The Cavalier daily. :: Friday, May 9, 1969 :: University of Virginia Library

A motion asking Dean Fredson
Bowers to clarify the procedures
concerning the promotion of faculty
members was passed without
dissent by the University chapter of
the American Association of University
Professors.

The AAUP is the major national
organization of university professors.
It has a membership of more
than 100,000 and holds yearly
conventions. There are 215 members
at the University in the
organization which is based on the
principles of academic freedom.

Motion Introduced

The motion, introduced by
Alexander Sedgwick, an associate
professor of history, reads:

"Whereas it has been reported
that Professor James England of the
Mathematics Department has been
refused promotion to an associate
professorship by an anonymous
committee of this faculty, despite
his obvious academic distinction
and the strong support of his own
department, (and leading to the
resignation of the chairman of the
Mathematics Department), the
American Association of University
Professors Chapter at the University
of Virginia requests that the Dean
of the Faculty make a clarifying
statement to the faculty on this
subject at the faculty meeting on
May 14, including the following
items:

"Under what rules of the Faculty
is the Committee operating?
How is membership selected? Who
is eligible for selection? Who is on
the Committee? And what are the
criteria for promotion?"

Apparent Contradiction

Mr. Sedgwick brought up the
motion after it was revealed in a
column in The Cavalier Daily
on Monday that Mr. England had
been denied promotion to the
associate professorship, supposedly
on grounds that were not academic.
The column also claimed that the
promotion was denied due to Mr.
England's political activism.

An apparent contradiction arises
with the motion, particularly the
phrase noting the mathematics
chairman's resignation, Edwin E.
Floyd, the chairman, had said
yesterday morning that his resignation
predated the England affair
and that it had nothing to do with
it.

When informed of the AAUP's
motion, Mr. Floyd again claimed
that he turned in his resignation
around February 15 and that he did
not learn of the case until the
middle of March.

"I resent the AAUP using my
name in an erroneous fashion," Mr.
Floyd stated.

Mr. Floyd did concur with the
motion's claim that Mr. England
had support of his department for
the promotion. He said that, while
there may have been some abstentions,
no one voted negatively
concerning the promotion.

Mr. Floyd, when asked if he was
satisfied with the reason given by
the Committee for refusing the
promotion, said, "I wouldn't go in
with a case for promotion that I
didn't believe in. I'm not satisfied
ever when I lose a promotion." He
said that it is not unusual, in his
estimate, for a strongly recommended
promotion to be turned
down by the Committee.

"I hesitate to suggest in any way
what the merits of this case are," he
said. "The Committee is always
tough but it has been unusually
tough on us this year."

'Areas Of Ignorance'

Members of the AAUP felt that
the underlying grievance was that
the University did not meet a
request to publish a Faculty Handbook.
Such a book would outline
the procedures for promotions and
remove the black veil that hides
them.

"There are large areas of ignorance
with respect to the standards
and procedures of the departments,
schools and the University as a
whole. This situation which is of
long standing, is at the base of the
problem," one member explained.

Earlier in the meeting, the
professors passed a resolution asking
the administration to clarify its
stand on demonstrations. In a letter
that will be sent to President
Shannon, the AAUP asks three
questions.

These include "What is the
University's general policy toward
faculty participation in protests,
the faculty role in establishing
policy toward protests, and its role
in adjudicating protests?" and "Is
there any plan to form a committee
of the faculty, administration and
students to consider problems arising
from protests?"

Reporter Admitted

For one of the few times ever, a
meeting of faculty members was
attended by two members of the
press. Two Cavalier Daily representatives
were allowed in after the
members debated about permitting
them in. The deliberation took
almost 30 minutes.

First, the reporters were asked
to leave while the group discussed
the question. A motion to exclude
the two was defeated and they then
entered. However, about half a
dozen of the 45 to 50 members in
attendance walked out in protest,
including the sponsor of the defeated
motion.