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On December 23, Dr. Eric Gadzinski, a tenured Associate Professor, was fired.  This action has caused a great deal of controversy and even sparked a protest that took place Wednesday, January 17.  Flyers posted across campus advertising the protest suggest that he was fired for using the best educational practice of conferencing with each of the students in his research paper classes to address their individual research and writing needs.  It has also been proposed that Dr. Gadzinski was fired for being outspoken.



According to Dr. Harger, there are three ways to get rid of a faculty member:  through layoffs; through the non-renewal of contracts for non-tenured faculty and dismissal for cause, which is the only way to dismiss a tenured faculty member.  Dr. Gadzinskis case is a dismissal for cause.  In dismissal cases, there is a grievance procedure provided for in the contract.  For dismissal for cause, the university has to live up to a just cause for dismissal.  Ultimately, just cause is what an arbitrator determines it to be.  Dr. Harger expects the entire procedure to last until summer.   



Although he would not comment specifically about Dr. Gadzinski, Dr. Harger did say we have an absence policy  faculty have to attend classes.  That policy has been circulated.  Courses he teaches, for example, are three classes a week.  Dr. Harger did comment on the flyers suggestion, saying there are channels for changing course descriptions.If talking about changing a course, [a proposal] would have to go through the department and University Curriculum Committee.  No proposal has ever been made.  Thats not really relevant to this.   Dr. Harger ended with its a grievance now and there are mechanisms in place to resolve such issues and it will be resolved through that.

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