Faculty claim no confidence in leadership

UIS community prepares for Campus Senate meeting being held on Friday

April 15, 2009
By Luke Runyon
Staff Writer

Pat Langley, Chair of the Campus Senate, held a faculty meeting on Monday April 13 to discuss the role of athletics at UIS. The meeting was well attended by faculty and due in part to a resolution added to the agenda of the April 17 Campus Senate Meeting.

The resolution outlines several points of contention with both Athletic Director Rodger Jehlicka and Chancellor Richard Ringeisen. The first draft of the resolution was sent to campus senators by faculty member Kathryn Eisenhart on April 6 with an updated version being sent out this past Monday.

The initial resolution called for the termination of Jehlicka’s employment. In its revised state, the resolution instead focuses its attention on the leadership of Ringeisen, calling for a vote of no confidence.

Stated in the body of the resolution:

The Campus Senate has no confidence that the Chancellor and the Athletic Director have either the will or the competence:

• To institute the changes necessary to resolve the persistent and serious problems that exist within intercollegiate athletics at UIS,
• To establish institutional control over intercollegiate athletics at UIS, including the proper role of faculty in the process, or
• To create a culture within intercollegiate athletics at UIS that ensures the safety and academic success of the student athletes and ensures the proper role of athletics within the overall goals of the university.

Langley said that the closed faculty meeting was a forum for untenured faculty to have their voices heard on such a sensitive issue. “Since some of our campus senators are untenured faculty, we wanted them to feel comfortable and not like we put them out on a limb,” said Langley.

Faculty members took a vote in the duration of the meeting, which also addressed the leadership ability of Ringeisen. (See sidebar for the faculty meeting ballot results)

Before the meeting, Ringeisen issued an announcement to faulty informing them that he would not be attending. In that same announcement he called for "a special campus senate meeting that is a public forum that resembles a legislative hearing," to occur before this Friday’s campus senate meeting. He would be open to being "grilled" by campus employees and the public alike. "I agree with the Campus Senate leaders that discussions about vital topics should be transparent and, in this case, open to the entire campus community," said Ringeisen.

Student Board of Trustees member and student representative on the Campus Senate Craig McFarland opposed the vote taken by faculty on Monday. "I disagree with he votes taken at the faculty meeting," said McFarland. He then went on to say that, "The resignation of the coaches was the quickest and correct path to take. I do not feel that any investigation by the Board of Trustees is necessary." McFarland then told his fellow Campus Senate members that he has full faith in both Ringeisen and Jehlicka and will be passing his information on to the Board of Trustees.

A student-started petition asking for signatures of those people who have confidence in the direction of athletics was found at the TRAC on Monday night. It is rumored that it is planned to be presented at the Campus Senate meeting on Friday.

BALLOT RESULTS

 

YES	NO	NO ANSWER	BALLOT QUESTIONS
8	59	30	Do you have confidence in the leadership of the Athletic Director?
4	75	18	Do you have confidence in the leadership of the Chancellor in relation to intercollegiate athletics at UIS?
83	8	6	Do you think the Board of Trustees should conduct an external, independent investigation of intercollegiate athletics at UIS, which will be credible to the faculty and other UIS stakeholders?
8	62	27	Do you have confidence in the overall leadership of the Chancellor?