(YPSILANTI) Following the U.S. Department of Educations (DOE) highly critical report on Eastern Michigan Universitys handling of the tragic murder of Laura Dickinson, the Eastern Michigan University Association of American University Professors (EMU-AAUP), along with the Faculty Council as represented in their recent vote, believe strongly that the only way for EMU to begin restoring trust and successfully delivering a quality education for its students is for President John Fallon to be removed from office, according to Howard Bunsis, President, EMU-AAUP
The report issued by the Department of Education is a scathing indictment of EMU administrations mishandling of the Laura Dickinson murder investigation which could result in tens of thousands, if not millions of dollars in fines allocated to the university, said Bunsis. The report reflects the failure of leadership by President John Fallon and as a result he should resign or be fired by the EMU Board of Regents.
We do not take the call for the resignation of a president lightly, said Bunsis. This is a very serious matter, and one which represents a sad chapter for the university. However, we should view the changes that are ahead of us as a new beginning faculty and students and staff working together to create an environment where learning and the pursuit of knowledge is the primary emphasis of our institution. And lets hope that honesty and respect for each other can finally flourish to create the academic and community atmosphere that we all know EMU can become.
The DOE report revealed that EMU committed numerous violations of the Clery Act, the federal law that requires colleges and universities to inform their campus communities about crimes on campus. Specifically, the report found that there was not only a failure to timely warn of the Dickinson murder, but there were also misleading statements made by the administration regarding the matter (finding 1 of the report).
In addition, the DOE report found that there has been a systemic failure and effort on the part of EMUs administration to minimize and mislead the campus community about serious crimes for several years, as well as a failure to keep campus as safe as possible (see finding 2). These violations could subject the university to large and significant fines.
Today, President Fallon, who still has not made any substantive comment on the DOE report, had the DOE issue a statement that he had not received certain letters until after the arrest of a suspect in the Dickinson murder. Bunsis said that the timing of these letters is irrelevant. President Fallon needs to be removed irrespective of when he claims he found out, or when he actually found out about the nature of the death of Laura Dickinson, said Bunsis.
If President Fallon did not know that this was a homicide investigation from the start, then his lack of knowledge is completely and totally unacceptable, and he should be removed as president for not being vigilant in discovering what occurred, said Bunsis.
Bunsis said that news reports starting the day after the body was discovered indicated that foul play was likely. Why didn't President Fallon follow up on these stories? One possibility is that he knew from the start that the Dickinson case was a likely murder, and is not telling the truth. If this is the case, then President Fallon should be removed for obvious reasons, said Bunsis.
Another possibility is that that he was so out of the loop and did not bother to ask critical questions about the investigation. If this is the case, then President Fallon is guilty of gross negligence and incompetence, and he needs to be removed as president, said Bunsis.
In another matter, the EMU administration today denied a formal grievance by AAUP to re-key all faculty offices. The DOE report makes clear and confirms that master keys that open every faculty office on campus were stolen in 2005. The EMU administration hid this theft from the EMU faculty until recently. Bunsis said EMUs refusal to re-key all campus offices is unacceptable.
There has been a rash of thefts from locked faculty offices. Though the administration agreed to re-key some classroom buildings, they will not re-key all of them. In fact, there were two thefts from faculty offices in Alexander and Quirk Halls around the Memorial Day holiday. These are two of the buildings that the EMU administration refuses to re-key. Given the importance of safety on campus, it is simply unconscionable that the EMU administration will not re-key all faculty offices in an expedited manner, said Bunsis.