Father biondi - vote of no confidence

[MusicCityBilliken]

Moreover, if the comments above (about canceling class and causing disruptions) are true that is a pathetic display of unprofessionalism.

I believe someone from this message board suggested that, no faculty member advocated boycotting classes.

[BillikenFriar]

The post said that an adunct (that is a part time faculty) thought boycotting classes was a good idea.

I said (alum, former slu adjunct, current providence faculty) that I doubted that would happen. I certainly have heard none of my friends on the faculty suggest it when venting frustrations over the situation.

As the comment above suggests, it would only serve to weaken their position in the media and public and frankly, that is the only real leverage they have.

.

[bonwich]

Just-released faculty report on the no-confidence issues.

[cheeseman]

I was with the faculty for a while. Now, I'm tired of them. They continue to speak out in the media, despite the agreement with the Board. They are looking childish, and frankly, after speaking with several well respected law professors, the most vocal opponents of Father Biondi seem to be in it for themselves - not the University.

Moreover, if the comments above (about canceling class and causing disruptions) are true that is a pathetic display of unprofessionalism.

Would you not consider the President of the BOT sending a letter out to Trustees saying do not talk to faculty or students and line up behind Biondi no matter what as a break of the agreement also?

[RiseAndGrind]

Would you not consider the President of the BOT sending a letter out to Trustees saying do not talk to faculty or students and line up behind Biondi no matter what as a break of the agreement also?

Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't the agreement focused on issuing joint public statements?

[MapleLeaf45]

Just-released faculty report on the no-confidence issues.

I don't mean to stir up a fight but I am curious where they got their information for some of those graphs. Are they really showing the "Net Price" of BC below $24,000 or ND below ~25? I know they are listed as a different color but this is considerably misleading on purpose. Altho I am certainly capable of doing the math on my own for all of these graphs to put it into the correct perspective I will not give much credence to this report. If the facts are that clear that Biondi has been bad for the University just present them but obviously there was a lot of work done to mislead in this report. And is anyone really surprised that SLU pays less than some of the universities they listed like ND, Wash U, BC, Georgetown, or Fordham? I know $75,000 seems like an embarrassing sum compared to a lot of those schools but we aren't in NYC or Boston and we don't command the respect of Universities when we hire like Wash U or Notre Dame.

[bonwich]

I don't mean to stir up a fight but I am curious where they got their information for some of those graphs. Are they really showing the "Net Price" of BC below $24,000 or ND below ~25? I know they are listed as a different color but this is considerably misleading on purpose. Altho I am certainly capable of doing the math on my own for all of these graphs to put it into the correct perspective I will not give much credence to this report. If the facts are that clear that Biondi has been bad for the University just present them but obviously there was a lot of work done to mislead in this report. And is anyone really surprised that SLU pays less than some of the universities they listed like ND, Wash U, BC, Georgetown, or Fordham? I know $75,000 seems like an embarrassing sum compared to a lot of those schools but we aren't in NYC or Boston and we don't command the respect of Universities when we hire like Wash U or Notre Dame.

Yeah, the first thing I noticed was that table, which would have been more meaningful if it had been normalized for geographic cost of living. Using Money Magazine's calculator and St. Louis as the norm, the BC salary would be $73,477 and the Georgetown salary (using Bethesda-Gaithersburg data) would be $76,046.

That said, the data sources are listed on page 3 of the report -- and it doesn't look good on an anecdotal basis, for example, that our average is significantly below Marquette's.

[SluBallz]

I wish I did not graduate in May and would start as student vote of no confidence in the faculty. They are an embarrassment on how they are handling this situation. Their actions lately will just galvanize the boards position if not make them take a stronger stance.

[SpartanBilliken]

All SLU staff received a survey from the Faculty this morning asking for our feedback on the situation. I could not believe how one-sided and slanted the entire survey was. The questions were multiple choice, and every response was skewed negatively.

I am all for giving the Faculty their voice, but when they start pulling crap like this survey, I can't stand em.

Here is the email I received - I suggest not answering the questions, but feel free to look at the survey:

Dear SLU Staff Member,

The Arts and Sciences Faculty Evidence Committee is writing to ask for your help collecting information about the state of the university. After we surveyed faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences earlier this fall, several staff members told us that they also would appreciate the opportunity to express their concerns. With help from staff, our committee developed the survey that is attached.

We are sending the survey to all SLU staff except senior administrators and deans. This survey is conducted through Survey Monkey. Individual responses are completely anonymous. Not even our committee has access to any identifying information for responders. Comments made by individuals will be summarized in general categories when the survey results are compiled.

The survey will be open until 5 pm on Monday, December 17, 2012. However, it will be helpful if you respond as soon as possible.

If we are to get accurate information about staff perspectives and concerns, it is important that everyone respond. We very much hope that you will be willing to fill out this brief survey. If you have any questions or concerns, please email us at[email protected], a confidential email for our committee. We recommend that you use a nonSLU email for this correspondence.

Follow this link to complete the survey; it should only take a minute or two.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=1ph5TKByAvD7_2fWrN9tABeg_3d_3d

Thanks you for your participation,

Jason Fritts

President

Arts & Science Faculty Council

Please note: If you do not wish to receive further emails from us, please click the link below, and you will be automatically removed from our mailing list.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/optout.aspx?sm=1ph5TKByAvD7_2fWrN9tABeg_3d_3d

[bonwich]

That link goes to the end of a completed survey. Perhaps someone could cut and paste one or two sample questions to provide us with some illustrations of what's being asked.

[SpartanBilliken]

That link goes to the end of a completed survey. Perhaps someone could cut and paste one or two sample questions to provide us with some illustrations of what's being asked.

my bad bonwich. i'll see if I can figure it out...

[cheeseman]

Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't the agreement focused on issuing joint public statements?

Not sure but I thought I read that the BOT agreed to have more communications with the Senate so when the letter was leaked that they BOT was being told not to talk to faculty and students then I would think the agreement had been broken.

[ucan2]

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/education/st-louis-university-trustees-must-weigh-loyalty-to-biondi-against/article_a57e6b01-396a-5a78-8947-1787335aa588.html

[MapleLeaf45]

That link goes to the end of a completed survey. Perhaps someone could cut and paste one or two sample questions to provide us with some illustrations of what's being asked.

my bad bonwich. i'll see if I can figure it out...

I managed to get my hands on some screenshots from the survey. I somehow managed to corrupt the screenshot of the first few questions but the only notable one asked something along the lines of "Do you believe your responsibilities have been increased without an increase in your pay?"

But hopefully these photo links work...

[pretty_ricky]

letter from the board of trustees sent out to all Students, faculty and staff:

December 15, 2012

Dear Faculty, Staff and Students,

As the fall semester ends at SLU next week, I want to thank each of you for your contributions to

Saint Louis University. And on behalf of the trustees, I want to wish each of you a wonderful

holiday season and a happy and healthy New Year.

As many of you know, the Board of Trustees met this morning. As Chairman of the Board, I

want to share information about actions that are being taken by the Board of Trustees to address

the ongoing concerns of the campus community that have been communicated to Board

members. Please know that we have listened and we have heard you. We have reflected on

what you have told us, and have made some decisions to not only address those current concerns

but also set the stage for a more connected community in the future. What I will share with you

is the result of a thoughtful process that has included meetings directly with the elected

representatives of the Faculty Senate and others on these issues. We have also heard the

students, staff and alumni concerns, and have taken those into consideration as well.

As has been communicated, a task force of the Executive Committee of the Board has met twice

this fall with the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate for in-depth and confidential

conversations. Both meetings were very collaborative and productive. At the first meeting on

November 8, the members of the Trustees’ task force spent the majority of the time listening to

the concerns of the faculty representatives. At a second meeting on November 29, there was

substantive discussion about collaborative ways to respond constructively to the issues at hand.

What resulted from that meeting was agreement on six important initial actions that both the

faculty and the trustees involved felt were important:

• The President of the Faculty Senate will appear before the Board of Trustees annually to

share the faculty’s perspectives, insights and concerns with the Board.

• Representatives of the Board and the Administration will meet annually with the Faculty

Senate to report on the state of the University.

resignation of Patankar was the big one here. Increased faculty compensation not too surprising I guess. The rest sounded like the same old stuff they've been saying

[pretty_ricky]

whoops got cut off here's the rest :

Additionally, the Board of Trustees agreed today that the President of the Faculty Senate will be

invited to make a presentation to the full Board at its February 9, 2013 meeting. Also, in

consultation with the Faculty Senate, it is our hope that Father Biondi and I can meet with the

full Faculty Senate in late spring in a collaborative conversation about the state of our University.

The Board also agreed that the president of the Student Government Association will be invited

to make a presentation to the full Board once per academic year to provide insights, perspectives

and concerns to the Board. And the Board asks the vice president for student development to

continue to work closely with the students to address issues of concern.

I want to commend those from the faculty and the administration who are serving on the Faculty

Manual Revision Task Force. The Task Force meetings have been productive and marked by

collegiality and collaboration, and I applaud this effort and those involved who are working to

enhance shared governance across the University.

This morning, the Board was informed that Dr. Manoj Patankar, vice president for academic

affairs, has submitted a letter of resignation from his position to Father Biondi. Father Biondi

has accepted Dr. Patankar’s resignation effective at the end of this fall semester. I wish to thank

Dr. Patankar for his service to the University as a professor, dean and vice president. Dr.

Patankar will return to his faculty position in Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and

Technology.

Father Biondi has appointed Dr. Ellen Harshman, dean of the John Cook School of Business, to

serve as interim vice president for academic affairs, and Dr. Harshman has agreed to serve on an

interim basis. Dr. Harshman has been dean of the business school since 2003, and before that

served in a number of senior leadership roles at SLU, including as a senior vice provost prior to

becoming dean. I know you will give Dr. Harshman your support during this transition.

At the appropriate time, a search committee to identify candidates for the vice president for

academic affairs will be formed. Consistent with The Faculty Manual, the counsel and

recommendations of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee will be sought in the formation of

the search committee, with the number of faculty on the committee reflecting the extent of

faculty involvement with this critical position.3

The Board of Trustees and its Executive Committee have been in discussion with Father Biondi

about these issues and the climate on campus and will continue to do so. Our expectation is that

Father Biondi and Dr. Harshman will make substantial progress in improving collaboration and

communication with all constituencies. The Board recognizes that Father Biondi has served the

University admirably over the last 25 years and has built Saint Louis University into one of the

finest Jesuit universities in the country.

Finally, I wish to report that the Board of Trustees today also approved the University’s FY2013-

2014 general operating budget. While all of the details of the budget will be communicated in

the weeks ahead, I thought it important to share with each of you that the budget contains a

compensation pool that is significantly higher than in recent years. The administration and the

trustees agree that providing significant investment in compensation is important in attracting

and retaining the best faculty and staff for the University.

It is our hope that all of these actions approved by the Board of Trustees today – done in a spirit

of collaboration and with the best interests of the University in mind – will help enhance the

sense of community that makes Saint Louis University such a special place. We all agree that

shared governance is important to the life of the University, and an ongoing commitment to that

process by all of those in the University community will help us move forward in a positive

direction.

As we begin this holiest of seasons, I hope we can all come together for the good of the

University and for the benefit of our current and future students. Again, thank you for your

commitment to SLU and I wish the best for you and your family during his holiday season.

[grunky]

sometimes a school/university needs a guy like biondi.. a fundraiser in every sense of the word. unfortunately, when fundraisers do their jobs well (as biondi did), there comes a time when the institution needs more from the president than dollars and cents. biondi did alot for slu, it's a shame that this is happening... but, he did bring it on himself.

[billiken_roy]

this is first and foremost a messageboard about billiken basketball. we all come to this board to debate and discuss our beloved billikens. that said, biondi leaving right now would be horrible for the billikens. biondi is the path to getting in this new conference. without the good father to smooze the other presidents and negotiate our inclusion we are dead. can he make it happen? i dont know. but i do strongly believe it wont happen if he is gone. the final decision is one of the school presidents. biondi is the connection to the decision makers.

[Box and Won]

this is first and foremost a messageboard about billiken basketball. we all come to this board to debate and discuss our beloved billikens. that said, biondi leaving right now would be horrible for the billikens. biondi is the path to getting in this new conference. without the good father to smooze the other presidents and negotiate our inclusion we are dead. can he make it happen? i dont know. but i do strongly believe it wont happen if he is gone. the final decision is one of the school presidents. biondi is the connection to the decision makers.

Biondi's not going anywhere.

[billiken_roy]

Biondi's not going anywhere.

i totally agree and laugh at those that think there is even a chance he would be axed. father biondi will leave slu when father biondi wants to leave slu. while i have not been a fan of a lot of the heavy handed action that seems to have happened the last few years, there is no doubt that saint louis university today is where it is because of the efforts of father biondi over the last 25 years. those of you complaining should have seen what us old timers experienced in the way of a campus and facilities in the 70's and 80's.

my only point was that the current bashing of father biondi (whether justified or not) is not going to help our efforts to align with the remaining big east schools in an effort to form an amazing new conference. biondi is our key player and while even he may not be able to make it happen, without him, it just flat out wont happen. stay the course and support father biondi.

[jp18]

i totally agree and laugh at those that think there is even a chance he would be axed. father biondi will leave slu when father biondi wants to leave slu. while i have not been a fan of a lot of the heavy handed action that seems to have happened the last few years, there is no doubt that saint louis university today is where it is because of the efforts of father biondi over the last 25 years. those of you complaining should have seen what us old timers experienced in the way of a campus and facilities in the 70's and 80's.

my only point was that the current bashing of father biondi (whether justified or not) is not going to help our efforts to align with the remaining big east schools in an effort to form an amazing new conference. biondi is our key player and while even he may not be able to make it happen, without him, it just flat out wont happen. stay the course and support father biondi.

For someone that is so much in favor of a good representative of the university, I can't believe you don't want Biondi gone. From the stories I have heard of him, his actions don't represent the SLU community very well at all, especially for a priest.

[Cowboy]

-I am disappointed the BoT from SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY would send a letter on December 15th and not wish those receiving it a Merry Christmas but instead offers happy holidays they even offer it is the 'holiest of seasons'

-this frequently happens, someone says 'I take responsibility' well what does that usually mean? nothing. in this case the BoT says we listened and heard, but where is the committee of them to study if FrB is still in the right role?

-reading that letter, FrB is at the helm for some time to come, imo

-since it is guessed that boosters were paying part(much?) of Rick's salary I wonder if part of the increase in the "compensation pool" is to pay for a men's bball coach? and was the word 'pool' chosen for any other reason??

[WestCoastBilliken]

nm

[JettFlight5]

i totally agree and laugh at those that think there is even a chance he would be axed. father biondi will leave slu when father biondi wants to leave slu. while i have not been a fan of a lot of the heavy handed action that seems to have happened the last few years, there is no doubt that saint louis university today is where it is because of the efforts of father biondi over the last 25 years. those of you complaining should have seen what us old timers experienced in the way of a campus and facilities in the 70's and 80's.

my only point was that the current bashing of father biondi (whether justified or not) is not going to help our efforts to align with the remaining big east schools in an effort to form an amazing new conference. biondi is our key player and while even he may not be able to make it happen, without him, it just flat out wont happen. stay the course and support father biondi.

I'll support him because he's the one at the front right now. If this conference passes SLU by, he needs to go away.

[DoctorB]

Frankly, I think some of youse guys ought to stick to basketball, cuz this is way more complicated than you realize...

And I know I'll get hammered by the usual suspects as some sort of socialist or worse... but professors are not the bad guys in this scenario. They (and I) are just sick and tired of being sick and tired of the same old same old--despite all the warm and colorful flowers and trees being planted every year.

I've been a good boy for a pretty long time on this board, so it's difficult to know where to begin, or what to say. . . .but for starters, as one person mentioned: you might want to read and think about the contents of the 16-page letter delivered by the Faculty Senate to the Board, for a lengthy listing of very serious mistakes/ and at times unethical actions by the present administration. these are rather serious and yet all I keep hearing about are the wonderful grounds and buildings, and how bad midtown used to be.

I love the campus, but I suggest you go visit Florence. the churches and buildings there are also sublime. but they are empty on Sunday mornings, pretty much. splendid buildings do not a church make; and neither do splendid campuses. I'll just repeat what another person said: the faculty IS the university; not the nice flowers and great basketball stadium (which I like a lot, by the way). Maybe that's how it works at a major bank, or a Fortune 500 company (the "real world," as someone will now say): autocratic, vindictive iron-fisted rule behind closed doors; fear and loathing haunting the halls and stairwells; very real stories of colleagues being made to suffer for disagreeing or airing out grievances; colleagues from all over the country calling us or emailing us and asking, "What the hell is going on at SLU??" -- but I've given some of the best years of my life to SLU, and I can tell you the crisis is very real; and I and other faculty are deserving of some (genuine) part of the decision making process, and many, many things done under the "SLU Mission Statement" premise are simply wrong. Believe me, when students wax eloquent about their memories of SLU and the people who "changed their lives,' well, it generally isn't the administrators they mention (Chaifetz aside).

And I get tired of good natured and intelligent alumni--like on here-- not seeming to understand any of that. so think back: who changed your life at SLU (if anyone): was it a (marginalized and underpaid) faculty member?

OK, hammer away....