College Council (CC) hosted a question and answer session with Dean of the College Robin Forman on Oct. 10 to discuss the recent departmental changes at Emory.
Forman announced plans to phase out and suspend several programs in a Sept. 14 university-wide e-mail.
Although the meeting was centered on the recent announcement, CC legislators also asked questions regarding tuition hikes, financial aid, sources of college revenue and recent construction.
Reuben Lack, a College freshman and college council legislator, asked Forman to discuss the formation of a committee that would allow students and administrators to communicate more openly.
“There is not a culture of [students and administrators] working together [at Emory],” replied Forman. “I was surprised that there wasn’t a process by which administrators met with students in some form regularly. From the day I arrived, I wanted to know, where do you go on this campus to talk to the student body? It’s not easy. On other campuses, it is easy.”
Another student expressed concern over financial aid. Forman responded that Emory College is currently dedicated to both meeting full financial need and its need blind stance. He noted, however, that many schools have backed down from their commitment to maintaining need blind policies.
When asked about his decision on which departments to scale back or eliminate, Forman cited five criteria used by the College Financial Advisory Committee: scholarly distinction, interdependence with other parts of the college, how the department fits into the college’s future vision, how the department contributes to the college’s mission, and the role the department plays in an undergraduate liberal education.
Another student asked Forman why he did not give departments the opportunity to defend themselves. In response, he discussed a hypothetical scenario in which he would offer departments six months to mount a defense against the cuts.
Forman said that in order to make such an option plausible, he would have to notify over a dozen departments of their imminent removal rather than five.
“Just take a moment to think how last year would have been like had we done that.” said Forman.
Both CC president Amitav Chakraborty, a College senior, and Forman agreed that there was still a communications gap between both students and administrators regarding the recent decisions. Chakraborty identified the lack of communication as a reason for tension between students and administrators.
“None of these groups were talking to each other,” said Chakraborty. “The goal of tonight’s meeting was to have him come in and open up the other side. It’s easy to make assumptions without knowing what’s going on. It’s hard to make an informed decision from both sides if you don’t hear one side.”
Both Forman and Chakraborty emphasized that as long as students are still confused by the recent decisions, administrators and students must openly discuss the issue together.
“I have accepted every invitation I have been offered to come speak, whether by faculty, staff or student.,” Forman said. “The more we understand each other, the more students understand the context for the recent announcements, the better for the entire community.”
Forman said that he was pleased with the offer from the College Council to speak on the decision and agreed that it was beneficial for both students and himself.
“Not everyone [here] agrees with everything I said,” explained Forman, “That wasn’t the goal, nor is it a realistic expectation, but [the meeting] was productive. I got to hear what was on the minds of our student leaders, which was very helpful for me and they got to hear the thinking that went into some of the more confusing aspects of the recent announcements.”
– By Dustin Slade
The Emory Wheel was founded in 1919 and is currently the only independent, student-run newspaper of Emory University. The Wheel publishes weekly on Wednesdays during the academic year, except during University holidays and scheduled publication intermissions.
The Wheel is financially and editorially independent from the University. All of its content is generated by the Wheel’s more than 100 student staff members and contributing writers, and its printing costs are covered by profits from self-generated advertising sales.
I think the real question is this: when we’ve allowed ourselves to fall into the pitfall of oversensitive animosities, what remains of the conglomerate we call social justice? What recompense can be promised when such fine upstanding pillars of elation as Journalism, Visual Arts and Chemistry are being detached from the institutions they once made great. Dean Forman has made one mistake graver than all the others: in undercutting the liberal arts foundation of Emory University, he demonstrated a marked propensity for exactly the kind of insensitivity that he himself decried!
What a tool. Fire Forman.
we’re not confused by the cuts we oppose them you jackass
So what Forman is saying is that when he came to Emory, he was surprised he didn’t see more qualified students involved in academic governance? Perhaps he went to some students’ groups, and asked, hey, do you have any folks that are qualified? Maybe someone out there has a whole binder full of students that Forman could flip through, in case he ever gets concerned again about the fact that he only works with other administrators, with no student representation?
I mean, I know students can be harder to work with compared to other people – they need more flexible hours, what with all the work they are busy doing supporting their faculty advisors… but perhaps Forman could overlook the shortcomings of the students and learn to work with them after all? Maybe, just maybe, he could get over their student-like brains and even succeed in explaining to them the true details of his plan, since the students just don’t seem to get it yet? Dean Forman is so smart, I mean, who else has the cognitive eminence to recognize neuroscience as the true and only path to understanding the human condition, and to recognize Clint Eastwood as a thought leader?
Another student asked Forman why he did not give departments the opportunity to defend themselves. In response, he discussed a hypothetical scenario in which he would offer departments six months to mount a defense against the cuts.
Forman said that in order to make such an option plausible, he would have to notify over a dozen departments of their imminent removal rather than five.
“Just take a moment to think how last year would have been like had we done that.” said Forman.
Okay, Dean Forman, I’ll do that. Hmmm. Sounds like a situation where you treat employees as part of the fabric of the university. Nearly like, some kind of democracy, in which they are allowed to make informed decisions ahead of time and provide their administration with a complete picture of what exactly the ramifications of the cuts would be. It sounds like the type of community I would be proud to be a part of.
Dean Forman, you are a disgrace and have ripped apart the fabric of Emory.
Dean Forman, we, the Emory community, reject the cuts.
Dean Forman: RESIGN.
I just want to say that this is one of the best written and informative articles I have read in a while. The article seems to portray both sides well and has a remarkable level insight.