2008 Woodie Awards
Vote of no confidence takes another first step
Karla Rivas
Issue date: 2/20/08 Section: The Future of Humboldt State
Last semester an informational survey, set up by the Humboldt State University Academic Senate, came back with many negative comments about the president and his administration. This Tuesday, the Academic Senate will meet to discuss how the president can make things right.
Originally, the survey was created to provide information to see whether it was appropriate to have a vote of no confidence against the president.
Robert Zoellner, chair of the chemistry department, also sits as appointed chair of the ad hoc committee. "If you have a vote of no confidence you have to have specifics. No one ever tried to get the survey results and put them into a list of complaints," he said.
The ad hoc committee's goal is to find a solution without having a vote of no confidence; however, many ask whether the president has gone too far and whether he can redeem himself.
With Zoellner's suggestion, the Senate decided to appoint the ad hoc committee to distill all of the 205 faculty comments into a Bill of Particulars, a list of grievances that the Senate thinks the president is not doing properly.
"In my resolution that will ultimately pass by the Senate, I said there should be a committee formed to make a list of complaints, " Zoellner said, "but for each complaint to also make a list of remedies."
In his complaint, Tom Jones, professor of European cultural history, requests the ad hoc committee to "develop formal agreements to resolve the issues in the approved Bill of Particulars to the benefit of those concerned parties."
Jones said that while there is nothing Richmond can do to restore his credibility as president, Jones is asking that the Senate require that Richmond "call a public convocation for the purpose of presenting a detailed, itemized apology" for his actions to the community, faculty, and students.
If the president decides to not address any of the problems, then maybe a vote of no confidence would be appropriate, Zoellner said. At the time of the interview, Zoellner didn't think that a vote of no confidence is the correct move.
Originally, the survey was created to provide information to see whether it was appropriate to have a vote of no confidence against the president.
Robert Zoellner, chair of the chemistry department, also sits as appointed chair of the ad hoc committee. "If you have a vote of no confidence you have to have specifics. No one ever tried to get the survey results and put them into a list of complaints," he said.
The ad hoc committee's goal is to find a solution without having a vote of no confidence; however, many ask whether the president has gone too far and whether he can redeem himself.
With Zoellner's suggestion, the Senate decided to appoint the ad hoc committee to distill all of the 205 faculty comments into a Bill of Particulars, a list of grievances that the Senate thinks the president is not doing properly.
"In my resolution that will ultimately pass by the Senate, I said there should be a committee formed to make a list of complaints, " Zoellner said, "but for each complaint to also make a list of remedies."
In his complaint, Tom Jones, professor of European cultural history, requests the ad hoc committee to "develop formal agreements to resolve the issues in the approved Bill of Particulars to the benefit of those concerned parties."
Jones said that while there is nothing Richmond can do to restore his credibility as president, Jones is asking that the Senate require that Richmond "call a public convocation for the purpose of presenting a detailed, itemized apology" for his actions to the community, faculty, and students.
If the president decides to not address any of the problems, then maybe a vote of no confidence would be appropriate, Zoellner said. At the time of the interview, Zoellner didn't think that a vote of no confidence is the correct move.
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