque that read:
"Dear God if you can't make
me thin, at least make all of my
friends fat," which almost re
ceived more laughs than the ac
tual poem.
I had no idea what to expect
when I attended Bad Feminist
Poetry night. Having grown up
reading and listening to some of
the best female minds of recent
generations like Ani DiFranco,
Sylvia Plath, and Maya Ange-
lou telling me the importance of
feminist understanding, I defi
nitely had my suspicions. So,
I sat back in my chair silently
waiting to be pissed off.
Much to my surprise, in a mat
ter of minutes I was gripping my
sides and trying to smother my
laughter so my digital recorder
could still pick up the perform
ers' dialogue — especially dur
ing the performance of "Broads"
by Garret Fitzgerald, which
incidentally won second place
and a black gym bag with fuzzy
pink letters that read "I (heart)
Dance." point of view ... there is a danger
"You rob me of my fluid, with ideology that is so serious
motherhood and I become static, for it to become too intense. It is
A croon perched on the crust of healthy to a) laugh at ourselves
a Diocletian fur-pie ... you shall and b) discern what is good."
not wet my void," Garret read to Mortensen was right. I had
uproarious laughter and praise, been taking my feminism way
which led to a 30-second pause too seriously. There was a live-
and regrouping by the massive ly presence in the air while at-
audience.
As a
woman I felt
ashamed,
dirty, and like
I was betray
ing my femi
nist roots.
I believed
that if I were
found out,
"Righteous
Babe" would
take me off
their mailing
list.
I felt even
worse when
I played back
particular
performances
for my friends
that night, re-
“It’s making fun of fem
inism from a feminist
or pro-feminist point of
view ... there is a dan
ger with ideology that
is so serious for it to
become too intense. It
is healthy to a) laugh
at ourselves and b) dis
cern what is good.”
Eric Mortensen
Assistant Professor of
Religious Studies
tending the
event. We
were togeth
er, talking
about our
naughty bits
and the need
for Rosie's
strong arms.
There
were fewer
than 20 per
formances
of both
original and
borrowed
works in
all, but each
brought its
own special
personality
to the event.
Each per-
sulting in random quoting and former either highlighted what
inside jokes within our circle she or he thought was wrong
that lasted for days. I was not with feminism or what was too
only a part of the problem; I was funny to be left alone,
disseminating it. The event, though not ini-
I went to Eric Mortensen, the tially, was liberating, and shows
founder and organizer of the that if you truly love something
event, for answers to my crisis you can laugh at it and still love
of faith, and he provided the fol- it. As in the last line of "Rosie
lowing comfort. the Riveter," "It's alright, you
"It's making fun of feminism are really one of us ... we can do
from a feminist or pro-feminist it."