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For a greater Loyola University • New Orleans • Vol. 94 • Issue 5
THE MAROON
SEPT. 18, 2015
TEMS is discontinued By Kristen Stewart knstewar@loyno.edu @kstewart818
IT’S A PAVED ROAD,
NAASHA DOTIWALA / The Maroon
NOT A PATHWAY
Administration explains the differences between the recent program reviews and a post-Katrina reform By Gage Counts rgcounts@loyno.edu @countsingsheep
The budget cuts Loyola University is currently facing may seem like a deja vu to many faculty members who were at Loyola before Hurricane Katrina. However, university officials say the current budget-balancing plan differs from the post-storm cuts in some important ways. Following budget shortfalls from Hurricane Katrina, an emergency budget-cutting regimen called Pathways was proposed. Implementing Pathways involved cutting programs, faculty and staff—something that has been brought back into Loyola’s consciousness due to the recent proposed reforms, commonly referred to as the Financial Equilibrium Plan. For many faculty and staff who worked at the university prior to Katrina, Pathways is a raw subject. “Pathways created a lot of pain as people were let go and programs were cut, terminated and suspended. That created a lot of anxiety, pain, anger and outrage. That’s a kind of damage that doesn’t go away easily. Some of that inevitably remains,” said Alice Clark, professor of music. She added that it’s important to acknowledge Pathways when considering the impact of the financial
equilibrium process. “We have to operate with the knowledge that this is part of our past. You cannot simply ignore that and you cannot undergo the kind of process that we’re going through right now without some kind of awareness that that is part of what lives in any of us who were here,” Clark said. Many faculty members felt that, while the board in charge of finding programs to cut and restructure took input from the dean of each college during Pathways, it failed to include the faculty in those colleges when making decisions. Administrators want to stress that, unlike Pathways, which was done urgently, quickly and, in some ways, indiscriminately, the current process has been deliberate and more inclusive. Also unlike Pathways, administrators point out that the current process is as much about investing in areas of potential growth as it is about finding places to cut. The changes being proposed now have taken input from the heads of each program, not just the deans of each program. The program directors filled out a form describing how their programs met the five governing criteria of program reviews: alignment with the strategic plan Transforming Loyola 2020, quality, demand from students, financial efficiency and relation to the university’s mission.
Marc Manganaro, provost and vice president for academic affairs, made clear that each of the five criteria were given equal weight in the recommendations. The review committee then made a recommendation to either invest more in the process, maintain the current level of university funding, reduce one programs’ reliance on university funding or consider discontinuing the program altogether. After the first round of recommendations was proposed in early August, program directors could file appeals to contest their designations. Programs under review for discontinuance were then reviewed for a second time. Five of the 15 programs reviewed a second time were taken out of consideration for discontinuance. The reviews were then sent to the Standing Council for Academic Planning. Once it is considered there, it will face a final review by the Rev. Kevin Wildes, S.J., university president. He will then send his recommendations to the Board of Trustees. “We’ve given the programs an opportunity to respond and to let us know where they felt certain information or data was incorrect, or where they feel that data may have been misinterpreted, or just on further reflection what would be the impact on the university of not having this program or having it being
reduced,” Manganaro said. Pathways terminated 17 tenured and tenure-track faculty. Loyola administrators faced eight lawsuits from faculty who argued that they had been terminated in violation of Loyola’s faculty handbook. Those lawsuits were settled out of court and the details were sealed. Stephen Scariano, who taught mathematics and computer science at Loyola until 2008, said that he was most offended by Pathways because he felt the procedures on letting people go weren’t followed correctly. The American Association of University Professors censured Loyola administrators following Pathways because they claimed that the administrators violated its standards regarding program discontinuance. When an administration is censured by the organization, they’re attempting to convey the message that the conditions of academic freedom and tenure are unsatisfactory according to their standards. The censure was lifted in 2011. Manganaro, who is leading the current budget reforms, emphasized that if a tenured faculty member’s program is discontinued, the university is committed to following the placement process outlined in the faculty handbook. “The language in the faculty handbook became very refined and more detailed after Pathways,” Manganaro said.
See ROAD, page 12 LOYOLAMAROON.COM • FB.COM/THELOYOLAMAROON • @LOYOLA_MAROON
On Sept. 4, J. Davidson “Dusty” Porter, vice president of student affairs for Tulane University, announced that the Tulane Emergency Medical Service has been discontinued due to a violation of the student code of conduct. As many students may know, this discontinuation greatly affects Loyola, Tulane and the Uptown area. Though TEMS is currently discontinued, there is a possibility that it could return in the future, according to Porter. TEMS was a student-run organization that is known around the Loyola campus for its fast response time and free-of-charge services and ambulance transport. TEMS officials were also known for efficiently handling student emergencies. While the exact cause of the suspension has not been disclosed by university officials, the reason involves a violation of student conduct. “Last year, the TEMS organization was placed on deferred suspension after accepting responsibility for these violations. Two weeks ago, the TEMS organization was charged with another violation of Tulane’s student code of conduct,” Porter wrote to Tulane students in an e-mail regarding the suspension. Loyola will now be utilizing New Orleans Emergency Medical Services and Acadian Ambulance Services in place of TEMS. In the past when TEMS would be unavailable, Loyola would utilize these resources. Loyola has also been working with New Orleans EMS and Acadian Ambulance even before TEMS offered to team up with Loyola. The average amount of calls TEMS received within an academic year was between 30 to 60. Unlike TEMS, New Orleans EMS and Acadian Ambulance respond to citywide calls. This affects the response time depending on the day, the time of day and where their calls are located. Stephen Murphy, director of emergency management for Loyola, confirmed that all calls will now be dispatched through 911 rather than the designated number for TEMS. “We would call 911 for medical needs, and, in that system, New Orleans EMS is the primary provider. Depending on call volume and established events across the city, New Orleans EMS dispatch could send another partner, such as Acadian, to respond to the scene,” Murphy said.
See TEMS, page 3